Letters - 14 April 2017
From holding in the Light to Quaker reading
Holding in the Light
Jane Taylor’s ‘Thought for the Week’ (7 April) concerned ‘Holding in the Light’.
I have found Marcelle Martin’s Pendle Hill Pamphlet 382 Holding one another in the Light helpful, especially such extracts as:
…joining with God’s constant love for the person.
…at such moments it is as though I am drawn to join with divine loving intentions already irradiating that person.
…one does not request anything specific but simply offers oneself as a vehicle for God’s love for the other.
They help guide my prayer life, as does a Celtic prayer that I use daily as a visualisation:
May the light of God surround you.
May the love of God enfold you.
May the power of God flow through you.
Wherever you are God is, and all is well.
Mary Stone
Farm animals
As a former smallholder and pigfarmer, I am unsure of what the Quaker Concern for Animals’ (QCA) aims were during their witness at a slaughterhouse (17 March).
Farm animals bred for meat in this country are governed by some of the most stringent regulations in the world.
If we did not farm these animals for their produce they could become endangered and extinct; there would be no need to care for them. We would no longer see cattle, pigs and sheep in our fields, and that would be a huge loss.
The quality farming of these creations provide us with meat, dairy produce and other products; they have a life worth living and a death that is giving.
The transportation of farm animals is also well governed. The lorries have slatted sides allowing fresh air to pass through the vehicle; they get access to fresh water to drink and they have to rest. Many of the animals get to look out at the scenery around them.
If I want to transport my cat I can put him in a box, stick him on the car seat, or floor. I do not have to feed or water him and I can drive all across the country without stopping. The cat doesn’t get to see any scenery and only hears the drone of the engine and road noise, which adds to his stress.
QCA Friends, I am not saying you are wrong, I am asking if we have our priorities in the right place.
A Friend
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