Stephen Fry holds Quakers in the limelight
Actor and commedian praises Quakers
In a recent debate hosted by the Intelligence Squared organisation the confirmed atheist and humanist Stephen Fry surprised few with his impassioned attack on the Catholic church. Speaking alongside Christopher Hitchens he took opposing speakers Anne Widdecombe and archbishop Onaiyekan of Abuja, Nigeria, to task on many topics, particularly Catholic attitudes to human sexuality.
Less predictable, however, was his holding up of the Religious Society of Friends as a counter-example of a more tolerant alternative. ‘Why’, he asked in the debate, ‘can’t Catholics be as peaceful as the Quakers?’
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by Stephen’s sympathy with Quakerism, though – after all, it’s not just coincidence that he shares a surname with prominent members of the Society. In an email to the Friend, Stephen told us of his connections: ‘I come from a family which way back when was among the founders of the movement, so I’ve always been especially interested in the Society of Friends. My friend the actor Paul Eddington was a Quaker and I was impressed by the quiet force of his pacifism in particular. I love the idea of the Meetings – group therapy “avant la lettre” you might say.
‘Honourable, kindly, patient, cheerful, welcoming, non-judgmental – no wonder [Quakers] were persecuted by Puritans in New England and sneered at and scoffed at by warmongers and “patriots” throughout history. The quiet dignity, forebearance and good-natured yet persistent pacifism of the Society of Friends is something that shames most other Christian denominations.
‘Good porridge oats too…’
Comments
The real issue is that Quaker Christians see pacifism as a vocation that applies to all Chrisrians and not just to a separarate caste of priests. Nevertheless there are, I think, more committed pacifists in the Roman Catholic Church than there are members of the Society of Friends.
By MichaelL on 1st November 2009 - 17:39
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