Our Meeting settles into the definition of our worship together as “in the manner of Friends.” Anyone who wishes to join us are welcomed if they agree to worship in the manner of Quakers. By this is meant that we will be largely silent and still, hoping to receive messages from the Spirit which will inform our lives or the lives of others.
We invite any who do receive messages, and who discern that these messages are meant for the good of all present, to stand and share them during our worship services. There is no restriction on who may speak, though persons who abuse this privilege, who “outrun their guide,” or who are disruptive may be asked to leave the meeting room to speak with Worship And Ministry outside.
For us, Quakerism forms a deep association within, an identity, that is committed to peace, peaceful means, fairness, and truth. Of course, most religions provide a kind of identity to members. Ours is not unique in this regard. We regard ourselves unique solely in the means through which we do this, which includes non-hierarchical organizing principles, absence of conflict of interest with regard to both spiritual and material matters, and heavy reliance on conscience in matters of discernment.
Because we depend on what the early Quakers called the “Inward Light” for guidance and inspiration, ours might be called a mystical religion, in the tradition of Christian mystics since the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Personal accountability, restraint, moderation, and capacity for diversity are important to us, as is a capacity for ambiguity. Paradox is often a subject in vocal ministry, along with Love, Peace, and Light.
On the more practical side, unprogrammed Quakers devote themselves to Quaker principles which are similar to the Buddhist formulation of the Eightfold Noble Path: right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. These embody the ideas of wisdom, ethical conduct, and mental discipline which can also be seen in the Quaker testimonies of peace, simplicity, equality, integrity, and honesty/forthright speech. For us, it is less important to use “correct” or canonic or strictly Quaker words to describe these ideas than to use the formulations which will bring about these results. Thus, we have unprogrammed Quakers who define themselves as Buddhist-Quaker, Sufi-Quaker, Christian-Quaker, Jewish-Quaker, or just plain Quaker. We have those who prefer a NonTheist outlook in their devotions, wishing to break strong associations with patriarchy and militancy often associated with Theist formulations.
Because we are tolerant of diversity and because we do not require specific belief statements, some, even some others who call themselves Quakers, regard our religious stance to be inadequate, a “weak” theology, and our very nature to be “relativist” (John Punchon) or less than fully faithful (Wilmer Cooper). I find this amusing most of the time, due to the very high requirements we place on ourselves for ethical conduct and honest speech, and to the way that we hold ourselves accountable to each other.
At other times, I am deeply saddened that modern religion itself, especially conservative forms in Christianity, seems to foster unfair comparison, political sloganism, and intolerance that leads people who would be devout into militant, self-contradictory, even sinful, positions. We unprogrammed Quakers find ourselves off the mark quite often, but rarely do we need to disparage others in this way. I do it here to make the point that I have never read or heard unprogrammed Quakers making statements like this about or against anyone, but have had to endure many directed against us during my seminary work.
Our theology and our capacity for devotion are equal to any. Our tolerance for others is high, but we are intolerant of intolerance between people. We will confront it, speak it, witness before it. That is part of our mission as Friends.
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