Letters - 09 June 2023
From Quakers and Christianity to Guidance of the light
Quakers and Christianity
My thanks to all those contributors who have raised the question of Quakers and Christianity.
I too have experienced (but in another Meeting) the feeling of reluctance to talk about my belief in God and of being inspired by the teachings of Jesus, which to me are the backbone of our Religious Society of Friends. It does seem that those of us who feel similarly have been backward in expressing our views, mainly because of the desire to listen to others’ views and not to cause upset. This has resulted in not speaking out when perhaps we should have. I suggest that it is important in ministry we should remember to use the word ‘l’ and not ‘we’ to avoid assuming everyone else agrees with us.
Number 17 of Advices & queries, which includes the words ‘When words are strange or disturbing to you, try to sense where they come from and what has nourished the life of others’, surely applies to all.
I strongly believe that, if what has been our core belief for over 300 years is lost, and we become a secular meditation group, the Society of Friends (Quakers) will be finished.
Margaret Sadler
Friends’ way of worship
In the 26 May edition of the Friend, Mary Stone seeks a short, accurate and engaging description of what we do in Meeting for Worship.
In Cork Meeting, we recently agreed to run notices in a number of publications that have space for free, very short ads. The wording we will be using is ‘We connect with God in shared silence and stillness.’
Denise Gabuzda
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.