Letters - 09 August 2013
From 'Quaker faith & practice' to income tax
Revision of Quaker faith & practice
It has come to my attention that the most recent edition of Quaker faith & practice (1995) may require revision. I understand that suggestions relate to: 1) returning the publication to two books, one on church governance and the other on the faith and religious practice of the Society (with this I am in favour) and 2) the issue of modernising the language to avoid offending those who term themselves ‘nontheist’.
On language, I have appreciated recent communications and, especially, Thought for the Week, ‘Beyond Words’ (12 July). To these comments I would add that it seems to me that the priority is the fact that we are, and will remain I hope, a religious society. As the Religious Society of Friends it is surely essential that our primary text should reflect this.
If, in worship, we turn to ‘that of God’ and hold that there is ‘that of God in everyone’, how can we possibly consider writing God out? Naturally, what is important is what people think through the words used. I suspect that there are now some people for whom the word ‘God’ causes problems. However, this is not the Society’s problem. If individuals are questioning surely we should be among those groups who have some answers to offer.
I feel strongly that we, the Religious Society of Friends, need to retain a theist orientation. I do understand that the universalism of different approaches to God may now be more prevalent among our members than the solely Christian approach. However, this does not render God optional!
Carole Hamby
Population
Advice 41 was read in our Meeting today. Do we pay adequate attention to such and similar advice?
To better our lives we have used our muscle power, and then added animal power, wind and water power. Clever humans discovered how to use power from coal, oil, gas and nuclear power. We so enjoy the fossil sources of power that we are using them up at a rate about a million times faster than they were created. Only recently has concern been raised about the waste products.
Meanwhile, human numbers have increased from under a billion to over seven billion, with a further two or three billion forecast in the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren.
Advice 41 was written for and by humans conscious of the need to cherish our wonderful world and its natural resources. We humans are all of one species: Homo sapiens, the wise or thinking hominid. Clever humans reckon human numbers are manageable if we are all nice to each other. The remainder of useful wildlife can be tamed in zoos or gardens.
Clever humans took rabbits to Australia. The rabbits rejoiced in the splendour of God’s creation, exercised their ‘rabbit rights,’ and their population grew distressingly large. Are we humans, like rabbits, intent on exercising our human rights individually and ignoring our duties, our religious obligations, to others? We must act, collectively, in the interests of all, and world peace.
Norfolk and Waveney Area Meeting has sent a minute urging that Britain Yearly Meeting 2014 has an agenda item on global population.
Tony Osborn
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