361. Journey through Skepticism (by Roland I. Warren; 2002)
About the Author—Roland L. Warren has spent most of his academic career teaching and studying communities and social change. He has written several books in his professional field, as well as 2 novels and 3 biographies (mainly 17th century MA). He and his wife, Margaret Hodges Warren, have helped found 2 Friends Meetings, and worked on assignments from the Ameri- can Friends Service Committee, particularly in Europe. This pamphlet has emerged from his exploration of the relationship between faith and reason.
How seriously do we take the Bible? How does our choice affect our faith?—I can't take much of Christian scripture literally. I think of it as a poem or mythology which has grown up around the life of a Middle Eastern sage named Jesus. I had early Christian training & have a deep faith with profound religious experiences. I also have moments of crass skepticism, like many others. Again like others, I have a longing for something beyond us, something greater than ourselves, the living God. I can understand how people define this something in the Christian tradition. I see the 3 persons of the Christian trinity as one among many possible ways to explain the sense we have of something beyond us to which we owe allegiance; I need a God to say thanks to.
I can't see any reason [to believe in eternal life]. I have faith in God as a power for good, not a limitless power, a power that we have a part in making or unmaking, a power greater than us. Jesus & Christian tradition helps create & sustain a longing, an image, an aspiration. There is a spirit in me which unites me in my best moments with something beyond myself, that calls for an appro- priate response. [I am certain of this]. I find this certainty more persuasive than Christian mythology, which at its best suggests something beyond itself.
The God We Make—What is the "beyond" we seek? [It is fairly obvious] that sounds and colors do not exist "out there." They are a product of reaction of air vibrations and ear, and light and eye. It is less obvious but plausible, that such "things" as beauty, justice, goodness, love, virtue are a relationship be- tween a thinking organism and a set of presumably objective circumstances, the contents of a mind's reaction to perceptions. God also may be a relation be- tween a thing or perceiving mind and a set of objective circumstances. [Things that awe or inspire] us are part of the human condition. The feeling of reverence that we have is our response to quite objective circumstances. The relationship between them and us is a relationship to God.
We create God, just as we create light and color; different individuals create different Gods. God is my response to the feelings created by [inspiring] circumstances. We project a deep emotional experience and give meaning to it. We find ourselves needing "someone" to whom to give thanks, or confer bles- sing, or peace. To say that God is a product of our minds is both true and false. It is equally fallacious to assert either that God exists independently of our per- ception or that God is simply a figment of our imagination. The sense of awe, wonder, transcendence, described above is the basic religious experience. Neither Christianity nor even religion need be the only way people may react to and define what I have called the religious experience.
Meditation may be conceived as a procedure for enhancing or advancing the basic religious experience. Philosophical atheists may meditate and experi- ence the basic religious experience but they do not externalize and objectify this experience as an experience of God. The basic religious experience may be linked to [and interpreted by] a specific, prescribed set of beliefs. People who reject any theological explanation still have the experience. They seek descrip- tion and explanation in purely secular terms. [Much of the creative effort that happens] is the result of an attempt to express this experience in those forms rather than theologically.
The Natural World & the Realm of Spirit—How could presumably mindless atoms & void of billions of years ago produce philosophy, or even any consciousness? Primeval atoms apparently contained the potential for the development of consciousness & spirit. Atoms came into configurations that developed sentience, the ability to reproduce, & awareness of what is going on. Where is awareness located? It is apparently a different order of existence, not of this physical world, but closely linked to it. We find a world of ideas—concepts that are extremely meaningful and that exist, but are not part of the physical world. The natural world must include atoms and void, but also a different order of existence—a world of consciousness, mental processes, ideas.
We assume homo sapiens are the peak of evolution, and that ideas and ideals is the pinnacle of the development process. There is no reason to assume that this process won't continue & develop unimaginable evolutionary forms. Humans are likely in the part of yet another passing phase of development. The part of human culture having to do with abstract ideas similarly has become more complex even in the short historical period thought of as civilization's rise.
We now find humans apparently groping to express and address an order of being still further removed from the physical, even beyond mental processes and ideas. Each stage of development was essentially unpredictable from what went before it. Now we find these self-conscious combinations of atoms striving toward a realm, a world of the spirit. The deep aspiration toward a world beyond, a world of the spirit, are nature's own harbingers of a new realm that is emer- ging, one which is as different from the world of mental processes and ideas as that world is from the world of mere sentience and reproductability. We human beings have the choice of participating in helping bring about this new realm of existence.
Skepticism and the Realm of Spirit—Many skeptics maintain that all
reports of experience of transcendence can be interpreted on purely psycholo-
gical grounds without recourse to a realm of the spirit; there is little reason for
assuming one. Reports of this new realm are fragmentary. One of the principal
components reported, or experienced, is a feeling of awe and reverence. Ano-ther component seems to be a feeling of unity with all of nature, including all of humankind.
Other components are moral commitment, a sense of affirmation, an
obligation to make it a better world, and a sense of cosmic support for our ef-
forts. This groping is widely distributed among human beings, with an always
diverse, and sometimes simple and naive expression of it. It is translated into
many different forms of expression, all with a sense of reaching beyond to an
emerging realm of the spirit.
This may simply be a new realm of the natural world, [a part of the natural process that began with atoms & void]. Religion has usurped the entire realm of the spirit, of which it is only a part, only a part of the slow development toward spirit. Human beings are participating in the development of this realm. Through their groupings [and gropings], they help to shape it, just as in an earlier stage they began to help build the realm of ideas.
Experiences that participate in this shaping push us up to a new level, a higher plain. This higher plain is approachable through religious or philosophical insights, & through esthetic & moral avenues. Artists in all mediums create something which transcends the commonplace world & gives us a glimpse of the sublime. The heroic act is the moral avenue through which one likewise breaks through to the sublime. When Amsterdam Jews were ordered by the Nazi occupation force to wear yellow armbands, many times the number of Jews wore them.
Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew's Passion is an intricately struc- tured sublime work, infused with the most tender, profoundly moving feeling, and based on an architectural and linguistic structure so complex that its full pattern has still not been completely fathomed. Bach was able to infuse into this great work a sense of his own deeply reverent nature, [which he sometimes indicated] on the manuscript with the words "soli Deo gloria—to God be the glory. Simple and naive as are the lyrics in Gospel hymns, they nevertheless contain a rich imagery that is as deeply moving as is Bach's complexity and sophistication. These beloved old hymns contain some of the sweetest, most tender expres- sions of solace, yearning, hope and fulfillment.
Some Thoughts on Christianity—I take Christian scripture as the help-
This may simply be a new realm of the natural world, [a part of the natural process that began with atoms & void]. Religion has usurped the entire realm of the spirit, of which it is only a part, only a part of the slow development toward spirit. Human beings are participating in the development of this realm. Through their groupings [and gropings], they help to shape it, just as in an earlier stage they began to help build the realm of ideas.
Experiences that participate in this shaping push us up to a new level, a higher plain. This higher plain is approachable through religious or philosophical insights, & through esthetic & moral avenues. Artists in all mediums create something which transcends the commonplace world & gives us a glimpse of the sublime. The heroic act is the moral avenue through which one likewise breaks through to the sublime. When Amsterdam Jews were ordered by the Nazi occupation force to wear yellow armbands, many times the number of Jews wore them.
Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew's Passion is an intricately struc- tured sublime work, infused with the most tender, profoundly moving feeling, and based on an architectural and linguistic structure so complex that its full pattern has still not been completely fathomed. Bach was able to infuse into this great work a sense of his own deeply reverent nature, [which he sometimes indicated] on the manuscript with the words "soli Deo gloria—to God be the glory. Simple and naive as are the lyrics in Gospel hymns, they nevertheless contain a rich imagery that is as deeply moving as is Bach's complexity and sophistication. These beloved old hymns contain some of the sweetest, most tender expres- sions of solace, yearning, hope and fulfillment.
Some Thoughts on Christianity—I take Christian scripture as the help-
ful attempt of other people at other times to account for and make explicit their commitment of faith. From whence come these noble achievements of faith, & what do they imply for me, a person hungry to participate in the evolution [of the spiritual realm? One example is Peter, [who goes from impetuous disciple, to denier, to courageous evangelist and martyr]. Peter's transformation to truly heroic actions is one of the inspiring stories in Christian scripture. Another for-
mative story is the one that ends with Jesus saying, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." In a secular statement Eugene V. Debs said, "While there is a lower class, I am in it, while there is a criminal element I am of it, while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."
These people aren't only God's surrogates, but God's children also. Matthew's vision that ennoble the spirit, is ["balanced"] by condemnation of
These people aren't only God's surrogates, but God's children also. Matthew's vision that ennoble the spirit, is ["balanced"] by condemnation of
those who turn their back on "the least of my brethren." Most of us pass judg-
ment on these passages, responding positively to some, turning away from others. I can't take the Bible as the last word, disregarding my inner judgment that goes beyond the Bible, by which the Bible itself is judged.
Jesus' statement about visiting the sick perhaps points toward a foun-
tainhead [from which the Bible & other sublime works have come] by calling forth the possibility for humans [to realize that] in some mystical sense God dwells in us. God has gifted us with infinite worth: hero & coward; rich & poor; virtuous & sinner; prisoner & prison guard; murderer & victim. In the troubled course of human history, we have been able to lift our heads out of the jungle, out of tooth & claw posturing, to come to a noble conception of just who humans are & can be.
The apostle Stephen stood before the high priest and the crowd & lec- tured them on the scripture [and their failure to listen]. The crowd was enraged, took him out and stoned him. [Stephen commended his spirit to God and for- gave the crowd]. Another person who inspires me is the apostle Paul, especially in that his story includes both what is noble and ignoble.
The apostle Stephen stood before the high priest and the crowd & lec- tured them on the scripture [and their failure to listen]. The crowd was enraged, took him out and stoned him. [Stephen commended his spirit to God and for- gave the crowd]. Another person who inspires me is the apostle Paul, especially in that his story includes both what is noble and ignoble.
I find his [toleration] of slavery, his views of marriage and women, and some of his other attitudes morally and religiously unacceptable. [He started as persecutor and was transformed into apostle to the Gentiles], the 1st Christian in the sense that he enlarged the conception of Jesus' significance to the status of a religion with doctrines that became the theological foundation of a Christianity, rooted in Judaism. Jesus the carpenter's son became the object of reverence, emulation and even worship.
My own admiration for Paul, even with all his shortcomings, stems from his great heroism and [determination], the sense of nurturing love with which he wrote the congregations, & above all the superb manner in which he expressed his thoughts. [Pamphlet author cites II Corinthians 11: 21-27, 29]
And then a closing selection from Philippians 4:8[-9]: "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely; whatsoever things are of good report; if there is any virtue, if there is any praise think on these things. [Those things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me do; and the God of peace shall be with you]." Thinking on these things I can only feel certain that there is a spirit in all of us which seeks tran- scendence, that sublime realm of spirit in which all life is bathed in the eternal, and to which we all have potential access.
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362. Bringing God Home: Exploring Family Spirituality (by Mary
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362. Bringing God Home: Exploring Family Spirituality (by Mary
Kay Rehard; 2002)
About the Author—Mary Kay Rehard is mother of 2 children, ages 10 and 7. She teaches them at home and teaches part-time at a community tech- nical college. She serves the youth on the advisory committee for Richmond Young Friends and on a Children's Worship team. She brings the songs and prayers of the Taizé community to Earlham College and local youth groups. The pamphlet begins with her family's visit to the Taizé in 2000. In 2002 she and Patrick will share the work of principal at Friends Theological College in Kaimosi, Kenya.
[Introduction]—Friends agree that children are important & that God dwells in them. Friends are reticent & lack clarity about children 's spiritual nurture. How do we allow children to experiment, gain mastery & put their mark on the world, especially in prayer? If we wanted to continue to pray [in the daytime], our prayer life had to include, engage, & occupy them, nurture their spirituality; we must be patterns & partners.
[Introduction]—Friends agree that children are important & that God dwells in them. Friends are reticent & lack clarity about children 's spiritual nurture. How do we allow children to experiment, gain mastery & put their mark on the world, especially in prayer? If we wanted to continue to pray [in the daytime], our prayer life had to include, engage, & occupy them, nurture their spirituality; we must be patterns & partners.
I could see that my children needed more than silence & stillness & different ways of learning about God. How do we bring together family life & spirituality, parenting and prayer? What are contemporary Quaker parents to do? I sought connection to an ancient tradition. Monastic life flows from a vocation or calling. It seeks to balance work and prayer, is noted for hospitality and study, and provides a model of domestic life centered on God.
[Taizé & L'Arche]—Taizé is an ecumenical monastic community in Bur- gundy, France, founded in 1940 by Brother Roger, with a ministry of simplicity, reconciliation and hospitality grounded in the Beatitudes' Spirit. [All kinds of] Christians can worship & share about how to deepen one's spirituality in one's daily life. The brothers' short, simple refrains are used worldwide; each is sung many times to lead to a Quaker-like silent meditation. Through Taizé prayers I experienced Christ's gentle promptings & leadings, & felt his life 's power within me.
L'Arche or Ark is a worldwide, ecumenical federation of communities, founded in 1964 in Trosly, France, by Jean Vanier & Fr. Thomas Phillipe, O.P. People with mental disabilities live with assistants here. L'Arche seeks to foster spirituality & gifts in each individual, by breaking down barriers between "helper" and "disabled," creating homes & families around them. From sharing life and friendship with disabled people, Henri Nouwen and Jean Vanier learned a slower, simpler way of life filled with joy, trust, & hope. L'Arche thinks carefully about what it means to be a family & how to create a safe loving, spiritually refreshing home. [Both these communities give encouragement] and shed sig- nificant light on family spirituality, & provide rich resources for families.
I. God, the Center of Home and Family Life—God is ever present and available to us. This essay is less about "bringing God home" and more about bringing our homes to center on God who dwells with us. How do we make room in our busy family lives to devote regular time and attention to God? What do I have to pass on to my children and the generations that follow? What kind of home environment am I creating for my children? Why did you entrust these children to me, God? Am I good enough? How do we include our children in these prayers, keeping God at the center: guiding, healing, and strengthening our family life?
To nurture spirituality in my children, I need to have a rich, vital spiritual life myself. To be renewing and sustaining, a family's spirituality will grow out of real need & be grounded in regular prayer. [After having children, I gave atten- tion to prayer in a way that hadn't seemed as important or possible before. It was out of darkness and great need that I turned to God as creator and healer. Prayer has now become very natural, part of every day, a joyful necessity [while living] "in the simplicity of a love which finds all things in God."
Learning to Pray/ Solitude & Community—Prayer can be much more than reciting words or asking for things. Prayer is any intentional openness & listening to God, or pouring out one's heart to God believing that God listens & cares. Psalms and Lord's Prayer are good places to begin to learn to pray. Gra- dually, the Psalms began to search & pray in me. Nuns and monks would pray through a cycle of Psalms called Divine Office. There is Swallow's Nest, a translation of Psalms that uses feminine language & includes readings from women mystics.
[Taizé & L'Arche]—Taizé is an ecumenical monastic community in Bur- gundy, France, founded in 1940 by Brother Roger, with a ministry of simplicity, reconciliation and hospitality grounded in the Beatitudes' Spirit. [All kinds of] Christians can worship & share about how to deepen one's spirituality in one's daily life. The brothers' short, simple refrains are used worldwide; each is sung many times to lead to a Quaker-like silent meditation. Through Taizé prayers I experienced Christ's gentle promptings & leadings, & felt his life 's power within me.
L'Arche or Ark is a worldwide, ecumenical federation of communities, founded in 1964 in Trosly, France, by Jean Vanier & Fr. Thomas Phillipe, O.P. People with mental disabilities live with assistants here. L'Arche seeks to foster spirituality & gifts in each individual, by breaking down barriers between "helper" and "disabled," creating homes & families around them. From sharing life and friendship with disabled people, Henri Nouwen and Jean Vanier learned a slower, simpler way of life filled with joy, trust, & hope. L'Arche thinks carefully about what it means to be a family & how to create a safe loving, spiritually refreshing home. [Both these communities give encouragement] and shed sig- nificant light on family spirituality, & provide rich resources for families.
I. God, the Center of Home and Family Life—God is ever present and available to us. This essay is less about "bringing God home" and more about bringing our homes to center on God who dwells with us. How do we make room in our busy family lives to devote regular time and attention to God? What do I have to pass on to my children and the generations that follow? What kind of home environment am I creating for my children? Why did you entrust these children to me, God? Am I good enough? How do we include our children in these prayers, keeping God at the center: guiding, healing, and strengthening our family life?
To nurture spirituality in my children, I need to have a rich, vital spiritual life myself. To be renewing and sustaining, a family's spirituality will grow out of real need & be grounded in regular prayer. [After having children, I gave atten- tion to prayer in a way that hadn't seemed as important or possible before. It was out of darkness and great need that I turned to God as creator and healer. Prayer has now become very natural, part of every day, a joyful necessity [while living] "in the simplicity of a love which finds all things in God."
Learning to Pray/ Solitude & Community—Prayer can be much more than reciting words or asking for things. Prayer is any intentional openness & listening to God, or pouring out one's heart to God believing that God listens & cares. Psalms and Lord's Prayer are good places to begin to learn to pray. Gra- dually, the Psalms began to search & pray in me. Nuns and monks would pray through a cycle of Psalms called Divine Office. There is Swallow's Nest, a translation of Psalms that uses feminine language & includes readings from women mystics.
Entire books have been written, elaborating the meaning of the Lord's Prayer's every phrase. Here, Jesus shows his disciples that our prayers can be simple and direct, as a child to a parent. Another starting point can be the Prayer of St. Francis. We begin to pray with a text when we refrain from analyzing it, simply reflecting on it in our hearts and discussing its meaning for our lives with others.
Even parents of small children can grab a few minutes of solitude, if we think of it more as an attitude than a physical reality. [My husband found soli- tude & inward conversations with God while washing the dishes. I find solitude late at night or on morning walks or runs]. George and Jesus were often alone. We can find a little time each day to turn our hearts and minds to God in "rela- tive solitude," giving God our loving attention.
Community, complementing solitude, is an essential ingredient in spiri- tuality. Parents above all, in our age of dislocation and mobility, need community for practical and spiritual nurture. Children need and enjoy community among their age-mates, and they are enriched by inter-generational exchanges, planned or unplanned. I believe it is possible and valuable to share around any challenges of parents discussing their family's prayer life with other parents, to be vulnerable and receive real help, and to provide sustenance & nurture to others. A family needs to look beyond its own resources to God, to sustain and renew itself. In solitude and community, we create space for God to illuminate and teach us, to guide and comfort us directly and through others.
Parenting is Vocation/ Parents are Primary Religious Educators/ Family is a Laboratory of God's Love—Vocation is work God calls us to do, [like parenting]. Webster's vocation is a "summons or strong inclination to a course of action, especially to religious life." Parenting can be sacramental, relationship where we encounter God. God illumines our daily lives & makes our work a real, palpable sign of God's love. The lay Little Brothers & Sisters pattern their common life upon the "hidden life of Jesus," when he did manual labor. Thomas Merton says: "It is by living one's life that the [monastic] finds God, not by adding something God hasn't put there." It follows that "wisdom is the parent's very life in the family." God reveals essential lessons through our children.
When do we invite children to participate in prayer and worship? We are placing unreasonable expectations upon the 1st Day School teachers if we leave all the responsibility with them. Do we approach our children's religious education in confidence that they have a rich inner life and contributions to make to our spirituality? There is no better place than the home, in a safe place of trust, for children to share from the heart.
The family is a place of experimentation and creative exploration in love. People we expect to help are in fact one's best teachers, [especially children]. In L'Arche, Jean Vanier has watched countless times as people with handicaps discover belonging and unconditional love as a path to healing and freedom. We are all going to mess up. Christ reaches out to the best in each of us and calls us to do the same with one another. And when we get it right at home, our whole family gets a glimpse of the eternal: God's love and Kingdom.
II. A Spirituality for Families—Thomas Merton explains that the desert is where the Hebrews learned to love God: "This then is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent. To trample it down under hope in the Cross." To witness for hope in the world is the radical work of God for families; it is how we meet Christ. What was it about Jesus, what is it about Christ that made the fishermen trust enough to leave their livelihood & become "fishers of men"? Jean Vanier writes: "(L'Arche) is a work of God which has sometimes been achieved in spite of me ... Had I a clear plan, I might have been less ready to welcome God's plan."
[How much room to we make in our lives for God's plans?] How much room do we make in our lives for our children's plans? In order for Christ to lead us into life, into change and growth, we need to be receptive, teachable, filled with gratitude and Joy. Christ calls us to contentment and mindfulness, gratitude for all we have, and awareness of God's presence. Attentiveness enables us to see and hear our children with the eyes and ears of Christ, with tenderness and compassion.
Christ Dwells in Smallness & Weakness—Sometimes I'm annoyed by my children's needs, when they interfere with my plans or desires. In their need, children are prophetic; they call us to act with Christ's tenderness & compassion. Jesus said: "Unless you change & become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." How do we recognize our children as bearers of Christ's presence,[each as a Christ-child]? Being a parent can at times mean hosting an honored guest.
Christ tells us we can encounter him in the small and weak if we'll notice and open our hearts. Lacking inhibitions, children can not care what people think and not ["keep up appearances"]; they know they are loved and free. Lacking inhibitions, they can also be difficult, self-centered, stubborn, impulsive. The Taizé brothers write: "[Jesus] does not speak of [the children's] strong points, but rather about their powerlessness. It is in our weakness that God wishes to wel- come us ... How can we know that in spite of our contradictions, we are already "children of God?" Jean Vanier writes: "I had to accept my own difficulties and poverty, and look for help ... I was hiding my poverty ... I had to accept myself without any illusions. I had to discover how to forgive and my own need for forgiveness."
Parenting revealed to me all the stubborn wounds stemming from my own childhood, reopened with little provocation: insecurity, inadequacy, unwor- thiness, my disabilities. Vanier says: "We have to create situations where our hearts can be fortified & nourished, so that we can be sensitive to others' needs, cries, inner pain, tenderness, and gifts of love ... the heart frees others." Disco- vering Christ dwelling in the smallness and weakness within ourselves and our children enables families to grow in freedom toward God.
Even parents of small children can grab a few minutes of solitude, if we think of it more as an attitude than a physical reality. [My husband found soli- tude & inward conversations with God while washing the dishes. I find solitude late at night or on morning walks or runs]. George and Jesus were often alone. We can find a little time each day to turn our hearts and minds to God in "rela- tive solitude," giving God our loving attention.
Community, complementing solitude, is an essential ingredient in spiri- tuality. Parents above all, in our age of dislocation and mobility, need community for practical and spiritual nurture. Children need and enjoy community among their age-mates, and they are enriched by inter-generational exchanges, planned or unplanned. I believe it is possible and valuable to share around any challenges of parents discussing their family's prayer life with other parents, to be vulnerable and receive real help, and to provide sustenance & nurture to others. A family needs to look beyond its own resources to God, to sustain and renew itself. In solitude and community, we create space for God to illuminate and teach us, to guide and comfort us directly and through others.
Parenting is Vocation/ Parents are Primary Religious Educators/ Family is a Laboratory of God's Love—Vocation is work God calls us to do, [like parenting]. Webster's vocation is a "summons or strong inclination to a course of action, especially to religious life." Parenting can be sacramental, relationship where we encounter God. God illumines our daily lives & makes our work a real, palpable sign of God's love. The lay Little Brothers & Sisters pattern their common life upon the "hidden life of Jesus," when he did manual labor. Thomas Merton says: "It is by living one's life that the [monastic] finds God, not by adding something God hasn't put there." It follows that "wisdom is the parent's very life in the family." God reveals essential lessons through our children.
When do we invite children to participate in prayer and worship? We are placing unreasonable expectations upon the 1st Day School teachers if we leave all the responsibility with them. Do we approach our children's religious education in confidence that they have a rich inner life and contributions to make to our spirituality? There is no better place than the home, in a safe place of trust, for children to share from the heart.
The family is a place of experimentation and creative exploration in love. People we expect to help are in fact one's best teachers, [especially children]. In L'Arche, Jean Vanier has watched countless times as people with handicaps discover belonging and unconditional love as a path to healing and freedom. We are all going to mess up. Christ reaches out to the best in each of us and calls us to do the same with one another. And when we get it right at home, our whole family gets a glimpse of the eternal: God's love and Kingdom.
II. A Spirituality for Families—Thomas Merton explains that the desert is where the Hebrews learned to love God: "This then is our desert: to live facing despair, but not to consent. To trample it down under hope in the Cross." To witness for hope in the world is the radical work of God for families; it is how we meet Christ. What was it about Jesus, what is it about Christ that made the fishermen trust enough to leave their livelihood & become "fishers of men"? Jean Vanier writes: "(L'Arche) is a work of God which has sometimes been achieved in spite of me ... Had I a clear plan, I might have been less ready to welcome God's plan."
[How much room to we make in our lives for God's plans?] How much room do we make in our lives for our children's plans? In order for Christ to lead us into life, into change and growth, we need to be receptive, teachable, filled with gratitude and Joy. Christ calls us to contentment and mindfulness, gratitude for all we have, and awareness of God's presence. Attentiveness enables us to see and hear our children with the eyes and ears of Christ, with tenderness and compassion.
Christ Dwells in Smallness & Weakness—Sometimes I'm annoyed by my children's needs, when they interfere with my plans or desires. In their need, children are prophetic; they call us to act with Christ's tenderness & compassion. Jesus said: "Unless you change & become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." How do we recognize our children as bearers of Christ's presence,[each as a Christ-child]? Being a parent can at times mean hosting an honored guest.
Christ tells us we can encounter him in the small and weak if we'll notice and open our hearts. Lacking inhibitions, children can not care what people think and not ["keep up appearances"]; they know they are loved and free. Lacking inhibitions, they can also be difficult, self-centered, stubborn, impulsive. The Taizé brothers write: "[Jesus] does not speak of [the children's] strong points, but rather about their powerlessness. It is in our weakness that God wishes to wel- come us ... How can we know that in spite of our contradictions, we are already "children of God?" Jean Vanier writes: "I had to accept my own difficulties and poverty, and look for help ... I was hiding my poverty ... I had to accept myself without any illusions. I had to discover how to forgive and my own need for forgiveness."
Parenting revealed to me all the stubborn wounds stemming from my own childhood, reopened with little provocation: insecurity, inadequacy, unwor- thiness, my disabilities. Vanier says: "We have to create situations where our hearts can be fortified & nourished, so that we can be sensitive to others' needs, cries, inner pain, tenderness, and gifts of love ... the heart frees others." Disco- vering Christ dwelling in the smallness and weakness within ourselves and our children enables families to grow in freedom toward God.
Christ Invites us into Communion in Simplicity—When we as parents live in radical refusal to the idols of comfort & luxury, we identify & shed excess. We have tried to live below our limits. Richard A. Swenson writes: "On the unsaturated side of our limits, we can be open & expansive." He is concerned that living without margin causes pain & can kill us. [I volunteered too much], I had pain I wasn't even conscious of feeling, & I was taking it out on loved ones. Jean Vanier describes: "When I was tired or preoccupied, my inner pain & anguish rose more quickly to the surface. In difficult times, it was hard to be open, welcoming & patient."
People asked me: "Do you want to be a "human doing" or a "human being"? When our schedules fill up, or we are otherwise stressed, someone becomes ill and we find ourselves back in the old patterns of behavior. Vanier says: "In order to accept other people's disabilities and to help them to grow, it was fundamental for me to accept my own." Slowing down leaves room for God to work in us, causing us to change and grow in new directions.
People asked me: "Do you want to be a "human doing" or a "human being"? When our schedules fill up, or we are otherwise stressed, someone becomes ill and we find ourselves back in the old patterns of behavior. Vanier says: "In order to accept other people's disabilities and to help them to grow, it was fundamental for me to accept my own." Slowing down leaves room for God to work in us, causing us to change and grow in new directions.
Swenson's prescription for living with margin [below limits] includes: Move less often; own fewer things; eliminate and avoid debt; slow down; limit time at work. Do we ever [as a family] engage in activity that is not goal-oriented or focused on an outcome or product? When we live with margin for ourselves it's good; when we model that for our children, it's excellent. Christ invites us into communion as a family, and with margin, we have time and space to respond to that call.
Christ Enters our Home through Hospitality—God asks us to share [the communion we've known] with others through hospitality. During WW II, the Taizé in their beginning, "prepared a poor welcome with very little." Jean Vanier started under similar circumstances. Neither of them waited until they had enough time, money, or resources. Jean Vanier writes: "If each of us ... opens our hearts to a few people who are different and become their friend, receive life from them, our societies would change. When grounded in Gospel, Prayer and Contemplation impel us to live for the good of God.
Christ enters our homes through hospitality. Sometimes what I have to offer seems a very "poor welcome" indeed. What really matters is the sharing that can occur around the table and in worship after meal. The challenge for us is to not only to help those in need, but to enter into relationships with them and to be changed by them. Through them God can renew and refresh, heal and unify us all.
III. Praying at Home with Children—How do we lead children to a quiet place & teach them attentiveness to the inward life? Family devotions in the mornings were common among Friends for many generations. Prayer is a time to let light flow into our lives, to "enlighten" each day. Prayer is a space to "re-read the day, listen to hope's voice calling us back to love's essentials, be cen- tered in love, & let what is deepest in us surface." Prayer is more about chan- ging ourselves than changing God; "more about listening than talking."
Prayer and Worship with Children—We can offer our whole life to God as prayer. If prayer is about listening, its important to stop our work and devote all our energy to tuning into God. Prayer isn't limited for our family, but by setting aside time and space for it regularly, we all feel more natural worshiping toge- ther. God rejoices with us when we pray using our whole bodies. Every religion observes seasons and festivals, and rich traditions appealing to all the senses mark each one. We decided to proceed with caution and explore these rich traditions.
Christ Enters our Home through Hospitality—God asks us to share [the communion we've known] with others through hospitality. During WW II, the Taizé in their beginning, "prepared a poor welcome with very little." Jean Vanier started under similar circumstances. Neither of them waited until they had enough time, money, or resources. Jean Vanier writes: "If each of us ... opens our hearts to a few people who are different and become their friend, receive life from them, our societies would change. When grounded in Gospel, Prayer and Contemplation impel us to live for the good of God.
Christ enters our homes through hospitality. Sometimes what I have to offer seems a very "poor welcome" indeed. What really matters is the sharing that can occur around the table and in worship after meal. The challenge for us is to not only to help those in need, but to enter into relationships with them and to be changed by them. Through them God can renew and refresh, heal and unify us all.
III. Praying at Home with Children—How do we lead children to a quiet place & teach them attentiveness to the inward life? Family devotions in the mornings were common among Friends for many generations. Prayer is a time to let light flow into our lives, to "enlighten" each day. Prayer is a space to "re-read the day, listen to hope's voice calling us back to love's essentials, be cen- tered in love, & let what is deepest in us surface." Prayer is more about chan- ging ourselves than changing God; "more about listening than talking."
Prayer and Worship with Children—We can offer our whole life to God as prayer. If prayer is about listening, its important to stop our work and devote all our energy to tuning into God. Prayer isn't limited for our family, but by setting aside time and space for it regularly, we all feel more natural worshiping toge- ther. God rejoices with us when we pray using our whole bodies. Every religion observes seasons and festivals, and rich traditions appealing to all the senses mark each one. We decided to proceed with caution and explore these rich traditions.
We did not want to become slave to them, but to see what light they may bring to our family's life [e.g. Santa Lucia, La Befana, La Posada]. Our daugh- ters have been fascinated by making a menorah and lighting the candles at Chanukah, celebrating Feast of tabernacles, Shabbat, and Passover. We re- spect their feelings when they don't wish to participate. Now, the children lead us, choosing the songs, guiding us in worship.
Our meeting formed a small ministry team devoted to children's worship and spiritual nurture. The strengthening of families feeds the wider Society of Friends. My husband & I are in a spiritual formation group with 2 other couples to explore vocation & discipleship. How is God working in our lives? What is God calling us to do? What does it mean to follow Christ here and now?
Our meeting formed a small ministry team devoted to children's worship and spiritual nurture. The strengthening of families feeds the wider Society of Friends. My husband & I are in a spiritual formation group with 2 other couples to explore vocation & discipleship. How is God working in our lives? What is God calling us to do? What does it mean to follow Christ here and now?
These couples have grown close to our children, praying for and with them as well. Prayer has deepened our communion with one another and with God. God has reached in and is using us in new ways, calling us to work we hadn't imagine. God embraces our deep longings, and when we open ourselves to them in prayer, God's own deep longings can flow through us into the world. [In our case, it is into living] for a time among Quakers in East Africa, to learn the sources of their faith, and to share ours.
Even the Desire for God Pleases God/ A Worship Experience for Family Prayer Time—We must approach prayer in the family as we approach all of life, as experimental. [Children's attitudes will vary]. If we offer the children a role to play, they are much more likely to enjoy family prayer. For children, worship at its best goes to the heart of God, with an experience of love, joy and belonging, and a glimpse of God's vision for the earth and its people. Even if they don't grasp the full meaning of the words, children can be fully engaged.
Even the Desire for God Pleases God/ A Worship Experience for Family Prayer Time—We must approach prayer in the family as we approach all of life, as experimental. [Children's attitudes will vary]. If we offer the children a role to play, they are much more likely to enjoy family prayer. For children, worship at its best goes to the heart of God, with an experience of love, joy and belonging, and a glimpse of God's vision for the earth and its people. Even if they don't grasp the full meaning of the words, children can be fully engaged.
Some fundamental attitudes of prayer to include in home worship are: thanksgiving; confession; intercession; listening; praise. Intercession is holding people in the Light; listening means holding in the Light your own special needs and listen for God's answers. Taizé has offered our family music that lifts up each of these forms of prayer. Songs of Taizé or the Friends hymnal Worship in Song are good resources.
Taizé-style worship has marvelous appeal and accessibility for all ages. It's wonderful if you can begin praying regularly when your children are small. It's not too late if they are teens. Then, books such as Listening with the Heart can be used in group reflection The 3 books mentioned above are available from the Pendle Hill bookstore. At home, you might have one or more candles, and per- haps a cross, an icon of something from nature to focus the attention—flowers, shell, or stone. Allow a few moments of silence between elements of prayer. The silent period following the readings should be brief. [example of order of worship given]. Experiment and keep searching. Have courage and join together with other families in your meeting or wider community to share ideas, spirituality, and prayer together, trusting that "even the desire for God pleases God."
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363. Profession and Practice: Quaker Perspectives on Healing as
Taizé-style worship has marvelous appeal and accessibility for all ages. It's wonderful if you can begin praying regularly when your children are small. It's not too late if they are teens. Then, books such as Listening with the Heart can be used in group reflection The 3 books mentioned above are available from the Pendle Hill bookstore. At home, you might have one or more candles, and per- haps a cross, an icon of something from nature to focus the attention—flowers, shell, or stone. Allow a few moments of silence between elements of prayer. The silent period following the readings should be brief. [example of order of worship given]. Experiment and keep searching. Have courage and join together with other families in your meeting or wider community to share ideas, spirituality, and prayer together, trusting that "even the desire for God pleases God."
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363. Profession and Practice: Quaker Perspectives on Healing as
Ministry (by Maureen Flannery; 2002)
As a committed pacifist, he several times suffered for that belief. As a founder and twice chair of the AFSC, he guided it from tentative beginnings to a world-wide service that won the 1947 Nobel Prize. He prodded Quaker schools to admit African American students and helped the Society of Friends to face [its] racism. He defended the civil liberties of those accused of un-American activities. [As a biblical scholar], Henry Cadbury always insisted that Jesus must be understood in terms of the religion and culture in which he was brought up.
[Family & Education]—Henry Cadbury must be understood as a product of a long-established Orthodox Quaker family & culture, as the youngest of 6 children. He attended Penn Charter School, & Haverford College. He graduated with honors in Greek & philosophy in 1903. He graduated from Harvard with a M. A. in 1904 & a Ph. D. in 1913. Marrying Elizabeth Jones, he moved next-door to his brother-in-law Rufus Jones. Henry’s dissertation, published in 1920 as The Style and Literary Method of Luke, won him recognition throughout the world of biblical scholarship. Henry brought to all his studies a method of careful study, likened by some to detective work. He gathered together a group of young Hicksite and Orthodox Friends to examine the reasons for the 1827 separation of the 2 branches of Quakers; it was a 1st step towards reconciliation.
[World War I and Controversy]—A deeply committed pacifist from the 1st, Henry believed that war was totally at variance with Jesus’ whole life and teachings, as well as being madness for society at large. Quaker leaders, including Rufus Jones, saw this as an opening to bring the various groups of Friends together to cooperate in the practical task of providing alternative service for conscientious objectors (CO’s). The 3 groups meeting on April 30, 1917 was the birth of AFSC; Henry was actively involved with it the rest of his life. The AFSC could provide legal defense in the Philadelphia area. Some CO who could go overseas got Red Cross training. AFSC also sent 6 women to Russia to help with famine relief there.
Henry Cadbury wrote articles decrying the rising tide of nationalism and German-hatred. He wrote: “The spirit of implacable hatred and revenge exhibited by many persons in this country indicates that it is our nation which is the greatest obstacle to a clean peace and lest worthy of it.” Henry wrote this on Haverford stationery. [It caused widespread anger. Henry tearfully and reluctantly resigned]. He was also distressed to think that the case might go down in history as a classic example of the curtailment of academic freedom. Henry accepted a 1-year position at Andover Theological Seminary in Cambridge, closely associated with Harvard Divinity School.
