Quakerism: sharing your religion
Jessica Reed is startled to find that she is drawn to Quakers
A few weeks ago I mentioned in passing my growing interest in Quakerism to my colleagues at the Guardian’s online Belief section. They thought a short piece on Quaker Quest, which I had been attending for a couple of months, would be a good idea, and asked me to pen it. I wrestled for a few weeks trying to put my feelings into words (my main difficulty being that I had to write about something I was still in the process of figuring out), but the article was finally published a week ago. More than 250 reader comments later with a few jokes about oats and Cadbury’s chocolate thrown in for good measure, it is fair to say the piece received a lot of interest.
The piece explained how I found myself stumbling into a Quaker Meeting while reporting from the Greenbelt Christian festival last summer. Being an atheist, I didn’t exactly have much expectation as I sat down for my first silent worship Meeting, but it did move me profoundly and prompted me to read about the Quaker faith. As I set to learn as much as I could, something was set in motion and I soon had to realise that I had developed a strong attraction to Quakerism, even in spite of my non-theism. This left me quite confused, and I tried to make sense of it in the piece: after all, if I didn’t believe in god, what use would I have in frequenting any religious society?
This cognitive dissonance was echoed by many readers in their following questions: if I really was an unbeliever, what was I worshipping in silence exactly? Are Quakers truly Christians, or even religious, if virtually anyone can join them? And if I wanted a framework of belief that does not really require its members to believe anything in particular, doesn’t atheism meet that description rather better than any religion? I will freely admit to not having answers to many of those queries, but the resulting discussion was both passionate and illuminating as many atheists, Anglicans, Catholics and Quakers chimed in to have their say. The debate is of course nothing new to seasoned members used to pondering such complex issues as the Religious Society of Friends evolves and opens itself up as it grows and evolves. It is, however, worth a read for those seeking to catch a glimpse of what outsiders not familiar with Quakerism think of Friends and their beliefs.
I ended the article stating that I was unsure of what the next step would be. I am not yet frequenting Sunday Meetings as an attender, as I prefer to read and deepen my appreciation of Quakerism before taking any bigger leap. Luckily for me, it just so happens that Quaker Life and the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre has launched ‘Becoming Friends: Living and Learning with Quakers’, an interactive course aiming to support newcomers as they develop an understanding of Quakerism. I am especially delighted that participants will have the possibility to be assigned ‘companions’, who are experienced Friends willing to lend their support and personal experience to students. I found that one of the most interesting aspects of my ‘Quaker quest’ has so far revolved around discovering how other people experience their faith, and I am presently more interested in learning about how Quakerism translates in the everyday lives of Friends rather than in having endless theological debates.
I am also toying with the idea of attending Quaker Quest for a few more months and journaling my thoughts on a blog, which has to my knowledge not been done before. I would love to create an online space where I and other ‘Questers’ across countries running similar programs could share our impressions as we go along. Discussing Quakerism in depth with other beginners such as myself, and to ask what brought them to Friends in the first place while learning about their respective religious background sounds like a very exciting and worthy project to me. I would welcome any thoughts on that matter, from newcomers, convinced and birthright Friends alike.
Visit the Guardian online to read the article. Email Jessica at jess.reed [AT] gmail.com.
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