Surprise, surprise – sceptical columnist attracted to Quakers
Guardian columnist describes how she found Quakers
Guardian columnist Jessica Reed has surprised her readers by expressing a strong attraction to Quakerism – despite having been a longstanding atheist. It seems that the Quaker Quest course in Friends House had a profound effect on her. Writing on the newspaper’s website last week, she described how her interest in Quakerism was aroused when she was reporting on the inclusive Christian festival Greenbelt, and she discovered that she had more in common with politically progressive forms of Christianity than she had realised. She attended her first Quaker Meeting there, and found herself on the verge of tears.
She read parts of Quaker faith and practice, and discovered the Quaker blogosphere through www.quakerquaker.org, before going along to Quaker Quest, a series of evening talks and discussions about aspects of Quakerism.
‘If you had told me I would be interested in Quakerism a year ago, I would have doubtlessly laughed’, she wrote. ‘But here I am: an atheist and non-Christian who’s not too sure what to do with a sudden and unexpected attraction to the Society of Friends.’
Visit the Guardian online to read the article. See Jessica Reed in the Friend next week.