Henry was becoming increasingly concerned about conditions in Germany as a result of the blockade imposed by the Allies. In 1919 2 Quakers and Jane Addams traveled to Germany for AFSC. The Quaker Herbert Hoover, then chairman of the American Relief Administration, asked AFSC to undertake the feeding of all German children. Henry went to Germany in 1920 for AFSC.
Henry lectured on “The Social Translation of the Gospel” at Andover in 1920. Andover continued to renew Henry Cadbury’s contract. [After a 3-year lawsuit], when subscription to the very conservative Andover Creed became a requirement for employment in 1925, the Andover faculty immediately resigned. He decided to accept an offer to teach biblical literature at Bryn Mawr College, not far from Haverford.
From 1926-1934, Henry Cadbury balanced his teaching & scholarly work with active participation Philadelphia Friends. Enjoying access to the Haverford College Library’s Quaker Collection, Henry pursued his life-long interest in Quaker history, published annotated versions of the journals of many early Quaker ministers, restored George Fox’s “Book of Miracles,” & took a scholarly interest in Norwegian Quakers who settled in the US & the Quakers in Barbados.
[Quakers & African-Americans]—Henry Cadbury studied & wrote about early British & American Quaker abolitionists, in particular Anthony Benezet, the Philadelphia Friend who established & taught at a school for African-Americans in the 1700’s. He generously turned over all his research to someone else at work on Benezet. Henry Cadbury also collected data on the few African-Americans who had become Friends. At an address to the African-American Cheyney Training School for Teachers, he made a point of how much African-Americans had aided Quakers in their slow evolution toward a tender conscience on issues of racial discrimination.
The Society of Friends still needed (& needs) help in ridding itself of racism. From 1932-42, the 2 Philadelphia YM’s Race Relations Committees & AFSC sponsored conference with Henry as chair. Henry [asked] schools to be “enterprises which are faithful to the principles & testimonies of the Society of Friends.” [Philadelphia & New York schools slowly & somewhat reluctantly admitted African-Americans in the 30’s & 40’s. In an Earlham College speech, Henry spoke of the importance of ending segregation in housing & employment.
[Social Action & Belief, RSV, & Sabbatical]—Henry Cadbury became aware how many young women & men, were attracted more to social work & action than to the organized religion in which they had grown up. He said of belief & action: “The 2 aspects are complementary. I am impressed how much inner religion is fostered by social concern … Action, often incoherent & inarticulate, leads to thought, & can lead to spiritual growth.”
In 1929 Henry was invited by the American Standard Bible Committee with 8 others, to prepare a New Testament Revised Standard Version; others were working on the Old Testament. His family would joke, “He’s in New York, rewriting God’s word.” On sabbatical at Woodbrooke in Birmingham he worked on George Fox’s papers, producing Annual Catalogue of George Fox’s Papers, & reconstructing George Fox’s Book of Miracles.
[Harvard Divinity School]—Henry Cadbury was invited back to Harvard to fill the Hollis Chair of Divinity. During his 1st year, he was invited to give the Lowell lectures at Boston’s historic King’s Chapel. He said: “When religious spirit does exist, it is marked by the same power, insight, instinctive virtue & persistent efficiency which marked Jesus’ career.” Henry Cadbury was opposed to taking oaths, to tests of loyalty, & to threats to academic freedom. He joined a group of Massachusetts professors who agreed to file signed papers stating their objections. He defended other teachers who refused to sign the oath, and Jehovah Witnesses who refused to salute the flag.
Henry Cadbury had not had a mystical opening and was convinced that many other Quakers had not been mystics; instead, they lived a religious life. [Rufus Jones and Howard Brinton argued for continental mysticism as the source of Quakerism; Henry Cadbury and] Geoffrey Nuttall traced Quaker thought to the radical edge of the Puritan movement. Henry said: “Must it be either/or? Can’s it be both/and?”
[Jewish Refugees, World War II, and Nobel Prize]—Quakers had been feeding children on both sides of the conflict in Spain; their attention now turned to helping as many Jewish families as possible to leave Germany. [Efforts to provide German interpreters to foreign consulates were met with indifference, if not resistance, by the State Department]. After the European war broke out, he said: “War is an immoral act sanctioned by otherwise moral men. Nations condone ruthlessness as a means to an end and blame God, man and the devil for their behavior,” and “If you ever hear a CO before a tribunal, you will notice … embarrassing questions asked of him that can be matched by equally embarrassing questions to be asked the court.”
In 1940 Henry Cadbury returned to the British Isles. The Quaker visitors observed the damage from German bombing raids. In Lisbon on the way home Henry wrote his 1st “Letter from the Past,” this one on Quaker contacts with Portugal. At home, Henry Cadbury wrote and preached against the growing menace of war with renewed passion. Pearl Harbor and US entry into the war was a blow to his hopes.
Henry visited Civilian Public Service camps and wrote [of the frustration found there]: “It would be well if more of us could learn to be more earnest and content about the things we may do even though they may seem irrelevant to the most imposing events of our time. It is far more realistic than the ostrich-like absorption of belligerents in their own self defeating enterprise.”
Rufus Jones resigned from the AFSC for reasons of health; Henry Cadbury resumed the chairmanship. He traveled to Washington for Friends Committee on National Legislation, and to regional AFSC offices around the country. He wrote in the annual report: “[As with Gandhi] nothing less than an experiment with truth can satisfy the Christian liberal.” In the book Jesus, What Manner of Man, he emphasized how Jesus thought, and made the point that Jesus always demanded something extra of his disciples.
In summer 1947 Henry & Lydia Cadbury chaperoned a shipload of young volunteers bound for Europe. After they returned home, they learned that AFSC had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Henry borrowed a tuxedo from AFSC to receive the award. At the ceremony he said: “The common people of all nations want peace … You are saying to them here today that common folk, not statesmen, not generals, not great men of affairs, but just simple plain men & women … can do something to build a better peaceful world. The future hope of peace lies with such personal sacrificial service.” Rufus Jones convened a group that proposed a “Peace of God” to preserve Jerusalem as a center for all faiths. Fighting broke out before the commission reached Jerusalem.
Life After Rufus Jones; Final years at Harvard—The “Peace of God” was Rufus Jones’ last creative act. He died of a heart attack in June 1948. For many it was the end of an era. Quakers & others turned increasingly to Henry Cadbury for leadership. Domestic peace in the US was disturbed by McCarthyism, with its loyalty oaths, & growing suspicions of organizations like AFSC. Appearing on behalf of people unjustly accused, Henry Cadbury often found it necessary to explain who Quakers were & what they believed. Henry said: “Our critics can’t understand a religion whose genius is precisely the continuity of change, [of not settling] down into conformity.”
In a lecture Henry Cadbury argued that since early Friends believed that the same Holy Spirit spoke directly to them, they felt that they should read the Bible in light of their own inner revelations and respond when the saints’ experiences and insights “answered to theirs. Henry said: “The Bible is not the dictator of our conduct and faith. It is rather the record of persons who exemplified faith and virtue … What is true in the Bible is there because it is true, not true because it is there.”
[In class], Henry Cadbury’s Socratic method, along with his reluctance to impose his views on others, permitted him to meet the needs of fundamentalist students without challenging their basic assumptions; many looked back with affection for and real appreciation of Henry Cadbury’s guidance in understanding the Bible in light of the times in which it was written. One of Henry’s themes was that the 1st gospel writers carefully selected what they recorded for a purpose. Henry said: “The material now in the gospel was preserved because it served a purpose. It is not an accidental residue of all that Jesus began to do and teach. [It is for] teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness.” In The Book of Acts in History, he wrote: “There is too much tendency to regard Christianity as something unique and apart in its origin; it did not grow in vacuo … The setting of the NT in it contemporary environment should correct also the tendency to unduly modernize it.”
[Philadelphia: AFSC; Teaching; Scholarship]—In the Spring of 1954 and amid great acclaim, Henry Cadbury retired from Harvard. Henry and Lydia packed their bags and headed for Philadelphia; they spent 2 years living and lecturing at Pendle Hill. In addition to being profound, Henry Cadbury could be very funny. Henry had no intention of retiring from teaching. With delight he agreed to teach at Haverford and later at Bryn Mawr. At the Swarthmore Lecture in London he said: “If the role of Quakerism among the denominations is precisely one of enriching their variety and challenging their standards of uniformity, we ought by the same token to welcome variety within our small body.” At Radnor MM he said, “Why spend your whole life studying the seed catalog? Why not plant one’s garden and see what comes up? After 2 years at Pendle Hill, the Cadburys returned to their home in Haverford. He helped 12th Street Meeting to arrange its reunion with Race Street Meeting, the other big downtown meeting.
Henry Cadbury participated enthusiastically in a silent vigil outside the Pentagon showing concern about nuclear proliferation. In a Pendle Hill talk, he suggested that public witness, nonviolence and civil disobedience were only new names for older and forgotten Quaker experiences. [In biblical scholarship], The Eclipse of the Historical Jesus was published by Pendle Hill in 1964; Behind the Gospels came out in 1968. He was still writing his delightful “Letters from the Past,” always suiting the past story to some contemporary issue. He said that the true tradition of Quakerism was change and development—“moving as way opens.”
Henry Cadbury resigned from the position of board chair of AFSC in 1960 but continued to play an active role. [He continued to publish collections of works he had done over the years.] Henry Cadbury’s scholarship, particularly his work on Luke and Acts, is still used by students of the Bible. He supported the call of the Black Power movement for reparations, citing several instances when Friends paid reparations in the past. “Pioneer!” he urged his audience—“Pioneer with abandon!” At a 1974 dedication, some thought Henry seemed very frail and elderly when he rose to speak, but as he warmed up to his subject, his voice regained its old vigor and his eyes their twinkle. He died a short time later, on October 7, 1974.
A humble, modest, quiet man, Henry Cadbury had no idea the effect of his life on other people. The AFSC bears his imprint. He never abandoned his belief that the translation of the gospel message into action was an expression of the religious impulse. Making the Society of Friends more open to people of color [was a part of his lifelong commitment and pioneering activity. Henry Cadbury’s message that [social] action can be translated into belief encouraged social activists to join the Society and helped them on their journey to a more profound spiritual life. Henry Cadbury taught us to see the divine in the ordinary challenges of life.
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377. Creed and Quakers: What’s Belief got to do with it? (by Robert Griswold; 2005) About the Author—Robert Griswold has been a convinced Friend since 1947. [He has gone from a Friends Church to Mountain View Friends (unprogrammed) to Anchorage, to Director of Scattergood Friends School to West Branch Friends (Iowa YM Conservative) to Brinton Visitor in Pacific YM; he welcomes other views].
The Quaker Authority: A Different Foundation—The role of creeds in Quaker theology needs far more attention than it has been given. Quakers have often not responded well to the critiques on Quakers avoiding creeds from established Quaker groups and other denominations. There is reason to doubt that any of the present-day branches of the Religious Society of Friends has been diligent in its appreciation of the witness against creeds.
The foundation of Quaker spiritual authority lies outside belief systems. All other forms [of worship] can't rise to a place of authority of the direct communication of convinced Friends and the Divine Spirit. Quaker spirituality threatens not just the particular creeds of believers but the mental process by which they are formed and clung to. The believer cannot avoid regarding someone who fails to grasp the “true belief” as a heretic.
Quakers were extraordinary heretics. This fact can generate enormous frustration in believers and may go far in accounting for the venom heaped on early Friends. Fox saw Christian pastors as “merchants” who were apostates from genuine Christian faith. Early Friends hoped to change the spirituality of every one in the world.
Creeds in Quaker History—The deep & revolutionary insights of the very earliest Quakers didn’t last as its originators had envisioned. The Quaker way to a spiritual life was a threat to the established creed-bound Christians of the 1600’s; they accused Friends of being secret papists or of fomenting a revolution. From 1660-80, the powers of government & the popular sentiment were aligned in the intention to destroy the Quaker movement.
Friends’ defense of themselves changed the movement. When the defense of the inner experience was put on the level of verbal debate, the arguments written to counter beliefs come to be beliefs. [Even] Fox’s continued arguments for Friends results in statements that are barely distinguishable from those of creed-based Protestants. [In following years], the original vision smoldered at a very low level, as ecclesiastical considerations were given the form of ministers’ meetings & designated elders. In the 19th century, some Friends’ meetings acquired paid pastors & moved back to traditional Protestant doctrines & reliance on scripture’s authority.
Others kept their silent meetings but were led more and more to support causes from an ideological foundation rather than from a leading by the Light. Liberal Friends’ witnessing to Friends’ testimonies is based more on a trust in ideology than in the direct apprehension of Divine Truth. Truth is not served by being captured in particular creeds, nor is it served by the collection and amalgamation of beliefs in good causes.
Clarifying Terms: Beliefs, Faith, & Creeds—Faith is vital to the formation of Friends’ spiritual life, while belief is a dangerous threat. Belief is a conclusion reached & held with enough confidence to be a guide for action. Creeds represent hardening of beliefs into systematic theology. Faith is “the spiritual apprehension of divine truth or intangible realities, founded on experiencing Divine reality.” Repeated attention to the Light Within nurtures the growth of that vision. Intentional choice, [however careful], isn’t the same as “spiritual apprehension.”
What do you know from your own personal spiritual experience? Fox, when he uses the word truth, is not talking about verbal propositions that can be verified; he uses the word [to mean something] closer to our present day use of the word reality. Fox said: “And the written word brings no soul to Christ the life, but [the soul] who comes to the life that the written word speak of …”
About the Author—Maureen Flannery has been an active member of Berea Friends Meeting in KY since 1979. She is in a weekly Friends faith-sharing group & an ecumenical women's spirituality group. Maureen has pro- vided primary care in rural communities in IL & KY & the Berea College com- munity. She is working as part of medical school faculty in order to integrate spirituality, complementary, & alternative modalities into health care. Through School of the Spirit she remains involved in contemplation & spiritual nurture among Friends.
"Friends could well make better use of healing as part of our modern ministry to the world. Early Christians and Early Quakers made it part of their ministry" (David Hodges).
[Introduction]—17th century Friends considered healing & preaching as ministry. It was a spiritual gift rather than an occupation; Friends practiced faith through healing. 19th century women "pioneered the professions." In recent years Public health, reform movements, & integrative approaches in health have seen Friends' participation. Early on, recorded healings include physical illness, physical injury, & mental, psychological, & spiritual problems.
Many US MMs now hold Meetings for Worship for Healing. The time is right for exploring healing's role within Quakerism. Professionalism is a set of behaviors & qualities the public expects of individuals in particular occupations, especially healing ones. This essay offers several alternative models of pro- fessionalism in the hope that Friends will find a practice consistent with a Quaker understanding of a healing ministry.
"It isn't always easy to find a professional who [is] ... a person grounded in a profession of faith ... in the matrix of mercy in which our lives are embedded" (Parker Palmer).
Contemporary Attitude toward Professionalism—Profession is an occupation requiring specialized knowledge and specific preparation. The tra- ditional professions were characterized by knowing, doing, and helping. Pro- fessionals are recognized by the community around as qualitatively different from "nonprofessionals." Professionals practice, they perform a vocation that is integral to one's being.
Over the past decade, as changes in the health care system began to curtail doctors' autonomy and control, organized medicine sought to define and encourage professionalism. The instilling of values and behaviors identified with professionalism is understood to benefit both health workers and society. I have been led to question whether the current understanding of professionalism is consistent with my Quaker beliefs. Quaker history has much to teach us about professionalism.
Attitudes toward Professionalism among Early Quakers—The 1st generation of Friends included several doctors. Accounts suggest that these early Quaker physicians sought to understand the special bearing of faith upon their work & may have held "trade meetings" to support each other. Exclusion of Quakers from English universities limited their participation in medicine. In the 1700s, modern-day professionalism emerged. By the mid-19th century, the pro- fessions represented a new meritocracy based on education rather than inheri- tance and lineage.
Friends' concern with professionalism derived from theological concerns. Quakers believed in direct living relationships with God without mediation. There was concern that professional ministers might usurp the place of God's Spirit, the Inward Christ. They refused to limit "divine service" to a few occupations or situations, & sought to raise the tasks of daily work & business to a spiritual level & into a ministry. A critique of a designated and professional clergy became skepticism about experts and professionals of all sorts.
Friends claimed that trustworthiness was as essential for a farmer as for a physician. It was of great concern to early Friends that a professional's loyalty was likely to be to the values of a profession and the wider society than (or at least in addition) to the values of one's faith. Busy schedules that were an integral part of work, and would interfere with a daily pattern of life that provides time for worship and reflection is another reason to avoid professionalism.
Some Characteristics of Professionalism: Quaker Perspectives on Power/ Detachment—What does the early Quaker professionalism critique mean for contemporary Friends? How can Friends support & challenge professionalism? Power is closely connected with professionalism. [There is temptation &] tendency to shift from "being of use" to domination.
Friends developed in a world in which Church & State frequently abused power. Power imbalance & inequality are indeed inherent in many professional relationships. Many assume that the unequal power between professionals & patients is critical to the healing process. Both individual & community discern- ment are necessary if Friends are to avoid secular ways of viewing and using power like it is in professional culture. George Fox said, "Take heed of blending yourself with outward powers of the earth."
The idea that professionals must "keep their feelings out of their work" in order to be effective is deeply embedded in professional training and culture. Quaker meetings, on the other hand are covenant communities in which indi- viduals meet each other directly and openly as whole people. Equality and in- timacy are essential characteristics of a vital meeting. [Friends in professional positions may find it too difficult to reconcile the Quaker process of openness and intimacy with the detachment their profession demands]. Can professional Friends be full participants in this beloved community?
Specialization/ Authority/ Service—In today's complex society, pro- fessionals undergo extensive & rigorous preparation in a relatively narrow field in order to become "experts" there. In contrast, Howard Brinton notes: "The non-professional character of the Society of Friends' religion is carried over ... into its humanitarian work." Lloyd Lee Wilson says: "Everywhere around us God de- monstrates a love of making each creature unique, yet we prefer to act as if each Quaker's spiritual gifts were precisely like those of other Quakers."
Some Quakers may be misinterpreting the equality testimony. Friends may support individuals who pursue specialized training, but they need to re- mind those individuals that no human may usurp the place of God's Spirit as true healing's source. Should Friends be asked to fill roles in meeting that utilize their professional training, or should Friends be offered opportu- nities to develop gifts not acknowledged in their life in the world?
While power can be exercised without the consent of the powerless, authority implies an acceptance and affirmation of the basis for the exercise of power. So far as ministry goes Friends assert that "the authority for ministry is given to a person only by ... the Holy Spirit, or the living Christ working in or through that person." Friends must discern whether the authority that an indi- vidual exercises is indeed derived from commitment to abide in the life and power of God, from which any authority for and leading to a living ministry must come.
The commitment to place the goals of others above self-interest is ge- nerally considered a particular obligation of professionals. Service is also vital to Quakerism. Recognizing & answering that of God in everyone has as a natu- ral consequence a life of service. George Fox said, "Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations, wherever you come; that your carriage & life may preach among & to all sorts of people." Friends & professionals may work as a way of letting their lives speak & putting their values into practical use.
Quaker Perspectives on Empathy—Particularly within the helping professions, empathy is considered essential if service provided by the profes- sional is to be authentic & effective. The Quaker view is that all people can access the Inner Light, the Seed, Christ Within. Friends expect to become involved & grow close to one another as the search for God's way draws them together. The health of the meeting community is determined by how Friends relate to one another. Friends can support a professionalism that affirms the importance of empathy.
Alternative Models of Professionalism—Are there approaches to professionalism that value authority, service, & empathy while addressing Friends concerns about power, detachment & specialization? [Where Friends use queries to explore an issue], bioethicists will use metaphors & models. Robert Veatch considers engineering, priestly, collegial, & contractual models. Ezekiel & Linda Emmanuel present guardian, technical expert, coun- selor, teacher models.
William May's central & favored image is one that sees the physician/ patient relationship as covenantal. I offer 3 models for professionalism: feminist therapy; rural family medicine; & midwife. [All have community-based healing]. I hope considering these approaches will provide openings for Quaker healing professionals to reflect on their practices & find ways to integrate their work & their faith.
Women's Health Movement and Feminist Therapy—The women's health movement stresses empowerment, self-help, mutuality. Mutuality, [authentic sharing by both people] in helping relationships is often beneficial for both. Feminist therapy substitutes "openness to relational movement & change ... Helper & client become companions who can together reconceive & recon- figure their relationship without fear" (Beverly Harrison).
[This mutual relationship is similar to the Quaker's "Gospel Order]." Rightly ordered relationship with God & others was what allowed early Friends to integrate their inward lives and social witness. It is important to be mindful of the potential for misunderstanding and abuse in this [model]. How much self-disclosure [by the healer] is appropriate in a professional encounter? What boundaries are healthy? With support and oversight, the feminist the- rapy approach can strengthen both the healing professional and the meeting community.
Rural Family Medicine—Foundational to the new specialty of family medicine was an approach to healing that emphasized service and empathy over power and detachment, and family physicians were particularly qualified to provide care to underserved and neglected communities. Lucy Candib writes: "Rural life itself may have a leveling effect ... Choosing to live in a small com- munity where his or her personal life is inevitably quite public reflect's a doctor's willingness to be 'known' to patients."
Attending to relationship is essential rather than optional for country doctors. David Hilfiker writes: "I hoped they saw in me the honest desire to be of service... I found that people would present their needs to me at any time ... [and become] part of a much larger pattern that resulted in my feeling constantly besieged." How does one find time for solitude and "retirement" in the face of overwhelming need? Where does one draw the line between being of service and being taken advantage of? [Here a healing professional can] integrate work with her or his personal and spiritual life.
Midwifery as Metaphor—I have long been interested in midwifery [through ancestry (a grandmother), & personal experience]. Although individual midwives might be invisible in records, the role of attendants present at birth was recognized as special, even sacred. It isn't surprising to find midwifery widely used as a metaphor in spirituality. "She does things with, not to, the per- son giving birth ... While the authority of the mid-wife is a welcome support to the one giving birth, she is engaged & emotionally involved, even in detach- ment" (M. Guenther).
Doris Klein depicts them as "soul-companions who stand with us in sacred places of change." The midwife model has the potential for bridging 2 important forms of Quaker ministry: healing & nurturing. While wielding no especial power, nurturer/healer [fully engages &] practices with authority [& empathy] that is affirmed & recognized by the person being served & by the community. When a professional understands her or his role as "being with" whole persons, care of mind, body & spirit are integrated, as they were with early Friends.
Toward a New Way of Practicing Professionalism—[Deep] under- standing comes with an openness to understanding paired with a willingness to go without understanding until you have become ready to receive it. I struggle daily with concerns about power & authority, with the tension between detach- ment and empathy with patients. Professionalism raises many questions for Friends. Is it more important to use the status of one's occupation to benefit others than to reject it on principle? Is it time to give up our "romanticized egalitarianism" and to accept the value of advanced training and credentialing? How can Friends best be of use in a society in which the trappings of professionalism are valued and sometimes required?
I had a dream that affirmed for me the wisdom inherent in the midwifery metaphor for healing and nurturing. As I reflect on the gift of this dream, some resolutions to the problems and paradoxes of professionalism begin to emerge. The profession of midwifery values authority, empathy and service over power, detachment, and specialization. Utilizing midwifery [and its support of the mar- ginalized] as a model for professionalism suggests the same "turning upside down" of cultural norms that Jesus asks of us in so many other ways.
I had a dream that affirmed for me the wisdom inherent in the midwifery metaphor for healing and nurturing. As I reflect on the gift of this dream, some resolutions to the problems and paradoxes of professionalism begin to emerge. The profession of midwifery values authority, empathy and service over power, detachment, and specialization. Utilizing midwifery [and its support of the mar- ginalized] as a model for professionalism suggests the same "turning upside down" of cultural norms that Jesus asks of us in so many other ways.
The midwifery model provides hope for those of us who wish to integrate physical, psychological, and spiritual insights into our nurturing and healing work. Mary Howell wrote: "My vision of how I like to work and relate to the peo- ple I serve does not correspond to the usual understanding ... I have found [the role]... of the wise old woman of the village, the witch healer ... who can convey what she knows to others so that they can use that wisdom."
Queries-Can we open ourselves to a different manner of working and sharing what we know, to a new way of practicing professionalism? Can we reclaim the Quaker tradition's wisdom and affirm the valuable parts of professionalism? Can we and our meetings encourage, support and challenge professionals in their midst to integrate their work and their spirituality? Can we ask ourselves, our colleagues, and our compani- ons, "What canst thou say" [about professionalism]?
How do you consider your work connected with your life as a Quaker? How do you handle accepting members & attenders of your meeting as clients/patients? How do you handle relationships with former clients/patients who have become involved in your meeting? Does your profession affect your participation or speaking in the mee- ting? How does your work either provide gifts for nurturing activities, or exclude you from involvement? Are you comfortable seeking guidance from your meeting about professional concerns?
How do you use professional titles? Does your profession allow you time for individual spiritual disciplines or for participation in meeting life? Have your Quaker values been in conflict with the ethics of eti- quette of your profession? How have you dealt with inappropriate Friendly requests of professional services or advice? How could you be better supported in your work by Friends?
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364. Gift of Days: Report on an Illness (by Mary Chase Morrison;
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364. Gift of Days: Report on an Illness (by Mary Chase Morrison;
2003)
About the Author—Mary C. Morrison leads a retired life at 92 in Kennet Square, PA. Mary devoted her life to family, teaching, & writing. A long time, skillful leader of Gospel Study Groups at Pendle Hill, Mary describes herself as 49% Quaker, 51% Episcopalian. Before this pamphlet she wrote 6 others (#172, #198, #219, #242,#260,#311):1 William Law selections; 1 on reconciliation; 2 on the Gospel; 1 on journaling; 1 on the Spirit.
About the Author—Mary C. Morrison leads a retired life at 92 in Kennet Square, PA. Mary devoted her life to family, teaching, & writing. A long time, skillful leader of Gospel Study Groups at Pendle Hill, Mary describes herself as 49% Quaker, 51% Episcopalian. Before this pamphlet she wrote 6 others (#172, #198, #219, #242,#260,#311):1 William Law selections; 1 on reconciliation; 2 on the Gospel; 1 on journaling; 1 on the Spirit.
["No, There's More"]—I received a gift of 100 unique days, 100 days of illness, near-death & slow recovery. As appalled as I would be to live them again, [they are still a gift]. In late April 2001 I had a pace-maker put in. At the hospital, I picked up one of those concentrated germs hospitals are known for. I stayed at Cumberland assisted living, Chester County Hospital, & Westmoreland nursing home during the illness.
What happens when all the settled truths of a person used to counting on life seem fragile, irrelevant & perhaps unfounded? [This and other "life questions"] needed deeper exploration. I was living at the level of naked experience. My basic inner stance was "Let me out of here!" I talked about "leaving gracefully" with anyone who would listen. I talked about it with God and always got the same answer: "No, there's more"; I didn't want any more.
[Desire to Die]—It is hard to do full justice to the intensity of my desire, my eagerness to die. I longed to hear my breath make the death rattle. I was angry with God. There wasn't any clear help from God, or Jesus either. I was and am ready to die and I would infinitely prefer dying to some of the helpless alternatives that later life offers. The illness reduced me to a pretty poor excuse for a human being almost as soon as it struck. I wanted to say to my friends: "Be thankful for what your body can still do for you. Think how well and uncomplai- ningly it still serves you as well as it can and thank it, thank it every day."
[Desire to Die]—It is hard to do full justice to the intensity of my desire, my eagerness to die. I longed to hear my breath make the death rattle. I was angry with God. There wasn't any clear help from God, or Jesus either. I was and am ready to die and I would infinitely prefer dying to some of the helpless alternatives that later life offers. The illness reduced me to a pretty poor excuse for a human being almost as soon as it struck. I wanted to say to my friends: "Be thankful for what your body can still do for you. Think how well and uncomplai- ningly it still serves you as well as it can and thank it, thank it every day."
The hospital stay was mostly an in-and-out time of fitful awareness with long gaps of unconsciousness. I had been getting a sleeping pill that put me far enough under that I woke up wondering [where, who, or even what I was. When the nurse picked up my hands and said: "This isn't going to be easy," I suddenly remembered who and where I was, and the routine of looking for a new vein for IV when one collapsed. I asked to be transferred to Westmoreland nursing home and was brought to Room 327, what I thought of as the Dying Room.
[Difficult Recovery]—The only trouble was that [I didn't die]. I was a log lying there or sitting in the chair and expending all my energy on simply trying breathe. Just a body that insisted on staying alive. The doctor said I was almost recovered. Why wasn't I getting well? [Tremors started and kept me awake at night]. A few quiet times came like gifts from my old life. Then my jaw was affected. The attacks would go on for an hour or more while I tried desperately to keep my lips from being torn to pieces by the jerking motion. I learned the warning signs of an attack and could forstall them. Dr. Soraruf was weaning me as fast as he could from every drug that could be eliminated from my long list. I went through emotional [and mental] chaos. I wanted this long hard time to end.
TIME's Place in my Illness—If any presence filled my days, it was TIME, fully earning those large capital letters. I thought of time as something that could be managed and manipulated. [In illness] that was no longer possible. My indi- vidual time began to take on a grand and mythical presence, to become TIME. I imagined that I was now living by geological time. I would continue to lie there until the Grand Canyon's whole area was reduced to flat land.
As the long slow days and nights went by, TIME took on a still more abstract character and moved even further away from human time. The nights were long. I began to realize that the collision of time as we spend it daily, human time, with TIME as it presents itself unadorned, unfilled, [unformatted] in a long succession of empty hours. Human time is a human construct. [We "occupy" our time]. When there is a knife slice across our days, TIME [is exposed], an iron figure, immovable, implacable, eternal, especially between 1 AM and 8 AM.
I began to think of human beings as creatures uniquely equipped with the ability to fill time with things to do, [so that stony TIME] goes unnoticed. George Fox wrote: "And I went down along the vault and there sat a woman in white looking at time how it passed away." I began to think that we humans have somehow developed a wrong relationship to time. Is meditation an attempt to correct our wrong relationship with time? I never managed to develop the talent for living in the NOW. In those nighttime hours TIME said to me, "You must change your life." One Sunday I watched the hour of meeting for worship pass [ever so slowly] on the clock in my room. Such immobility! Such a stern presence! I must have slept sometimes without knowing it.
[Surrounded by Love]—All through that miserable period something outside of me surrounded and sustained me—love. [Family, especially grand- children, came from East Coast, West Coast and London]. They would distract, cajole, feed, and hold]. One particularly bad day, when my mind wasn't working and I was sure I was dying right then, my daughter and 2 grandchildren took turns lying in bed and holding me. I couldn't believe the outpouring that came my way; I settled into it almost unconsciously and it did me good.
[Difficult Recovery]—The only trouble was that [I didn't die]. I was a log lying there or sitting in the chair and expending all my energy on simply trying breathe. Just a body that insisted on staying alive. The doctor said I was almost recovered. Why wasn't I getting well? [Tremors started and kept me awake at night]. A few quiet times came like gifts from my old life. Then my jaw was affected. The attacks would go on for an hour or more while I tried desperately to keep my lips from being torn to pieces by the jerking motion. I learned the warning signs of an attack and could forstall them. Dr. Soraruf was weaning me as fast as he could from every drug that could be eliminated from my long list. I went through emotional [and mental] chaos. I wanted this long hard time to end.
TIME's Place in my Illness—If any presence filled my days, it was TIME, fully earning those large capital letters. I thought of time as something that could be managed and manipulated. [In illness] that was no longer possible. My indi- vidual time began to take on a grand and mythical presence, to become TIME. I imagined that I was now living by geological time. I would continue to lie there until the Grand Canyon's whole area was reduced to flat land.
As the long slow days and nights went by, TIME took on a still more abstract character and moved even further away from human time. The nights were long. I began to realize that the collision of time as we spend it daily, human time, with TIME as it presents itself unadorned, unfilled, [unformatted] in a long succession of empty hours. Human time is a human construct. [We "occupy" our time]. When there is a knife slice across our days, TIME [is exposed], an iron figure, immovable, implacable, eternal, especially between 1 AM and 8 AM.
I began to think of human beings as creatures uniquely equipped with the ability to fill time with things to do, [so that stony TIME] goes unnoticed. George Fox wrote: "And I went down along the vault and there sat a woman in white looking at time how it passed away." I began to think that we humans have somehow developed a wrong relationship to time. Is meditation an attempt to correct our wrong relationship with time? I never managed to develop the talent for living in the NOW. In those nighttime hours TIME said to me, "You must change your life." One Sunday I watched the hour of meeting for worship pass [ever so slowly] on the clock in my room. Such immobility! Such a stern presence! I must have slept sometimes without knowing it.
[Surrounded by Love]—All through that miserable period something outside of me surrounded and sustained me—love. [Family, especially grand- children, came from East Coast, West Coast and London]. They would distract, cajole, feed, and hold]. One particularly bad day, when my mind wasn't working and I was sure I was dying right then, my daughter and 2 grandchildren took turns lying in bed and holding me. I couldn't believe the outpouring that came my way; I settled into it almost unconsciously and it did me good.
This time affected those around me as well. My daughter Helen said: "It was a terrible time and a wonderful time, and we were closer than we had ever been or ever could be at any other kind of time, touching one another, hugging easily and often, having conversation about subjects we would never ordinarily discuss. As much as I could feel anything beyond my own misery, I felt myself floating on a sea of love. I could not see how I could possibly be lovable. I knew at some level that I was being a general nuisance, not only to the world around me, but also to myself. The stern words of TIME came to me again, "You must change your life."
[Tear in the Fabric of Forever]—One day Mary brought a book that I "ought to read": Let Evening Come, my own book, but written by someone who now seemed a stranger to me. The book fell open to a page where I had pasted a poem by Marty Johnson: [excerpt] "Get over it There is a tear in the fabric/ of forever and its just the way it is ... Consider this a wake-up/ call and live your gift of days with joy./ Walk the edge where the air is thin and clear,/ where fear can take you further. It's just/ another country. Chin up. Step through the door. Each breath in is a miracle. Each breath out is a letting go." The poem seemed to be asking me questions that intrigued me and suggesting to me possibilities that I had not yet begun to understand.
Mary handed me a pencil and paper and said: "You'd better practice writing while I'm gone." I hadn't even thought about writing. I positioned the pencil over the paper. Nothing happened. Trying harder, I managed an illegible, cramped scratching. It was a revelation that my body would have to go through a laborious project of relearning body skills. I would start the learning with 10 days of doing without my usual 2 life-supports.
Memories & longings crowded me throughout the long Westmoreland period of illness. One picture brought by Friends was the familiar view from the gardens down toward the lake. In my mind I would take a walk up the lane that angled off to the left just beyond the picture frame's edge. I was grieving. I wanted to do it again, & again, forever; no amount of self-talk could wean me from that wish. Almost everything that came to mind carried that same sting in its tail. [I imagined myself as a happy spirit, free to] go back to all the places I loved.
What came to mind most was daily routine: waking up after a pleasant night's sleep; getting effortlessly out of bed; shower; making bed; orange juice & sitting by the window; eating breakfast & viewing the square. It never failed to give joy & pain. What if it wasn't the great moments but the little ones that held the secret of joy? I wasn't up to applying this insight to the experiences I was having at Westmoreland. We humans look for high experiences to bring us joy, while in reality it is hidden in the ordinary moments of every ordinary day.
Slowly, I began to get better. [Progress came from trying] to help the days pass more quickly. I eventually reached the rank of struggling kindergartner in my writing. The physical therapy director had visited and gone away a couple of times, until I was ready. He came again and taught me exercises that I could do in bed. Soon I was standing up and going to PT daily for endurance, agility and strength, making daily progress even I could see. I astonished Mary and Helen by standing unaided and walking a step or two over to greet them.
[Tear in the Fabric of Forever]—One day Mary brought a book that I "ought to read": Let Evening Come, my own book, but written by someone who now seemed a stranger to me. The book fell open to a page where I had pasted a poem by Marty Johnson: [excerpt] "Get over it There is a tear in the fabric/ of forever and its just the way it is ... Consider this a wake-up/ call and live your gift of days with joy./ Walk the edge where the air is thin and clear,/ where fear can take you further. It's just/ another country. Chin up. Step through the door. Each breath in is a miracle. Each breath out is a letting go." The poem seemed to be asking me questions that intrigued me and suggesting to me possibilities that I had not yet begun to understand.
Mary handed me a pencil and paper and said: "You'd better practice writing while I'm gone." I hadn't even thought about writing. I positioned the pencil over the paper. Nothing happened. Trying harder, I managed an illegible, cramped scratching. It was a revelation that my body would have to go through a laborious project of relearning body skills. I would start the learning with 10 days of doing without my usual 2 life-supports.
Memories & longings crowded me throughout the long Westmoreland period of illness. One picture brought by Friends was the familiar view from the gardens down toward the lake. In my mind I would take a walk up the lane that angled off to the left just beyond the picture frame's edge. I was grieving. I wanted to do it again, & again, forever; no amount of self-talk could wean me from that wish. Almost everything that came to mind carried that same sting in its tail. [I imagined myself as a happy spirit, free to] go back to all the places I loved.
What came to mind most was daily routine: waking up after a pleasant night's sleep; getting effortlessly out of bed; shower; making bed; orange juice & sitting by the window; eating breakfast & viewing the square. It never failed to give joy & pain. What if it wasn't the great moments but the little ones that held the secret of joy? I wasn't up to applying this insight to the experiences I was having at Westmoreland. We humans look for high experiences to bring us joy, while in reality it is hidden in the ordinary moments of every ordinary day.
