Above: Friends in full flow. Below: The Venn Diagram Friends used during the discussion. Photo: Courtesy of David and Louise Tinsley.
Eye - 18 April 2025
Eye hears from Friends who gather on Fridays, after a fascinating evening focussed on religion and spirituality
Friendly Fridays
David and Louise Tinsley, resident Friends at Settle Meeting, shared some insights gleaned during a Friday night gathering earlier this year.
They told Eye: ‘It has been the aim of Friday Night Quakers to build community, an opportunity for outreach and in-reach, and to provide a thought-provoking, interesting and enjoyable activity.’
In February Friends delved deep into discussion when considering spirituality.
David and Louise elaborated: ‘Some years ago the cynical partner of a Quaker Friend challenged us to define the word “spirituality”. “No Quaker has ever been able to explain it to me,” he said confidently!
‘Well, it was a shame he wasn’t at the meeting of Settle’s Friday Night Quakers when Friends had the opportunity to consider the similarities and differences between religion and spirituality.
‘Following the usual simple meal… nineteen Friends were placed in groups and faced with a Venn diagram and various statements for them to consider and decide where to place and glue on the chart.’
Some of those statements included: Worships a Higher Power / encourages oneness with a Higher Power; the Higher Power is outside you / the Higher Power is inside you; separates people with different beliefs / unites people of different beliefs; based on fear and restriction / based on love and freedom; based on other’s experiences / based on your personal experience; and stuck in a ‘fish bowl’ – limited things to explore / having the ‘ocean’ to explore without limits.
They reflected: ‘If the quality and intensity of the discussion were anything to go by, the evening certainly met its aims – it being a challenge to pull Friends together for the short Meeting for Worship at the end!’
