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After many conversations with Friends, I have concluded that, if non-resistance means doing nothing about evil, we do not accept this maxim – and nor did Jesus Photo: Peace and resistance icons by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

‘We can think that there may be exceptions to a principle without feeling guilty that we have therefore failed it.’

Returning evil: John Lampen’s Thought for the week

‘We can think that there may be exceptions to a principle without feeling guilty that we have therefore failed it.’

by John Lampen 7th July 2023

In a recent letter (16 June), Gerard Bane asked whether ‘Resist not evil, but return evil with good’ is still a defining feature of Quakerism. After many conversations with Friends, I have concluded that, if non-resistance means doing nothing about evil, we do not accept this maxim – and nor did Jesus, Paul of Tarsus or George Fox. But if ‘resistance’ implies ‘using any means available’, many Friends would say no to that too.

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Wayfaring: A Guide To Guidance

"If you truly want to be led you must put yourself in a position that allows following" (PYM)

Though written within a Quaker and Christian context, this book can be used by anyone of any religious faith or secular inclination. The only requirement is a desire to follow, to be guided by, to align with the richness of the ineffable, which this book calls "the Way". This book seeks nothing less than to aid readers in aligning their lives with the same power and richness that animated the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

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