Slowly, I began to get better. [Progress came from trying] to help the days pass more quickly. I eventually reached the rank of struggling kindergartner in my writing. The physical therapy director had visited and gone away a couple of times, until I was ready. He came again and taught me exercises that I could do in bed. Soon I was standing up and going to PT daily for endurance, agility and strength, making daily progress even I could see. I astonished Mary and Helen by standing unaided and walking a step or two over to greet them.
Helen took my social rehabilitation in hand, and I began to feel socially presentable and operational again at last, something I hadn't expected to be ever again. I was told I would be back in my apartment in a month. "I can't possibly believe you," I said. The nurses and caregivers in charge of the thing, the object I had been now emerged as friends. My "occupational therapy" was practicing simple household tasks under supervision.
2 weeks later I came back to live in the apartment again after 12 weeks absence. My daily routine had taken on a magical, miracle quality conferred by all my longing for it while I was lying helpless in bed. I "received my gift of days with joy." The doctor thought I had been depressed. I reflected that it was too much to expect that people under 60 can ever understand I was not depressed, but simply realistic. I can't look forward to regained vigor and activity, but only more and more unpredictable decline. When you've gone a long way down the path of dying, you want to continue to the end.
2 weeks later I came back to live in the apartment again after 12 weeks absence. My daily routine had taken on a magical, miracle quality conferred by all my longing for it while I was lying helpless in bed. I "received my gift of days with joy." The doctor thought I had been depressed. I reflected that it was too much to expect that people under 60 can ever understand I was not depressed, but simply realistic. I can't look forward to regained vigor and activity, but only more and more unpredictable decline. When you've gone a long way down the path of dying, you want to continue to the end.
When your body isn't ready to die yet and nobody is going to help you or even let you die, you decide to put full energy into getting as well as you can. Ambulatory Cumberland and Westmorland people and I were wandering around the Annual Fair of our community, just looking at everything. [We live in] con- stant distraction, constant separation from immediate experience that is some- how a product of the way we live now. Our thoughts reach forward into the future and back into the past. We seek to be "distracted from distraction by distraction" (T. S. Eliot).
I was forced down to a level where thinking takes over & feeds on itself hour after hour without the relief of distractions, but unable to drop further down to experience the living present moment. Now I'm trying to learn with all of me what it means to live in the present. [I had successes mixed with sliding back] into the habit of enjoyment insulated from present reality by my wandering mind. How can I hang onto an inner change to living in the present as old habits of human life focused on past & future return?
I was forced down to a level where thinking takes over & feeds on itself hour after hour without the relief of distractions, but unable to drop further down to experience the living present moment. Now I'm trying to learn with all of me what it means to live in the present. [I had successes mixed with sliding back] into the habit of enjoyment insulated from present reality by my wandering mind. How can I hang onto an inner change to living in the present as old habits of human life focused on past & future return?
My mind seldom gives me a dull moment. The problem is that I have never had any control over it. It does what it wants, remembers what it wants to remember. It is normally friendly but not at all biddable or prompt in helping me when I need help; my mind became my worst enemy when I was sick. I read about stilling the mind and I tried it, but my mind would never cooperate.
Somehow I must find my way beyond my spinning mind. Maybe I couldn't pay strict attention to the present moment all the time, or even most of the time, but when I could do it, life became suddenly new, promising. Maybe the death I desire is that of [my] separate spinning mind as it merges into the intense life of the present moment. My work is to be ready to receive it when it comes as I would a visit from an old friend.
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365. The Authority of our Meeting is the Power of God (by Paul A.
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365. The Authority of our Meeting is the Power of God (by Paul A.
Lacey; 2003)
About the Author—Paul A. Lacey was born in Philadelphia in 1934. He and Margaret have 3 adult children. He joined Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1953, having first met Quakers through weekend work camps. He has been active in civil rights, peace and East-West concerns, while his profession is teaching literature. He is serving as the Clerk of the American Friends Services Committee.
[Introduction]—"The search for continuity in the Society of Friends is a fascinating & frustrating task. One generation's emphasis can be completely transformed by the next, while both see themselves as faithful to unbroken tradition of continuing revelation" [Hugh Barbour; J. William Frost]. Roger Wilson says, "George Fox & wise early Friends devised administrative methods which left spirit free, yet preserved a sense of group order."
Those who created them saw them as founded in "ancient testimonies." The more effectively an organization carries out its responsibilities, the more likely it is to have duties added on. Human desire for efficiency pushes us to make good temporary committees permanent. What are the ultimate sources of power for religious faith & practice? How have divinely-inspired, human institutions been created to serve & express God's will?
Authority and Power/Answering that of God in Everyone—In George Fox's years of wandering, before receiving his [well-known] pentecostal "ope- ning," he had a series of preparatory openings. 1st, no one is truly a believer who has not passed from death to life. 2nd, something more and other than university training was needed to "qualify" one as Christ's minister. 3rd, the church is the people of God, not the building. Fox said: "It was needful that I should have a sense of all conditions, how else should I speak to all conditions; in this I saw the infinite love of God."
Direct experience is not enough; it must be tested for its truth-bearing value and [the truth of it] lived. Even with Scripture, we must learn how to read it "in that Light and Spirit which was before Scripture was given forth, and which led the holy men of God to give them forth ..." [Fox]. "The God of light is not a God who tells, but a God who shows" [John Punshon]. Christ will turn people away from the world's religions "that they might know the pure religion ... [serve others] and keep themselves from the spots of the world" [Fox].
"Be a terror to all the adversaries of God, & a dread, answering that of God in them ... gathering up out of transgression into the life, the covenant of light & peace with God" [Fox]. Answering that of God in God's adversaries meant reaching "to the principle of God in [them] which they have transgressed," & addressing the witness within them which would confound them, show them their internal conflicts & throw them into confusion. Christ is within us as a suffering captive until we know our condition & hear the witness in us addressed or "answered."
Organizing and Institutionalizing—In the midst of persecution, the early Quaker fellowship had to address visiting the widows & orphans in their affliction & keeping from the spots of the world. "Visiting widows etc." involved families of prisoners & captives, ministers & their families, relieving the poor, apprenticing young people, lobbying Parliament, regulating & documenting marriages, inheritances & wills under the care of the meeting; money had to be raised for these purposes. Arnold Lloyd says: "the evolution of Quaker church government can best be understood in terms of the communication of advice and help in solving practical problems."
"Keeping from the spots of the world" concerns keeping the fellowship's spiritual discipline, which early-on meant that local Friends groups would correct "ranters" & "disorderly walkers"; Friends had procedures for ["admonishing"] & "disowning" inappropriate behavior of self-proclaimed Quakers well before it had canons of membership. [Quakers discovered the hard way] the Quaker com- munity's vulnerability to individual excess. Fox began establishing monthly meetings [in a process that lasted a decade]. The Seeker groups Fox met with were already meeting regularly [to solve practical problems]. Fox made recom- mendations and suggestions to autonomous, self-governing groups.
Needs for National Organization—Quakers needed to distinguish themselves from the violent, militant 5th Monarchy Men to avoid more persecu- tion. This led to a document written by 12 prominent Friends "in behalf of ... the Elect People of God that are called Quakers. There was no way that they could legitimately speak for the local, autonomous communities; there was no central authority. The 12's action opened the door for Friends to become a Church with central polity; central divine guidance was substituted for local. The belief that the infallible Spirit could be infallibly understood by individuals was replaced by individual and community discerning the Spirit together. John Perrot was for radical individualism. His movement attracted and kept many adherents; it allowed for external conformity with governmental religious decrees.
Discerning the Spirit/ Tests of Leadings—Richard Farnsworth's response to John Perrot's radical individualism was: "if any differences arise in the church ... it, with the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, has power, without assent of such as dissent from their doctrines and practices to hear and deter- mine the same." This epistle does not emerge from any delegated authority to speak for the Society.
Tests which Friends applied to leadings were: moral purity, patience, the self-consistency of the Spirit, and bringing people into unity. Moral purity would be obeying calls which were difficult humiliating, and contrary to self-will; self-will is impatient of tests. How consistently does an individual keep faith with their leadings? When in unity, a sound leading to action will enrich the spiritual life of the whole worshiping community.
Gospel Order—Lewis Benton defines Gospel Order as "the order that God gives God's people when they gather to experience Christ's living presence in their midst & to be governed & ordered by him." Ultimate authority was given to the worshiping community's discernment of the Spirit. Quarterly and Yearly Meeting [QM; YM] came to be in a predominant position; some Quakers had institutional power over others, which inevitably changed Quakerism's character. As Sandra L. Cronk understands Gospel Order, it describes a covenantal rela- tionship with God, a new order with "personal, [familial], communal, societal, and even cosmic dimensions."
It is striking how often, in this early period, crises threatening the death of the Quaker movement produced defensive reactions and bold new affirmations and initiatives grounded in the Spirit, "... answering that of God in everyone" grew out of Naylor's misbehavior. The Peace testimony declaration is in re- sponse to the 5th Monarchy Uprising. With setting up men and women's monthly meetings, Fox pushes the Society to a new conception of its calling; Gospel Order recovers the patterns before the Fall. Women had significant roles to play in the primitive church and in the Society of Friends. The authority of men's and women's meetings over individual Friends leadings was affirmed.
The Meeting for Business—Edward Burrough describes it as "not deciding affairs by the greater vote, or number of men ... [but] in the wisdom, love, & fellowship of God, in gravity, patience, meekness, in unity & accord, in assenting as one in the spirit of truth & equity, & by the authority thereof ... The meeting consists of just & righteous men, all believing in truth, & walking in the same ... [anyone] out of truth & ... contrary to Christ's faith ... such aren't mem- bers thereof, but are excluded from having their advice & judgment taken in matters of truth ... "
"[When unity is difficult] on such occasions the judgment [should] be suspended ... 'til more Friends that are anciently grown in the Truth have understanding of the matter ... that a general concord & assent may be among the ancients of them, for the government of the whole." Unity is sought in what is later called "the sense of the meeting." Burroughs also specifies the procedure of Matthew 18, used to resolve strife between 2 Friends.
The Authority of the Believing Fellowship/ The Institution of Elders—Barclay says: "Some are so great pretenders to inward motions & revelations of the Spirit, that there are no extravagances so wild which they won't cloak with it ... they are so for everyone following their own mind, as can admit of no Christian fellowship & community ... the spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil and again to move unto it." One can be confirmed in an action by Christ's commandments and primitive Christian practices. He also says: "The Lord ... hath and doth raise up members of his body, to whom He gives a discerning, and power, & autho- rity to instruct, reprove, and command in some cases."
The many facets of Quaker life, from government, to spiritual, to busi- ness meeting, have depended heavily on the work of the meeting elders. Elders "had oversight over worship, the spiritual life of the meeting, the daily life of the meeting-community, & the practice of accountability. Their gift was an "attitude of deep listening," which helped the meeting center. Roger C. Wilson says: "They are responsible for maintaining a system, which in the living waiting of the group the 'leadings of the Spirit' may find expression through a [free-flowing] range of human agents."
Barclay said: "Infallibility isn't necessarily annexed to any persons, or places, by virtue of any office, place or station anyone may have, [past or present] in the body of Christ. The practice of authority passing to weighty elder Friends opened up the possibility of the devout exercising oligarchical control, which led to more than one schism.
Leadership and System—Early Friends believed in leaders but not a system; 2nd period, Friends believed in leaders and a system; later Friends believed in a system & no leaders. In the 18th century, there is an attempt to keep order by ever more rigorous application of the system of governance. In 1704, Philadelphia compiled its 1st book of Discipline; London approved its first in 1737. By 1800, all American YMs had published Disciplines.
From the late 1700s to the early 1800s and its Separations, the Society saw itself in danger from the world, worldly success, and worldliness. The Society shrank alarmingly as it purified itself by disowning members for the tiniest offenses. Doctrine, especially with regard to scripture's authority and tradition, was more rigidly defined. In the 1820's, came the Separation between Gurneyites and Hicksites, and then Gurneyites and Wilburites.
H. Larry Ingle says: At the most fundamental level, the conflict was over who in the Society would decide the disputed questions; who would exercise power and moral authority ... [Hicksites] stressed the mystical and inward rather than the formal and outward; they insisted on individual interpretation of doc- trine. By around 1900, there were 4,000 Quaker families in England, and 4,600 Orthodox in Philadelphia. In the US, Quakerism underwent the development of the pastoral system of hired ministers. Pastoral Friends now comprise a large majority of Quakers in the world. "Slowly ... Friends learned to live with, respect, and even love Meeting individuals with whom they had profound differences" [Barbour and Roberts].
Modern Liberal Quakerism—Barbour & Frost identify 4 sources of Quaker liberalism: Friends traditions; New England transcendentalism; Euro- pean intellectual developments; creative response to new science & history. Liberalism, like evangelicalism "originated outside the Society of Friends ... & could be adopted because of tenets compatible with existing Quaker empha- ses." [Barbour & Roberts] New institutions came into being [e.g.] Woodbrooke [England], Pendle Hill [US], & American Friends Service Committee & Friends Service Council.
In the 20th century the greatest challenges to traditional Quaker under- standings of authority and power, which come from scripture, tradition, reason and continuing revelation, started from the most liberal meetings—unpro- grammed, largely Hicksite in origin, urban and college-town in location, largely composed of "convinced Friends, attracted by the social activist aspects of Quakerism, and their sense of alienation from other church traditions.
H. Larry Ingle says: "The Hicksite principle ... put little stress on unity or authority. It allows freer range to individualism and encouraged each Friend to interpret faith and practice in the light of each one's unique experiences." With many members focused on social sciences, liberal Quakerism tends to become "a needs-centered movement with an essentially harmonizing and reinforcing role in the life of its members" [John Punshon]. It is like a supermarket where Quakers may pick and choose what configurations Quakerism will take. "Super-market Quakerism can dispense with the idea that the testimonies are each part of a greater whole" [Punshon].
Gospel Order or Quaker Process?—For theologically conservative Friends & evangelical Friends, authority & power would cluster around scripture & tradition and those who interpret them. Among theologically liberal Friends, reason and continuing revelation [i.e. radical authority of passionate inner conviction] are the greater sources of authority. Gray Cox believes that the Quaker ethic is a process meant to be practiced, rather than a theory or set of dogma; it is open-ended in ways that lead to "openings," born of commitment and concern.
For Cox, Quaker attitudes are rooted in: "truth, meaning, reason and self ... Truth is constructed or cultivated; Meaning is communal and mind is a social activity; feeling and reason are viewed as continuous with one another; self is social and transitional, becoming. At the heart of community is a spirit which grows out of each of us and yet grows into each of us ."
The Quaker ethic process involves: "quieting impulses; addressing concerns; gathering consensus; finding clearness; and bearing witness. Quie- ting impulses prepares us for "addressing concerns," which will result in a lea- ding that must be clarified by "seeking consensus" until we find a view of the concern and reality that does justice to the complexity of reality and rightness". The trick is to keep differences in dialog until a genuine consensus is reached. "Finding clearness" is a moment of resolve, a truth known by direct revelation. Social activists, feminists, community organizers, peacemakers are practicing methods requiring participation and a gathering of consensus for understanding and transforming social order.
The chief authority for Quaker process would seem to be that it embo- dies social wisdom, and is rooted in human political and social natures, and can be described in intellectual, rational and secular language. Gospel Order grows from a covenant with God; Quaker Process seems to rest on progressive political convictions and knowledge of social sciences. The traditional tests to discern true leadings would not seem to carry any particular weight in the process.
"Quaker process" seems uneasy with any form of leadership except that of a clerk who tries to gather and express consensus. Unanimity is a strong value in participatory democracy; unity in the Spirit is central to Gospel Order. Obedience to Spirit is not the same thing as arriving at a mutually-satisfactory decision. Michael J. Sheeran argues: "The real cleavage among Friends is between those who experience ["gathered meetings] and those who do not." "The sense of the meeting" is something different from "consensus,"
In Lieu of a Conclusion—Quakerism has always struggled to find the right balance between affirming the autonomy of the individual following his or her own conscience and the authority of the group to determine what a true leading of the Spirit is. Liberal Quakerism is still reacting to the imagined trauma of 19th century separation and wholesale disownments. [Some single-issue activists] become frustrated by the failure of the Religious Society of Friends to speak with a single voice on their concern. Others find a wider spiritual vision for their social or political concerns, but are frustrated by many voices trying to interpret the Spirit's leading.
Some who come to Quakerism because it is "mildly religious & fiercely tolerant," discover that mild religion doesn't satisfy them. The fiercely tolerant & the deeply committed can make each other equally unhappy. The greater the commitment to tolerance, the less likely that a meeting can unite on corporate actions. [An individual could make use of a clearness committee]. Inviting such help is to acknowledge that one's own insights can be enriched by consulting the group's wisdom. Issues which trouble & divide Quakers arise, to greater or lesser degree, in both programmed & unprogrammed meetings alike. In the light of Quaker struggles to discern the true sources of authority & power, ["the more things change, the more they stay the same"] isn't a happy motto.
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366. Invitation to a Deeper Communion (by Marcelle Martin; 2003)
About the Author—Marcelle Martin of Chestnut Hill Monthly Meeting (MM) is a graduate of Shalem Institute's Spiritual Guidance Program. She was part of the inner city, live-in Fairhill Friends Ministry & a regular participant in weekly peace prayer vigils. The leading to write this pamphlet came to her when she recognized that different groups to which she belonged experienced a call to worship together for extended periods. She was drawn to learn more about early & contemporary worship experiences of Friends. She thanks fellow worshipers, those who shared experiences here, & those who sustained gatherings on Worship, Ministry & Eldering.
Part One: The Power of the Lord was Over All—This pamphlet ex- plores the divine invitation to worship in communion with the eternal Wisdom and Power that was at work among early Friends and that still wants to work through us in our day. The early Friend John Gratton wrote of his first meeting: "There was little said in that meeting ... I was sensible that they felt and tasted of the Lord 's goodness, as at the time I did; and though few words were spoken, yet was I well satisfied, [comforted, and refreshed]."
In describing meetings in Long Island, Boston, Barbados, and else- where, traveling minister Joan Vokins notes how the Power came over groups after a time in worship: "God's Eternal Heart-tendering Power was over all." What was it about the worship, beliefs, and lives of the first Quakers that made their religion so powerful and had such a transforming effect on the world in which they lived?
Some who come to Quakerism because it is "mildly religious & fiercely tolerant," discover that mild religion doesn't satisfy them. The fiercely tolerant & the deeply committed can make each other equally unhappy. The greater the commitment to tolerance, the less likely that a meeting can unite on corporate actions. [An individual could make use of a clearness committee]. Inviting such help is to acknowledge that one's own insights can be enriched by consulting the group's wisdom. Issues which trouble & divide Quakers arise, to greater or lesser degree, in both programmed & unprogrammed meetings alike. In the light of Quaker struggles to discern the true sources of authority & power, ["the more things change, the more they stay the same"] isn't a happy motto.
http://www.pendlehill.org/product-category/pamphlets
www.facebook.com/pendlehill?fref=ts
366. Invitation to a Deeper Communion (by Marcelle Martin; 2003)
About the Author—Marcelle Martin of Chestnut Hill Monthly Meeting (MM) is a graduate of Shalem Institute's Spiritual Guidance Program. She was part of the inner city, live-in Fairhill Friends Ministry & a regular participant in weekly peace prayer vigils. The leading to write this pamphlet came to her when she recognized that different groups to which she belonged experienced a call to worship together for extended periods. She was drawn to learn more about early & contemporary worship experiences of Friends. She thanks fellow worshipers, those who shared experiences here, & those who sustained gatherings on Worship, Ministry & Eldering.
Part One: The Power of the Lord was Over All—This pamphlet ex- plores the divine invitation to worship in communion with the eternal Wisdom and Power that was at work among early Friends and that still wants to work through us in our day. The early Friend John Gratton wrote of his first meeting: "There was little said in that meeting ... I was sensible that they felt and tasted of the Lord 's goodness, as at the time I did; and though few words were spoken, yet was I well satisfied, [comforted, and refreshed]."
In describing meetings in Long Island, Boston, Barbados, and else- where, traveling minister Joan Vokins notes how the Power came over groups after a time in worship: "God's Eternal Heart-tendering Power was over all." What was it about the worship, beliefs, and lives of the first Quakers that made their religion so powerful and had such a transforming effect on the world in which they lived?
Robert Barclay wrote: "When [one] has been completely emptied of self, and the natural products of self-will have been thoroughly crucified, [one] will be fit to receive the Lord ... [and] the little seed of righteousness which God has planted has a place to arise ... Our worship consists neither in words nor in silence as such, but in a holy dependence [on] the mind of God."
Early Friends recorded that in many instances it required a long period of silent waiting and self-emptying before they experienced the divine power pre- sent among them. Edward Burrough wrote: "We met together often, and waited upon the Lord in pure silence ... as often we did for many hours together ... being stayed in the Light of Christ within us, from all thoughts, fleshly motions, and desires ... we spake with new tongues as the Lord gave us utterance, and as God's Spirit led us."
Meeting for worship could be a painful experience, for not only did the Light reveal the path to a holy life, but it also showed one's errors or sinfulness [and necessary changes] that would bring scorn or persecution. [Friends making such changes were often] rewarded with a spiritual peace they had long sought in vain. Friends spoke of living in the cross, accepting the death of their own will in order to live in God's will. Resistance to God's will would be gradually removed by the Light of Christ.
Robert Barclay wrote: "I hungered more & more for the increase of this power & life until I could feel myself perfectly redeemed." In receiving & beco- ming purified by the Light of Christ within, one could eventually become perfectly receptive & obedient to God's will. Friends proclaimed that perfection—being made whole in God—was a possibility for everyone. The most radical teaching was that people could grow fully to the stature of Jesus.
Meeting for worship could be a painful experience, for not only did the Light reveal the path to a holy life, but it also showed one's errors or sinfulness [and necessary changes] that would bring scorn or persecution. [Friends making such changes were often] rewarded with a spiritual peace they had long sought in vain. Friends spoke of living in the cross, accepting the death of their own will in order to live in God's will. Resistance to God's will would be gradually removed by the Light of Christ.
Robert Barclay wrote: "I hungered more & more for the increase of this power & life until I could feel myself perfectly redeemed." In receiving & beco- ming purified by the Light of Christ within, one could eventually become perfectly receptive & obedient to God's will. Friends proclaimed that perfection—being made whole in God—was a possibility for everyone. The most radical teaching was that people could grow fully to the stature of Jesus.
George Fox lamented: "How should they be able to bear being told that any should grow up [into] ... the stature of the fullness of Christ, when they can't bear to hear that any should come, whilst upon earth, into the same power & Spirit that the prophets & apostles were in?" And he said: "to as many as should receive him in his light, I saw that he would give power to become sons of God, which I had obtained by receiving Christ."
Quaker historian Doug Gwyn wrote: "Those who responded to the first Quaker prophets felt the apocalypse breaking forth in their very bodies [in the form of] quakes, groans, and swoons ... The sense of empowerment these women and men felt, as they discovered their own bodies to be the site of Christ's return to glory, was earth-shaking in its implications."
Quaker historian Doug Gwyn wrote: "Those who responded to the first Quaker prophets felt the apocalypse breaking forth in their very bodies [in the form of] quakes, groans, and swoons ... The sense of empowerment these women and men felt, as they discovered their own bodies to be the site of Christ's return to glory, was earth-shaking in its implications."
Elizabeth Bathurst wrote of God bringing her to eat at the table in God 's heavenly home: "For now God hath taken me into God's Family, and makes me sit down with the An[cients] of God 's House, at the Table of God's Blessing where God feedeth everyone with Food convenient for them." Francis Howgill wrote: "[We] came to know a place to stand in, and what to wait in, and the Lord appeared daily to us ... insomuch that we often said to one another ... 'What, is the Kingdom of God come to be with men?" ... We entered into the Covenant of Life with God."
Part Two: Living in Holy Times: Rekindling the Fire—Early Friends gave courageous witness & suffered willingly so that free & true worship might be possible in their time & ours. Professors at Swarthmore College meeting for worship offered little lectures that didn't speak to my condition. Yet something I experienced in the silence one morning took me to a deep place inside myself. [For the first Friends, such] an opening was often profound enough for the spiritual communion to be transmitted even to skeptical newcomers or hostile visitors.
Part Two: Living in Holy Times: Rekindling the Fire—Early Friends gave courageous witness & suffered willingly so that free & true worship might be possible in their time & ours. Professors at Swarthmore College meeting for worship offered little lectures that didn't speak to my condition. Yet something I experienced in the silence one morning took me to a deep place inside myself. [For the first Friends, such] an opening was often profound enough for the spiritual communion to be transmitted even to skeptical newcomers or hostile visitors.
Individuals are needed today who are willing to let the passionate fire of God's love & wisdom burn relentlessly in their hearts, consuming everything that is false and shining the Light upon all. Many Friends today have been increa- singly under the weight of a leading to help renew Quaker spiritual vitality [and closer acquaintance] with the living power and presence of God. My own jour- ney has brought me into the company of Friends [like this].
Part Two: Living in Holy Times: Learning About Quaker Worship—I was led out of the liturgical church by the idea that there is no God, and by being unaware of any direct experience of the Divine. At a Pendle Hill conference led by Quaker healer John Calvi. I became the focus of healing prayers at a mee- ting for worship for healing. Though silent, I could feel their prayers for me. A biography of George Fox inspired me and I resonated with his powerful mes- sage that we can be taught directly by God and that the Light is within us.
I dreamed the meeting was a school where the deaf learn to hear & that I should stay. Beginning to hear again, I made changes in my life with precious support from some elders in the meeting. I attended a meeting where a newco- mer delivered a war & peace message exactly like what a recently deceased member of the meeting used to give. There was continuity of spirit, an electrified hush, a uniting in tender feeling, awareness of & awe at the Spirit's power & presence. A much respected Friend named the whole experience a gathered meeting.
I first visited the old Newtown Square meeting in the fall of 1995. I had been raised with a love for Jesus, yet felt uncomfortable with many aspects of Christianity as taught in the church of my upbringing. At this meeting I sensed that I would encounter Jesus the way the first Christians had, as a direct pre- sence in my life and as my teacher. The only form of Christianity I could embrace was one that had room for my mystical experience of God intimately permeating and uniting all things.
10 local Friends who'd had mystical experiences met to worship. When we settled into silent worship, I sensed a golden light glowing, vibrating, singing. We felt a strong energy that seemed to make it easier to quiet our minds and enter more deeply into the divine presence. We could also stay in that state longer than when we were alone or in our meetings. In one early meeting, we were contemplating John Woolman and how the death of his will made him a pure vessel for Christ; a profound change occurred.
Part Two: Living in Holy Times: Learning About Quaker Worship—I was led out of the liturgical church by the idea that there is no God, and by being unaware of any direct experience of the Divine. At a Pendle Hill conference led by Quaker healer John Calvi. I became the focus of healing prayers at a mee- ting for worship for healing. Though silent, I could feel their prayers for me. A biography of George Fox inspired me and I resonated with his powerful mes- sage that we can be taught directly by God and that the Light is within us.
I dreamed the meeting was a school where the deaf learn to hear & that I should stay. Beginning to hear again, I made changes in my life with precious support from some elders in the meeting. I attended a meeting where a newco- mer delivered a war & peace message exactly like what a recently deceased member of the meeting used to give. There was continuity of spirit, an electrified hush, a uniting in tender feeling, awareness of & awe at the Spirit's power & presence. A much respected Friend named the whole experience a gathered meeting.
I first visited the old Newtown Square meeting in the fall of 1995. I had been raised with a love for Jesus, yet felt uncomfortable with many aspects of Christianity as taught in the church of my upbringing. At this meeting I sensed that I would encounter Jesus the way the first Christians had, as a direct pre- sence in my life and as my teacher. The only form of Christianity I could embrace was one that had room for my mystical experience of God intimately permeating and uniting all things.
10 local Friends who'd had mystical experiences met to worship. When we settled into silent worship, I sensed a golden light glowing, vibrating, singing. We felt a strong energy that seemed to make it easier to quiet our minds and enter more deeply into the divine presence. We could also stay in that state longer than when we were alone or in our meetings. In one early meeting, we were contemplating John Woolman and how the death of his will made him a pure vessel for Christ; a profound change occurred.
We were taken deeply inward. Time seemed to slow, or expand. The air became thick, [like] a tangible cloud of the Spirit; there was a sense of returning to a familiar state. Another Friend described the thickness as "Something Holy is entering this room [and I say as much]. I feel it entering me, entering all of us ... It is not invasive at all ... in 'taking its place' amongst us. I sense such Love flowing into us, such acceptance of us from this Presence.
During this group's second year, we began to talk of a desire to stay in worship longer than an hour. On several occasions we stayed in worship 1½ or 2 hours. The Quaker Contemplative Community also began extended worship. Some Friends felt led to organize conferences of Friends with mystical experi- ence. I sensed a powerful, almost overwhelming energy [connected with this conference]. God was sending a huge force of divine light to humanity & the earth, a force so large that it couldn't be sent to individuals, but only to groups gathered & focused on the divine will. God wants to infuse this Light into religi- ous bodies all over the planet.
It was wonderful to be at Pendle Hill with 50 others who had consciously experienced the Divine in transforming ways. Our experiences ranged from very subtle inner motions, like John Woolman's, to more dramatic revelations, visions or consolations, like George Fox's. Friends present were called upon to bring together the Light we'd been given and rekindle the bright fires of Quakerism.
A Leading Develops—In the final meeting for worship of that gathering, I once again felt a group being "covered" by the Spirit. The air felt thick and we were gathered into a subtly electric Presence. Several Friends quaked. I felt truth in the words, "We're living in holy times." We were communing with the Divine in a way that revealed an underlying oneness among members of the group and a deep essential unity with God. It was a direct communion with God that brought us all into communion with one another. A wordless knowing in my mind is that This kind of worship could be a common experience among Friends today, as it once was. That final meeting seemed to extend into the eternal; it felt timeless and remained gathered for much longer than an hour.
During the worship, Louise Mullen and I felt an invitation to a deeper union with God, a personal invitation that came with a leading to do something for Friends. That fall we attended some Pendle Hill Monday night lectures on the subject of ministry. "Worship sharing," where the speaker shares spiritual expe- rience or insights is different from true vocal ministry, which gives voice to a message with a divine source. The old gatherings of ministers and elders, with its deeper worship and the chance to hear vocal ministry from other meetings helped Friends develop more discernment about their own impulses to speak during worship.
During this group's second year, we began to talk of a desire to stay in worship longer than an hour. On several occasions we stayed in worship 1½ or 2 hours. The Quaker Contemplative Community also began extended worship. Some Friends felt led to organize conferences of Friends with mystical experi- ence. I sensed a powerful, almost overwhelming energy [connected with this conference]. God was sending a huge force of divine light to humanity & the earth, a force so large that it couldn't be sent to individuals, but only to groups gathered & focused on the divine will. God wants to infuse this Light into religi- ous bodies all over the planet.
It was wonderful to be at Pendle Hill with 50 others who had consciously experienced the Divine in transforming ways. Our experiences ranged from very subtle inner motions, like John Woolman's, to more dramatic revelations, visions or consolations, like George Fox's. Friends present were called upon to bring together the Light we'd been given and rekindle the bright fires of Quakerism.
A Leading Develops—In the final meeting for worship of that gathering, I once again felt a group being "covered" by the Spirit. The air felt thick and we were gathered into a subtly electric Presence. Several Friends quaked. I felt truth in the words, "We're living in holy times." We were communing with the Divine in a way that revealed an underlying oneness among members of the group and a deep essential unity with God. It was a direct communion with God that brought us all into communion with one another. A wordless knowing in my mind is that This kind of worship could be a common experience among Friends today, as it once was. That final meeting seemed to extend into the eternal; it felt timeless and remained gathered for much longer than an hour.
During the worship, Louise Mullen and I felt an invitation to a deeper union with God, a personal invitation that came with a leading to do something for Friends. That fall we attended some Pendle Hill Monday night lectures on the subject of ministry. "Worship sharing," where the speaker shares spiritual expe- rience or insights is different from true vocal ministry, which gives voice to a message with a divine source. The old gatherings of ministers and elders, with its deeper worship and the chance to hear vocal ministry from other meetings helped Friends develop more discernment about their own impulses to speak during worship.
Gifts of ministry & eldering weren't sufficiently recognized or nurtured by meetings. Neither meetings nor individuals were held accountable for them being well-used & received. The result has been a decline in the quality of worship, & a diminishment of spiritual vitality. Newtown Square Meeting hosted something like the former gatherings of ministers & elders. We gathered 3 times a year, & by the 5th meeting, 45 people were present.
Challenged to go Deeper—After 2 years and 7 programmed gatherings, we decided to take the bold step of leaving the entire morning free for unpro- grammed worship at our next gathering. [After doubts and early restlessness], that first extended worship was a spiritual banquet of ample silence and rich ministry. [The morning Inner Light continued to shine throughout the rest of the day. The sense of spiritual banquet returned with each gathering], and I come away feeling I've received food for which my soul is very hungry.
For a long time our group struggled with giving up planning and placing the whole day's program in God's hands. [There were logical arguments] against doing so. Others sensed our gatherings provide a precious & all-too-rare oppor tunity to practice radical faith in the immediate guidance of the Inward Teacher. At moments during long silences, I found it hard to retain trust in the leadership of the Spirit. I could feel inner resistance being removed, as with a fine sand- paper. Slowly, we came to see that our role was not to plan the gatherings but to prepare for them, to ready the space (both physical and spiritual) for the gathe- rings to happen, to discern the spiritual needs of those who attend, and hold the gathering in the Light.
Experiencing Extended Worship & Letting the Spirit Lead—Participants are invited to do what is necessary to be physically comfortable in extended worship. Worshiping for several hours has a different feel to it than the usual hour. One's resistance to being still often melts away & is replaced by a sense of spaciousness,freedom, & gratitude. Sometimes one or two newcomers walk out, but most are delightfully surprised by their experience. One Friend writes: Extended worship is really a way to get more deeply into one's inner spirit than the usual one hour. Another Friend writes : "Even when the messages are not particularly spirit-led, the depth of the silence is able to absorb them without pulling the meeting up to a more surface level." A first time attender wrote: "I could flow with God in God's love and possibilities."
One meeting, God seemed to say to me: It is better to have 12 sincere seekers than 100's who only want a superficial acquaintance with me. Its even better to have a single soul entirely devoted to me. [Instructions received in worship have led to] relinquishing many crutches in the ensuing years. [Once when we left the doors open, nature visited us in worship]. I felt that we were being taught how to return to the peaceable kingdom. After 9/11/01, we met & wondered how to respond to the crisis. What are we willing to risk for our faith?
A Friend arrived at Abington Meeting with intense back pain: "After a while, I opened my eyes, looked around at the precious souls and knew that the same powerful love I felt in my body had permeated the entire room ... I bathed in this awareness of the Great Love, feeling no pain in my body ... this love is eternal and it is only this which can sustain and bring peace to these chaotic and painful times ... [Another meeting] I was being shown the stepping stones lea- ding to yet another deeper place and was not awake enough to respond ... Extended worship creates a space for the Divine to teach me in deep and often powerful ways not always to my liking.
Someone who was afraid to come, found her perception of time had altered: "The nature of time seemed to have changed into a slow, thick "pre- sent"—or maybe presence ... Space appeared to me as a thick liquid medium in which we were all swimming ... [later in the afternoon] I had the impression of hearing words very deeply." In our silence and waiting we were providing an opening for God, a womb through which a fresh manifestation of the divine could be born into this world.
Monthly Meetings—What might monthly meetings glean from extended worship experiences to help deepen the weekly meetings for worship? I believe meetings have much to gain from relaxing the usual 1 hour limit when the group is still at the divine table at the usual closing time. Newtown Square Meeting has worshiped as long as 90 minutes. One purpose of our gatherings for worship is to help us grow in our ability to worship at all times.
Challenged to go Deeper—After 2 years and 7 programmed gatherings, we decided to take the bold step of leaving the entire morning free for unpro- grammed worship at our next gathering. [After doubts and early restlessness], that first extended worship was a spiritual banquet of ample silence and rich ministry. [The morning Inner Light continued to shine throughout the rest of the day. The sense of spiritual banquet returned with each gathering], and I come away feeling I've received food for which my soul is very hungry.
For a long time our group struggled with giving up planning and placing the whole day's program in God's hands. [There were logical arguments] against doing so. Others sensed our gatherings provide a precious & all-too-rare oppor tunity to practice radical faith in the immediate guidance of the Inward Teacher. At moments during long silences, I found it hard to retain trust in the leadership of the Spirit. I could feel inner resistance being removed, as with a fine sand- paper. Slowly, we came to see that our role was not to plan the gatherings but to prepare for them, to ready the space (both physical and spiritual) for the gathe- rings to happen, to discern the spiritual needs of those who attend, and hold the gathering in the Light.
Experiencing Extended Worship & Letting the Spirit Lead—Participants are invited to do what is necessary to be physically comfortable in extended worship. Worshiping for several hours has a different feel to it than the usual hour. One's resistance to being still often melts away & is replaced by a sense of spaciousness,freedom, & gratitude. Sometimes one or two newcomers walk out, but most are delightfully surprised by their experience. One Friend writes: Extended worship is really a way to get more deeply into one's inner spirit than the usual one hour. Another Friend writes : "Even when the messages are not particularly spirit-led, the depth of the silence is able to absorb them without pulling the meeting up to a more surface level." A first time attender wrote: "I could flow with God in God's love and possibilities."
