Talk to a Quaker

Add a Comment

6 Comments

Comment by Ulrich a contemplative on October 13, 2008 at 4:32am

Thanks Rory for the words.
I agree with so much you say, obviously from long personal experience and insight, and with great significance.
The wide spectrum of beliefs,What matters is a person's willingness to open themselves to experiencing the unseen and life transforming power that we experience in our silent Meetings for vWorship;All humans are the inheritors of the Spiritual realm;Any serious seeker after spiritual growth will find that they need to take up a way of life that is in accord with their spiritual journey. People who refuse to accept this are by definition not serious about their own spiritual development; etc etc.
After those words of lived wisdom from yours that sum it all up, there is nothing else needed but to reply in silent agreement -
thanks

Ulrich.

Comment by Rory Short on October 12, 2008 at 9:30pm

Hi Elspeth,

SA Quakers are silent meeting Quakers. That means our spirtual practices are much the same as those of the original 17th century founders of the Religious Society of Friends.

With that goes a wide spectrum of individual beliefs. These range from some very Christo-centric people to some like myself who completely accept the reality of the Spiritual realm but who would be reluctant to populate it with a God in the conventional Christian sense of the word. There might even be some atheists amongst us, it really does not matter. What matters is a person's willingness to open themselves to experiencing the unseen and life transforming power that we experience in our silent Meetings for vWorship. I suppose I am what many would call a universalist although I am most reluctant to use that term for myself. From a spiritual practice point of view I am a Quaker, a Yogi and a Tibetan Buddhist.

All humans are the inheritors of the Spiritual realm. It does not belong to any humanly defined or contrived spiritual traditon although sadly many followers of particular traditions believe that their particular tradition has a special lien on it over and above the other tradituions. I will adopt any spiritual practice that seems helpful for my own spiritual growth and I am not concerned as to which particular tradition it comes from. Butr that is me others could very well be different.

Any serious seeker after spiritual growth will find that they need to take up a way of life that is in accord with their spiritual journey. People who refuse to accept this are by definition not serious about their own spiritual development.

i think all Quakers accept that we are each on our own journeys of spiritual discovery and development and that to have companions on this journey is a priceless gift. We need to become friends of one and other in this incredible lifelong spiritual endeavour.

Quakers are a completely democratic organistaion. If some member of a Meeting feels the need to have a study group then they can put it to their fellow members at the monthly 'meeting for worship for business' and if their if there is agreement on this need such a study group will be established by the members who decide to participate. We teach one and other by sharing our knowledge and eperience with each other.

The Quaker adult education centre, Woodbrooke, near Birmingham in the UK produces Quaker study material which we have used in study grioups in the past and
i am sure that we will do so in the future too. It is up to the members of a Meeting what they choose to do in this regard. There is no higher body giving them orders.

Comment by Elspeth on October 12, 2008 at 5:10pm

Thanks Rory and Julie for the comments and links which I followed up. It all helped clarify my question. I still have a few, which I'd like to place in the South African context if possible.
Are SA quakers specifically Christian (but I gather not what I would call fundamentalist or particularly literal Christians - I hope that way of expressing it isn't offensive to anyone) or do they include a more universalist attitude such as I see in the US or UK material? I'm not suggesting that one can't be universalist and Christian (my limited understanding of word universalist)at the same time but I did have a perception of Quakers as still a rather more traditionally Christian faith than embracing everyone as "universalist" suggests.

In the readings and your comments mention is made of "a way of life" as well as "exploring deeper meanings in life", scholarship and the Meeting / Society of Friends providing a "framework" to grow one's spiritural life. Can I ask how this happens if there is no structured input? The US material makes reference to adult discussion and study - does this happen here?

Sorry for such a long post.

Comment by Rory Short on October 11, 2008 at 8:22am

Sorry about the incomplete comment. I must have inadvertently hit the add comment button. I'll try again.

Your question although most welcome is very unspecific so difficult to answer because at each point in time a person is likely to be grappling with one or more spiritual questions that are pertinent to them at that point. This is to be expected because we are continuously evolving beings thus it would be great if you could articulate one or more such issues and then I and others could give our perspectives on them.

This is the nature of the Religious Society of Friends, we are in fellowship with one and other on our spiritual journeys. I guess that is one of the most important things that binds us into a fellowship, we all accept that we are explorers on the spiritual road and that we need one and others support in this supreme endeavour. We have many experiences and understandings that spring from those experiences that are in common but we are not clones of one and other nor are we clones of some kind of ideal Quaker. We are all lovable, unique individuals with our own strengths and weaknesses.

I look forward to hearing of your particular issues.

Comment by Julie Povall on October 11, 2008 at 12:50am

Hi Elspeth
If you would like to find out more about Quakers posting on this group is exactly the right way to go. This website is quite new (hence few members). Please feel free to ask any questions and we will try to answer them as best as we can. In the meantime please explore the website. You may find something which needs to be more fully explained.
Anyone is welcome to attend a Quaker meeting . It lasts for an hour and any one who is called (inspired) to speak may minister to others. There is not priest, ritual or dogma.
Please see this link for a simple explanation

Comment by Elspeth on October 10, 2008 at 10:31pm

Hi

I am trying to find out more about Quakers in South Africa - I have a very vague notion. How does one find out more about what it means, what is involved etc. I'm also not sure how to post to this small group.