DeletedUser
Please excuse my strong language in the title, but I think it accurately states the problem many people have had in understanding where I am coming from. It is easier to sympathize with a man's position on a topic when you know where his roots are hidden. In my case that is firmly in Quakerism, something that seems more quickly associated with delicious oatmeal than the spirit.
I will try to make this as concise as possible but it may be a long read. I have provided Cliff's Notes at the bottom.
The term itself, "Quaker," originally began as a jibe at the members of the faith (who, in the United States, typically called themselves the Religious Society of Friends). The jibe came about as outsiders described us as trembling at the word of God. Well, we done took the name and made it our own!
Our origins are based in a belief that the individual must experience the Lord directly and transform that experience into action guided by one's own Inner Light. That means that importance generally placed upon religious hierarchy and doctrine (the words of a priest or the good book) takes a back seat to one's own internal moral compass. If I quote the good book it is only because the lesson is still relevant and it is put much more eloquently than I could ever muster.
That's not to say that the priest doesn't know what he's talking about or that the Bible doesn't hold vast amounts of wisdom, but each person must come to their conclusions while being guided by the holy light of love. For this reason, it would be better to call me "Friend" than "Priest" or "Preacher."
While we do not have a set creed, we do have certain "testimonies." These are ideas of spirituality in action that are not static and able to change with the changing needs of the time - nor are they accepted by all Quakers.
In the Union, Quakers are encouraged to SPICE up their lives:
Simplicity
Peace
Integrity
Community
Equality
A deeper discussion of all of these here would take days, so I will spare you all that. Hopefully they are mostly clear.
Living decent, loving lives and doing good works as guided by one's Inner Light (inspired by God) is the aim of Quakers. Not all subscribe to the same ideas (not all are even Christian!) but, in general, this is the idea of the faith. This is why it is not incompatible with science or other religions.
So when I talk of "sin" it is because folks are doing harm to one another. If I talk of "hell" it is a state of being on this plane, not a fiery after-life. All the terms I use for Our Lord refer to this inner moral compass - and when I appear to be a preacher, it is when I am trying to get people to inspect theirs more closely and perhaps tune it up a spell.
I will, of course, be around to answer any and all questions that are relevant.
Cliffs:
In life no true understanding can come through reading someone else's summary.
tl;dr
I will try to make this as concise as possible but it may be a long read. I have provided Cliff's Notes at the bottom.
The term itself, "Quaker," originally began as a jibe at the members of the faith (who, in the United States, typically called themselves the Religious Society of Friends). The jibe came about as outsiders described us as trembling at the word of God. Well, we done took the name and made it our own!
Our origins are based in a belief that the individual must experience the Lord directly and transform that experience into action guided by one's own Inner Light. That means that importance generally placed upon religious hierarchy and doctrine (the words of a priest or the good book) takes a back seat to one's own internal moral compass. If I quote the good book it is only because the lesson is still relevant and it is put much more eloquently than I could ever muster.
That's not to say that the priest doesn't know what he's talking about or that the Bible doesn't hold vast amounts of wisdom, but each person must come to their conclusions while being guided by the holy light of love. For this reason, it would be better to call me "Friend" than "Priest" or "Preacher."
While we do not have a set creed, we do have certain "testimonies." These are ideas of spirituality in action that are not static and able to change with the changing needs of the time - nor are they accepted by all Quakers.
In the Union, Quakers are encouraged to SPICE up their lives:
Simplicity
Peace
Integrity
Community
Equality
A deeper discussion of all of these here would take days, so I will spare you all that. Hopefully they are mostly clear.
Living decent, loving lives and doing good works as guided by one's Inner Light (inspired by God) is the aim of Quakers. Not all subscribe to the same ideas (not all are even Christian!) but, in general, this is the idea of the faith. This is why it is not incompatible with science or other religions.
So when I talk of "sin" it is because folks are doing harm to one another. If I talk of "hell" it is a state of being on this plane, not a fiery after-life. All the terms I use for Our Lord refer to this inner moral compass - and when I appear to be a preacher, it is when I am trying to get people to inspect theirs more closely and perhaps tune it up a spell.
I will, of course, be around to answer any and all questions that are relevant.
Cliffs:
In life no true understanding can come through reading someone else's summary.
tl;dr
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