One meeting, God seemed to say to me: It is better to have 12 sincere seekers than 100's who only want a superficial acquaintance with me. Its even better to have a single soul entirely devoted to me. [Instructions received in worship have led to] relinquishing many crutches in the ensuing years. [Once when we left the doors open, nature visited us in worship]. I felt that we were being taught how to return to the peaceable kingdom. After 9/11/01, we met & wondered how to respond to the crisis. What are we willing to risk for our faith?
A Friend arrived at Abington Meeting with intense back pain: "After a while, I opened my eyes, looked around at the precious souls and knew that the same powerful love I felt in my body had permeated the entire room ... I bathed in this awareness of the Great Love, feeling no pain in my body ... this love is eternal and it is only this which can sustain and bring peace to these chaotic and painful times ... [Another meeting] I was being shown the stepping stones lea- ding to yet another deeper place and was not awake enough to respond ... Extended worship creates a space for the Divine to teach me in deep and often powerful ways not always to my liking.
Someone who was afraid to come, found her perception of time had altered: "The nature of time seemed to have changed into a slow, thick "pre- sent"—or maybe presence ... Space appeared to me as a thick liquid medium in which we were all swimming ... [later in the afternoon] I had the impression of hearing words very deeply." In our silence and waiting we were providing an opening for God, a womb through which a fresh manifestation of the divine could be born into this world.
Monthly Meetings—What might monthly meetings glean from extended worship experiences to help deepen the weekly meetings for worship? I believe meetings have much to gain from relaxing the usual 1 hour limit when the group is still at the divine table at the usual closing time. Newtown Square Meeting has worshiped as long as 90 minutes. One purpose of our gatherings for worship is to help us grow in our ability to worship at all times.
Weekly meetings for worship are greatly deepened when some or many members take regular time for spiritual reflection, prayer, retreats or extended worship. Upholding worship with prayer for inspired vocal ministry can also help the meeting. Meetings for worship on special occasions, especially during times of widespread distress and fear like 9/11/01, are also helpful. Having some members begin First Day worship in advance of the general starting time may help others be drawn into a quiet state quicker.
Other Experiments in Extended Worship—A class at Woodbrooke (UK) has included worship lasting 2 hours; a New England YM, Pendle Hill, a Friends General Conference retreat for traveling ministers, and Philadelphia YM sessions have included periods of extended worship. Memorial Day weekend 2002, 70 women from 6 YM's participated in 2½ days of extended worship and discernment at the Burlington conference center in NJ, gathered with a concern for peace; extended worship was held several times daily.
Eager to find ways to express our feelings about peace & to end global violence, we sometimes moved from worship to planning without waiting enough for the Spirit's leading. Ideas emerged for specific actions, as did a general call to participate in planetary transformation of consciousness, a new awareness of global oneness. The Presence that weekend felt motherly; teaching us how to be receptive; how to empty ourselves of our ideas & motivations in order to be filled with divine power. We were deeply nourished by the spiritual food we received.
Part Three: A Spiritual Dispensation for our Time—Many Friends today feel a desire to take a prophetic stance. It is important to remember that Biblical prophets not only condemned injustice and called for compassionate social order, but also called for a return to authentic worship of God "in spirit & in truth." Our witness will lack in power unless it springs from our deep spiritual communion with the divine presence and with one another; we were made for that communion. We must await the descent of Spirit with fervent desire and great anticipation, as expectant groups have done throughout the ages. Such worship is about reverence and love for the unified Eternal Being who is greater than all creation and beyond our capacity to comprehend completely.
Early Friends renounced all forms of worship that didn't help the wor- shiper to meet the Light & Wisdom which lives within their souls. We are now called to be vessels for God's power at work in our world, in divinely inspired words & actions, witness & service for our time. In "speaking truth to power," we must remember we are grounded in a power that is bigger & deeper than the world's oppressive powers. We must increasingly become vessels for that life-giving Power that created & sustains all things, putting our faith in that Power only.
[Mary Penington had 2 dreams that guided her on her Quaker path. In her 2nd dream, she was looking out a window at a dreadfully black and dismal sky, heavy rainfall, and clearing skies. Then she witnessed a visitation by a man and a woman who seemed to be heavenly beings yet were "real persons." Mary prophecized: "This is a vision, to signify to us some great matter and glorious appearance; more glorious than the Quakers at their first coming forth." This suggests that someday there will be a second "spiritual dispensation" in a time of dreadful darkness, another startling appearance of the Divine in real persons—Friends ardently following a leading to become sons and daughters of God.
Other Experiments in Extended Worship—A class at Woodbrooke (UK) has included worship lasting 2 hours; a New England YM, Pendle Hill, a Friends General Conference retreat for traveling ministers, and Philadelphia YM sessions have included periods of extended worship. Memorial Day weekend 2002, 70 women from 6 YM's participated in 2½ days of extended worship and discernment at the Burlington conference center in NJ, gathered with a concern for peace; extended worship was held several times daily.
Eager to find ways to express our feelings about peace & to end global violence, we sometimes moved from worship to planning without waiting enough for the Spirit's leading. Ideas emerged for specific actions, as did a general call to participate in planetary transformation of consciousness, a new awareness of global oneness. The Presence that weekend felt motherly; teaching us how to be receptive; how to empty ourselves of our ideas & motivations in order to be filled with divine power. We were deeply nourished by the spiritual food we received.
Part Three: A Spiritual Dispensation for our Time—Many Friends today feel a desire to take a prophetic stance. It is important to remember that Biblical prophets not only condemned injustice and called for compassionate social order, but also called for a return to authentic worship of God "in spirit & in truth." Our witness will lack in power unless it springs from our deep spiritual communion with the divine presence and with one another; we were made for that communion. We must await the descent of Spirit with fervent desire and great anticipation, as expectant groups have done throughout the ages. Such worship is about reverence and love for the unified Eternal Being who is greater than all creation and beyond our capacity to comprehend completely.
Early Friends renounced all forms of worship that didn't help the wor- shiper to meet the Light & Wisdom which lives within their souls. We are now called to be vessels for God's power at work in our world, in divinely inspired words & actions, witness & service for our time. In "speaking truth to power," we must remember we are grounded in a power that is bigger & deeper than the world's oppressive powers. We must increasingly become vessels for that life-giving Power that created & sustains all things, putting our faith in that Power only.
[Mary Penington had 2 dreams that guided her on her Quaker path. In her 2nd dream, she was looking out a window at a dreadfully black and dismal sky, heavy rainfall, and clearing skies. Then she witnessed a visitation by a man and a woman who seemed to be heavenly beings yet were "real persons." Mary prophecized: "This is a vision, to signify to us some great matter and glorious appearance; more glorious than the Quakers at their first coming forth." This suggests that someday there will be a second "spiritual dispensation" in a time of dreadful darkness, another startling appearance of the Divine in real persons—Friends ardently following a leading to become sons and daughters of God.
What fruit might be born of a profound renewal of [extended] wor- ship "in spirit and in truth?" We must learn how to empty ourselves of our own willfulness, to wait expectantly upon the Spirit, to stand in the Light while it burns away our darkness and illuminates our path. [In gathered worship we will] be knit into a unity with God that will shatter the hard shells of conventional lives and make us once again filled with divine power, recognizably dedicated to living the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.
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367. Quaker in Vietnam: Rick Thompson (by Beth Taylor; 2003)
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367. Quaker in Vietnam: Rick Thompson (by Beth Taylor; 2003)
About the Author—Beth Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in Expository Writing in the English Department at Brown University. This essay was in a series published recently in the "Friends Journal," the anthology Friends and the Vietnam War, and the web site, "Writing Vietnam." She lives in Rhode Island with her husband & 3 sons.
[The Quaker Legacy & Vietnam]—I was raised a [traditional] Quaker in the farmlands of Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. We believed in nonvio- lence, social reform, & finding God through inner light & silent meeting. During WWII my father built roads (NH), fought forest fires (MT), & supervised a violent hospital mental ward (VA). In 1965, the Vietnam War's problems became im- possible to ignore. Some of the boys I knew left for Vietnam, Canada, or prison; they seemed human sacrifices to a war with little redeeming value.
We children were taught that we had a certain legacy to uphold. There were Taylors who gave Quaker testimony at extreme cost. Others became lawyers, businessmen, farmers, or teachers. My grandfather and Rick's grand- father, Francis Taylor, had a law office that looked out at Philadelphia's city hall. [President Hoover & the 1936 Democratic Convention called on his services as a Quaker minister]. Grandfather Taylor died before we grandchildren were born, but we knew all about him. He valued service, learning, ritual, and historical recall. His children passed on their pride and anxiety [to be the same kind of good Quaker] to us, their children.
[Rick Thompson's Call to Vietnam]—I was proud in 1972 when my cousin Rick Thompson decided to go to Vietnam to help in the American Friends Service Committee's (AFSC) medical rehab center in Quang Ngai. He had sent back his draft card to protest the draft's inequities; he felt obligated to help the war victims. He boarded at the Quaker Westtown High School, & visited our family faithfully & sometimes stayed with us.
Rick met Nan Schroeder at Iowa State University. Rick helped organize a war protest at Westtown, but thought that war resistance was dangerous. His attitude changed, resulting in a letter to his hometown Draft Board denouncing the Selective Service System as "selectively parasitic on the disadvantaged of our society ... The Selective Service System compels persons to align them- selves with hatred instead of love, deception in-stead of integrity and servitude instead of freedom." He invoked Minute 29 of the Philadelphia YM of 1968: "Friends agree that conscription is evil and we condemn the system ...[and] withhold cooperation with conscription. Each individual ... must be led by his conscience to decide what his response must be."
Rick fell in love with "Fritz," Linda Fritz. They worked together on the University Lectures Committee & a National Affairs symposium on "Indians: 1st Americans Last." In May 1971, Rick served as an intern for the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL); he wrote reports on Native Ame- rican legislation. Rick brought Linda Fritz to visit us, & we were charmed by her humor and smarts & assumed they would marry.
In late spring of 1972 Rick announced he had applied and been ap- proved for a position as a generalist for the AFSC in their rehab center in Quang Ngai, Vietnam. He struggled with the risks, his parent's hopes, and his love for Fritz. Larry and Marge wished their son would abide by the law and be a CO and do alternative service, [but they respected the choice of his own consci- ence]. Rick wrote: "It has occurred to me that despite the horrors of war ... armed warfare is a vortex drawing persons of all persuasions to its center ... we are attracted and excited by the chaos, the elemental reactions, and destruction ... My responsibilities are minimal ... my commitment to Linda, AFSC, my family, and above all to the Light Within. "
Linda joined Rick for the the last 2 weeks in July, with his parents & his sisters at a Minnesota lake cabin. Linda wrote: "I felt desperate about Rick's leaving but never told him I didn't think he should go. I trusted him to make the right decision ... to go to Vietnamese on his own terms. When we said good-bye ... I sobbed as I could never remember sobbing."
Rick visited our family August of 1972. We talked of teachers, Old Qua- kers, the war, Nixon & Grandfather Taylor. Rick was going to Vietnam because as a Quaker he couldn't not go, to somehow help in this crucible of a war. While Rick was flying to a world many of us only thought about, my life was much dif- ferent, with a 20-room cottage in Maine, summer job, sailing, sunning, cooking lobster, & dinner-time political discussions.
[Arriving in Vietnam]—In Vietnam Rick faced a life the exact opposite of mine—one where physical comforts were few, security was in doubt, love was on hold, & every moment was an education in the unfamiliar. The AFSC rehab center adjoined a hospital at Quang Ngai, near the coast, halfway between Saigon & Hanoi. There was a modest operating room, & workshops for making prosthetics, wheelchair, & crutches. Many of the workers were former patients. Compared to WWII's 22,000 disabled soldiers, 80,000 Vietnamese had lost an arm or a leg. The World Rehab Fund turned out 1,300 artificial limbs a month. The Quang Ngai center was a smaller, similar operation. Children returned as they outgrew legs; grown-ups returned when they were wounded again.
Rick fixed everything: tools, machines, electricity, VW bus. He would negotiate & run errands, including flying to Saigon. His new teammates liked him for his enthusiasm, humor, & dependability. He wrote: "The war that is winding down at home is in full swing. The center has more patients than ever now." Besides repairing bodies, the team met former political prisoners, helped reunite sundered families, & tried to avoid troubles with local authorities. Every interaction between noncombatant Americans & local Vietnamese was essen- tially economic. [It was less a mission of service & more an atonement] for the sin of entering Vietnamese culture.
Rick was confused by the interdependence of pacifist & military agen- cies. Rick writes: "Americans here are nice, open, moralistic ... [not the] demo- nic, depraved, unconscionable people the "peace movement" [sees] ... I can't help but come back to ... [seeing] that this war has an [irrational] momentum all its own ... I am a participant in the absurd. I have stepped behind the looking glass."
He began to feel far from his world back home in every way: physically; spiritually; emotionally. He missed the freedom to roam & the quiet of Quaker meeting. He felt set loose on a rudderless raft, long departed from familiar landmarks. In the lines he quoted from hymns or "the Quaker Calendar" I hear Rick, in the act of writing in his journal, creating a Quaker meeting. Rick could recreate their comfort through hearing the hymns of Quaker Sunday School as he wrote their lines in his journal.
[Rick and Linda]—In these 1st few months his outlook changed and his relationship with Fritz began to falter. [Even phone calls carried a sense of the military's involvement, with a reference to] Comsat being involved in military electronics manufacture. Rick worried that she and her friends were roman- ticizing him. Linda's words of empathy and vain comfort were apparently hard for Rick to hear. So he began to push her away. His immediate concerns and rela- tionships seemed concrete and his relationship with Linda abstract. The harsh lessons of Vietnam were deepening Rick's alienation from American ways. He decided to create a slide show documenting the "neo-colonialist domination" of Vietnam to be shown along with the AFSC's slide show.
[Rick and Nan]—As Rick continued to work everyday with maimed bodies from a war that wouldn't stop, his fury grew at the political games being played over peace. Rick wrote: "The hollowness of our ends is for all the world to see. Who would dare call a shifting of emphasis and power a "peace" set- tlement? Nothing has been resolved except that the level of violence is no longer productive to either side." After 4 intense months in Vietnam, he went to Japan to visit Nan and the Japanese countryside. The thrived on the change of pace, but did not get the physical or mental rest he needed. Nan remembers that Rick's rejection of American ways was full blown by then. She knew that Rick "was rebelling from his social class."
Nixon and Kissinger negotiated the cease-fire. Rick wrote: "[Here] there is as much, if not more fighting going on now as before the cease-fire ... I call a 'em as I see 'em, and this is merely a well camouflaged retreat ... they're leaving us some good things: a typewriter and a lot of medical supplies." For the next few months Rick immersed himself in the daily busyness of the rehab center.
He made it clear in a June letter that after 10 months in Quang Ngai, he was well into the watershed experience of his life. "Vietnam has meant a rush of changes in my life ... There are now few Americans in town, for that matter few Westerners. There has been integration into the Vietnamese culture and lan- guage. There has been the whole reassessment of America. In all I feel stimu- lated like never before. I am most afraid of falling into an existence that would be securely comfortable & routinized."
[Plane Crash, November 17th and Funeral]—A week after the letter, I was hitchhiking through Switzerland before heading for Paris & England. I sat down on a bench by Jung Frau, a mountain & wrote Rick what was to be my last postcard to him, musing about the contrast in our lives. Nan joined him in Viet- nam before continuing her trip home around the the world. She witnessed tense confrontations with hostile Vietnamese & light moments with Quang Ngai staff.
We were intruding in a civil war which many saw as a continuation of France's war; we could only make matters worse. The only moral response was to embrace the humanity on both sides. Rick was living the issues and saw himself as an authority. In November, Rick was stranded in Saigon by a mon- soon. On the 17th he took a plane north in a storm; he was in no way afraid of flying. The plane, lost in slashing rain smashed into the side of a mountain.
The news that Rick's plane had crashed was relayed from AFSC to FCNL to Aunt Marge & Uncle Larry in Kansas City. [What followed was the family's panicked & Linda's grief-stricken search for more information]. Nan was in denial of his death for a few days. After calls between Quakers, State De- partment, & South Vietnamese military, a search party of soldiers & local people who knew Rick found the plane in an area of cliffs & trees high in the mountains. Rick was the only 6-foot long charred body, surrounded by small ones.
The rehab center created a massive wooden coffin without using a nail. They cleaned & wrapped Rick's body in muslin & placed him in the coffin filled with tea leaves. They gathered on the rehab center's front patio for a ceremony of sorrow. His Vietnamese & Quaker friends spoke & signed a paper witnessing their presence at the ceremony. 2 friends slept in front of his coffin, keeping the candles & incense lit, according to Vietnamese tradition.
Claudia of the AFSC wrote from the rehab center: "For many days," mourners came from many villages to 'chia buon' (share sadness). Visitors spent hours in front of his altar, including two very old monks. They wondered how these old men survived when such a strong young man had died. We all wonder the same thing." The whole town of Quang Ngai seemed to share in the grief. After the onslaught of decisions about burial, Rick and his massive coffin were burned on a funeral pyre, his ashes collected and flown home to be buried under the huge old tree behind the Abington Friends Meeting House.
[Aftermath and Retrospective]—It wasn't until 25 years later, when I read Rick's journals, that I understood how deeply Rick had assimilated into Viet- namese ways, and how passionately he felt his disaffection from American culture. His sister belt he might never have come home. Nan said: "He loved the people, and the country itself which is very beautiful ... He admired his father's work as a lawyer and I felt that Rick may used that profession around some cause ... Rick took his Quaker beliefs very seriously." His parents remember that for a while it helped to tell people that they had lost a son in Vietnam. Margery wrote: "I wonder if the time will come when my last thoughts at night are not about Rick and my 1st thoughts in the morning are not about him.
Uncle Larry says grief brought Marge & him closer. But for a long time he would burst into tears all of a sudden; he found some relief in helping others, which he continues to do today. His sister Terrie named her 2nd child after Rick, & talked about Rick with a Vietnam vet she felt she could trust. [Susie, the little sister Rick adored] would confide in Rick. When Rick's plane crashed, Susie crashed too. She said: "I found comfort in drinking. I would drink until the bar closed & make sure I had some for Sunday ... I realized Rick wouldn't have wanted me to do this, so I went & talked to a doctor and it helped ... I think about him daily even after 30 years.
Nan says: "When you're in Asia, and you're a Westerner, you have a unique role." Going back to an Asia [without Rick] had more of a sense of loss than a sense of gain. The passage of time helped. Now, besides the sadness that he's gone, she can look back and feel joy that they "collided and connected" for a little while. It was hard for Linda to help with this essay, [especially liste- ning] to Rick's young, vibrant, sometimes tired voice. She said to me: "Your father and I spent a long, quiet visit there, lying under the trees [at Abington Meeting House] and remembering a very special young man."
At first, I felt that my next logical step was to go to Quang Ngai, to help as Rick had done. Linda Fritz said: "Your family has lost enough. You don't have to do this"; I went to teach at a Quaker boy's school instead. Nan said: "I think people like Rick should be honored on that Wall. We know that his contribution to Vietnam, in the name of pacifism, was at least as significant as the efforts of military personnel working in the name of the [fallacious] "domino theory." This essay is my Wall for Rick. I now write him into my room, so I can enjoy his energy, his humor, & his intense care once again. He said before he left: "I am excited, I am apprehensive, I am open to what may result."
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368. On Retiring to Kendal—and Beyond (by Peter Bien; 2003)
At first, I felt that my next logical step was to go to Quang Ngai, to help as Rick had done. Linda Fritz said: "Your family has lost enough. You don't have to do this"; I went to teach at a Quaker boy's school instead. Nan said: "I think people like Rick should be honored on that Wall. We know that his contribution to Vietnam, in the name of pacifism, was at least as significant as the efforts of military personnel working in the name of the [fallacious] "domino theory." This essay is my Wall for Rick. I now write him into my room, so I can enjoy his energy, his humor, & his intense care once again. He said before he left: "I am excited, I am apprehensive, I am open to what may result."
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368. On Retiring to Kendal—and Beyond (by Peter Bien; 2003)
About the Author—Peter Bien first came to Pendle Hill in 1952 to train for Quaker International Voluntary Service in Holland. [He taught on] modern British novels and modern Greek poetry and prose, especially Nikos Kazant- zakis. In the 1980s, together with others from Hanover Monthly Meeting, he helped "invent" Kendal at Hanover; he and Chrysanthi have lived there since 2002. This is his third PH pamphlet.
Do not aspire to immortal life, my soul, but exhaust the field of the possible. Pindar
Is death an unmitigated calamity?—A retirement community like Kendal [becomes] your final home, a place you will leave in a box, ready for burial or cremation. Why have Quakers been so active in creating retirement communities? Why is it for Quakers a natural, desirable alternative to re- maining in individual homes? I hope the primary reason is Friends' emphasis on the corporate nature of religious life and therefore the corporate nature of life in general. John Punshon writes: "There are not many lights, but only one ... Because it is common to us all, the light calls us into unity with one another, into the community."
Do not aspire to immortal life, my soul, but exhaust the field of the possible. Pindar
Is death an unmitigated calamity?—A retirement community like Kendal [becomes] your final home, a place you will leave in a box, ready for burial or cremation. Why have Quakers been so active in creating retirement communities? Why is it for Quakers a natural, desirable alternative to re- maining in individual homes? I hope the primary reason is Friends' emphasis on the corporate nature of religious life and therefore the corporate nature of life in general. John Punshon writes: "There are not many lights, but only one ... Because it is common to us all, the light calls us into unity with one another, into the community."
Many Friends near the end of life attempt to minimize the isolation that often enwraps aging people. Elizabeth Gray Vining writes: "Old people need desperately to talk. This is the real loneliness of old age—to be surrounded by people & yet not to have anyone to hear & respond ... [At Kendal I shall find some of my closest friends ... the opportunity of helping to make it a caring community, and security for the future. And yet [if death ends all this], is not death, then, an unmitigated calamity? In As You Like It, Shakespeare's Jacques takes us through a man's 7 stages: infant; schoolboy; lover; soldier; justice; "lean, slippered, [shrunken, high-pitched] pantaloon; second childhood and oblivion. Is all our worldly accomplishment futile if it ends in oblivion?
Would life be better if greatly prolonged, or if death did not exist?—In Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift imagines the Struldbruggs, immortals. Gul- liver discovers that these supposedly blessed immortals "pass a perpetual life under all the usual disadvantages which old age brings along with it ... They are the most mortifying sight I ever beheld ... From what I had heard & seen, my keen appetite for perpetuity of life was much abated." John Milton has the arch- angel Michael saying to Adam: thou must outlive thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty, which will change to withered weak and gray; thy senses then obtuse, all taste of pleasure must forgo ... in thy blood shall reign a melancholy damp of cold and dry to weigh thy spirit down, and consume the balm of life."
Immortality accompanied by perpetually sound body & mind [is touched on in] Andrew Marvell's famous poem "To His Coy Mistress": 100 years should go to praise/ thine eyes & on thy forehead gaze;/ 200 to adore each breast,/ but 30,000 to the rest ... Would it be advantageous to live forever, avoiding sickness & debility? [Why would Odysseus turn down Calypso's offer of immortality,] & deliberately choose mortality? Perhaps immortality is like an anodyne; killing [death's pain] & killing [life's] pleasures, at least the noble ones.
Paradoxically, it is precisely the passage of time, and even the hardship, pestilence, shipwreck, and dying rosebuds which it brings, that gives life its savor, encouraging us to make the best possible use of the gifts offered for each of our 7 ages. The teaching that this life is a trial designed to prepare us for eternal bliss (or damnation) is no longer a guiding principle for many of us.
The best statement we have in our modern literature regarding the importance indeed sanctity, of life itself as opposed to [just a way leading to afterlife] is Constantine Cavafy's "Ithca." [Excerpt]: When you set your course for Ithaca,/ pray the route will be long; filled with/ adventure, filled with learning .../ harbors you have never glimpsed before .../ Always keep Ithaca in mind./ Arrival there is your destined end./ But do not hasten the journey in the least./ Better ... you anchor at the isle an old man,/ rich with all you gained along the way,/ not expecting Ithaca to grant you riches/ ... So wise have you become, so experienced,/ you already will have realized what they mean:/ these Ithacas. For Cavafy, the overriding purpose of our existence is to experience and exploit [in every way] the amazing adventure and gift of being alive.
Is life good in spite of [or because of] death?—Does death actually enhance life, make it better? Michael Platt writes: "Without time and its winged chariot hurrying near, love between a man and a woman would become lethar- gic, more like the dripping of a faucet than the rushing of an Alpine stream." Achievements, ardor, will, overcoming, would become meaningless to immor- tals; choices and decisions would be infinitely postponable. We would be de- prived of all the joys and beauties of the growing child.
We may conclude that death enhances life rather than diminishing it—at least it has the possibility of doing so in many cases. Stylianos Harkianakis writes: "... death is not a black angel,/ death is my faithful/ my twin brother. Nikos Kazantzakis writes: "... The earth is a blossom-filled path that leads us to the grave/ ... But ... you can go to the grave ... while harvesting the joys of the jour- ney. Life, he says, places us in a rowboat on a river. With vigor and joy we row against the current upstream, our backs to the deadly waterfall downstream. As the years and decades pass, our boat begins to be carried more and more downstream until the waterfall can be heard not too far away. At that point, we should turn around, ship the oars, face the inevitable, and sing!
How do we understand the inconsistency of first opposing non-being as an ultimate evil and later on embrace that evil as an ultimate good? [Opposing non-being supposes a dualism, that there is a "good" and "bad" state for the body and spirit to be in, and that the "good" state and creating our own fate needs to be strived for]. [In embracing non-being], we once again create our own fate. Yet we do not do this now in defiance of fate; instead, we transform fate into an instrument that paradoxically fulfills our earlier efforts instead of negating them. Embracing the force of non-being allows us to simu- late the unity that comes only after death. At last we understand our existence as a monistic whole. [When we] calmly face the dreadful waterfall, we are ab- solutely free as we accept as an ultimate good that which is willed inescapably by outer necessity.
[Conclusion]—We have traveled on a literary excursion dedicated to the reality, the truth that, for those of us fortunate enough to experience some years or decades following our active careers, retirement leads to Shakespeare's 6th age of life. I believe our ultimate stance vis-à-vis
the facts of life and death should be gratitude. Our
gratitude in retirement needs to be with a realization that life's
benefits and joys could not have occurred without finitude. [The
tem- porary nature]
and even the "futility
of life" are paradoxically the herbs that sup- ply its flavor.
When we retire to Kendal (and beyond) we need not only to develop all forms of gratitude for what we have been given, but also accept finitude as a paradoxical blessing. We need to face the waterfall, and sing when our time arrives. Kazantzakis writes of his own death: I fight to console my heart, to re- concile it to declaring the Yes freely. We must leave the earth not like ... tearful slaves, but like kings who rise from table with no further wants, after having eaten and drunk to the full ..." May we all learn to say the Yes freely when our day arrives. [If we do], we will have been true to our Quaker belief in a Light that traveled inward to guide us for a few mortal moments but that is outward, uni- fied, and eternal, calling us into unity with human community, and with divinity's creative purpose, realized just as much by death as by life.
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369. Meditation on the Prayer of St. Francis (by Ann Curo; 2003)
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369. Meditation on the Prayer of St. Francis (by Ann Curo; 2003)
About the Author—Anne Curo has been an active member of San Diego Friends Meeting for the past 13 years. She has been a journalist, early music performer, bookstore owner. She has also volunteered as activist for peace & homeless issues. She helped found & co-edit Street Light, San Diego's award-winning street newspaper. This pamphlet arose during a Quaker silent retreat at a Benedictine monastery, & was revised & edited during her 2002-2003 residence at Pendle Hill. She writes other literary pieces, draws, and paints.
[Prayer of St. Francis]: Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace./ Where there is hatred, let me sow love,/ Where there is injury, pardon,/ Where there is doubt, faith,/ Where there is despair, hope,/ Where there is darkness, light,/ Where there is sadness, joy./ O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much/ seek to be consoled as to console,/ to be understood as to understand,/ To be loved as to love./ For it is in giving that we are given,/ It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,/ And it is dying that we are born to eternal life.
I. Each phrase holds a depth of meaning that, with contemplation, can bring deep insights into ways we live lives of peacemaking. In the 1st phrase, if we are instruments, then it isn't up to us how we are used; God creates through us. In the hands of a master musician, [any instrument] may produce beautiful music. But no stringed instrument can be played until it has been well-strung and well-tuned.
We do our meditations and spiritual exercises to present God with the opportunity to string and tune us, making us ready for performance; this may be a long process. The performance may not be deferred. At some point it must begin, whether the stringing and tuning are perfect or not. I have since found that working for social justice with homeless people stretched my strings in ways that I never imagined possible, & painful wishing is gone. The homeless turned out to be some of the most difficult people to be in relationship with that I have ever known, but also fertile ground for learning about myself and experiencing God within all of us. We are called to be patient, to allow God to re-string and re-tune.
II. In St. Francis' prayer, it is peace that God wishes to achieve through the instruments of our minds & bodies. We may feel we are being pushed farther than we can cope, but we grow by venturing just a little farther each time than we have gone before. Although between 100-200 people wait for a meal at the homeless food line I serve in, only once or twice did we need police help to deal with a violent individual.
Agencies that employ security guards while feeding the same people have more fights & call the police more. In our line, sometimes a homeless per- son who understood [our philosophy] would step in between 2 others and per- suade them to drop their argument, "a least here and now." Too often peace is deferred in the hope of some future settlement of a dispute. [Someone is ex- pected to "win" in a conflict]. What is actually achieved is only an uneasy truce in world conflicts or in smaller personal ones. Peace can be maintained in the present moment through God's peacemakers.
III. "Where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury pardon"—The very 1st request St. Francis puts into the words, "Where there is hatred, let me sow love," offers us the most essential component. We must allow God's love to shine on those hidden places where residues of hatred may remain from our past experiences. We find hatred is the result of injuries suf- fered in the past. I was unable to forgive my mother for the injury I felt as a child. I gave myself permission not to forgive, and I discovered that my mother was forgiven not by my effort, but by God.
[Forgiveness of injury led to pardon, the prayer's 2nd request]. The lon- ger pardon is deferred, the greater the danger of forming hatreds in our hearts. When Jesus tells us to "turn the other cheek" after we have been hit, I think he is giving us a non-verbal way of showing the other person that they are forgiven and we don't expect they will do it again. Forgiveness means we need to forget, not the incident, but the feeling of being injured, offended, or hurt in any way. A minor, accidental injury is easy to forget. A severe injury, even though accidental, is not as easy to pardon. Where pain continues pardon is difficult, but not im- possible. It helps to remember that they were accidental, done through igno- rance or a compulsion that the person could not help.
Those scarred from past wounds are easily wounded again and again. I once made a remark that connected race with poverty, & an African-American woman took great offense. She wouldn't listen to me further and lectured and accused me of being wrong. I was reduced to the condition of little girl whose truth was denied. I gradually recognized the woundedness of my attacker, & the likelihood of childhood issues she was dealing with. I was still in this disturbed condition at meeting for worship the next morning. I saw my African-American friend, and without hesitation, I sat down next to her and took her hand. Where language was inadequate & even dangerous because of cultural differences, holding hands was the only healing act available for both of us at that time.
What is perceived as deliberate injury is the most difficult to pardon. The person who injured you was more the victim than you were, acting under an uncontrollable compulsion, prejudice, or rage that hurt him more than it hurt you. When Jesus says "[Forgive] 70 times 7," he is reaching poetically for the highest number he can think of. We need to pardon again and again, because injury, if held onto, causes hatred. Peace doesn't thrive in a heart filled with many pieces of hatred, where love is denied and God's love can't get through.
IV. "Where there is doubt faith"/ "Where there is despair, hope"—Faith is an ability to accept whatever happens when we know we are doing the right thing. Doubt occurs when we have built up expectations of God and then we wonder if our expectations will be fulfilled. If they are not, we feel we have somehow failed in our faith, which leads to further doubt. The experience of God may be rare or frequent, but few of us experience God at all times. During the intervals we need faith. Faith requires us to act as though we were aware of God's presence at all times. I know atheists and agnostics who have a kind of faith in universal goodness. Others profess a strong conviction of God and seem faithless.
The total failure of faith leads to despair. St. Francis suggests we counter it with hope. How do we plant hope where none exists? Why does faith fail? It fails when it has hidden expectations, or as I prefer, "desires." Christianity tells us "what" to do; Buddhism tells us more about the "how," through removing desires and attachments. The thing does not cause the pain; it is the desire or attachment to it that leads to the suffering. The stronger the desire for success & the tighter the attachment to an outcome, the greater the despair when failure occurs.
With the denial of the objects of our desires & attachments comes also the realization of the futility of these desires & attachments. St. Francis calls on us to plant hope. There is an important difference between "hope" & "desire." Hope is open to a variety of outcomes, a wealth of possibilities, the many ways that are open. Desire & attachment are narrowly focused & unable to accept alternatives. Despair counteracted by desire will lead only to a temporary fix. All the energy of the ego bound up in its desires & attachments has turned against itself in despair. If we have hope, the energy that was bound in the ego is given its freedom, we have set free God within us.
V. "Where there is darkness light"—Many people are afraid of the dark. Where they're unable to see, anything may be lurking. Illumination saves us from fears, from the mysterious unseen. Bringing the unconscious contents of our minds to light is deemed necessary for healing and growth. Christianity doesn't strongly emphasize knowing oneself, but on knowing Jesus. We imagine he was praying during his time alone, & he brought back what he had learned. How did Jesus come to the profound certainties he brought back, taught & lived?
It is important for ordinary people living and working in the world to take time alone also. We can draw on the writings of saints and mystics who have explored their inner lives, to learn how to use this time. To be alone with our own selves is scary, because, aside from death, it is the greatest unknown. According to Jung, the "collective unconscious" is rich in the wisdom and symbolism of the human race. To be "individuated" (enlightened), we must bring it to full consci- ousness. As we begin to learn enlightenment, we will want to share with and motivate others whom we see living in darkness to do the same.
VI. "Where there is sadness, joy"—As we become more conscious of the connection between God, ourselves, & all creation, we feel joy. "We are all one" becomes a strong conviction when God is working in us, & we "recognize that of God in every one." We recognize sadness in people around us, a pro- found sadness born of hatred, injury, doubt, despair, & darkness. [My joy isn't always sufficient to withstand this profound sadness]. To not be brought low by suffering we see in others, our personal sadness must be fully felt, then let go of, & replaced with joy.
Seeking pleasure is merely a distraction from sadness, not a replace- ment. Joy replaces sadness & is attained only when we have accessed the God part of ourselves. By speaking not about God, but to that of God in someone, we are bypassing the surface layers of hurt, hatred, doubt, & despair that cause them to be difficult. We are expecting to find that which is fine, loving, & joyous deep within them, & are addressing that.
VII. "O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be con- soled, as to console"—When we invite the "Divine Master," we are juxtaposing the holy teacher within with that other part of oneself, our needy childlike ego. If, as adults, we keep expecting the same kind of consolation from those around us that we received as a child, we are often disappointed. [On the other hand,] when we console others we are, at the same time, consoling ourselves, feeling their pain and ours as well.
I have witnessed misery contests between 2 people in which no resolu- tion occurred, and both parties felt worse and were even angry with each other at the end of it. If we can't remove the other person's pain, what can we do about it? What we can all do for others is simply to acknowledge their pain and then let it go, in hopes that they too can let it go. If we can let go of our own pain, we won't be tempted so often to seek consolation from others.
VIII. "... To be understood, as to understand"—The harder we seek to be understood by arguing, the more the other person feels they are misunder- stood. If we have experienced misunderstanding as a child, we may retain a sense of urgency about being understood as an adult. I am writing these medi- tations to try to understand myself & to share some of my understanding of how I am learning from this prayer. We must not hold on to the illusion that we have reached a final and total understanding of anything or any person.
An understanding that is not open to correction is a misunderstanding. It's very dangerous to [seek understanding] by labeling ourselves & others. The process of understanding a person, then, is more the act of paying attention & allowing one to unfold before us. A person has a right to hide things from us and even to misrepresent things. We are not in a court of law. It is useful to know that we need to not act on someone's information before we have checked it out. If we allow our fellow humans to unfold before us, we allow God to unfold. We let understanding grow in us.
IX. "... not so much seek to be loved as to love—Parental love is one analogy to divine love we can find in human life. I draw on my experience as a child and mother to begin to explore it. By conventional standards, [my parents switched roles]. How is my father's "motherly" love different from "fatherly" love? With him, I always felt that I was okay as is, that there was a basic good- ness about me that didn't need to be corrected. If punishment were ever admi- nistered, it was my mother who gave it.
Because he went to so much trouble for me, did lots of little things for me, & liked having me with him in the morning, I had no doubts about his love. Although I hated any restrictions, I fully understood the reasons—it was because he loved me. I learned how to be a mother from my father. The biggest diffe- rence between parental love and divine love is that parental love involves ego attachment & is possessive; God's love is not. Once we have found that place in our hearts where we are loved, it is our task in life to give it away. We show love for the unlovable by the way we accept them as is. Love takes care of the other without expecting anything in return.
