Twelve Quakers and prayer
Tim Rouse reflects on a new publication from Quaker Quest
Prayer, writes one of the contributors to Quaker Quest’s latest pamphlet, is ‘an intimate experience of the heart’ that can leave you feeling ‘naked and exposed’. This makes the contributions in Twelve Quakers and Prayer even more impressive, for their honesty and clarity on a topic that is, in many ways, intensely personal.
Like previous pamphlets in the series, the format is simple; twelve unnamed Quakers have written about their experiences, ideas and opinions of a concept. This time it is prayer. With each contribution running to just three or four pages, the final result is not a long book; nevertheless, it took me several weeks to pick my way through it, taking time to consider in depth the sincere and, at times, profound words within.
This was the first of the Twelve Quakers and… series that I’ve read, and I was struck by the simplicity and strength of the format. The anonymity of the authors allows the reader to approach each piece unencumbered by the notions of status, age, theology or other such notions that might otherwise colour one’s perceptions; meanwhile, the contributors can write openly and honestly, sharing innermost thoughts unencumbered by the pressure to self-censor and present a particular face to the world.
As is to be expected on an issue so central to Quaker practice, and which is inextricably linked to ideas of faith and theology, the twelve short pieces reflect the diversity of modern Quakerism in Britain, ranging from Christ-centred language and pleas for divine intercession to help family members, through to those for whom prayer is ‘a passive state, and sometimes feels less like praying and more like being prayed through’.
However, that diversity is matched by a sense of unity. In truth, the positions expressed aren’t that different – while many of the ideas of prayer put forward are radically distant from traditional Christian beliefs, they’re quite similar to each other; there’s a commonality of approach here that speaks to a broad consensus about what it means to pray. Even stronger is the BBC-style ‘other prayers are available’ theme running through the pamphlet – the one thing the writers are all in agreement on is that this is their personal take and you’re free to do whatever you please.
One of my disappointments with the pamphlet, however, is that while there are differences in belief and in practice on display, the contributors all seem to belong to that breed of super-Quaker for whom prayer and the spiritual practices that go with it are something that happens regularly and easily. Where are the voices of the Quakers who struggle with prayer – for whom regular prayer is a real challenge, or for whom the very notion of prayer poses difficulty? Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I felt like the collection would have been enriched by more perspectives like these, and slightly fewer tales of people who have already worked out the answers that work for them.
That aside, I definitely found Twelve Quakers and Prayer an interesting and provocative read. I certainly haven’t yet figured out what prayer means to me – but I feel sure that some of the ideas floated in this pamphlet will be on my mind for some time to come, and will play their part in working it out.
Twelve Quakers and Prayer, Quaker Quest. ISBN: 9780955898372, £2.50.
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