Quaker understandings of truth
Dorothy Buglass writes about the recent QUG conference
Pontius Pilate said ‘What is truth?’ – leaving these words to echo down the ages. Around sixty people mulled over this question at the Quaker Universalist Group’s (QUG) annual conference, which was held on 13-15 April at Woodbrooke, and it proved a timely topic when terms such as ‘post-truth’ are prevalent.
On Friday evening we considered ‘Thoughts on Spiritual and Scientific Truth’ by Alan York. He was unfortunately absent through illness and his contribution was read by Hazel Nelson. He maintained that the language of science based on evidence did not necessarily differ significantly from the language of religion based on experience. He introduced the concept of ‘qualia’: raw experiences, which are subjective, based on the senses. For example, we never know whether the colour we see as red is really the same as that colour seen by others. He introduced the notion of ‘spiritual qualia’ – for example, the experiences of the mystics. These are subjective and ineffable, but are nevertheless the basis of religion.
Does truth matter?
Tony Philpott made the assertion that we need to establish facts to make decisions about the good life. But a fog separates us from the truth and he outlined four crucial elements causing this separation. First, culture and background. Second, psychology, the many biases reflected in our choice of belief. Third, the view that the world is religiously ambiguous – and that objective facts do not prove one religion true or another false. Finally, the media, which can recast reality. There is no easy way through the fog. The process of seeking truth and having an open mind are more important than the end product.
Truth in a Quaker context
Joycelin Dawes, on Saturday, gave an insightful talk on ‘Truth’ as perceived by early Quakers and how this concept has been interpreted in more recent times. Truth encompasses honesty, integrity and clarity – virtues for which Quakers became known. However, there is no one definition and the speaker suggested we should test what she said against our own understanding. Early Quakers spoke of truth (as a verb) arising from their inner experience.
They mostly had a literalist perception of God, but Joycelin Dawes suggested that today it was more appropriate to consider God as a word to describe the ‘process of becoming’. We need to accept diversity. Our view has to be wide enough to include the truth of others as well as our own. Quaker Universalists, like Friends in all ages, have recognised an Inward Light, a loving energy in the deepest places, available to everyone. Truth matters because it is a necessary part of trust. Without trust we cannot relate satisfactorily to others, in business or personal relationships. An inquiry into the fruits of truth asks the questions: Is it life affirming? Is it nourishing? Can I experience it? And does it lead to an inherent intention to good?
Truth in religion
‘Truth in religion – Universalism, a truth suppressed within the Christian tradition’ was another topic that was addressed. We were most grateful to Hugh Rock, a delegate at the conference, for offering us this talk as a replacement for our advertised speaker, who was prevented from coming. In theology Christian universalism maintains that a loving God would not condemn the majority of humankind to hell and damnation. Salvation is universally available.
This view contradicts much traditional teaching of the Church and the Calvinistic view of ‘the elect’. Early Quakers rejected blind acceptance of doctrine and emphasised that good actions were the essence of true religion. The view that deeds supersede doctrine cuts across belief systems and recruits all into the ‘invisible church’. In sociological terms the different churches are communities of people who support each other. A church is what it does.
‘Are religious beliefs true?’ is a mistaken and unanswerable question. Religions are different ways of organising communities. In the discussion that followed it was noted that modern Quaker Universalists are little influenced by the Christian Universalists’ concern with salvation. Rather, they seem to draw their inspiration from the concept of the Inner Light as perceived by Friends and from exposure to Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.
Truth in the media
Sunday brought us a lively account from Stephen Cox on ‘Truth in the media’. We perceive a crisis of truth in our society. The idea of a single objective truth is questioned and we talk glibly of post-truth. However, we have been here before. In ancient Egypt Rameses II made false claims about his victories, and the printing press was suppressed by governments in its early days.
The example of early Quakers is relevant. They used the most up-to-date methods of their time. They were notorious controversialists, great pamphlet writers and were persecuted for it. Later they were notable for their opposition to the slave trade and were able to organise effective campaigns. They believed in objective truth and they felt their interpretation to be right.
Turning to our present problems, the speaker noted that Post-Enlightenment thought encouraged individualism and suspicion of experts. We are in a period of rapid social and economic change that includes huge changes to our methods of communication. The decline of local newspapers makes it more difficult to verify facts close to home. False tweets, according to one academic study, are re-tweeted more frequently than true ones. What can we do? We have to recognise that free speech has its limits. We need stronger parliamentary laws and more control of lobbying organisations. We need to make multinationals comply with UK laws. Personal boycotts are not enough – we need to press for essential government control. We need to ask: How does the truth prosper among Friends? We should pose questions in a less controversial manner and hold people to high journalistic standards. There is no easy solution, but we need a ‘Campaign for Real News’.
Use of the media
Friends engaged, also, on a survey in the media and the religious journey. On the first evening Tony Philpott asked participants to complete a short questionnaire about the sources of information they used and past and present religious influences in their lives. Fifty-seven responses were received. Twenty-nine respondents read a paper every day. Among those who cited newspapers, thirty-four read the paper version, nine the online version and seven used both. Fifty-four per cent read the Guardian or the Observer. Sixteen respondents did not use social media at all; of those who did, Facebook was the most popular. Most respondents obtained at least some of their information from TV and radio and many expressed some scepticism about what they heard.
Turning to the questions on religion, Tony Philpott reported that eighty-four per cent of the respondents came from a Christian background, mainly Anglican; only three came from a Quaker family. Current influences were immensely varied. Unsurprisingly, Quakerism and Christianity were prominent, but important also were Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Islam, and many other religions, together with humanism, agnosticism and nontheism.
What led to this change of direction? Tony Philpott postulated that it arose from a combination of two related facts: personal development and changes in society. We take what we need from different sources on the grounds that there is no one true religion. Worldviews may be judged by their fruits – for example, do they reduce suffering and do they promote wellbeing?
As usual, the QUG conference was lively and thought–provoking and led to interesting conversations in base groups and at table. This report only skims the surface. The talks will be published in full in pamphlets later this year.
Further information: http://qug.org.uk