X. "For it is in giving that we receive—This phrase applies to just about anything that we freely offer with a generous heart to anyone. Greed and competition are accepted as natural, and generosity is seen as an anomaly. Often when we give something they are suspicious; they think we expect something from them. We should make sure there is no such motive in our hearts. If you receive gratitude, receive it as a gift, not a payment of giving and receiving turns giving into a transaction.
We give without expecting a return. We receive simply because we have needs. I have learned a lot about giving from them, because they have practi- cally nothing, yet can turn around and be generous when you least expect it. It was hard for me to let her wear my favorite shoes. When she left, I let her take them; I felt a tremendous relief. St. Francis is saying: "Do be afraid to give away even what you believe you need, because your needs will be supplied."
XI. "For it is in pardoning that we are pardoned"—It's clear that St. Francis wants us to be the one to initiate the forgiveness. It's interesting that he hasn't included in his prayer the concept of sin. [Every time] we break a Com- mandment or any other moral principle, we are sinning. We are exercising free will, so it is always a "willful act. "Knowing this and accepting the idea of sin, we are full of guilt, [which quickly turns into shame].
[Editor's Note: The author uses "guilt" in the following passage to de- scribe feelings more properly attributed to "shame."] Guilt is a very debilitating state. We feel unworthy, unlovable, and just plain bad. Guilt is not something that is going to make us improve our behavior. [If children are told often enough that they are bad, they may come to the very logical, but wrong conclusion about themselves, [and carry that wrong conclusion well into adulthood]. St. Francis bypasses the whole triad of sin/guilt/fear; he gets to the heart of the problem by emphasizing pardon—a positive state. By going inside, noticing what we are doing, and forgiving ourselves for those behaviors, we can also forgive others.
XII. "And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life—St. Francis is speaking of "dying in 2 senses. In Tibetan Buddhism & in Mexico, there are constant reminders that the body dies; death is honored and the dead remem- bered. A culture that hides death makes it more fearsome than it actually is. Thich Nhat Hahn suggests that we meditate on our dead, corrupting, rotting bodies.
St. Francis' words are a reminder that we must die to many things in this life to which we are attached. We die a little every day to our old selves by thro- wing off old habits of thinking, feeling, & behaving & opening ourselves to the eternal moment. Using the knowledge of near-death experiences, if every day we face our death deliberately, we can partake of life more fully. Occasionally, Eternity is happening right now; it doesn't refer to past or future, it is freedom from past & future.
Perfect, harmonious, right moments are glimpses of eternity. St. Francis is reminding us that it is possible to experience our lives this way at all times. Constantly thinking of the past keeps us stuck spiritually in the same place we were then. Thinking of the future even after completing our plans, speculating how things will be 5 minutes or 20 years from now is less important than being involved in what is happening right now. Longings for the future and regrets for the past must die for us to fully experience this sacred now. The best use of this prayer is as a pointer to God, who affirms its wisdom in our hearts and points us toward further wisdom.
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370. Quaker in the Zendo (by Steve Smith; 2004)
About the Author—Steve Smith was born in 1939 in a farm house near What Cheer, Iowa, (Iowa YM (Conservative)). He attended Scattergood Friends School, Earlham College, and Harvard; he received an M.A. and a Ph.D in phi- losophy. He taught Philosophy and Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College for 35 years. He has edited 3 books [dealing with the practice of Zen]. He has been active in Southern California [Friends Organizations], and on the Executive Committee of Friends World Committee for Consultation.
Perfect, harmonious, right moments are glimpses of eternity. St. Francis is reminding us that it is possible to experience our lives this way at all times. Constantly thinking of the past keeps us stuck spiritually in the same place we were then. Thinking of the future even after completing our plans, speculating how things will be 5 minutes or 20 years from now is less important than being involved in what is happening right now. Longings for the future and regrets for the past must die for us to fully experience this sacred now. The best use of this prayer is as a pointer to God, who affirms its wisdom in our hearts and points us toward further wisdom.
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370. Quaker in the Zendo (by Steve Smith; 2004)
About the Author—Steve Smith was born in 1939 in a farm house near What Cheer, Iowa, (Iowa YM (Conservative)). He attended Scattergood Friends School, Earlham College, and Harvard; he received an M.A. and a Ph.D in phi- losophy. He taught Philosophy and Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College for 35 years. He has edited 3 books [dealing with the practice of Zen]. He has been active in Southern California [Friends Organizations], and on the Executive Committee of Friends World Committee for Consultation.
Be still a while from thy own thoughts, searching, seeking, desires, and imaginations, and be stayed in the principle of God in thee ... and thou wilt find strength [and help] from God. George Fox
No doubt the great similarity between Quaker and Zen meditation (there are great differences too) was instrumental in prompting ecumenical interest. William Johnston
In Hawaii on a study sabbatical, I found that my temporary home was a 5 minute walk from a Zendo. I sat bolt upright, facing the wall, noting my breath, returning my attention over & over to the present moment. My venture into Zen practice was dead serious, motivated by desperate yearning to heal from my troubled & broken past. [I steadily ascended] through college & graduate school into [a career in teaching] & marriage. The peace of mind & self-acceptance I craved couldn't be earned by excelling in the learning games I had chosen to pursue.
I doubted my doubts, for I remembered hints of awe and wonder as a child about the Old Testament and teachings of Jesus. [Childlike] longings were aimless or else diverted into the elaborate byways of analytical philosophy. My head was stranger to my heart. [My outward success in career and marriage was accompanied by a deteriorating private life]. As pressures mounted in my new career & family, my use of alcohol increasingly obeyed an insidious mas- ter beyond my control. I had a strong compulsion for release and oblivion. In 1974 I stopped drinking and began recovery. I returned to clandestine use of marijuana to explore alternative modes of consciousness. It drew me downward into deepening depression rather than upward toward the light. I weaned myself of this dependence and cigarette-smoking as well.
[Introduction to Eastern Thought]—The philosophy that was featured in my graduate training, being technical, precise, obsessed with language, dis- trustful of value and meaning questions, proved to be an agent of my decline. My philosophical exploration led me to stoicism, Epicureanism, scripture and mysticism, and the extraordinary philosophical and religious traditions of the East. 10 years of formal training in philosophy had not introduced me to Asian thought, [clearly a deficiency]. For a few years I was content to read hungrily from the more accessible materials from India and East Asia, and to write my ruminations in a journal.
Eventually, this piecemeal remedial study was not enough. I spent a sabbatical leave with my family at the University of Hawaii; [and from that, my appearance at] the Zendo on Kaloa Way. I quickly found Buddhist meditation helpful in clarifying, steadying, softening the edges of my life. [Nearer to home], I participated in an intensive 7-day meditation retreat or sessbin at Zen Center of Los Angeles.
Since 1981, I have maintained a daily sitting practice, with occasional meditation retreats. Daily zazen helped keep me sane through a devastating separation and divorce, and has become a mainstay of my spiritual practice. Knowing myself better, I forget my self more easily and release into the flow of life. I wrote: "Something is happening to my body and brain, bit by bit, that feels right and healthy ... I increasingly sense an underpinning of joy ... in 'Blessed Awareness' ..."
I still remain detached from outward forms of Buddhist ritual. The more thoroughly I give myself to zazen, the more authentically Quaker I become. Father Robert Kennedy writes: "Zen need not be looked on as a religion at all, but as a way of seeing life that can enhance any religious faith." By a curious cross-cultural alchemy, Zen has reawakened me to the spiritual riches of Qua- kerism and Christianity. In his Varieties of Religious Experience, William James describes the twice-born believer, who doubt themselves and their received values, struggle against the insufficiency of their lives, and finally break through to reconciliation and healing joy.
In rediscovering through Buddhism the power of my own religious ori- gins, I find I'm not alone. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi writes: "It's almost as if the scales fell off the eyes because we went next door." If I hadn't traveled, I might never have discovered treasures I already possessed. I came upon un- expected treasures in early Quaker literature, contemporary Quaker scholars, & elsewhere. I find the gift of my own heart, floating in the mind of God. The trea- sures that I have uncovered required all of me, even as they give me the world.
An Annihilating Path—Be no more than God made thee. Give over thine own willing ... and sink down to that seed which God sows in thy heart ... and thou shalt find ... that the Lord knows that [seed], and loves and owns that, and will lead it to the inheritance of life which is his portion. Isaac Penington
Straining to be elsewhere, running from the truth, I began to destroy myself. I must sink fully into this moment, to suffer my pain, & "bear my cross," without fleeing or flailing. Seeing the darkness I had wandered into brought crushing humiliation & shame. [Both my father & Fox had moments of strict self-honesty & surrender]. Fox heard a voice that said: "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition." & when he heard it his "heart did leap for joy."
Doug Gwyn writes: "Quaker preachers offered not sublime mystical transport but a traumatic passage through death to a realm where God's will is known 1st-hand & power to obey is received ... Desolation of self must take place on the inner landscape before one comes to know Christ returned." How can I have the extraordinary commitment, faith & willingness to risk all [in order to enter a rich spiritual life]?
Discipline—I want my faith to be a soothing sideline to occupy some of my leisure time ... when I am so inclined. I busy myself with Quaker activities, but I shrink from changing my life. The life that I actually led was scarcely changed by my Asian interest. There are those who view and admire spiritual paths, remaining spectators, and those who risk the plunge into practice, sur- render and transformation. Missing from my simplistic understanding of Quaker faith and practice was recognition of the strenuous effort, commitment and risk required to live truly in the Light. Lay religious practice & most monastic prac- tice typically drifts far from the ideal of a wholly God-inspired life. Early Friends knew the devastation and fierce joy of seeking to do God's will in one's life and in the world, as one empties of self and grows into what one most truly is.
Now, "discipline" rings of merely of punishment for wrongdoing, with no sense of self-transcendence through submission to an exacting regimen. I favored an easier, more comfortable route, sitting in meeting for worship each week and hoping that without any risk or commitment, lightning would strike. I wouldn't have needed strict Buddhist meditation to realize [my spiritual laziness], had I faced squarely the demands of my original faith.
Friends need only pick and read up a copy of Faith and Practice, and then open themselves to the searching Light that calls for faithfulness to the many guidelines there. Though sometimes moved by the power and presence of my fellow worshipers [as a child], I had no clue as to how to find my own way to such depth. My Zen journey led me more deeply into my own nature, and I began to recover childhood visions of wholeness and joy. I had succumbed to a widespread human compulsion to shrink from direct experience of Divine power.
A Quaker Spiritual Practice/ Being Still—In the early Friends movement, inner surrender to the Light was expressed in bodily outbursts of religious passion and in extraordinary energies for public testimony and activism. Fox above all sought to direct listeners and readers to immediate awareness of their own inner teacher, the Christ within. Rex Ambler wrote: "[Fox] was telling people to do something, because what they needed to make them free and fulfilled as human beings, 'perfect', was in them, [without need of an outside source] ... It in effect challenged everyone to find their own inner truth ... trust it and live by it ... There was in fact, for both individual and group, a distinct process to be undergone." Doug Gwyn writes : "There was ... guidance that helped refocus spiritual energies from ego-centered striving to true surrender."
Stand still in that which is pure ... & then mercy comes in ... When temptations & troubles appear, sink down in that [Light] which is pure, & all will be hushed & fly away. Your strength is to stand still. George Fox
The practice of "waiting upon the Lord" in silence is a discipline that halts our nervous compulsions and forces us to "stew in our own juices, uncomfortable as that may be.
Doug Gwyn reports: "It frightened neighbors to see as many as 200 or 300 men, women, and children standing in silence out in a field, in meetings that might go on for hours." The discipline of stillness is painful and humbling but also cleansing, as I open to layers of experience from which I have been dis- tracting myself with [all manner of bodily adjustments in meeting for worship].
Caroline Jones writes: "Fidgeting is a way of avoiding something. When we sit still we come closer to who we are & are more able to observe the shif- ting sands of the mind that we label I, me, mine ... Silence is disturbing ... Phy- sical stillness is a training ground where we can learn to be less neurotic, more wise, [and corporately a more unified group]. Physical stillness promotes mental calm ... Thoughts quiet down and it is easier to discern which ones to act on ... Stillness takes us into depths where we learn to 'be no more than God made."
Being Present/ Knowing Myself—The 1st efforts at stillness begin to show a person his inadequacy, emptiness of purpose, or well-buried guilt. Hugh Barbour
Using worship as a time for uplifting reverie, cultivating inspirational thoughts and pleasant soothing reflections is surely not what Fox & other early Quakers intended. I must drop the strivings of my small self if I am to surrender to Christ's presence within. Rather than obsessing about past & future, rehear- sing this & that scenario [on the hand], or drifting with "the lazy, dreaming mind" on the other, committed silent worship calls me back from my fantasies to the immediacy of the present moment, to "Stand still in the Light and submit to it."
17th century Quakerism's central spiritual insight was that Christ has come to teach his people himself. 1st, as Samuel Bownas [puts it]: "It is ... highly needful for us to learn to know ourselves, and to keep in it daily, and not to for- get and lose the sense of the imperfections and defects in the natural consti- tution of our own minds." Fox tells us to "take heed of being hurried with many thoughts but live in that which is over them ... don't look at temptations, confu- sions, distractions, but at the light that makes them manifest ... [and] you will see over them. That will give victory." The Light is not a glowing object of inner attention, but rather that which enables me to see my troubles while freeing me from immersion in them. "Live in the life of God, and feel it" [Fox].
The Moment of Truth/ The Challenge of Integrity—Worship is a form of cleansing, as I lay myself open to God without reservation. John Punshon writes: "I must be willing to open my heart completely, give everything I have and hold nothing back in my secret places." When I sense that every action I perform, every thought I entertain, is seen through and through by a Divine eye, I have no recourse but to release my clinging, to surrender fully, and to risk all in holy obedience.
Worship is a shared endeavor, in which many wills simultaneously yield up their separateness so that all may "come to know the hidden unity in the Eternal Being" [Fox]. Francis Howgill: "As we waited upon him in pure silence, our minds out of all things, his heavenly presence appeared in our assemblies, when there was no language, tongue or speech from any creature." The mo- ment of Truth is also a moment of conviction, being thoroughly seen for who one is, utterly humbled and transformed by the Light so that an old self dies and a new one is born again.
Surrendering to Truth means living the insight I received, which is lifetime work; nothing else suffices but to become what I know. [To paraphrase William Penn]: Which do you choose to do in worship: gather only bodily & walk in the "Light of your own fire, & in the sparks you have kindled"; or sit down in True Silence, resting from your own Will and Workings, and waiting upon the Lord, until Christ has enlightened you, and the Lord breathes life into you? Quaker integrity requires surrender and implies restraint. Caught up in the enthusiasm of new insight, I may "profess more than I possess," so I need to "profess no more than I am."
A God at Hand/ Looking Backward, Looking Forward—[Deuteronomy 30:11-14 quoted] The shadow of anxiety surrounding my mind, distracting me, sapping my energy, & purpose—all is acknowledged & eased by inward opening to the Light. Momentarily I no longer exist; there is only the experience of being known. Generous insights come unbidden. This aura of beatitude is God's love. Such moments fade, I shrink back into my small self. But my memory lingers, lending conviction & reassurance to my faith, & releasing energy for constructive engagement with the world.
My Zen journey has helped me to appreciate, from "the outside," features of Quaker spiritual practice that I had formerly overlooked. Radically understood and faithfully followed, the Society of Friends needs no bolstering by alien tra- ditions. It is a fully sufficient path of transforming spiritual power & grace. Any deficiency in vision or inspiration stems from forgetting the way to the Source from which early Friends drew their strength. I must guard against leaving [the treasure of past Quaker practice] once again in the ashes, forgotten. Always will I see the Society of Friends from both within and without. I am glad to be both citizen and alien, native and newcomer—a Quaker in the Zendo.
My Zen journey has helped me to appreciate, from "the outside," features of Quaker spiritual practice that I had formerly overlooked. Radically understood and faithfully followed, the Society of Friends needs no bolstering by alien tra- ditions. It is a fully sufficient path of transforming spiritual power & grace. Any deficiency in vision or inspiration stems from forgetting the way to the Source from which early Friends drew their strength. I must guard against leaving [the treasure of past Quaker practice] once again in the ashes, forgotten. Always will I see the Society of Friends from both within and without. I am glad to be both citizen and alien, native and newcomer—a Quaker in the Zendo.
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371. Members One of Another: Dynamics of Membership in Quaker
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371. Members One of Another: Dynamics of Membership in Quaker
Meeting (by Thomas Gates; 2004)
About the Author—Tom Gates has been a member of Lancaster (PA) MM since 1995. He enjoys serving on clearness committees for prospective mem- bers. Tom spent 8 years as a family practitioner in rural NH; from 1991-94, he and his wife Liz and their sons Matthew and Nathan served at Friends Lugulu Hospital in Kenya, (See PHP 319 and 341, Stories from Kenya, and Sickness, Suffering, and Healing, resp.).
The end of this process... is to produce ... the man or woman who goes through life endeavoring to decide every question as it arises, [not by passion, prejudice, or solely by reason], but chiefly by reference to the light of God that shines in the prepared soul." William C. Braithwaite
The end of this process... is to produce ... the man or woman who goes through life endeavoring to decide every question as it arises, [not by passion, prejudice, or solely by reason], but chiefly by reference to the light of God that shines in the prepared soul." William C. Braithwaite
Introduction—I've had the privilege to serve on clearness committees for perspective members. After membership process formalities, some have grown in their understanding of membership commitment, while others stagnate or drift away from community. When asked, "Why now?" most applicants an- swered that they were now ready to ask for recognition of a reality they already felt, sometimes for many years.
[My questions are]: "What is the underlying spiritual movement by which individuals find their identity in the meeting community? How do they find a full sense of belonging? How do we come to be "members one of another? This is a simple description of [what happens in membership], a vision & a challenge to us to lift up a corporate vision of spiritual community, where we are truly "members one of another." How are you maturing into the fullness of membership in this spiritual community? and Is our meeting a community which nurtures the spiritual growth and transformation of its members?
Individual and Community—When I speak of the "dynamics of mem- bership," I have in mind the Quaker version. These dynamics are "characterized by an equilibrium of parts which considered separately are unstable." The mee- ting and the individual need one another; they exist only in this dynamic relation of mutual dependence. The individualistic culture we live in tells us we must se- parate ourselves from the community. We may long for community, but our indi- vidual choices are more likely to reflect "unfettered individualism."
Undoubtedly some are attracted by our appearance of spiritual individu- alism. Quakers have inherited a lofty image of the meeting as a spiritual com- munity, called out of the world and called together by God. Our most "counter cultural" claim is that true community and true individuality reinforce on another. Joan Chittister said: "It is not that there is no room for self here. it is just that self grows best when self is not its end."
Images of Membership—Our images of membership must capture the complexity and growth [of the individual] over time. I have in mind a fluid pro- cess, with individuals moving back and forth freely between the various stages as circumstances of their lives change. I visualize a series of concentric circles. The 1ststages are represented by the more peripheral circles, subsequent sta- ges progressively closer to the center. God is at the center, and surrounds the process; all stages are near to God.
We do not leave behind the earlier stages. We deepen and move toward the center. Another image is the rooms of a meeting house. There is the "mee- ting room," with the "gathering room," "social room," "library." What goes on in each of the rooms is valid & essential to the meeting's life, yet the focus remains on the meeting room. In a similar way, in the journey toward the fullness of membership, you may find yourself lingering in the outer rooms. We should not lose sight of the fact that the earlier stages were preliminary and serve to pre- pare for what comes later.
Meeting as a Place of Acceptance—Most Friends today come to mem bership from some other religious tradition, or perhaps from no tradition. For various reasons, our 1st need is often for meeting to be a place of refuge, a shelter from the world, a place of belonging and acceptance. Some who come to us from outside and enter into this stage may feel a sense of joy, liberation, and a accepting community. Others may be extremely sensitive to any disappoint- ment and feel "unsafe."
Individuals at this stage of their involvement with meeting need to feel warmly welcomed, and often at the same time "need their space." The task for the meeting at this stage is to balance the need for hospitality and welcoming with the equally important need to respect the newcomer's boundaries. Spiri- tuality requires great sensitivity to the different balance of these 2 things each individual has.
There are 2 dangers in this early stage. The 1st danger is falling into "pseudo-community." Scott Peck writes: "In pseudo-community a group attempts to purchase community cheaply by [the] pretense ... [of] denial of individual dif- ferences." True community comes to understand & value its members' diversity and is able to both accept and transcend those differences, rather than ignoring them. A 2nd danger is mistaking this 1st & preliminary stage for the whole mea- ning of membership, of confusing the periphery for the center. [It is okay to linger in this sense of acceptance & belonging, as long as they become aware at some point, of the deeper ways of being a Quaker].
Meeting as a Place of Shared Values—Sooner or later, both the indivi- dual seeker & the meeting will come to the realization that acceptance by itself does not provide a sufficient basis to sustain spiritual community. True commu- nity requires something more: a sense of core beliefs, values, and commitments that are understood and shared by all. Our testimonies are the biggest attraction for many prospective members. They provide the closest thing Quakers have to an articulation of shared beliefs and values.
As a young man of 18, I was trying to convince my local draft board that I was a conscientious objector. I had read about the Quakers & their peace tes- timony. I found a group of Quakers who could know something of my struggle, who could encourage and inspire me with their own stories. There can be a re- inforcing interplay between the 1st & 2 stages of membership. Although under- standable, this attitude risks turning a meeting into an exclusive club of the like-minded individuals, instead of a spiritual community that transcends differences.
[It is important as a meeting to point out the source of our historic peace testimony]. It is a conviction that arises (or should arise) from our understanding of God's nature, based on our experience of the transforming power of God's love in our lives. The corresponding task for the individual is to absorb, to be open, to grow, "to be formed into" the community. The shared narratives of our history can shape us and form us, providing us with inspiration and the spiritual resources for living our lives with integrity in a world that does not share our values.
The 1st danger is that of disillusionment, when a newcomer realizes that the meeting doesn't always live up to its professed beliefs. If they are a reason to be a Quaker, then it behooves us to show in our action how these lofty ideals make a difference in our lives. 2nd, if we focus on testimonies but forget where they come from, then our meeting may look like an ethical society or a political lobby, instead of a faith community.
The testimonies were specific, concrete actions that testified to [& were the result of] the Truth of God's transforming power in Friends' lives. Finally, there is the danger of making Quakerism into an organizational endorsement of [people's current stance]. We need to find ways to lift up the possibility that the tradition which we have chosen may have something to teach us, and may be calling us beyond the certainties of our past to a life of transformation.
Meeting as a Place of Transformation—"Membership is, or ought to be, about transformation ... of individuals ... [and] of a community." [Helen Rowlands]. Up to this point, we have been talking about the conventional, the comforting, the secure. What begins at this stage is challenging, uncomfortable, transforming. The dynamic relationship between individual, community, & God becomes central. Before, we have been seeking, now we are aware of being sought. Before, we have been turning toward God; now we sense God turning toward us.
In the early years of the Quaker movement one became a Quaker not by meeting with a clearness committee, but by being convinced of the Truth through an experience of the transforming power of God. Although a transfor- ming spiritual experience as a prerequisite for membership has receded with time, our Quaker tradition nevertheless continues to provide ample opportunities that can lead us toward transformation. In allowing the testimonies to search our lives, change is almost inevitable.
Are there ways I can help guide the world away from violence and toward peace? How can I change my life to be less complicit with vio- lent and oppressive systems? What would simplicity look like today? [Answering these questions] may lead us to make changes in our lives. As my meeting confronts complicity with [the racism in] a cultural system that is so contrary to our professed ideals, we begin to look for specific ways that God is leading us to change.
There is a man in our meeting [who went from leadership in the mee- ting's resettling a Bosnian refugee family, to being an election monitor in Bosnia in 1997, to advanced training in the Alternatives to Violence Program (AVP), to helping develop an AVP in Bosnia]. Our traditional Quaker encouragement of individual spiritual discipline & practice is being reclaimed through "Spiritual Formation Programs," which includes daily spiritual practice, small local group meetings, and monthly regional group meetings. The deepening and growth of individuals has affected the entire meeting.
A major tenet of Quaker spirituality is the belief that leadings are the single most important way that God is potentially present in our lives. Whatever the outward results of our leadings, they always demand from us spiritual growth, and even transformation. An important milestone in my spiritual deve- lopment was [my leading] to leave my medical practice in rural New England in order to go live & work among Kenyan Quakers at Friends Lugulu Hospital.
The "way opened" to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The most important lesson was that only when we are willing to put ourselves in situations beyond our power to control [will] the transforming power of God become fully manifest in our lives. The smallest leading has a way of growing into something big. Leadings faithfully followed have a way of begetting more leadings, and eventually, transformation.
From the individual's perspective, we start by recognizing that transfor- mation can come at any time, with or without a Quaker meeting's contribution. When a person begins to be aware of the movement of the Spirit in his or her life, a crucial step comes when the individual turns to the community and asks for help in discerning what is being asked of them.
The meeting will appoint a clearness committee, where ideally, the indi- vidual will find his or her leading validated. Asking the meeting for help may serve as a prelude to the essential step in transformation, which is asking God for help. The meeting's most important contributions at this stage are an attitude of expectation and the capacity to respond authentically to requests for help. A meeting will foster transformation to the extent that it lifts up the expectation that individuals will have leadings, has a mechanism for responding to requests for clearness, and can confidently assist in the discernment process.
The meeting is challenging the individual to be true to his leading even at a cost. The meeting is being challenged to make room for the Spirit, to be wil- ling to change in response to the genuine leadings of its members. Challenge and transformation are central to our understanding of how God acts in our lives. The experience of having been loved by God is primary; everything else follows [in response to that love]. How is it that we experience God's love in our lives? 1st, there is unconditional acceptance that is not dependent on any- thing I do, [a rejoicing in my existence]. 2nd is a love that is never quite satisfied with the way we are, but always inviting and encouraging us to become what we are meant to be.
These 2 facets of God's love complement each other as they become intertwined in a tapestry of intricate detail. [We need both comforting, accepting love, and challenging, transforming love]. Our own love and our community's love also need to reflect loving acceptance and support, as well as loving chal- lenge and transformation. A Quaker Meeting is not just a collection of individual seekers, but a community of faith. God calls us into community, because it is only in community that we can learn God's transforming lessons of love, service, compassion, and forgiveness. Helen Rowlands writes: "Membership is costly ... It is about belonging, feeling at home ... [and] being stretched, challenged, dis- comforted ... The process, taken seriously, will call us to change."
Meeting as a Place of Obedience—What is the goal of this [spiritual] transformation? If obedience is our goal, then in a certain sense it gives mea- ning and purpose to everything that precedes it. Meister Eckhart writes: "There are plenty to follow our Lord half-way, but not the other half. They will give up possessions, friends & honors, but it touches them too closely to disown them- selves." In the Christian tradition, the pattern of thought for obedience is the earthly life of Jesus, who said: " Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done."
"Obedience" is open to misunderstanding, because it can mean acqui- escence to some external authority or code of behavior. As I use it, obedience conveys a willingness, surrender, an openness, a relinquishing of control to the presence of God in our lives. Obedience means that "deciding every question as it arises ... chiefly by reference to the light of God," becomes second nature. In the Quaker tradition obedience is both theoretically and practically possible. Quaker "perfection" [is related to obedience]. Robert Barclay writes: " It [perfec- tion] is by no means a claim to be pure, holy, and perfect as God ... This is not a perfection that has no room for daily growth ... It is sufficient to keep him from transgressing the law of God and to do what God requires of him." Caroline Fox adds: "Live up to the light that thou has, and more will be granted thee."
This stage of obedience seems to be identical to what Howard Brinton has called "the Quaker doctrine of inward peace." This peace is disturbed by a vague sense of disquiet, [of some specific task that needs to be done]. After discer nment & resistance, the leading is followed, & inward peace is restored. Obedience is invariably accompanied by love, joy peace, patience, & compas- sion (Galatians 5:22); humility is also characteristic. A life of obedience is also like to be a life of prayer, however broadly we may define that. "Prayer is atten- ding to our relationship with God." As this relationship grows in intimacy, we cultivate a sensitivity to what is required of us. For most it requires a disci- plined intention and attention to the spiritual life of prayer and worship.
For most of us, the obedience to which we are called isn't great deeds in the world, but small deeds within our intimate circle of community. An individual member often comes into a time of great, but possibly invisible service to the meeting community. The 1st of 2 pitfalls for the meeting is putting a life of obe- dience on a very high pedestal, a once-in-a-generation person like John Wool- man, Elizabeth Frye, or Rufus Jones.
Too often, the implicit message is that a life of obedience is out of reach for us today. The 2nd pitfall is that our meetings don't take it seriously enough. If we do not provide a vision of "the fullness of membership," then how will any grow into that fullness? For both pitfalls, the end result is the failure to lift up the life of obedience as a practical and worthy goal to us here and now. As a meeting we will only be able to take them halfway.
Conclusion—Membership in a Quaker meeting is a kind of journey, a journey from individualism to "individual-in-community, to being "members one of another." The stages in that journey exists as a complex totality, interpene- trating one another at all times. The sense of belonging and acceptance is never left behind. And while transformation is described as a single profound experi- ence, most of us probably experience this stage as a series of smaller experi- ences stretching out over most of a lifetime. Finally, obedience is not a once and done achievement, but rather a possibility that is continuously before us. What are the implications of this process of belonging, acceptance, transfor- mation, and obedience for the formal process of membership?
The formal process of membership is a small part of a much larger pro- cess that is lifelong. Quakers at least should know that the outward formality of the membership process by itself can't produce true members. Different pro- spective members may very well be at different stages in the process when they ask for formal membership. What is important is one's commitment to travel this particular path we call Quakerism.
Patricia Loring writes: "Membership is simply a rite of passage in that process, the moment of adult declaration that this is the church structure, this is the spiritual community within which we feel called to live out the process of spi- ritual maturing." Worthiness has nothing to do with membership. God has al- ready accepted us in our imperfection. Both meeting and applicant need to re- main faithful to the development of the process within Quaker tradition.
This dynamic can allow us to meet prospective members where they are, while at the same time lifting up to them a vision of where they might be going, especially if they already know something of transformation, for we can validate the importance of that experience and encourage them toward disciplined obe- dience to the Light. Our clearness committees needs to communicate some sense that the journey has a direction and a goal.
Membership in a Quaker meeting is a spirit-led journey on which we ex- perience meeting as a place of: acceptance; shared values; transformation; & obedience. These stages represent the 4 points of the compass, a way to locate ourselves and describe our progress. We have a rich and inspiring tradition, we have each other, and we have the Spirit of God, all to guide us. We are pro- mised that these things together will "lead us into all things."
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372. Living the Peace Testimony: The Legacy of Howard and Anna
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372. Living the Peace Testimony: The Legacy of Howard and Anna
Brinton (by Anthony Manousos; 2004)
[Introduction]—Henry Joel Cadbury, spent his lifetime practicing the Christian message in every aspect of his life and reaching out to activists more committed to [social activism] than to abstract theology. A biblical scholar of world renown, Henry Cadbury was one of the finest scholars the Religious Society of Friends has produced. [1 of 9] translators of the Revised Standard Version of the NT, he published 29 books and over 100 scholarly articles. His works and his book The Perils of Modernizing Jesus are still widely used.
About the Author—Anthony Manousos joined the Religious Society of Friends in 1985, and is currently editor of Friend's Bulletin. He wrote the 1992 PHP (#301) Spiritual Linkage with Russians: The Story of a Leading. In 1993, the author helped start and lead a youth service program in southern California and Mexico under the auspices of American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and Southern California QM.
Living the Peace Testimony/ The Brintons—As directors and teachers at Pendle Hill (PH) for over 20 years, and nurturers of Pacific Yearly Meeting, Howard (1884-1973) and Anna (1887-1969) played a significant role in Qua- kerism's development in the eastern and western US. Their writings are still widely read, and they were active in AFSC from its early post-World War I through the 1960s. The Quaker Peace Testimony was a key element in their lives. Their life story exemplifies many of the challenges of nationalism, totali-tarianism, and global war that peace activists had to confront during this past century. This pamphlet focuses on: their post-World War I AFSC work; peace education work at PH; ecumenical work in Asia.
"[Anna and Howard], the most interesting Quaker couple since George Fox married Margaret Fell"(Thomas Hamm). Howard Brinton & Anna Cox both came from families deeply rooted in Quaker tradition and history. Howard was introvert, scholar, and mystic; Anna was activist, organizer, and academic. Anna was born in west central California as Anna Shipley Cox. Her maternal grand- parents started College Park Association of Friends in California. This Meeting's Iowa YM members were removed from Iowa YM's rolls, [mostly for] "unsound" theological views. Anna was educated mostly in California, and toured Europe with "Aunt Kate" Shipley for a year. After World War I, Anna did AFSC relief work in Europe; she met Howard Brinton there.
Howard Brinton was born in southeastern Pennsylvania to a Quaker family whose roots went back almost 300 years to early settlement of Penn- sylvania. He had 1 Orthodox and 1 Hicksite Friend parent. He went to Haver- ford College, studied with Rufus Jones, and received his master's degree in 1905. He earned a master's in physics from Harvard. He earned a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of California in 1925.
Relief Work for the AFSC After World War I—Howard's primary con- cern as acting president of Guilford College was to calm the troubled waters [of a recent campus controversy] and raise funds. He also took an interest in con- scientious objectors. Howard joined the AFSC publicity department in 1919, and traveled to Europe July 1920. The office in Philadelphia was Wilbur Thomas, Howard, and 2 or 3 secretaries. He thought he would be a more effective pub- licist if he were stationed in Germany rather than in Philadelphia. Other Brintons, a cousin and a brother, were involved in post-war relief work.
Howard and Anna met around the end of 1920 in Berlin, took walks, and visited art galleries. They had so much in common that Howard wrote her a let- ter proposing marriage. Howard wrote in part to AFSC: "[In Upper Silesia a vote will] be taken by which the people here shall decide whether it shall belong to Germany or Poland ... Every committee involved in feeding children must have the same number of Poles & German ... [it is hard to always seem perfectly neutral] ...
When the 2 factions are unable to agree, we are called in as umpires ... We let Germans & Poles fire away at each other ... & then quietly remark that unless they ... cooperate the kitchen will be closed ... [soon after that] reconci- liation is effected ... To the European mind ... Quakerism [isn't just] the doctrine of a sect but rather spreads through unseen channels as a subtle influence [on] movements and [against] disintegration ...
The more we humans with all our common weaknesses learn to know each other, the more we discover how much alike we all are ... The war ... has left a Europe whose wounds are running sores, poisoning the whole body ... Refugees can be found in every large center of population, despairing ... with- out [present plans] or future hopes ... Some 'Quaker clothes' ... looked rather worldly, but it clad the body with more than warmth; it clad the soul with love & sympathy; with the holy thought that someone in the world really cared."
Waging Peace at Home—Howard returned to the US & married Anna. After a year of teaching [Anna] & doctoral dissertation [Howard], they moved to Richmond, IN, and taught at Earlham College; 3 of their 4 children were born there. In his "Appeal to German Youth," Howard argued that German idealists [writing] after Napoleon conquered them were instrumental in saving humanity from 18th century rationalism & scienticism. [Thinkers of this century] replaced idealism with a [materialistism] that dehumanizes human beings, especially in war propaganda. Scientists bore guilt for modern war's unprecedented destruc- tion. He wrote: "Another war will bring a new age of darkness & yet every move of the European diplomats increases the probability of another such war."
Howard 's idealism was tinged with realism about human weakness. Having seen the brutality of war, he was far less optimistic than Rufus Jones & other idealists. He warned Olney Friends School graduating students about complacency during times of peace: "We rallied from the shock of war and dis- covered that our peace testimony didn't mean merely that we didn't do certain things, it meant we did do other things ... [like] healing the wounds of war.
[In peacetime] we are drifting back to our old negative attitude ... and aren't endeavoring to make a world where peace is possible." And of the divisive issue of 2 aggressive labor organizers, Tom Mooney & Warren Billings, sen- tenced to life imprisonment for a bomb that killed 6 & wounded 40, he writes: "Friends believe that when any topic has become too hot for quiet and earnest discussion, something is wrong." Howard met with the California governor and the 2 organizers, seeking their release; both men were released 9 years later.
He also wrote, "Friends who believed in and practice the mystic type of religion feel that earnest [active] application of their principles will bring about a different state of mind." He was also anxious to apply mysticism to educational work. He was asked to be acting director of Pendle Hill, which turned out to be a major turning point in the Brintons' lives and in the development of 20th -century American Quakerism.
Peace Education at Pendle Hill—PH's first director in 1929 was Henry Hodgkin. He was concerned with current social issues as well as with the spread of authentic Christian principles. He died in 1933, leaving a legacy of bold inquiry into social issues. In 1934 Howard became acting director; in 1936, he and Anna became co-directors. The directors had to teach, raise funds, recruit students & faculty, do chores, take care of plumbing; students shared in these tasks, since there was not supposed to be a sharp line drawn between students and staff.
Howard's PH was a spiritual community that "seeks to heal the inward confusion that is so great a part of the world's outward confusion." It had the qualities of a monastery, graduate school, think tank, & settlement house that encouraged regular field work [in social activism]. Pendle Hill became the American Quaker world's Mecca. AFSC was closely connected to PH in the 1940's & 50's, & used PH as a place for training & debriefing. Activists came for spiritual "R and R"; people in a life crisis would come looking for new direction and purpose.
Studies in 1937-38 were focused on religion's function in social change, and the problem of and solution for war, answering the question how can a better social order be attained without violence? Jewish and Japanese refugees, as well as expatriates and black students were welcome. The quiet peacemaking work continued in spite of bigoted neighbors and racist reaction. Even soldiers in uniform were made to feel welcome.
