Letters - 25 November 2016

From letting the light in to simplicity

That’s how the light gets in

‘There is a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in.’ These words from Leonard Cohen’s song ‘Anthem’ were quoted in ministry in Exeter this morning. So, it set me thinking whether there were any cracks of light in the shocking election result in America.

Looking at the exit poll survey, one statistic stood out. A key issue was a desire for change. Eighty-three per cent of voters thought Donald Trump could bring about change, whereas only fourteen per cent thought Hillary Clinton could. Of course, the issue is: what sort of changes they would bring about. Some are changes that we, as Quakers, would strongly support, such as adequate income, a decent job and a revival of their local communities. I do not believe that the majority of Trump supporters are racist, but clearly they are frightened, like many people in Europe.

As Quakers, we have a vision of a society that is very different to the present one. I believe many people, especially young people, share our vision and are working to implement it. Much of our work, for instance, on the new economy and supporting refugees is helping to implement that vision.

It may be a long and hard road but, if we are tempted to lose hope, let us remember Gandhi’s words: ‘When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won.’

Gerald Conyngham

Only one God?

Gandhi was much in vogue when I was a student around 1950, and I think he expressed the issue of ‘Only one God?’ (20 November) very clearly.

Interfaith dialogue was in its infancy, and he said: ‘We don’t want some mish-mash of the world’s religions: what we need is for each of us to deepen our spiritual resources until we reach that point where nothing separates us anymore.’ Of course, it depends on a huge assumption that there is, indeed, such a point. That is monotheism.

Volker Heine

You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.