Pacifist Writings—The English Oxford Movement since 1833 published many of its ideas in "Tracts for the Times." Douglas Steere in 1933 proposed that PH publish a series of Quaker "tracts for the times," or pamphlets, to ad- dress pressing contemporary spiritual & political issues. Early PH pamphleteers wrote often on pacifism & the principles of non-violence. Howard's 1st pamphlet was A Religious Solution to the Social Problem (#2; 1934). He diagnosed the chief problem of his day as the inability of individuals to find a healthy relation- ship with a community. People are drawn to the extremes of excessive individu- alism, with its emptiness & isolation or totalitarianism, with a constrictive group consciousness & social control, as in Communism and Fascism.
Howard proposes a ""religiously integrated" community bound by a common experience of unity, with [an underlying] respect for individuality; that's PH's goal. In his 1939 Christmas letter, with humor and rhyming couplets, he describes [progressive] stages of tribalism, liberalism, anarchism, authoritarian- ism, superhumanism, and "on earth as it is in heaven" in society, what he calls "An Adventure in Geometric Philosophy," complete with geometric diagrams of the interactions in each society
[Here given in paraphrase]: TRIBALISM is tribe, clan, race or family where each has a place, each helps the other, as though a common life blood runs through all. LIBERALISM is keeping the group alive after the idea of com- mon life blood fades, with rules for governing the group. ANARCHISM is the strong abusing the rules, making "freedom" synonymous with "ruthless compe- tition" and "jungle law." AUTHORITARIANISM is being faced with difficulties of surviving jungle law, and letting freedom go for the sake of order, and accepting ones place in a governing machine. SUPER-HUMANISM is looking up to God. The Light Within creates community and unity; all are one yet free. [GOD'S KINGDOM ] is a blend of: Within; Without; Above; Below. This is the salvation of all.
Early in World War II, Howard wrote essays on pacifism, which were col- lected into Critique by Eternity in 1943; Howard laid out what have become seminal ideas of Quaker peacemaking. Isolationism and pacifism are opposites. A true pacifist has experienced inner peace, is engaged with the world, & seeks to eliminate injustice. The root cause of war is a sense of isolation that leads to barriers, borders, tariffs, armies, and so on. In his "Why are Quakers Pacifists?" Howard noted that early Friends were primarily concerned with "a right inward state out of which right action will rise."
In "Blizkrieg & Pacifism," he points out the quick, mechanical and self-destructive nature of violence, & an organism slowly adjusting its environment to itself. "The pacifist isn't afraid of minute beginnings, aimed at the distant future. Violence works quickly, but in the realm of life results are never swift." Curing a violence-addicted society like our present one, will require a slow, organic hea- ling process. True pacifism is grounded in spiritual experience, and in a com- munity where peace and reconciliation are a discipline and are practiced as a way of life.
In 1951, [near the height of US paranoia] about Communism & the Cold War, Anna wrote Toward Undiscovered Ends, a history of Friends' religious concern for Russia, from Peter the Great to her present, when 7 London YM Friends accepted an invitation from the Soviet Peace Committee to meet with them; it was a fruitful dialogue that set the stage for future Quaker reconciliation work.
Anna's pamphlet provided useful background information, and encou- ragement to Friends doing reconciliation work over the next 40 years. She wrote: "[Friends] set aside [their regular vocation] for special service, even though the results ... must remain as undiscovered ends ... [This is how] the lifeblood of the Society of Friends is kept flowing." Small groups of dedicated Friends continued this work for 40 years. In the 1980's, such peacemaking became irresistible, the USSR and the US normalized relations, and Eastern Europe became free without a shot being fired.
Ecumenical Work and Outreach in Asia after World War II—[Through Henry Hodgkin, former missionary to China], the art, philosophy, and culture of Asia had been part of the PH [from the beginning]. Howard went to China, Korea, and Japan in 1936 to deepen his understanding of Buddhism and Con- fucianism. [Japan was already showing a warlike posture in China]. After the war, Anna visited India, China, and other parts of Asia under the auspices of the AFSC, and with the title "Commissioner for Asia."
After 16 years of service to PH (1949), Anna Brinton resigned as Admi- nistrative Director and took a job with the AFSC international relations program. [When writing of PH's function as a haven for people with difficult life situations past or present], she wrote: "We grew accustomed to anxiety, but even so, PH remained like "some radiant upper story of the world, detached from and inde- pendent of the dark stretches below." Anna served AFSC in various capacities from 1938-52, 1958-60, and 1962-65. Howard wrote most of Friends for 300 Years, in about 3 weeks during December 1951. Howard took extraordinary pains to examine the concern in the light of Christian doctrine.
Many "Neo-Calvinist" Protestants believed that Christ's teachings on pacifism are an ideal unattainable by most because we are a sinful [human race]. Today many fundamentalists feel this way about terrorism. Howard wrote: "If Jesus was a pacifist ... we must be pacifists [&] obey his command to follow him."
The World Council of Churches, after [much] discussion, agreed that "war is contrary to the will of God ... & example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Howard proposed adding, "The Church has always demanded freedom to obey God rather than man." War was still seen as necessary by some Council members. Howard wrote: "This making of a strong statement of ideals & not feeling the [need] of living up to it is in accordance with Reinhold Niebuhr's philosophy ." To show how pacifism could work in the world, Howard & Anna decided to go to Asia under AFSC auspices.
Asian Peace Missions—The Brintons' work in Asia before and after World War II reflected Howard's interest in Asian religion and Anna's interest in Asian culture and art. It also reflected the Quaker spirit of reconciliation, since it meant reaching out to cultures [many Americans] regarded with hostility and suspicion. Like other Christian groups, Quakers went to Asia to propagate their faith, not to learn Asian faith traditions. Early Quaker missionaries shared the good news of their Quaker faith for a few years, then returned to their regular lives and employments. In the 19th and 20th centuries, missionaries became "professionals" and made a lifelong commitment to another country. Anna and Howard did not travel to make converts, but to spread Quaker ideas.
When Howard and Anna went to Japan from 1952-54, they went as re- presentatives of the AFSC. They were not given particular assignments. Anna became involved with repatriated Japanese families at the old Setagaya military barracks, and with a childcare center at Toyama Heights. Howard gave talks and drove visiting Friends around. The most important event for Howard was enga- ging Yuki Takahashi as his secretary, guide and interpreter. (Just prior to Howard's death in 1973, Yuki and Ho- ward were married. Anna died in 1969).
Howard arranged 5 PH "Institutes" or lectures, attended by Quakers & other Friends in Japan, around 50 to a session. Howard's own "most important achievement in Japan was to assist a group of Nichiren monks to plan a world pacifist conference to be held in 8 major Japanese cities. These monks had been bomber pilots and their experience had made them pacifists." 7 foreign Quakers attended this Buddhist-sponsored pacifist conference, but no Christian missionaries. The AFSC "feared too much Communist influence" of the confe- rence & wouldn't support it. Howard "tried to show that all the great religions in the world were pacifist at the beginning."
"Floyd Schmoe, a Friend from Washington state was awarded a medal- lion by Emperor Hirohito for his work building homes in Hiroshima after the bombing. There was an elaborate parade described in detail by Anna Brinton, attended by 80,000 people on the last day of the Buddhist Peace Conference. Japanese Friends wrote to Friends in America of Howard Brinton: "We found in him that mien of a living faith, or unity of knowledge and practice, which we in the Orient put value and feel akin to ... The PH Institutes ... seemed to show us by example that a few words were enough to convey the depths of faith and that it is not by mere words but by the innermost function of Spirit that we are led to the knowledge of God."
[Conclusion]—Quaker pacifism is not based upon intellectual concepts or an ideology, but on a "leading of the Spirit." Such leadings often involve rea- ching out to "enemies" and building bridges of understanding. Quaker peace activism is not a profession or a career, but a way of life. Anna Brinton wrote: "[In] these [missions] ... assessing prospects of success or failure plays no real part in the effort. The important factor is obedience to an inward requirement clearly felt, and agreed to by one's fellow members ... extraordinary missions [have resulted from this]." The legacy of peacemaking [that is apparent in the Brintons' lives] continues to be invaluable as we struggle to find our own way as Quaker peacemakers in the 21st century.
http://www.pendlehill.org/product-category/pamphlets
www.facebook.com/pendlehill?fref=ts
373. Group Spiritual Nurture (GSN): The Wisdom of Spiritual
[Conclusion]—Quaker pacifism is not based upon intellectual concepts or an ideology, but on a "leading of the Spirit." Such leadings often involve rea- ching out to "enemies" and building bridges of understanding. Quaker peace activism is not a profession or a career, but a way of life. Anna Brinton wrote: "[In] these [missions] ... assessing prospects of success or failure plays no real part in the effort. The important factor is obedience to an inward requirement clearly felt, and agreed to by one's fellow members ... extraordinary missions [have resulted from this]." The legacy of peacemaking [that is apparent in the Brintons' lives] continues to be invaluable as we struggle to find our own way as Quaker peacemakers in the 21st century.
http://www.pendlehill.org/product-category/pamphlets
www.facebook.com/pendlehill?fref=ts
373. Group Spiritual Nurture (GSN): The Wisdom of Spiritual
Listening (by Daphne Clement; 2004)
About the Author—Daphne Clement, M. Div., is currently a doctoral student at Columbia Seminary, Atlanta. Daphne has 7 years' experience facilitating nurture groups, first in San Francisco and more recently in Atlanta. She has been deeply nurtured herself by the group process. In January 2002 Atlanta Friends and friends of Friends began a biweekly Spiritual Nurture Group (SNG). It sustains a rich depth of community. There is an element of mystery alive in loving human interaction.
Spiritual guidance has to do with what it means to keep on transcending oneself in the process of becoming human. John Yungblut// Spiritual companioning was essential to the Christian monastic tradition.
[Introduction]—In Quaker meetings & in churches around the country, groups are learning to come together to find the spiritual nurturance they seek. The waiting worship & [silent] reflection of GSN often reveals a sacred quality in personal & communal life that brings fresh spirituality. Spiritual nurture has a long history. Frank Houdeck defines Spiritual Direction as "the patient effort to recognize God's mysterious, [all-pervasive], loving presence with us."
GSN was born at Pendle Hill [while] exploring the group spiritual process. Peter Crysdale carried the idea to California, where he & Margot Campbell-Gross started a group at the 1st Unitarian Church of San Francisco. Several new groups were started by members of that 1st group. Many of us create a social veneer that deprives us of authentic, caring, intimate spiritual relationship & leaves us longing to experience God's love. In an SNG, we can practice new depths of relationship & communion. In a group, with our stories, we can name our living relationship with God, each other, & the earth; together they bring wholeness & a creative response to the world.
The Structure of an SNG—GSN follows a certain pattern. Ideally, when a new group forms, a few of its members have already participated in another group; usually a facilitator helps members learn the process. A typical group has 6-10 members; a meeting lasts 3 hours; the commitment is generally 1 year. The stages of the process are [numbers indicate minutes taken for each stage]: Gathering (30); Silence (20); Check-in (3-4/ per-son, 18-40/ group; Spiritual Autobiography/ Spontaneous Writing (40); Creative Reflection (5-10); Time for Business (5); Self-Discernment of Next Presenter (time as needed); Silent Break (5); An Individual Presentation (5-15); Group Reflection: Responding to Presenter (60).
Gathering takes place for a brief social period & snack, a "breaking of bread," communion.Silence & worship is from Quaker worship, GSN's center. Sitting in silence allows a group to become more open & fully aware. One may speak out of the silence. Participants Check-in for 3-4 minutes/ person) in no particular order. Spiritual Autobiography/ Spontaneous Writing comes when members write on a [spiritual experience] topic, a specific episode from life as a story, a narrative. Holding mystery within simple stories is one of the reasons the Bible has endured for 2000 years. Our stories, recorded & shared with spiritual companions over time become a spiritual autobiography. [Topics have brought out stories about washing grandmother's 2nd floor windows, of dim sum & fear of rats, & of facing fear of the dark]. As they listen to one another, tender intimacy is gained.
At each meeting, one person has the opportunity for Creative Reflection on one's life experience at greater length. The reflection can be art, singing, dancing, or reading poetry. This is a time for illustrating life events in creative & perhaps sacred ways. Time for Business plans for the next meeting—snacks, leading the writing exercise, or facilitating. Self-Discernment of Next Presenter (time as needed) is done in silent reflection with the question: Is it my moment today, to speak of the prayers, images, or events living within me?
One can ... listen someone into existence, encourage a stronger self to emerge or a new talent to flourish. Good teachers listen this way, as do terrific grandfathers and similar heroes of spirit.Mary Rose O'Reilly
For up to 15 minutes, An Individual Presentation is given. We can, if we are willing, gain a new understanding of the power of gathered community. Speaking truth from the silence, we become more authentic human beings. Presentation does ask one to reveal Self "with full honesty." The "mysterious dimension of experience" must be allowed to touch the presenter, and [then be shared with and faced by the group alongside the presenter]. Waiting together is the essence of Group Reflection: Responding to Presenter. Group reflection is really more a spontaneously spoken prayer. [If in responding an individual offers a query, followed by enough silence], the presenter will speak one's own prayer. Thomas Merton wrote: "Spiritual direction is not merely [all] the ... encouragements and admonitions we need ... It is spiritual." Spiritual nurturing is not about solutions; it is about being with, accompanying, companioning.
Examples of Spiritual Nurture—At a San Francisco meeting, a presenter spoke of a long, painful, difficult parental relationship; the group listened & the silence held her. We sat together aware of each other & of her pain for a full hour [set aside for response]. During her creative reflection at the next meeting, the woman reported that it had been a very significant healing moments in her life. My own 1st experience was with my grandfather Popsy. I was 16 & announced that I didn't believe in God. Popsy asked questions that were gentle, neither probing or directive. I suspect he recommended that they leave me alone. My "I don't believe" thought faded away; Popsy was a wise & capable spiritual nurturer. Mystery—subtle & unexplainable movement toward being more wholly "who we are"—that is the essence of spiritual nurture; acceptance [of "who we really are" is key].
Group Spiritual Nurture in Community—An objective dynamic Presence enfolds us all, nourishes our souls, speaks glad unutterable comfort within us, and quickens us in depths that had before been slumbering Thomas Kelly.
Our busy Western culture does not allow much space for silence or waiting as a community; that is generally considered [to not be part of] communicating. Most of us long for and yet fear this kind of spiritual connection. The resistance to deep connection is self protective and painfully isolating. SNG can create a structure in which participants may enjoy personal and community renewal through spiritual companionship.
Relationship with silence and waiting naturally encourages a new depth of listening. As the comfort with, the silent awareness of each other and the presence grows, [a "praying heart" develops that] is beyond intellect and theology, beyond social or cultural background. Finding our praying heart forms true community. As we are nourished inwardly, we become more conscious and are freed to nourish others as well; inner work becomes social action. Authentic self and living to our fullest human potential is born in a gathered community.
Listening to Group Members—Members of San Francisco and Atlanta groups have said the following:
Fred—[I was invited by Margot, my individual consultant and my group's facilitator. She guided us] back to the silence and out of "fix-it" mode. The group gave me a place to put out my feelings against religion; negativity ended in the group. Meditation I knew—silence I didn't know. It was quite some time before the silence really started to be not just an empty void. In becoming aware of God's awareness of you, everything else pales by comparison. The more I understand God's presence as being there, the more all-encompassing God's presence is. I [now] understand praying to be a living dynamic, [part of] living my life.
Meriel—Spontaneous writing took me to the very moment & reminded me how I felt [in a] rich, textured, complex, & caring [moment]. I joined [SNG] not really understanding what it was. I was looking for a way to be with people [in community] that was about spirituality. I value the privilege of being with people as they unveil [their true human] selves. The sincere humanness here helps me to see humanness in other places. [I now see in my clients] behind the problem a whole set of human hopes, fears, expectations, stories; I listen differently.
Seeing people as more multidimensional has led to a more in-depth understanding of their complex legal problems. I can sometimes tap into solutions that come from within the situation. Just showing up here allowed a deepening, a blossoming. We listen from a wider understanding of faith & hope & a consensus that is of the spirit of faith & love. I have real grudges about our postmodern cynicism that has stolen the faith in faith. It is the worst thing to call that terrific loving force immature, unsophisticated, naive. I have a lot of faith in faith because of Group Spiritual Nurture.
Shae—I came into the group feeling burnt out & knowing I needed to slow down for my health. I wanted to take a year off from meeting responsibilities & to find ways to grow spiritually. I risked speaking my truth, although it was contrary to everyone else's & experienced the group listening & accepting without judgment. I was reluctant to expose my weaknesses to the group, but I knew I wouldn't be fully connected to them until I risked it in a presentation. [I shared] my struggles to establish boundaries without feeling unloving or ungenerous. Feeling the grace of the group allowed me to stay focused, not defending myself, but on what I think is most important, the Light within.
Lately, my spiritual formation seems to be running parallel to what's happening in my physical life. Because of the consciousness awakened in the group, I've realized that neither my heart nor my house can be cleaned very well if I neglect the Spirit. This community gathered around me [in my difficulties] and joined with my spirit; that endures. The writing, the "A time I ..." sometimes feels like a collective experience. [The spiritual discipline I encourage others to practice is the discipline] inherent in the commitment to regular attendance and to following the format. I feel our group is becoming "spiritual yeast" for the meeting.
How do we seek awareness of God's presence so that all things take their rightful place? All of us in the group are seeking awareness in various ways. Respectful, listening silence is something we don't experience often outside of Meeting for Worship. In silent breaks we are learning to be active in the silence, to sit with it, to speak out of it, to pause—to allow time for the spirit to change everything. I am drawn to Thomas Kelly's idea of constantly being in a state of prayer, being aware of God's presence. Doing something as simple as swimming laps can become a joyous prayer. Each time we convene—& often in between—I realize it is well with my soul.
Margot Campbell-Gross—I think group has been a very supportive environment for me—to learn to trust the silence more—both in groups and in 1-on-1 conversations. What has happened to people in the group is quite amazing. I see that the silence is a fertile space and that growth is rooted in it. In group I don't share the things I am wrestling with that have an impact upon the life of the congregation. [In spite of that], I am being nourished. It is quite rich for me, being part of other people's exploration [in the silence]. I would love to see more groups forming in the church because I think it changes the atmosphere of the church. It spreads out into the larger world, [thus] extending itself into social justice work. The groups both deepen the life of the community and help individuals transform themselves. The more God's presence is explicitly manifest in a group like this, the more presence is felt throughout the community. God is just here—commonplace, everywhere—in laughter, anger, and in moving the chairs around. [It works best] up where it is visible [and noticed]—more tangibly here.
Peter Crysdale—The original vision [in 1997] wasn't a vision at all—it was a surprise, which is the way that God speaks to you and me. [The early influences for the group were Henri Nouwen in the 1980s and the Benedictine Rule of 400 years ago, both of which involve listening, or more specifically the wisdom of spiritual listening]. Mary Rose O'Reilly and I began trying to listen to one another. After a year of this I discovered that I had ears in the heart sense. I started describing myself as a listener first, then a preacher.
I began studying heart listening in the monastic spiritual tradition. Franciscan spirituality says that there is the believing/knowledge approach to God, & the affect/ loving approach; they aren't mutually exclusive. The early Franciscan affect/ loving approach, the desire & hunger for God—that really spoke to my condition. If someone could companion me in this, the longing could be listened into the deep; listened more fully into existence. Other people can help us to recognize the "Footprints of God" & know that the Spirit has crossed our path.
I experimented with leading silent retreats at Pendle Hill, carrying on the tradition Douglas and Dorothy Steere had been doing for years. Somehow, except for a few Quakers, the practice of waiting, praying, listening in silence became obsolete and waiting was no longer a spiritual verb. Most of us find technical voice, functional voice, but finding deep authentic voice was one of the things that human beings were about. I realized that companioning people as they go more deeply into their existence was a way of doing spiritual direction.
Conclusion—Every community of worshippers needs to find its own praying heart. Peter Crysdale
We deeply need safe places where we can receive the gift of spiritual nurture. There we open up and discover the warmth of human connectedness and love. In SNG, we are born to Self as we are gathered in community, which may be a powerful force for change. By finding our "praying heart," we form true community. SNG offers an opportunity to experience and get a feel for our most with-in place, our praying heart, with others. It creates opportunities to take notice of, listen to the leadings of, and experience the presence of God daily. A moment by moment conscious understanding of life as sacred, as holy, is perhaps the ingredient we need the most to be able to move into the 21st century in peace and wholeness.
http://www.pendlehill.org/product-category/pamphlets
www.facebook.com/pendlehill?fref=ts
374. The Practice of the Love of God (by Kenneth Boulding; 2004 [original lecture given in 1942])
Spiritual guidance has to do with what it means to keep on transcending oneself in the process of becoming human. John Yungblut// Spiritual companioning was essential to the Christian monastic tradition.
[Introduction]—In Quaker meetings & in churches around the country, groups are learning to come together to find the spiritual nurturance they seek. The waiting worship & [silent] reflection of GSN often reveals a sacred quality in personal & communal life that brings fresh spirituality. Spiritual nurture has a long history. Frank Houdeck defines Spiritual Direction as "the patient effort to recognize God's mysterious, [all-pervasive], loving presence with us."
GSN was born at Pendle Hill [while] exploring the group spiritual process. Peter Crysdale carried the idea to California, where he & Margot Campbell-Gross started a group at the 1st Unitarian Church of San Francisco. Several new groups were started by members of that 1st group. Many of us create a social veneer that deprives us of authentic, caring, intimate spiritual relationship & leaves us longing to experience God's love. In an SNG, we can practice new depths of relationship & communion. In a group, with our stories, we can name our living relationship with God, each other, & the earth; together they bring wholeness & a creative response to the world.
The Structure of an SNG—GSN follows a certain pattern. Ideally, when a new group forms, a few of its members have already participated in another group; usually a facilitator helps members learn the process. A typical group has 6-10 members; a meeting lasts 3 hours; the commitment is generally 1 year. The stages of the process are [numbers indicate minutes taken for each stage]: Gathering (30); Silence (20); Check-in (3-4/ per-son, 18-40/ group; Spiritual Autobiography/ Spontaneous Writing (40); Creative Reflection (5-10); Time for Business (5); Self-Discernment of Next Presenter (time as needed); Silent Break (5); An Individual Presentation (5-15); Group Reflection: Responding to Presenter (60).
Gathering takes place for a brief social period & snack, a "breaking of bread," communion.Silence & worship is from Quaker worship, GSN's center. Sitting in silence allows a group to become more open & fully aware. One may speak out of the silence. Participants Check-in for 3-4 minutes/ person) in no particular order. Spiritual Autobiography/ Spontaneous Writing comes when members write on a [spiritual experience] topic, a specific episode from life as a story, a narrative. Holding mystery within simple stories is one of the reasons the Bible has endured for 2000 years. Our stories, recorded & shared with spiritual companions over time become a spiritual autobiography. [Topics have brought out stories about washing grandmother's 2nd floor windows, of dim sum & fear of rats, & of facing fear of the dark]. As they listen to one another, tender intimacy is gained.
At each meeting, one person has the opportunity for Creative Reflection on one's life experience at greater length. The reflection can be art, singing, dancing, or reading poetry. This is a time for illustrating life events in creative & perhaps sacred ways. Time for Business plans for the next meeting—snacks, leading the writing exercise, or facilitating. Self-Discernment of Next Presenter (time as needed) is done in silent reflection with the question: Is it my moment today, to speak of the prayers, images, or events living within me?
One can ... listen someone into existence, encourage a stronger self to emerge or a new talent to flourish. Good teachers listen this way, as do terrific grandfathers and similar heroes of spirit.Mary Rose O'Reilly
For up to 15 minutes, An Individual Presentation is given. We can, if we are willing, gain a new understanding of the power of gathered community. Speaking truth from the silence, we become more authentic human beings. Presentation does ask one to reveal Self "with full honesty." The "mysterious dimension of experience" must be allowed to touch the presenter, and [then be shared with and faced by the group alongside the presenter]. Waiting together is the essence of Group Reflection: Responding to Presenter. Group reflection is really more a spontaneously spoken prayer. [If in responding an individual offers a query, followed by enough silence], the presenter will speak one's own prayer. Thomas Merton wrote: "Spiritual direction is not merely [all] the ... encouragements and admonitions we need ... It is spiritual." Spiritual nurturing is not about solutions; it is about being with, accompanying, companioning.
Examples of Spiritual Nurture—At a San Francisco meeting, a presenter spoke of a long, painful, difficult parental relationship; the group listened & the silence held her. We sat together aware of each other & of her pain for a full hour [set aside for response]. During her creative reflection at the next meeting, the woman reported that it had been a very significant healing moments in her life. My own 1st experience was with my grandfather Popsy. I was 16 & announced that I didn't believe in God. Popsy asked questions that were gentle, neither probing or directive. I suspect he recommended that they leave me alone. My "I don't believe" thought faded away; Popsy was a wise & capable spiritual nurturer. Mystery—subtle & unexplainable movement toward being more wholly "who we are"—that is the essence of spiritual nurture; acceptance [of "who we really are" is key].
Group Spiritual Nurture in Community—An objective dynamic Presence enfolds us all, nourishes our souls, speaks glad unutterable comfort within us, and quickens us in depths that had before been slumbering Thomas Kelly.
Our busy Western culture does not allow much space for silence or waiting as a community; that is generally considered [to not be part of] communicating. Most of us long for and yet fear this kind of spiritual connection. The resistance to deep connection is self protective and painfully isolating. SNG can create a structure in which participants may enjoy personal and community renewal through spiritual companionship.
Relationship with silence and waiting naturally encourages a new depth of listening. As the comfort with, the silent awareness of each other and the presence grows, [a "praying heart" develops that] is beyond intellect and theology, beyond social or cultural background. Finding our praying heart forms true community. As we are nourished inwardly, we become more conscious and are freed to nourish others as well; inner work becomes social action. Authentic self and living to our fullest human potential is born in a gathered community.
Listening to Group Members—Members of San Francisco and Atlanta groups have said the following:
Fred—[I was invited by Margot, my individual consultant and my group's facilitator. She guided us] back to the silence and out of "fix-it" mode. The group gave me a place to put out my feelings against religion; negativity ended in the group. Meditation I knew—silence I didn't know. It was quite some time before the silence really started to be not just an empty void. In becoming aware of God's awareness of you, everything else pales by comparison. The more I understand God's presence as being there, the more all-encompassing God's presence is. I [now] understand praying to be a living dynamic, [part of] living my life.
Meriel—Spontaneous writing took me to the very moment & reminded me how I felt [in a] rich, textured, complex, & caring [moment]. I joined [SNG] not really understanding what it was. I was looking for a way to be with people [in community] that was about spirituality. I value the privilege of being with people as they unveil [their true human] selves. The sincere humanness here helps me to see humanness in other places. [I now see in my clients] behind the problem a whole set of human hopes, fears, expectations, stories; I listen differently.
Seeing people as more multidimensional has led to a more in-depth understanding of their complex legal problems. I can sometimes tap into solutions that come from within the situation. Just showing up here allowed a deepening, a blossoming. We listen from a wider understanding of faith & hope & a consensus that is of the spirit of faith & love. I have real grudges about our postmodern cynicism that has stolen the faith in faith. It is the worst thing to call that terrific loving force immature, unsophisticated, naive. I have a lot of faith in faith because of Group Spiritual Nurture.
Shae—I came into the group feeling burnt out & knowing I needed to slow down for my health. I wanted to take a year off from meeting responsibilities & to find ways to grow spiritually. I risked speaking my truth, although it was contrary to everyone else's & experienced the group listening & accepting without judgment. I was reluctant to expose my weaknesses to the group, but I knew I wouldn't be fully connected to them until I risked it in a presentation. [I shared] my struggles to establish boundaries without feeling unloving or ungenerous. Feeling the grace of the group allowed me to stay focused, not defending myself, but on what I think is most important, the Light within.
Lately, my spiritual formation seems to be running parallel to what's happening in my physical life. Because of the consciousness awakened in the group, I've realized that neither my heart nor my house can be cleaned very well if I neglect the Spirit. This community gathered around me [in my difficulties] and joined with my spirit; that endures. The writing, the "A time I ..." sometimes feels like a collective experience. [The spiritual discipline I encourage others to practice is the discipline] inherent in the commitment to regular attendance and to following the format. I feel our group is becoming "spiritual yeast" for the meeting.
How do we seek awareness of God's presence so that all things take their rightful place? All of us in the group are seeking awareness in various ways. Respectful, listening silence is something we don't experience often outside of Meeting for Worship. In silent breaks we are learning to be active in the silence, to sit with it, to speak out of it, to pause—to allow time for the spirit to change everything. I am drawn to Thomas Kelly's idea of constantly being in a state of prayer, being aware of God's presence. Doing something as simple as swimming laps can become a joyous prayer. Each time we convene—& often in between—I realize it is well with my soul.
Margot Campbell-Gross—I think group has been a very supportive environment for me—to learn to trust the silence more—both in groups and in 1-on-1 conversations. What has happened to people in the group is quite amazing. I see that the silence is a fertile space and that growth is rooted in it. In group I don't share the things I am wrestling with that have an impact upon the life of the congregation. [In spite of that], I am being nourished. It is quite rich for me, being part of other people's exploration [in the silence]. I would love to see more groups forming in the church because I think it changes the atmosphere of the church. It spreads out into the larger world, [thus] extending itself into social justice work. The groups both deepen the life of the community and help individuals transform themselves. The more God's presence is explicitly manifest in a group like this, the more presence is felt throughout the community. God is just here—commonplace, everywhere—in laughter, anger, and in moving the chairs around. [It works best] up where it is visible [and noticed]—more tangibly here.
Peter Crysdale—The original vision [in 1997] wasn't a vision at all—it was a surprise, which is the way that God speaks to you and me. [The early influences for the group were Henri Nouwen in the 1980s and the Benedictine Rule of 400 years ago, both of which involve listening, or more specifically the wisdom of spiritual listening]. Mary Rose O'Reilly and I began trying to listen to one another. After a year of this I discovered that I had ears in the heart sense. I started describing myself as a listener first, then a preacher.
I began studying heart listening in the monastic spiritual tradition. Franciscan spirituality says that there is the believing/knowledge approach to God, & the affect/ loving approach; they aren't mutually exclusive. The early Franciscan affect/ loving approach, the desire & hunger for God—that really spoke to my condition. If someone could companion me in this, the longing could be listened into the deep; listened more fully into existence. Other people can help us to recognize the "Footprints of God" & know that the Spirit has crossed our path.
I experimented with leading silent retreats at Pendle Hill, carrying on the tradition Douglas and Dorothy Steere had been doing for years. Somehow, except for a few Quakers, the practice of waiting, praying, listening in silence became obsolete and waiting was no longer a spiritual verb. Most of us find technical voice, functional voice, but finding deep authentic voice was one of the things that human beings were about. I realized that companioning people as they go more deeply into their existence was a way of doing spiritual direction.
Conclusion—Every community of worshippers needs to find its own praying heart. Peter Crysdale
We deeply need safe places where we can receive the gift of spiritual nurture. There we open up and discover the warmth of human connectedness and love. In SNG, we are born to Self as we are gathered in community, which may be a powerful force for change. By finding our "praying heart," we form true community. SNG offers an opportunity to experience and get a feel for our most with-in place, our praying heart, with others. It creates opportunities to take notice of, listen to the leadings of, and experience the presence of God daily. A moment by moment conscious understanding of life as sacred, as holy, is perhaps the ingredient we need the most to be able to move into the 21st century in peace and wholeness.
http://www.pendlehill.org/product-category/pamphlets
www.facebook.com/pendlehill?fref=ts
374. The Practice of the Love of God (by Kenneth Boulding; 2004 [original lecture given in 1942])
About the Author—Kenneth Boulding was born 1910 in Liverpool, England (d. 1993). As a Methodist, he was attracted to the Friends' Society by their peace testimony & their Meeting for Worship; he joined Friends as an Oxford undergraduate. He went from chemist to economist & emigrated to the US in 1937. He published 35 books, served in several associations, & he & his wife Elise were activists in the peace research movement.
INTRODUCTION—The joy of Kenneth's and my growing love for one another during our courtship and marriage in 1941 was interwoven with the sadness and suffering of the war years. [Kenneth's speaking and writing] was a declaration of love of God and creation and a challenge to intellectualism and secularism. His advice about practicing God's love in every sector of our lives [is evidenced by the] deep capacity for love [he exhibited] as son, husband, father, faithful attender, poet, scientist, and activist. The spiritual grounding of these pages can help each of us to keep finding the divine likeness in everyone, under the most difficult and improbable circumstances, and to continue the holy work of peace building. I know that Kenneth would have wanted same-gender couples to feel included in his references to the love of husband and wife. Elise Boulding; 2004
God is Love—[The words "God is love" may] bring a smile of derision [or a sense of] something you've outgrown. [You might be] covered with a warm, safe feeling, or led to a comfortable corner of your soul, where you secretly indulge in spiritual drinking. If any of these conditions are yours, then you have missed a treasure. To some these words are a key to a [Truth-filled, majestic Kingdom of nearly unbearable splendor, one of perpetual rebirth, scented with rich joy and bitter herbs] . We are born to love.
As we grow we learn to love more & more: ourselves; family; school; friends; home community; college; nation. In some this process of enlargement is arrested at an intermediate stage, & then love turns in upon itself & becomes sour. [Expanding love which stops short of God & God's Kingdom becomes perverted and ingrown; real love is absent]. The mystery of love is that as it grows wider and wider, the narrower loves are made more perfect. The love of country is purified & strengthened by the love of a greater Kingdom. [In the realm of Love] the laws of economics are turned quite upside down; what we squander recklessly abroad will multiply.
[Misuse, Emotions, Degrees, and Objects of "Love"]—It is unfortunate that for so great a thing we have to use a word so smeared by mishandling. "Love" has come to reek of stale emotion and cheap scent. Let us look behind the words that bedevil to [that aspect of life that is described in 1 Corinthians 13]. There is a strange heresy abroad that things intellectual are good and things emotional are bad; some shallow and unreal emotional experiences [lead us to] condemn the whole gamut. It is our duty to seek emotional truth, ["true love"] as it is to seek intellectual truth; we shall find that they are not 2 truths but one.
The quality of love depends not only on the quality of the lover; it depends on the quality of the object of love. If we devote to an object an inappropriate kind of love, we are weakened. If we love our family, our Society, & our country with the kind of love with which we should love God, we will become narrow, blind, & a danger even to the thing we love. Our greatest love should be devoted to God; all other loves should be subordinate.
[How do we Love God]—The greatest obstacle in the way of our love for God is vague notions that we entertain of the Godhead. "Anthropomorphism" [is avoided] in an intellectual search for God. We wander into vague phrases & analogies. Once we acknowledge that God is greater than anything that we know or say, we needn't be afraid to think of God as person. We may look into our selves, into our friends' faces, & find evidence of heavenly paternity, stained & adulterated with earth's clay, but nevertheless stamped with a heavenly form.
"Mind that which is pure in you to guide you to God" (G. Fox) is good advice, for as we find that which is worthy of high love within, so indeed are we guided to God. Our "that which is pure within us" is the family likeness to God printed in us, but we shall be deluded if we seek God only in our own souls. We seek God also in God's other children. There are some who live close to God and daily take on more of the divine likeness, while others busy themselves with affairs of dust and continually dilute their heavenly part with dross. Let us then mind that which is pure, not only in ourselves, but in those greater than us; it will lead us to God.
[Writings of the Saints ... a Great Treasure of Coins]—We should not confine ourselves to our own times. There are at least 10 books written in the last 300 to 400 years that can hardly be read without experiencing a vision of God.We return, after wandering in many a spiritual wilderness, to the Gospels, and find there a Christ without who answers to the Christ within, [and reveals] the Father/ Mother of us all. Something in us goes out to something in him in a strange electric spark of recognition. Follow him even to the cross, where the broken heart of God pours forth in water and blood, and discover yourself not only in Jerusalem, but in every suffering place. Say that you are "in a measure sensible of Christ's suffering."
It is the [Christian] testimony that after Good Friday's horror comes Easter Morn's incredible splendor. After the ocean of darkness & death there comes an infinite ocean of light & love that flows over the darkness. Christ isn't risen only in Jerusalem [long ago], but in the heart of everyone who comes by suffering & love into fellowship with creation. Agonizing love & blessed suffering [brings creation]. So a child is born, a poem is written, & Heaven's Kingdom is founded; by this & by no other means. Not many are at once as simple & sensitive as Brother Lawrence so as to see God's image in a living tree, nor even in those that we see around us.
[Phases of God's Love]—In the beginning, there are frequently [intermittent] experiences of intense excitement, in psychological terms, "cardiac-respiratory." We have a "high view of God," a sense of adoration, wonder, invasion, mutuality, a sense of God's love going out toward us as our love goes out toward God. For most these experiences are rare; some hardly experience them at all. God's love is also expressed in constant devotion and obedience, [exercised] as much by the will as by the emotions. [The daily and the rare experience can be thought of respectively as the] bread and the wine of God's love. We can still eat God's daily bread [of love], even if for a time the wine is withheld. Beware a little of spiritual intoxication. Remember, the surest remedy for the deadly sin of spiritual pride is to take bread as well as wine in our spiritual sacrament.
Love is a living, growing thing, and follows the laws of life rather than machines. Love feeds on the presence of the loved one, and dies by forgetfulness and neglect. In youth perhaps we are privileged to receive a "high view of God" that commands our love and service. But as years go by, the vision fades. [We are tempted and to some degree succumb to] exchanging the eternal treasure for a stale mess of earthly pottage, for our love cools by imperceptible degrees to a little brief ash of occasional nostalgia if it is not renewed. We must allot some time for the conscious lifting-up of the soul to God; some can do it at all manner of odd moments. With practice this God-ward turn of the mind becomes an almost constant direction, underlying all our other activities.
[Nourishment from Fellowship]—Another essential part of the discipline of the nourishment of loving God is refreshment from fellowship with God's family. There is renewal of the love of God to be found in nature, in considering the [trees] and sparrows of the city streets. Pure love of truth is but a colder version of God's love. [The awe & wonder of discovery is part of] an essentially religious experience. For those of us [not deeply into] natural knowledge, God's love is most clearly revealed in conversations with the Saints. This should be the central theme of our ministry and devotional reading.
It's the modern mind's peculiar disease to think that the present supersedes the past; if we confine spiritual fellowship to the present's thin skin, we are in danger of spiritual death; a body's surface is nourished from below, [from its roots], or it dies. If love is to grow, it must be expressed. Otherwise it turns in on itself & becomes cancerous. There is nothing that brings religion more justly into disrepute than those whose religion feeds entirely on itself, who live within a world of abstract God- & salvation notions, a little world of the purely personal.
[How can we express our love for God?]—What can we do for God? Ancient peoples thought to please God by making sacrifices and burnt offerings. We can only truly express our love for God by expressing in mercy and justice our love for God's family, for all creation, all whom God loves. How can we love our neighbor if our neighbor is not lovable, or even our enemy? How can we love those who [by war have] made of Europe [and Asia] a hell of hatred, hunger, and bitterness that generations will hardly fill up?
We can only truly forgive a wrong by the overflow of God's love and forgiveness. We may try to persuade ourselves that we have forgiven, but underneath there will be a hard lump on our hearts and a scar in our memories. True forgiveness comes only in a flood of divine love that wells up in our souls from places too deep to be hurt by mortal injury. God's love [gives us constant rebirth], and draws us to set a low value on things [dependent] on others: wealth; position; reputation; and life. We set a high value on those things inseparable from us: integrity; righteousness; love of humankind; communion with God.
[Love in Relationship]—A couple whose love for each other is part of their love for God discovers a more splendid love & a more exuberant life than those who love only each other. Does he/ she love God? Our young people's romantic molasses is a poor substitute for the nourishing food of God's love. Perhaps the greatest source of spiritual weakness of our day is that we have not subjected our social relationships to the discipline of God's love. In reacting to a day that feared God too much and loved God too little, we have cast aside many practices of great value to perfecting our love. Let a few concerned people invite meeting members to their home for meal, worship, and reading, and see how the life of the meeting will spring up. Have we tried to shut God up in a meetinghouse? Let us see that God is welcomed everywhere, in our social relationships as well as in meetings.
We also fail to bring the meeting's life under God's love. An organization often comes to usurp the place of the spirit that founded it. People come to love their church more than God. Quakers are given to self-observation; we bask in the world's praise. We lose sight of God's face because we are absorbed in our own benevolent contours. Unless we rediscover God's love, the Society we cherish dwindles into nothingness. How will notions of God, Christ, theories, theologies lead us into contention and bitterness in the absence of God's love?
[God's Love in Country and Civilization]—Its greed, cruelty, hatreds, wars, poverty, injustice, shallowness, & vulgarity seem to [point more towards] evil & self-destruction than to God's love. & yet, I love America, its great spaces & free air, as a "convinced" rather than "birthright" American. Even do I love this wild, unruly, noisy, bright-lit, scientific, impertinent, technologically progressive civilization. Love of country without God's love is a destructive emotion; it leads selfishness, pride, arrogance, injustice, cruelty, domination, and war.
Most men go to war because they love their country more than they love God, or because their God is a national God, speaking the national tongue, hating the national hates. We wish to see [our nation] a Christ among nations, not conquering by guns, bombs & starvation, but by love & suffering. One who loves one's country in the light of God-love expresses it by endeavoring to make their country respected & loved rather than feared & hated. Both German & American bombs, soldiers, & rule [make those countries] hated. To love God truly is to live in "that life & power that takes away the occasion of all war." There can be no peace, no security, without forgiveness or a new birth.This will never come so long as we love anything more than we love God.
[God's Love in Economic and Social Life]—Conflict threatens to become acute in our economic and social life. Behind the technical problems of our day there lies a disease of the spirit. We ask "How will this affect us?" not How will this affect everybody? Whatever economic system we adopt, whether a free economy or a planned economy, its spiritual foundation must be a sense of unity with all humankind. People should act in the general welfare and not in their particular interest. This principle is a moral principle [that needs the broad support of a larger community] fired with God's love [before it can be observed].
We have made of our religion a holy relic, never to be exhibited to the world's unfriendly gaze and polite laughter. [Relics decay and turn to dust]. If we are awake and sensitive divine love will spring up out of the dust of our own hearts, through the matted growth of our intellectual pride and worldly riches. I see a band of men & women going out unto all people & speaking to the spiritual hunger that grips the hearts of humans everywhere. They shall absorb the world's hate and anger into their own bodies and will give none in return; the streams of hatred around the world will dwindle and pass away. We shall find the true peace, comfort, and security that lie in God's riches, not in ours. God is always redeeming the world, in ways we often do not recognize, and out of the very depth of our time's misery there will come a reawakening of divine love in the hearts of God's prodigal children, a new springtime to the weary earth.
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375. Quaker Views on Mysticism (by Margery Post Abbott; 2004)
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About
the Author—Margery
Abbott is a "released Friend," writing and traveling in the
ministry among Friends [out] of Multnomah MM in Portland OR. "What
is a Friend?" is
the question that informs much of her work. Who
are the evangelicals, unorthodox Christians, Jewish Quakers and
occasional atheist among [the "birthright Quakers" that
make up] the approximately 300,000 Quakers in the world? [There
are] commonalities [to be found] when we listen with God present.
[Introduction]/
God's
Work in My Life—Images
of Friends as mystics &
a
peace church are tightly
linked within the Society of Friends. [This
pamphlet] has
perspectives of Friends I interviewed &
of my own on what "mysticism" is
for Friends;
[paraphrased
interviews
are at this summary's
end]. Mysticism
here refers to awareness of God's presence. Evangelical, Liberal, &
[Friends in between] react differently to this word. I address the
Liberal Friends's
perspective, mysticism definitions, divine touch's
transformative effect, &
traditional Friends' discernment of the Spirit's actions.
Spiritual
awareness results
in lives lived in justice, mercy, & compassion.
My
traveling among Friends in ministry &
speaking on mysticism is
the result
of a mystical experience I had in my mid-40's. [One day, after my
father death], God set me on an unlikely path of
spiritual vocal &
written ministry. [Unlikely] because I had never spoken in Meeting
for Worship, never
written anything but scientific, technical documents, &
disliked poetry. I now write
reams of poetry, &
I
find that modern
science
&
thought can inform how I relate
to
people &
the world. [Though distant in culture or time, ancient believers &
early Quakers inform &
are inseparable from my
spiritual self]. [My
need to know good ways to think about spiritual experience led me to
read early Friends' writing, &
to ask Friends today about faith &
God's Presence, i.e. mysticism.
Defining
Mysticism—Friends'
definitions focus on knowing God, relating to the Divine, searching
for Truth, &
a sense of guidance focused by discernment &
waiting in the silence. The
60-plus Friends I interviewed in the mid-90's agreed that ours is a
mystical faith because of knowing God's presence individually &
corporately. Some emphasized that knowing leads
to [clear social] action. Others emphasized Quakerism's nature as a
prophetic, service-oriented peace church. 2
outstanding definitions are "the breaking through of God into
... everyday life," &
"a gradually transforming process putting one's self in God's
hand &
letting God work on you."
The
importance of spiritual experiences is their power to
strengthen faith, to transform lives, or to provide clear leadings
for service when properly discerned. Self-indulgent retreat into
uplifting, ecstatic
experiences or actions inconsistent with Friends' testimony needs to
be avoided. Discernment, mutual accountability, and testing leadings
with the group are distinctive features of Quaker mysticism. Ecstatic
experiences alone are not a sign of holiness. The presence of God is
most often found in the still small voice, the quiet, more reliable
leadings that are easily overlooked in the throes of daily life.
Quakerism is about listening for that which is eternal and bringing
the divine word to the world. We cannot forget that living the will
of God is the core of our faith.
The
Mysticism of Rufus Jones—Rufus
Jones had a clear vision of positive mysticism, "an immediate,
intuitive knowledge of God ... or consciousness of a Beyond or a
Divine Presence" which inevitably led to service.
Quakers
were inheritors of the early Christians' positive mysticism. His
influence on contemporary liberal Quakers is real &
strong. Jones declared
that mystical experience isn't an end in itself &
doesn't [have to] lead to a quietist stage, but [can] rather lead
into a genuine mission in the world; guidance is a slowly ripening
fruit. Jones looks to preparation through appreciation of beauty,
learning how to love, &
cultivation of the Spirit's fruits.
Jones
proposes these stages in "the progress of the soul":
essential concentration as a discipline; active meditation;
soul-quickening contemplation & unifying all the spirit's powers.
Jones also writes: "[Mystics] say with almost one accord that no
vision of God is adequate that remains private & isn't translated
into life & action [that] pushes back the skirts of darkness &
widens the Kingdom of God's area." During the 20th
century, mysticism has struggled to find its place within modern
thought. Rufus Jones has influenced Friends by emphasizing the
importance of engaging with the world's problems & by helping
found American Friends Service Committee.
The
Transforming Work of the Spirit—Whether George Fox &
17th century Friends were mystics probably wasn't a
relevant question then. George Fox once wrote: "I came up
through the flaming sword into the paradise of God." Fox
thoroughly integrated biblical expressions into his poetic &
visionary language. Human beings could live out the kingdom of heaven
on earth if they heard & followed Christ's Light. Images came to
me of communion glasses wine glasses in gathered meeting, neon
spirals that mark my path toward God in community.
Early
Friends had visions that expressed the deep pain, struggle and
transformation that may accompany opening into the Inward Light. A
life centered in the Light can be sudden & full of struggle. My
interviews suggest it is more often a slower, easier process. Modern
Friends rarely speak of how God's presence is experienced; it can
happen anywhere. We most often know God's guidance in the still,
small voice, nudges or timely phone calls. God's guidance is central.
Speaking
About the Divine Encounter—Poetry
comes closest to allowing some sense of the experience to flow in a
way that resonates in the soul. All words about
the Holy Spirit's touch are difficult to use; any words one chooses
will be uncomfortable for some people. God speaks to humanity in
multiple ways and in a manner unique to the individual, of lasting
effect, &
often impossible to articulate. Mysticism
is the direct contact with the spiritual. Quakerism adds obedience,
service, &
action. Mysticism isn't an abstract, free-floating experience.
Speaking
of such experiences can seem too
risky. It is crucial to have caring people with the experience and
sensitivity to nurture the glimmers of the Spirit in those around
them as well as to provide a container witness, and discerning heart
for more powerful experiences of God. The work of the Spirit in the
heart has infinite dimensions. We Friends offer people a place to
listen quietly for the still, small voice and other [revelations] of
the Spirit rising out of the silence. The stillness of worship
nurtures the intuitive stillness of the soul within all people; it is
not limited by personality or upbringing. Chanting,
singing, sacramental rituals, movement, sermons
can all open hearts to the work of the Spirit. Integrity draws us to
the inward state where no contradictions exist when we are
responsive to the Light.
Unspoken Expectations &
Cautions—What
are Friends' expectations about communal practice of mysticism &
how individuals speak of or act in response to mystical experiences?
Liberal
Friends' habit of
saying
there are no "boundaries" to mystical experience makes many
evangelicals nervous about mysticism. The
liberal's expectation of quietness sets unspoken "rules"
about behavior in worship &
seems to limit Spirit-awareness to silent practice. Evangelical,
more emotional, outward &
concretely oriented expressions are
distrusted [&
dismissed as "not mystical" by liberal Friends]. Yet they
show many underlying similarities to Friends' ways.
For
charismatics, the Holy Spirit is in speaking in tongues, movement, &
in a
deeply personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. Many liberal Friends listed these things as
outside their understanding of mystical experience.
Distinguishing the mystical from mental stability is difficult.
Psychosomatic
manifestations are wrong; if experiences are loud, they shift into
mental instability. &
when we distinguish those who have visions as somehow
better than others or dismiss gentle, unspectacular ways in which
God works in most people's lives, we have lost the way. Visions only
have value when they speak of Truth & of God & transform
lives in the way of compassion.
Discernment &
Testing—Needing
discernment increases as we start responding
to inner experience &
take action. How do
we know when it is really God as the Inward Teacher &
not [an old family message about proper behavior]?
When is it our desire for glory or another voice distracting us from
a
right path? Be-cause
egos &
past get in the way of truly hearing God, we rely on a discernment
process to
understand a call's source, &
what response is right. The community's role is in the
Meeting
for Worship, business meeting, &
clearness committees. The mystical is important [not in its form,
but in its execution by]
individuals
&
the
community. Discerning
nudges involves clearing the mind & heart & getting ego out
of the way of the still, small voice.
Discerning
in vocal ministry, involves listening to our bodies (e.g.
hearts pounding, bodies quaking)
and to intellectual consideration of [the message's intent as either]
a personal one, one for the whole group, or one for further seasoning
in
the heart and later delivery. While at times discernment of a calling
may be individual, ones recognition and understanding of
a call's dimensions benefits from the community's wisdom. Early
Friends had a number of tests and aids for discernment: Fruit of the
Spirit (e.g. love, joy, peace, faithfulness,
and self-control); "Taking up the Cross" (i.e. a leading
contrary to our willful desire, or egocentricity); Unity (i.e. in the
love of our community for one another,
in love for the world, and in knowing the loving action to be taken;
consistency with Bible's Truth; inner peace (i.e. feeling at peace
with the rightness of a decision, however
hard or life-changing, even
if not the one sought or hoped for).
Friends expected that inward experience and outward behavior are
intimately connected. [No test is perfect for every person and
situation]. [Homogeneous] meetings might easily come to unity, yet it
may miss important dimensions resulting from a more diverse group.
Weaving the Strands
Together/ The Individual and the Corporate—Some
things are crucial to me as I am touched by experiences beyond my
comprehension. I
need others with whom I can talk,
[those who have had similar experiences. I
need guides from
Friends' writings, the Bible, Buddhist writings &
elsewhere, for
ways to respond to experiences. I
need to ask myself: "What difference do the
experiences make in
my work, behavior &
relationships?"
I need internal
markers, those
pointing to avoidance
& a
need for personal change,
& those pointing to God's presence.
In
the confusion that is all too often there for me, I need guidance
from others and a structure to hold on to. Friends' radical
understanding of the gospel creates a structure for me out of which I
can act more clearly and
surely.
Meeting for Worship [with attention to] Business, [done as mystics],
brings us back to the core of what we are about as Friends, namely
God's presence, guidance, and [knowing
the gifts
of wholeness
and holiness]. The stillness of unprogramed meeting holds tremendous
power. No one can walk away unmarked
from a true meeting with God, [however still and small it is]. The
radical message of early Friends is expansive enough to enfold many
aspects of modern culture, drawing from them an added richness,
[while at the same time]
Friends
remain apart from our culture and time in ways not always easy to see
at the moment.
Principles
of Quaker Mysticism—William
Johnston is a Catholic who has spent years in Japan studying the
religion of Asia. I modify his words somewhat and add our belief that
God can guide our daily lives to
use Johnston's approach to describe modern liberal Quaker mysticism.
The Light, God, Spirit is available to all people in all times and
all places. The indescribable nature of the mystical, of God is such
that the response is often one of naked faith without clear
assurances. Self-knowledge and emptying are part of enter the unity
of nature, humanity, and God. Through God's touch we can hear,
experience, know the nature of Love. No one path is right for all.
Listening for a still, small voice and responding are central to a
Spirit-led life.
Liberal
Friends have pursued or brought with them into our meetings the
insights of psychology, the practices of Asian meditation, rituals
associated with the rhythm of the seasons, and affinity with the
natural world as well as Christian church traditions. Johnston's
model recognizes the variety of ways that people experience God and
the multiple kinds of experiences that one person may have over time,
sometimes full of images, sometimes a contemplative silence
impossible to explain. God's touch affects all of who I am what I
do, even when I find it difficult to act in accord with what I know.
I
cannot separate Quaker mysticism
from its Christian roots, even as I delight in the infinite ways God
works among humankind.
Conclusion—I
have come to know mysticism as a catalyst in the process of
developing
a relationship with God. Out of this divine relationship grow new
relationships with people that
reflect
the nature of how I know God. It brings transformation. In knowing
God's compassion, I see how I can respond to others in a similar way,
thus stepping out of the fear and limits of old habits into the
"fruit of the Spirit." It brings communication. I have
visions-images that tell me something of my relationship with God,
and that give me words to share with others.
It
brings discernment. I use my own internal markers and create a
"guidebook" to help me sort through the confusion of fear,
pain, anger, and [chaos] that at times still can swamp my head. I
have a circle of people that can help me sort through the muck. My
whole meeting has taught and is teaching me about trust, love,
patience, joy, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. It brings testimony, which speaks of how we live our
faith and give us an understanding of the active nature of a life
centered in God. In my growing and changing relationship with God,
the testimonies take on a richer focus and become clearer as a
natural witness of God's work in our lives and a way of sharing that
witness.
How do You See Quaker
Mysticism?
Maurice Warner—When
knowing that isn't by the
mind's
convincement is experienced, intellectual debate vanishes.
Since
99.9% of the time we have to live without this, the real question is
how to live. People talking about experiences with no clear
change in how they behave towards one another, fall into a Buddhist's
"gee whiz," (non-essential) experience. Rather than
Biblical authority, clearness committees are a primary way to test
leadings. Essential to real experience is a galvanizing effect on
ones life, different
lifeview &
irresisitible action.
Andrew
Backhouse—Quakerism
is about contemplation and
action, therefore it is not mystical. The
good thing about Quakerism is that it can cope with some who are pure
contemplation and some who are pure activism. Divine, reflective
revelation of all sorts are mystical by definition; we should all say
"yes," we've had those. [On the broad range of language
used to describe spiritual experience], I'm not actually very
tolerant, but I like to pretend I am, like every other Quaker. We are
going back to clearness committees as a discernment aid.
Patricia
McBee—As
Quakerism has developed, it has settled into being more rational &
more defined by tradition &
less ecstatic &
mystical than early Friends were. Mysticism is now less of a defining
factor. Mystics are greatly aided in discernment by having a
supportive, experienced community. [In
answering the question of having boundaries to acceptable spiritual
experiences: [What
would the world be like if Biblical characters & George Fox had
responded to their "voices" & visions as unacceptable
or even dangerous hallucinations]?
Peter
Eccles—The
mystical is
rooted
in individual or corporate experience of God, not particular belief.
How
do you recognize a true mystical experience? [It
needs to fit in the context of meeting]
and have echoes in
the community and in readings. We British Friends can be so sheltered
from violence and horror that seeking God in others is just sweetness
and light. We need to understand what startling and powerful things
we are
about, [the "unacceptable" people we are asked to love]—but
that what we are asking of people and saying is possible.
Margaret
Sorrel—I
define
mysticism
as an individual's direct experience of the Divine, which sometimes
are tender leadings
and sometimes knocks us over. If we deny the reality of lighter
mystical experiences, we close the door to the other. There
are [limited] times when it is right to put pure mystical experiences
into words; they are incredibly difficult to express. What is now
unacceptable [and "crazy"] used to be early Christian
expressions; we 20th
century Quakers have put restrictive limits on our experiences.
Janet Scott—Julian of Norwich says that visions are not important. What is important is the recognition that God is communicating with you, then acting on it. [I was not getting clear leadings from God about pursuing a job]. I said: "If I get this wrong, I will kill you." God flashed a picture of the cross and said: "You've already done that." I try to go where God wants me to go; if God wants me to be there, God makes it possible. It is probably wrong for Friends to seek out mystical experiences for their own sake, [instead of that which aids in the] right-ordering of our lives and in being in accord with the testimonies.
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376. Henry Cadbury: Scholar, Activist, Disciple (by Margaret Hope Bacon; 2005)
About the Author—Margaret Hope Bacon in the author of 15 books of biography, history, memoir & fiction, all concerning Quaker subjects. She worked for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for 22 years. She has served on the board of the Friends Historical Association. She has served Pendle Hill as a Friend In Residence & teacher of several weeklong courses. Currently she is a Pamphlets Working Group.member.
Janet Scott—Julian of Norwich says that visions are not important. What is important is the recognition that God is communicating with you, then acting on it. [I was not getting clear leadings from God about pursuing a job]. I said: "If I get this wrong, I will kill you." God flashed a picture of the cross and said: "You've already done that." I try to go where God wants me to go; if God wants me to be there, God makes it possible. It is probably wrong for Friends to seek out mystical experiences for their own sake, [instead of that which aids in the] right-ordering of our lives and in being in accord with the testimonies.
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About the Author—Margaret Hope Bacon in the author of 15 books of biography, history, memoir & fiction, all concerning Quaker subjects. She worked for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) for 22 years. She has served on the board of the Friends Historical Association. She has served Pendle Hill as a Friend In Residence & teacher of several weeklong courses. Currently she is a Pamphlets Working Group.member.
As a committed pacifist, he several times suffered for that belief. As a founder and twice chair of the AFSC, he guided it from tentative beginnings to a world-wide service that won the 1947 Nobel Prize. He prodded Quaker schools to admit African American students and helped the Society of Friends to face [its] racism. He defended the civil liberties of those accused of un-American activities. [As a biblical scholar], Henry Cadbury always insisted that Jesus must be understood in terms of the religion and culture in which he was brought up.
[Family & Education]—Henry Cadbury must be understood as a product of a long-established Orthodox Quaker family & culture, as the youngest of 6 children. He attended Penn Charter School, & Haverford College. He graduated with honors in Greek & philosophy in 1903. He graduated from Harvard with a M. A. in 1904 & a Ph. D. in 1913. Marrying Elizabeth Jones, he moved next-door to his brother-in-law Rufus Jones. Henry’s dissertation, published in 1920 as The Style and Literary Method of Luke, won him recognition throughout the world of biblical scholarship. Henry brought to all his studies a method of careful study, likened by some to detective work. He gathered together a group of young Hicksite and Orthodox Friends to examine the reasons for the 1827 separation of the 2 branches of Quakers; it was a 1st step towards reconciliation.
[World War I and Controversy]—A deeply committed pacifist from the 1st, Henry believed that war was totally at variance with Jesus’ whole life and teachings, as well as being madness for society at large. Quaker leaders, including Rufus Jones, saw this as an opening to bring the various groups of Friends together to cooperate in the practical task of providing alternative service for conscientious objectors (CO’s). The 3 groups meeting on April 30, 1917 was the birth of AFSC; Henry was actively involved with it the rest of his life. The AFSC could provide legal defense in the Philadelphia area. Some CO who could go overseas got Red Cross training. AFSC also sent 6 women to Russia to help with famine relief there.
Henry Cadbury wrote articles decrying the rising tide of nationalism and German-hatred. He wrote: “The spirit of implacable hatred and revenge exhibited by many persons in this country indicates that it is our nation which is the greatest obstacle to a clean peace and lest worthy of it.” Henry wrote this on Haverford stationery. [It caused widespread anger. Henry tearfully and reluctantly resigned]. He was also distressed to think that the case might go down in history as a classic example of the curtailment of academic freedom. Henry accepted a 1-year position at Andover Theological Seminary in Cambridge, closely associated with Harvard Divinity School.
Henry was becoming increasingly concerned about conditions in Germany as a result of the blockade imposed by the Allies. In 1919 2 Quakers and Jane Addams traveled to Germany for AFSC. The Quaker Herbert Hoover, then chairman of the American Relief Administration, asked AFSC to undertake the feeding of all German children. Henry went to Germany in 1920 for AFSC.
Henry lectured on “The Social Translation of the Gospel” at Andover in 1920. Andover continued to renew Henry Cadbury’s contract. [After a 3-year lawsuit], when subscription to the very conservative Andover Creed became a requirement for employment in 1925, the Andover faculty immediately resigned. He decided to accept an offer to teach biblical literature at Bryn Mawr College, not far from Haverford.
From 1926-1934, Henry Cadbury balanced his teaching & scholarly work with active participation Philadelphia Friends. Enjoying access to the Haverford College Library’s Quaker Collection, Henry pursued his life-long interest in Quaker history, published annotated versions of the journals of many early Quaker ministers, restored George Fox’s “Book of Miracles,” & took a scholarly interest in Norwegian Quakers who settled in the US & the Quakers in Barbados.
[Quakers & African-Americans]—Henry Cadbury studied & wrote about early British & American Quaker abolitionists, in particular Anthony Benezet, the Philadelphia Friend who established & taught at a school for African-Americans in the 1700’s. He generously turned over all his research to someone else at work on Benezet. Henry Cadbury also collected data on the few African-Americans who had become Friends. At an address to the African-American Cheyney Training School for Teachers, he made a point of how much African-Americans had aided Quakers in their slow evolution toward a tender conscience on issues of racial discrimination.
The Society of Friends still needed (& needs) help in ridding itself of racism. From 1932-42, the 2 Philadelphia YM’s Race Relations Committees & AFSC sponsored conference with Henry as chair. Henry [asked] schools to be “enterprises which are faithful to the principles & testimonies of the Society of Friends.” [Philadelphia & New York schools slowly & somewhat reluctantly admitted African-Americans in the 30’s & 40’s. In an Earlham College speech, Henry spoke of the importance of ending segregation in housing & employment.
[Social Action & Belief, RSV, & Sabbatical]—Henry Cadbury became aware how many young women & men, were attracted more to social work & action than to the organized religion in which they had grown up. He said of belief & action: “The 2 aspects are complementary. I am impressed how much inner religion is fostered by social concern … Action, often incoherent & inarticulate, leads to thought, & can lead to spiritual growth.”
In 1929 Henry was invited by the American Standard Bible Committee with 8 others, to prepare a New Testament Revised Standard Version; others were working on the Old Testament. His family would joke, “He’s in New York, rewriting God’s word.” On sabbatical at Woodbrooke in Birmingham he worked on George Fox’s papers, producing Annual Catalogue of George Fox’s Papers, & reconstructing George Fox’s Book of Miracles.
[Harvard Divinity School]—Henry Cadbury was invited back to Harvard to fill the Hollis Chair of Divinity. During his 1st year, he was invited to give the Lowell lectures at Boston’s historic King’s Chapel. He said: “When religious spirit does exist, it is marked by the same power, insight, instinctive virtue & persistent efficiency which marked Jesus’ career.” Henry Cadbury was opposed to taking oaths, to tests of loyalty, & to threats to academic freedom. He joined a group of Massachusetts professors who agreed to file signed papers stating their objections. He defended other teachers who refused to sign the oath, and Jehovah Witnesses who refused to salute the flag.
Henry Cadbury had not had a mystical opening and was convinced that many other Quakers had not been mystics; instead, they lived a religious life. [Rufus Jones and Howard Brinton argued for continental mysticism as the source of Quakerism; Henry Cadbury and] Geoffrey Nuttall traced Quaker thought to the radical edge of the Puritan movement. Henry said: “Must it be either/or? Can’s it be both/and?”
[Jewish Refugees, World War II, and Nobel Prize]—Quakers had been feeding children on both sides of the conflict in Spain; their attention now turned to helping as many Jewish families as possible to leave Germany. [Efforts to provide German interpreters to foreign consulates were met with indifference, if not resistance, by the State Department]. After the European war broke out, he said: “War is an immoral act sanctioned by otherwise moral men. Nations condone ruthlessness as a means to an end and blame God, man and the devil for their behavior,” and “If you ever hear a CO before a tribunal, you will notice … embarrassing questions asked of him that can be matched by equally embarrassing questions to be asked the court.”
In 1940 Henry Cadbury returned to the British Isles. The Quaker visitors observed the damage from German bombing raids. In Lisbon on the way home Henry wrote his 1st “Letter from the Past,” this one on Quaker contacts with Portugal. At home, Henry Cadbury wrote and preached against the growing menace of war with renewed passion. Pearl Harbor and US entry into the war was a blow to his hopes.
Henry visited Civilian Public Service camps and wrote [of the frustration found there]: “It would be well if more of us could learn to be more earnest and content about the things we may do even though they may seem irrelevant to the most imposing events of our time. It is far more realistic than the ostrich-like absorption of belligerents in their own self defeating enterprise.”
Rufus Jones resigned from the AFSC for reasons of health; Henry Cadbury resumed the chairmanship. He traveled to Washington for Friends Committee on National Legislation, and to regional AFSC offices around the country. He wrote in the annual report: “[As with Gandhi] nothing less than an experiment with truth can satisfy the Christian liberal.” In the book Jesus, What Manner of Man, he emphasized how Jesus thought, and made the point that Jesus always demanded something extra of his disciples.
In summer 1947 Henry & Lydia Cadbury chaperoned a shipload of young volunteers bound for Europe. After they returned home, they learned that AFSC had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Henry borrowed a tuxedo from AFSC to receive the award. At the ceremony he said: “The common people of all nations want peace … You are saying to them here today that common folk, not statesmen, not generals, not great men of affairs, but just simple plain men & women … can do something to build a better peaceful world. The future hope of peace lies with such personal sacrificial service.” Rufus Jones convened a group that proposed a “Peace of God” to preserve Jerusalem as a center for all faiths. Fighting broke out before the commission reached Jerusalem.
Life After Rufus Jones; Final years at Harvard—The “Peace of God” was Rufus Jones’ last creative act. He died of a heart attack in June 1948. For many it was the end of an era. Quakers & others turned increasingly to Henry Cadbury for leadership. Domestic peace in the US was disturbed by McCarthyism, with its loyalty oaths, & growing suspicions of organizations like AFSC. Appearing on behalf of people unjustly accused, Henry Cadbury often found it necessary to explain who Quakers were & what they believed. Henry said: “Our critics can’t understand a religion whose genius is precisely the continuity of change, [of not settling] down into conformity.”
In a lecture Henry Cadbury argued that since early Friends believed that the same Holy Spirit spoke directly to them, they felt that they should read the Bible in light of their own inner revelations and respond when the saints’ experiences and insights “answered to theirs. Henry said: “The Bible is not the dictator of our conduct and faith. It is rather the record of persons who exemplified faith and virtue … What is true in the Bible is there because it is true, not true because it is there.”
[In class], Henry Cadbury’s Socratic method, along with his reluctance to impose his views on others, permitted him to meet the needs of fundamentalist students without challenging their basic assumptions; many looked back with affection for and real appreciation of Henry Cadbury’s guidance in understanding the Bible in light of the times in which it was written. One of Henry’s themes was that the 1st gospel writers carefully selected what they recorded for a purpose. Henry said: “The material now in the gospel was preserved because it served a purpose. It is not an accidental residue of all that Jesus began to do and teach. [It is for] teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness.” In The Book of Acts in History, he wrote: “There is too much tendency to regard Christianity as something unique and apart in its origin; it did not grow in vacuo … The setting of the NT in it contemporary environment should correct also the tendency to unduly modernize it.”
[Philadelphia: AFSC; Teaching; Scholarship]—In the Spring of 1954 and amid great acclaim, Henry Cadbury retired from Harvard. Henry and Lydia packed their bags and headed for Philadelphia; they spent 2 years living and lecturing at Pendle Hill. In addition to being profound, Henry Cadbury could be very funny. Henry had no intention of retiring from teaching. With delight he agreed to teach at Haverford and later at Bryn Mawr. At the Swarthmore Lecture in London he said: “If the role of Quakerism among the denominations is precisely one of enriching their variety and challenging their standards of uniformity, we ought by the same token to welcome variety within our small body.” At Radnor MM he said, “Why spend your whole life studying the seed catalog? Why not plant one’s garden and see what comes up? After 2 years at Pendle Hill, the Cadburys returned to their home in Haverford. He helped 12th Street Meeting to arrange its reunion with Race Street Meeting, the other big downtown meeting.
Henry Cadbury participated enthusiastically in a silent vigil outside the Pentagon showing concern about nuclear proliferation. In a Pendle Hill talk, he suggested that public witness, nonviolence and civil disobedience were only new names for older and forgotten Quaker experiences. [In biblical scholarship], The Eclipse of the Historical Jesus was published by Pendle Hill in 1964; Behind the Gospels came out in 1968. He was still writing his delightful “Letters from the Past,” always suiting the past story to some contemporary issue. He said that the true tradition of Quakerism was change and development—“moving as way opens.”
Henry Cadbury resigned from the position of board chair of AFSC in 1960 but continued to play an active role. [He continued to publish collections of works he had done over the years.] Henry Cadbury’s scholarship, particularly his work on Luke and Acts, is still used by students of the Bible. He supported the call of the Black Power movement for reparations, citing several instances when Friends paid reparations in the past. “Pioneer!” he urged his audience—“Pioneer with abandon!” At a 1974 dedication, some thought Henry seemed very frail and elderly when he rose to speak, but as he warmed up to his subject, his voice regained its old vigor and his eyes their twinkle. He died a short time later, on October 7, 1974.
A humble, modest, quiet man, Henry Cadbury had no idea the effect of his life on other people. The AFSC bears his imprint. He never abandoned his belief that the translation of the gospel message into action was an expression of the religious impulse. Making the Society of Friends more open to people of color [was a part of his lifelong commitment and pioneering activity. Henry Cadbury’s message that [social] action can be translated into belief encouraged social activists to join the Society and helped them on their journey to a more profound spiritual life. Henry Cadbury taught us to see the divine in the ordinary challenges of life.
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377. Creed and Quakers: What’s Belief got to do with it? (by Robert Griswold; 2005) About the Author—Robert Griswold has been a convinced Friend since 1947. [He has gone from a Friends Church to Mountain View Friends (unprogrammed) to Anchorage, to Director of Scattergood Friends School to West Branch Friends (Iowa YM Conservative) to Brinton Visitor in Pacific YM; he welcomes other views].
The Quaker Authority: A Different Foundation—The role of creeds in Quaker theology needs far more attention than it has been given. Quakers have often not responded well to the critiques on Quakers avoiding creeds from established Quaker groups and other denominations. There is reason to doubt that any of the present-day branches of the Religious Society of Friends has been diligent in its appreciation of the witness against creeds.
The foundation of Quaker spiritual authority lies outside belief systems. All other forms [of worship] can't rise to a place of authority of the direct communication of convinced Friends and the Divine Spirit. Quaker spirituality threatens not just the particular creeds of believers but the mental process by which they are formed and clung to. The believer cannot avoid regarding someone who fails to grasp the “true belief” as a heretic.
Quakers were extraordinary heretics. This fact can generate enormous frustration in believers and may go far in accounting for the venom heaped on early Friends. Fox saw Christian pastors as “merchants” who were apostates from genuine Christian faith. Early Friends hoped to change the spirituality of every one in the world.
Creeds in Quaker History—The deep & revolutionary insights of the very earliest Quakers didn’t last as its originators had envisioned. The Quaker way to a spiritual life was a threat to the established creed-bound Christians of the 1600’s; they accused Friends of being secret papists or of fomenting a revolution. From 1660-80, the powers of government & the popular sentiment were aligned in the intention to destroy the Quaker movement.
Friends’ defense of themselves changed the movement. When the defense of the inner experience was put on the level of verbal debate, the arguments written to counter beliefs come to be beliefs. [Even] Fox’s continued arguments for Friends results in statements that are barely distinguishable from those of creed-based Protestants. [In following years], the original vision smoldered at a very low level, as ecclesiastical considerations were given the form of ministers’ meetings & designated elders. In the 19th century, some Friends’ meetings acquired paid pastors & moved back to traditional Protestant doctrines & reliance on scripture’s authority.
Others kept their silent meetings but were led more and more to support causes from an ideological foundation rather than from a leading by the Light. Liberal Friends’ witnessing to Friends’ testimonies is based more on a trust in ideology than in the direct apprehension of Divine Truth. Truth is not served by being captured in particular creeds, nor is it served by the collection and amalgamation of beliefs in good causes.
Clarifying Terms: Beliefs, Faith, & Creeds—Faith is vital to the formation of Friends’ spiritual life, while belief is a dangerous threat. Belief is a conclusion reached & held with enough confidence to be a guide for action. Creeds represent hardening of beliefs into systematic theology. Faith is “the spiritual apprehension of divine truth or intangible realities, founded on experiencing Divine reality.” Repeated attention to the Light Within nurtures the growth of that vision. Intentional choice, [however careful], isn’t the same as “spiritual apprehension.”
What do you know from your own personal spiritual experience? Fox, when he uses the word truth, is not talking about verbal propositions that can be verified; he uses the word [to mean something] closer to our present day use of the word reality. Fox said: “And the written word brings no soul to Christ the life, but [the soul] who comes to the life that the written word speak of …”
Fox’s Experience of the Light—We overlook 2 things in Fox’s transforming experience. 1st, it seems appropriate to infer that the voice Fox heard, isn’t “Christ Jesus,” but a voice pointing toward “Christ Jesus.” It isn’t the voice, but the experience of the voice that is primary. [Fox & Friends] use a lot of words for the Divine Within that speaks to us: “Truth,” “Word,” “Seed,” “that which is pure,” [at least a dozen different terms]. This great volume of pointer words is evidence that, for early Friends & for us today, the experience is primary & the name is secondary.” What I focus on here is Fox’s & early Friends’ direct experience & what that experience implies.
2nd, we overlook Fox’s condition prior to hearing the voice. What was the condition Fox was in, that needed to be addressed in a way that would shake him out of it? The experience of a voice shifted Fox out of a blind spot where he thought ideas were the way to solve his spiritual quest. Trusting that our own powers of thinking and reasoning can save us is, in fact, a universal condition; one that we all need to change.
Gaining a Perspective on Creeds/A Further Look at Fox—Unless we are fully cognizant of the threat that creeds and ideologies pose for us, we are in as much danger of falling under their influence as the rest of the world. [We have raised the witness of early Friends so high above us, that we are] less able to see our own spiritual struggles reflected in the struggles of our Quaker forebears. Fox at 1st sought answers from the well known spiritual “experts” of his time and place as to what he should believe and do. But he failed to find a belief system that did not compromise his spiritual integrity; one that, when made part of himself, would be the key to a spiritually centered life. It is upon this failure that the Quaker faith and its integrity were founded. Fox said: “And if the truth sets you free, you are indeed free … free from all ego-based religion and airy doctrine.”
The nature of silent worship’s experience of the Inward Light eclipses all tendencies toward creeds. Fox wrote: “But oh, the poverty, the shadows, the worships, traditions, & sects that be in the world.” Others before Fox & since have found the Light from a Divine source for themselves (e.g. Hindu Vanaprasthas; Gautama Buddha; Jesus of Nazareth). They found that letting go of the confines of the ego would open them to compassion and love. We are dependent on the experience and convincement of individual members. Without a creedal test to winnow out those who would join us, the opportunity for the infusion of creeds is ever-present in our meetings.
The Threat Creeds Pose for Quakers—While the words “There is that of God in everyone” may seem to newcomers to be the Quaker core creedal statement, that is a grave misunderstanding of Fox’s message. He and other early Friends knew that people didn't always choose to use that wisdom. Contact with the Divine wasn't enough unless it shook them out of their devoted attachment to their own belief systems. Isaac Penington wrote: “Give over thine own willing, running, desire to know or be anything, & sink down to the seed which God sows in thy heart.” Following the Light was a kind of authority for one’s life that was entirely different from following a creed. And, to be effective, the Light had to be followed with discipline and practice. Group creeds or personal creeds alike lead us away from the profound authority we need in our lives. [Perhaps elders] have been eliminated partly because some members were made uncomfortable by having their private creeds challenged.
Some are attracted by the peace, simplicity, equality, community and integrity testimonies. But testimonies embraced as ideals are without spiritual grounding; this makes them “good notions,” but still only notions. Friends do not make it clear to others that their testimonies are the fruits of their spiritual foundation, not the foundation itself. Creeds are not just recitations in church services. Actually, creeds and ideologies are continually forwarded by all segments of human society; nothing is easier than being swayed by them. Quaker membership will never be easy. We have no product for believers to buy. We want them to do something on their own, not follow us.
Flaws & Notions—Fox disparaged ideologies & creeds by calling them “notions.” Creeds act as a screen, a prism, through which we filter our experience of the world. What we see isn't what is but only what our creed lets us see; we become blind to what doesn't fit the creed. Creed becomes part of our self, a personal possession. We seek to possess a spiritual life, [rather than live one]. By adopting a creed we place those who do not share our creed outside the faith. [We create adversaries, opposition, enemies, those who have less faith than we have].
Creeds and ideologies are the tools by which worldly powers keep us in their thrall. They are “shepherds who feed only themselves, clouds without rain.” As long as we remain credulous, we will be ready to wear the labels we are given and act accordingly. Creeds make for contented settlements that put the mind and conscience to rest and leave them there. Prophecy is what breaks down the contentment and defensive walls of creeds. Silent waiting is still what enables Friends to resist the lure of creeds and retain the ability to prophesy to a world mired more than ever in the illusions of creeds and ideologies.
Finding a New Authority—When we let go of what we are most certain we know, when we have humbled and opened ourselves in silence, what we need to know to guide our lives comes to us. Friends were trying to end all religious practices. They were Christians in the sense that they discovered and practiced for themselves what Jesus discovered and tried to teach—that “The Kingdom of God is near.” Rex Ambler wrote: “It was an inner awareness which would enable them initially ‘to see themselves’ as they were, in reality, beyond the deceptions of “the self,” but then also to see what they and others could become, and should become.”
To grow spiritually we have to let go of the illusions we have come to cherish. When we depend on our ego-centered judgment to be the guide for our lives, we lose our relationship with the Divine. Fox’s argument opposed all religious thinking & practice based on conclusions reached by the human mind’s efforts alone. He wrote: “Now you have to die in the silence, you with your wisdom, your knowledge, your reason & your own understanding.” The process isn't easy or painless, but if we are able to do it, we find ourselves in a “new world.”
Knowing and Knowing About/Bruising the Head of the Serpent—I can know all about a work of art. None of that knowledge adds a jot to my aesthetic experience. It is grounded in the relationship between the “is-ness” of the work of art and my own “is-ness.” To have a genuine relationship with Divine reality, I must be open to experiencing that reality directly, putting aside all I think I know about it. Creeds are what lead us to judge others rashly while we remain blithely unaware of our own faulty thinking.
Creeds & ideologies were seen by Fox as the apple offered by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Giving up beliefs requires the discipline of feeding on the Inward Light. We need to be open to being filled by what is, & to let our actions be true to what has been made known to us. As believers, we have come to trust in our powers to choose what to make of reality rather than trusting that we are a part of the reality that encompasses us.
The practice of silently opening to the Light is challenged by nearly every aspect of our human society. Now more than ever, the survival of the human species depends on that species’ ability to let go of what it can manufacturing/ imagining/ own for itself/by itself so that it can freely receive the blessings of living within reality. All people can do it, if they will because what they need is already inside them. We can point toward the place where the experience is to be found, but we can’t give it to them. Those who build with creeds are rejecting the capstone of the spiritual life in favor of their own constructions. The discipline of waiting in the light will enable Friends to continue their witness in the world. What’s belief got to do with it? Nothing.
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378. Living in Virtue, Declaring Against War: Spiritual Roots of Peace Testimony (by Steve Smith; 2005)
About the Author—Steve Smith was born in 1939 and grew up as a member of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative); he attended Scattergood Friends School, Earlham College and Harvard. He received a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and taught it and Religious Studies at Claremont Mckenna College in California. He was active in Claremont Monthly Meeting (MM), Quarterly, and Pacific Yearly Meeting (YM).
Personal Struggles—Born in an era of profound spiritual awakening, the Quaker Peace Testimony remains a radical challenge today. Neither religious dogma nor philosophical principle, it offers no easy answers, only a daunting challenge. As a boy I was struck by the beauty of this teaching, although I have struggled with its meaning. My struggle has been circuitous and confused, drifting through skepticism and darkened by torment. The Peace Testimony is gentle. It asks no more [of all of me] than I am able to do.
Forbidden by my Quaker parents from fighting, I had become an easy mark for every bully at Gibson School; my choices were a beating, or running away. On the playground fear and violence ruled. I dutifully complied with my parents’ instructions, even as I begged for permission to defend myself. [I got what seemed to be permission and after a wild swing at a bully, he never bothered me again. Even as I seethed with rancor at my tormentors, I fell in love with love and sought to cultivate a generous life.
In a Quaker boarding school, neither I nor my fellow students were always true to Quaker values; subtle cruelty could still make life miserable. [I practiced generosity in ironing clothes in the school laundry]. I quickly realized that retaliation only submerged me in greater conflict and misery. With a generous response the cycle of hostility seemed to lift and I felt better about myself and my life. [Even at] a Quaker-related college I was occasionally overcome by violence. [I responded with passive nonviolence, and was berated by an attacker for not fighting back. I came away with a curious sense of triumph.] My own son I urged to seek nonviolent solutions whenever possible, but did not insist that he refrain from defending himself.
I found that coping with hurt feelings is often more difficult for me than coping with physical pain. I can still be jarred off-center by unexpected rudeness, insensitivity or malice. Neither Jesus nor George Fox asks me to be a doormat, absorbing abuse, [ignoring it], without standing up to it. [Self-judgment is included as] a form of emotional violence. I must see that I am forgiven as well [as others]. As a boy & a young man I sought to realize the values I held most dear by sheer effort, somehow willing myself into conformity with what I believed to be right. I have realized that I can’t by iron will rebuild myself into the stuff of my dreams; I cannot compel myself to love.
Living in Virtue/The Source of “War and Fightings”—Accused of blasphemy, Fox had been imprisoned for nearly 6 months. Fox might readily have gained his freedom by consenting to take up arms for the Commonwealth. Fox responded with his famous “living in the life & power that took away the occasion of all wars.” [When recruiters pressed him further] “in love and kindness because of Fox’s virtue,” Fox “told them that if that were their love and kindness I trampled it under my feet.” Fox was incarcerated for 6 more months. Fox cited from the Epistle of James, and claimed an exalted spiritual state, [which] undoubtedly inflamed their fury.
The primary concern of Epistle of James isn't with politics or public policy, but with personal conduct. It is a caution against anger & a call to faithfulness, patience and discipline [James 1:19-20, 3:17-4:3 cited]. Until we have yielded to the Christ within, we are torn by competing desires, craving what does not truly satisfy. We quarrel with one another, demanding what is contrary to right order, using force and violence to gain our ends.
A Redemptive Vision/A Dramatic Test—Standing in the Light and opening to the Truth, abiding in God, we know that God abides in us. [Saying that he “lived in the virtue of that life … ”] was reporting the fruits of his own experience and spiritual discipline. His early years of seeking, depression and despair had culminated in the great openings of 1647 and 48, when he experienced a radical transformation of his entire being. Fox wrote: “Now I was come up in spirit through the flaming sword into the paradise of God. All things were new, and all the creation gave another smell than before, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, and innocency, and righteousness, being renewed up into the image of God by Christ Jesus.”
His public ministry sometimes led to mob beatings and abuse, [particularly] in Ulverston in mid-1652. “[They] shook me by the head, and some by the hands, and dragged me through mire and dirt and water … The skin was struck off my hand and a little blood came, and I looked at it in the love of God, and I was in the love of God to them all that had persecuted me … [They] could not do otherwise, they were in such a spirit.” On many occasions, Fox endured angry denunciations, verbal abuse, physical attacks, and imprisonment. Fox’s typical response was a stout refusal to engage in physical self-defense or retaliation.
The Voices of Quaker Women/Declaring Against War—Margaret Fell was named “chief maintainer” of the sect in the area.” She recognized at an early date the essentially nonviolent spirit of Quakerism. To Judge Archer she wrote: “Thou hast exercised thy cruelty upon a harmless people, that will offer violence to no one, nor wrong any one.” Agnes Wilkinson urged “all who handle a sward and take up carnal weapons … to strip yourself naked of all your carnal weapons and take unto you the sword of the spirit...”
350 Quaker women signed a declaration beginning: “[Christ] ends the War & makes Peace on earth … & destroys the Devil, the cause of War & strifes … whereby he brings peace on earth & reconciliation.” Margaret Fell delivered a paper to king & Parliament which read: “We … bear our testimony against strife, & wars, & contentions that come from the lusts that war in the members, that war in the soul… & love & desire the good of all.”
The Peace Testimony thus gradually assumed over time a more public, corporate profile. Later statements of the Peace Testimony are generalized declarations on behalf of all Friends. Oliver Cromwell’s concerns about the “military threat” of the Quakers was met [by George Fox saying that he] “is sent to stand a witness against all violence … and to turn people … from the occasion of the war … My weapons are not carnal but spiritual … Therefore with a carnal weapon I do not fight.”
The Need for the Sword/Quakers as Exemplars/The 1661 Declaration—Fox acknowledges Cromwell’s role in “cleansing the land of evil doers.” H. Larry Ingle notes that Fox “indicated that he recognized and accepted the authority of the state to use the sword … in the defense of a just cause.” Worldly rulers were bound to use the sword as “a terror to the evildoers who act contrary to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The primary responsibility of Friends in a world of injustice & violence was to exemplify a high path. Fox wrote: “Be examples … wherever you come … Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one; whereby in them ye may be a blessing, & make the witness of God in them to bless you. After Cromwell’s death, Quakers were under suspicion for challenging legitimate political authority.
In 1661, a dozen male Quakers, including Fox, drafted “Declaration from the Harmless & Innocent People of God called Quakers.” The Declaration is far from the unqualified endorsement of universal pacifism that contemporary Friends often think it is. It endorses “the power ordained of God for the punishment of evil-doers. “Our weapons are spiritual, & not carnal … Therefore we can’t learn war any more.” Friends, “the innocent … babes of Christ,” are a harmless, nonviolent people who wouldn’t engage in the seditious acts of which they were accused.
Lives of Grace/Testimonies and Principles/Principle Integrity vs. Deep Authenticity—The Declaration is consistent with Fox’s statements of 1651 & 55, and with his great spiritual openings of 1647 and 48. When we have truly awakened to the Christ within, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Liberation from wars and strife comes from spiritual surrender.
“The 1st Friends’ ministry was conversion to God, regeneration & holiness, not schemes of doctrines & verbal creeds. William Penn. At its inception & throughout most of Friends’ history, Peace Testimony has been [seen] not as a philosophical principle, but as expression of changed lives, the fruit of personal spiritual transformation.
[A principle is a fundamental truth that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning]. Testimony is a report of one’s own experience. Severed from personality, from the emotions & narratives of personal lives, the affirmation of universal principles is bloodless & detached—a “passion” of the mind, but not the heart. For 17th century Friends, fundamental spiritual truths weren’t general intellectual judgments but, rather, the effusions of direct experience, with all the passion of souls that had submitted to the Light. Seeking to feed ourselves with words, we “trample upon the life & fall short of true regeneration & holiness.”
Principle integrity is top-heavy. 1st, [there is] the mind’s judgment, then conforming action.” Friends’ testimonies are rather the heart’s voices. Truth must be lived before it can be declared; “profess no more than you are.” Quaker integrity is authenticity. Paul said: “I delight in God’s law in my inmost self; I see in my members another law…making me captive to the law of sin.” When I yield to the Christ within, right action flows naturally.
Principle Pacifism vs. Testimony Pacifism—The Peace Testimony isn’t a philosophical generalization affirmed by intellectual judgment, but a confession of spiritual surrender & the fruit of that surrender. [The fruit is] “the wisdom to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” Few Friends can honestly claim to know intimately in each moment that they rest in God’s womb. Quakerism’s message is that [blessed peace] lies not in some distant place, but within us, & can be known by opening to the Inward Light inside us.
Without its spiritual ground, the Peace Testimony is profoundly weakened. It becomes merely a Peace Principle”—one partisan position among many. “Peace” becomes an abstract goal, [& time is wasted in fruitless “what if” fantasies]. In testimony pacifism, standing in a wordless conviction of the Light, [I answer “what if …” with] “[I don’t know]. I can only hope to be faithful & open to my leadings, if the circumstance arises.”
When I testify to my experience of God’s love, I am free to do what love requires. Because it rests in awareness of God’s love, testimony pacifism is serene. It acts with the assurance of divine presence even in chaotic circumstances. In a rootless principle affirmed by well-meaning minds, divine providence’s grace is obscured & forgotten, replaced by human striving. Testimony pacifism draws its strength from experiencing God’s presence.
“Principle Quakerism” is a free-floating belief system that has lost its roots in transforming spiritual experience and thus lacks vitality. As a boy, the teachings of Jesus were merely idealistic principles rather than true testimonies growing out of my own spiritual experience. As my spiritual life deepens, my straining to conform to idealistic principles eases. Sound religious discipline typically begins with adoption of precepts of right and wrong, and moves to a deeper experience of the sustaining Spirit disclosed by the tradition.
Seeking Peace/Speaking to the Witness Within/Voicing Unpopular Truth—Peace Testimony arose from an awakened spiritual state that wasn’t shared by everyone. Most Friends in later generations have acknowledged the need for “magistrates” or police officers to enforce laws & maintain order. Quakers today struggle with whether military “police action” is justifiable. Those who refuse to [seek peace] may require external constraints.
A true prophetic voice does not arise from the reactions of the ego but from a clear discernment of Truth, grounded not in fear but in love. My hesitation to “speak truth to power” is reinforced by my impression that [a lot of] “truth-telling” is merely rant, the indulgence of an outraged ego. Resolute unflinching recognition of who I am is the cleansing fire, the utterly humbling submission to the Light that destroys my delusions and awakens me to divine grace. Without submission to the Light, any theological reassurance I receive is a mere “airy notion,” earnest posturing, manifesting the fruit without drawing from the Root.
Retreat and Outreach/The Sustaining Support of Community—Should I “make peace in myself” before I make peace in the world? There are certainly times when retreat is necessary. But when my retreat becomes an ongoing path of avoidance, an excuse for maintaining personal comfort rather than faithfulness to the Light, my spiritual life becomes narcissistic and precious. I may rationalize with skepticism regarding the effectiveness of work for peace and justice. [Similarly] within each community of Friends there is an appropriate division of labor when individuals are true to their own specific gifts and callings.
Throughout dynamic shifts, the work of peace & justice is most effective when guided by corporate discernment within a community. To sustain inwardness & outreach, we need to support each other. What spiritual awakening brings to my social activism is freedom from fear, & thus a more joyful pursuit of a better world. The soul’s prophetic voice has found its true home in God. Some apparently come to God in a single, overwhelming moment. For others, the process of submitting to the Light & becoming more faithful is slow & incremental. Facing with others a frightening world of strife, bloodshed & injustice, I rededicate myself to “love’s royal law.”
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379. Living Truth: a Spiritual Portrait of Pierre Ceresole—1879-1945 (by Keith
Maddock; 2005)
About the Author—Keith R. Maddock was born in Galt, Ontario in 1947, and lived in Toronto most of his adult life. He obtained degrees in religious education and theology from Emmanuel College in the Toronto School of Theology. His work as a congregational youth worker led him to the faith of the Society of Friends. He has also written Beyond the Bars A Quaker Prime for Prison Visitors (PHP 342).
There is nothing particularly harmonious about the music of swallows that cry in high notes as they pass by, soaring upwards like arrows. But could there be a more admirable expression of liberty, courage or defiance in the face of old conventions? Could there be more enthusiasm, vitality or progress measured for its own sake?
Pierre Ceresole (1879-1945)—I was enjoying the lyrical prose of journals, when I came across the remarkable description of the view from a prison window [given above]. Ceresole was not a conventional journal writer. He was an activist-poet who captured inspiration on the wing while seeking spiritual nourishment for his day-to-day moral and social commitments. He left a testimony of spiritual growth from an intense individual disciplined by an objective scientific mind, yet still longing for the transcendent. He never lost his awe of the indestructible beauty of the natural world, and he did not hesitate to pick up a shovel and work alongside others who were trying to make the world a habitable place after the wars.
This is a spiritual portrait, because 1st, I find a spirit or energy in his words that resonates with my inward journey. 2nd, a spiritual portrait seeks a holistic perspective on the individual. Ceresole could be seen as: solitary pilgrim on an arduous journey; humble laborer & humanity's servant; committed social activist; one struggling with depression, yet able to view the troubled, everyday world with wonder & submission to a higher power.
The word “portrait” also suggests a painter’s interpretation of the qualities, he admires in his model. It is the zest for life evoked by the image that continues to move us. A spiritual portrait is an opening into another life, inviting the spectator to step through the frame into the image itself, & perhaps follow his example into a deeper understanding of the truth. We might imagine how he would respond to our world’s conflicts & sufferings.
Pierre Ceresole: A Brief Biography—He was born on August 17, 1879, in Lausanne, Switzerland. His familial background was French, German, Italian, & 1 English grandmother; it was a family distinguished in state service. Ceresole studied mathematics, philosophy, & mechanical engineering; he taught in Zurich. Ceresole was becoming obsessed with the problems of philosophy, [particularly the predetermination of human events].
A 4 week trip to the US turned into a 4 year journey around the world, a spiritual pilgrimage. He worked 2 years for an engineering firm in Japan before he returned to Switzerland. He returned a citizen of the world, an opponent of war and a rebel bold enough to turn his back on the security and privilege of inherited wealth. Ceresole was increasingly distressed by the hypocrisy he observed among religious people, especially their apparent resignation to imminent armed conflict.
Ceresole was invited to the Netherlands, to a conference of the new International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). He joined IFOR in rebuilding French villages devastated by the retreating German army. His 1st international work camp to repair Esnes-Verdun was to develop into Service Civil International (SCI), [which also did work in] Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Wales, India & Spain. In his mid-50’s, Ceresole always joined in the physical work of reconstruction; he regarded labor as a spiritual practice. The rebuilding of Shantipur, the “Village of Peace,” was especially meaningful; it served as a model for 700,000 similar Indian villages.
After encountering Friends at the IFOR conference, he realized that they shared his belief in an unmediated approach to God & many of his social values. Ceresole sought ways to reach both the ordinary people & their leaders with his concerns over rising Fascism. These missions often ended in his arrest & internment in both German & Swiss prisons. He advocated a more active Swiss role in mediating global conflicts & in ending their own manufacture and exporting munitions to warring nations. We may at least be inspired to follow [his example beyond the limits of our understanding. His modest home on the shore of Lake Geneva was a retreat.
Seeking Truth—His lifelong struggle with Christianity and his unique approach to pacifism also began to take shape during [traveling] breaks from the past. Carl Jung said: “Belief is no adequate substitute for inner experience.” [Such experiences] instilled in him an awareness that he needed to come to terms with his own errors and shortcomings before he could begin to speak of Truth to others. Ceresole continued to criticize outdated and corrupt religious practices, as well as the secular idolatries of nationalism and materialism.
One of the truths that Ceresole discovered was that morality is the “scaffolding of life.” He wrote: “You need revolutionary people to prevent obsolete pieces from obstructing the workmen; you also need conservatives so the whole thing doesn’t collapse all of a sudden.” This scaffolding was especially applicable to inherited religious beliefs; Ceresole did not hesitate to set outdated formulas aside. He felt he needed to think and act as if the thoughts and actions of other people were his own. His poetic sensibilities were stirred as he began to feel himself a part of the whole order of creation.
Ceresole imagined that if war had any justification at all, it was because it reveals the truth to people about themselves. He imagined himself entangled in a gigantic web of falsehood, idealism corrupted by the bitterness of contemporary politics & feverish preparations for war. “God is the will that makes for harmony.” Ceresole was acutely aware of contradictions between real & ideal in his experience of the world. It was essential to put everything to the test. God came to represent for him a principle of integrity, a great mirror in which we see our-selves just as we are. He said: “If you allow me to have Christ as a friend, he may become what you call God.”
Love in Action—Pierre Ceresole was deeply impressed by the leadership of Gandhi. [He was impressed that Gandhi had] “a Sunday absolutely solemnized by the resolution to listen instead of to talk.” [From Woolman he got the inspiration] to make it the business of his life to take on the challenges of openhearted service for humanity. Ceresole’s distress over the failure of nationalism & conventional religion to create fellowship fired his commitment to turn love into action. Simply put, he believed that actions unite people; words tend to separate them.
He also discovered that truth only comes to light through personal sacrifice and active, physical involvement in rebuilding a broken world. [In spite of losing] any ideals he still had that an individual acting alone could make a difference, [he felt that] each person “must simply carry out, very scrupulously and exactly, and in all sincerity, the thing that is in him to do, developing a poetry of his own, according to the rhythm that is in him.” Ceresole became an advocate for constructive alternatives to violence.
Ceresole realized that knowledge of God & understanding Christ’s teachings come from faithfulness in daily living, [not] polemical arguments. Spiritual instruction should be offered with spiritual modesty or infinite consideration for who people are & what they already have. Ceresole donated his inheritance to the Swiss government. To Ceresole money interfered with the wholehearted collaboration with other people that he longed for. Ceresole conceived of a moral alternative to war that would bring people together to combat their common enemies—flood, famine, earthquake and war itself. Peace requires that we should recognize good will wherever it is and not only in our own nation, race, class, party or religion.
Ceresole had many fears—of his self, being inadequate, & repeating the same mistakes—all major obstacles [for him]. We have to recognize all our errors, our shortcomings, in order to be true. As a citizen of a country that prided itself on neutrality in wartime, his pacifism took a different emphasis. He acknowledged that conflicts [can] call forth the virtues of chivalry & courage, along with faithful devotion to duty. [His experiences with love led him to say] “To put love before all else—before the Eternal? My poor friend, you would never see [home] again—neither the smaller nor the greater.” He wrote: “Eternal … take me tenderly by the wing & allow me to find the right path (despite & against & across & beyond reason) in simple faithful obedience, in prayer.
Speaking Truth to Power—Ceresole’s faith also demanded courage to speak truth to power & to accept the consequences, including humiliation & imprisonment. His refusal to pay the military exemption tax resulted in estrangement from family & friends, as well as the 1st of several imprisonments for such actions. He called on clergy to resist service to national idols & to direct their energies & devotions to the heroic service of God.
Reconciliation became one of the guiding principles of Ceresole’s life, although the possibilities for it were often overshadowed by the darkness that spread across Europe. In 1933 he crossed the Swiss-German border illegally to explore the possibility of organizing an international work camp on German soil. Of his talks with Mussolini he said, “I did not attempt to force an argument by replying to all the objections raised by Mussolini so as to place him with his back to the wall.” He also reflected that it was better to seem a fool than to be a coward, and better to seem a fool risking one’s life for peace than for war.
Ceresole [spent WW II] distributing pamphlets, ignoring the police prohibition, making public appeals in churches and defying official blackouts. The short prison sentences he served seemed almost welcome respites from stress. In prison, he used his time to talk with prison officials and prisoners in the same way that early Quakers took advantage of their imprisonment. He was also sustained by the belief that the conscientious pursuit of Truth give one an assurance of absolute peace in the end. He believed that those who suffer are often the best instruments of the Spirit not so much because of their moral attitude but because they learn to submit their own wills to a higher power. His confession of 1933 reads in part: “I do not know what means most to Him, but I do know that for me the heart of the matter is to listen for, and to obey, that supreme voice, which is always there; and this is my whole significance, my existence, my life.” He believed that love, truth, harmony, justice and good will would infallibly win the day by bringing others into agreement.
An Alpine Vision—Ceresole’s [Alpine Vision] is a view of the world seen from the heights of spiritual revelation, & ever-growing awareness of the world as it is or can be without the obstacles of religion & political ideology. Ceresole once reflected that “Justice is like a mountain peak for which a man sets out in the morning with a light heart; then he finds a nice resting place; settles himself comfortably…builds a shelter; digs himself in; the peak becomes nothing but a part of the scenery.” The mountain peak is a point from which details of life can be appreciated as windows on Eternity. The Alpine Vision can occur anywhere that one pauses to enjoy the wonder & beauty of Creation [if one doesn't fail to notice]. Above all, Ceresole Alpine vision was characterized by joy.
Leonard Kenworthy wrote that: “Ceresole was a man with “a particularly sensitive conscience that forced him to do things that others weren’t willing to do.” Such praise is consistent with his striving for a fully integrated life that takes in the panorama of earthshaking events, simple everyday activities & moral behavior, beautiful vistas & the natural world’s intricate details. Awareness of the interrelatedness of all things inspires both humility & courage. In Ceresole’s life, this awareness fired the strength of one person’s conviction to an extraordinary degree.
One day in a German prison cell, Ceresole reflected that he had no cause to regret any of his actions while so many were dying for more foolish causes. He embraced a practical and exhilarating way to participate in the process of restoration during one of the most destructive eras of world history. Ceresole continues to speak to the condition of many people in this present age of violence and social injustice. He continues to offer a practical form of poetics that celebrates the beauty of the world while exposing the folly underlying historical events. He writes: “Pray the Eternal to keep your weathervane in good trim so that it readily responds to the true winds of the spirit and doesn’t get jammed by the rust of tradition in a position unrelated to Truth…”
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380. A very good week behind bars (by Janeal Ravndal; 2005)
About the Author—A Pendle Hill Pamphlet some 50 years ago sparked my interest in Friends. My parents and their parents were all pacifists. Teresina Havens relieved my difficulty with creeds by saying, “You cannot catch the spirit in a net of words.” I belong to Stillwater Meeting in Barnesville Ohio, Chris taught at Olney Friends School there and I became a social worker. Chris and I presently live and work at Pendle Hill.
I have learned that if I wait in the right spirit and am bulwarked by caring support, I am able to choose, commit myself, and follow through. Janeal Turnbull Ravndal
[Civil Disobedience, Arrest, and Trial]—On March 20, 2003, at the start of the war in Iraq, I was among 107 war protesters blocking entrances of the Federal Building in Philadelphia; I had never before committed civil disobedience or been arrested. I considered whether this civil disobedience was the right thing for me to do if war began, worrying about the trouble it would cause [users and employees in the Federal Building].
[In the arrest and the court room I experienced kindness]. What I found that day sitting in the rain and then behind bars was a sense of personal peace. I pled guilty to obstruction but refused to pay the $250 fine. While realizing our country’s justice system is often flawed, especially for the poor, for African Americans, [and Native Americans. The thinking of] our Presbyterian family did not allow for enemies: all people were God’s beloved children. My mother loved and suffered with the people of the Middle East. My father was a lifetime member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. [During the war], the assurances of adults that war would not come here never made sense to me. I expected every plane I saw or heard to drop a bomb on me.
[My 67 years, my study, social work, and parenting have led me to understand that violence does not solve problems; violence makes us less safe. [As a child] in every service I met the Apostles Creed. I knew I did not fully believe it. Should I say it? Today, the war in Iraq still seems to me a tragic mistake with raging repercussions. When will the dear children of one group stop obeying orders to denounce and kill the dear folk of another group? I use much more than I need of the world’s resources. I still send in taxes that pay for this war. I am thankful for my day of civil disobedience, my day in court, and especially for my week in prison.
[Reporting to Jail, Singing; Cold Nights]—O n Earth Day April 22, 2004, I went off to jail. As I left for Jail from Pendle Hill, I was told that the Christmas star would be lit until I returned from jail. I realized that I no longer felt like my usual rather skeptical self, but was full of faith. Downtown, 9 prospective prisoners and some supporters gathered in front of the Federal Court Building and walked the block to the Federal Detention Center.
Inside the detention center [we went to a holding cell where we 6 women would now spend more than 8 hours on metal benches. We waited, speculated and sang; the 1st strip search went all right. [I was a smart aleck when I spoke to a social worker], which perhaps stemmed from my growing fear. We 6 women were taken, hands cuffed behind our backs, to a small visiting room near the Special Housing Unit (SHU). There we had a 2nd strip search. I put on the orange bra, panties, t-shirt, socks, shoes, and jump suit that was handed in through the door’s hole.
I was delivered to a cell and found Patricia Pearce would be my cellmate. We knew the same hymns and she was a soprano, so I could sing alto. We had a blessing for our cell: “Spirit, we thank thee for this cell/ Thy bounteous love provides./ Stay with us here that ours may be/ A cell where peace abides.// Let all our words be soft with love/, Our thoughts all free from shame./ Let every act beneath this roof/ Be worthy of thy name.”
The room had a shower, metal bunks, metal table, stainless steel toilet & sink. We took turns leading the start-of-the-day time. I made lists of what we wanted, & our luxuries. [A man who was a counselor, ordered me to be handcuffed to go make a phone call]. I called my husband Chris & gave him my prisoner number. The counselor was irritable & unkind]. I cried a bit, perhaps at the thought of inmates having such a bitter, angry counselor.
[Activities on “Retreat”]—That night we had trouble sleeping. We were chilly, but worse, could not turn off our very bright room light. The next day we were feeling solidarity with all prisoners everywhere. Hoping to find something to use for glue, we saved juice carton, plastic spoons and drink and condiment packages. It turned out coffee powder with a few drops of water made serviceable glue. [I made a collage about my imprisonment.] It occurred to me that President Bush appears to want people to trust and follow his lead without challenge; that is not what is best, even for him. He must be so overwhelmed; what he needs is a few quiet days in a quiet jail cell.
[We enjoyed Father Ben and his book cart when it came. He enjoyed spreading good cheer on his rounds]. My life has been spent living in church or Quaker communities, so I wondered about community in prison, whether some inmates might even experience more there than on the outside. I know I was being supported by the Pendle Hill community. [That night I used a thick layer of newspaper to insulate the bottom of the bed, tucked in one blanket and pulled the other to my chin].
In maximum security we weren’t allowed to leave our cells for the religious services in the detention center. We taught others in SHU hymns, & held our own service, using our orange cotton blankets as shawls. Patricia’s closing prayer went in part: “Thank you for the vision of a healed world where children are cherished & protected … We pray that your shalom will take root & the people will come to see the ineffectiveness of violence … Help us to inhabit the world so that through us your shalom and healing will spread to others.” We found ourselves able to joke about our circumstances. I wrote: “Oh dear! I’m sentenced to 7 days/ away from traffic, chores, phone.”
Regimentation, Rules and Prison Employees—[Right before going to jail, I met a young man who had done 45 days in county prison; he called my week in Detention “a cakewalk. I suspect he was right. Yet] bright lights, a headache, feeling grimy and uptight about no privacy brought me pretty close to discouragement, [despite the fact that] I was there by choice and without the burden of guilt.
I found myself thinking about how prison un-prepares people for democracy in particular and life in general. They may expect a continuation of such rules, or possibly even feel more comfortable taking orders. [Yet in places like a Domestic Abuse Safehouse] it is the staff’s job to recognize them as responsible and mature adults who need to learn to make their own choices and decisions. [I wondered] how many prisoners could be much better helped back to a state usefulness by a different type of program [than jail].
We received cleaning supplies, and a fresh change of clothes, everything except the jumper. Later I wrote: “Do you hear that noise?/ I think they cannot keep from us / The sound of spring rain,” and “Oh that the news/ in these papers spread on my bed/ would keep our whole world warm.” That morning we were taken to “the cage” for recreation. A narrow strip of gray sky was visible around the high roof. There was a young woman with us who was the mother of 3 children. Perhaps I have never seen a look of more sadness and exhaustion on such a young face. We talked, sang, and danced; what a happy hour. As time went by the situation seemed more and more absurd to us. What threat were they recognizing in trying to control us [with prison]? What could the government have done instead to save itself the cost and trouble of housing me there? Surely the point is not punishment but choosing some legal response likely to further the welfare of society.
[Mail Call; Fasting; the Hokey Pokey]—At Mail Call I received 2 letters from Chris & a homemade card with a peace crane on the front, full of cheering notes from Pendle Hill folk. I read everything, read everything again, & hung up the peace crane. A correctional officer said that former military personnel not up-to-date on the present situation would be very angry at our anti-war positions, & that if he were in this prison he would want to be where we were. On Tuesday Patricia & I fasted until suppertime, in concert with some of Patricia’s friends.
After some writing I finished my bracelet, made from torn-paper beads wound up with toothpaste glue and strung on triple blanket threads. I wore my beads to recreation hour the next day. I think it was because it was so cold in the cage that I had the idea of dancing the “Hokey-Pokey.” The others seemed to experience our “performance” as something of a lapse from their intentions to be single-minded in working for peace here in prison. The thin line of sky around the top of the cages that day was blue.
Having long seen myself as a doubter, questioner &, a challenger of believers, I have always omitted any name for God. [With Patricia], I finally started my prayer, “Spirit of Love among us.” I told Patricia the story of Pendle Hill’s Christmas star, how my hope was reborn by it being hoisted to the top of the tall Canadian hemock. [I left half-serious advice to future inmates in the margins of] “S.H.U. Rules & Procedures Inmate Copy.”
[Last Day & Lessons Learned]—On the last day Patricia came up with the idea of painting “Strip for Peace” on her back. We never did get warm enough. The last night we talked to our friendly 2nd-shift guard about the men & community in prison. The men were noisier, more numerous & most of them hadn’t gone to trial. He said there was some community here. Our final morning I woke with words for a thank-you to the SHU staff. From flowery magazine pages I composed a note which said: “Thank you SHU staff for the kindness & respect & caring you show those who are under your supervision. I think there is a real possibility that new peace in our world will begin with you.” We had our final prison breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios & sang our room blessing. Volunteering as accomplice, [I wrote] “STRIP FOR PEACE” on Patricia’s back in brazen, hot orange capitals.
We handed out our Priority Mail envelopes filled with letters and journal pages and secreted artwork. In the storage room where we were taken to change into our own clothes, we had to call to the attention of our beautiful young inspector the words painted on Patricia’s back. Her laugh seemed to reflect a sort of resignation to the impossibility of keeping this group in order. [We sang one last time in a holding cell. One of our number referred to us as either “The Prisoner of Conscience Choir,” or “The Outrageous Orange Sextet].”
Finally, handcuffs removed; we were taken by elevator to the basement & let out through a garage-like area in the rear of the building, into a bright, cold day. [Friends, family, and former prisoners] gathered in a circle in front of the Federal Building where adventure had started. Patricia blessed a loaf of bread & we passed it around until it was gone. Then the circle scattered, each of us heading home through the lush, plush world of spring & freedom.
That night I enjoyed the star shining atop the Canadian hemlock; the next morning I enjoyed the photo of our 8 beautiful grandchildren & patches of morning sun on the table. I walked to morning Meeting for Worship past dogwood, lilac, & new green. I said thanks for all the support, then added that I had had a good time. Great laughter; it felt then, & still feels, true. It was a good time. I kept my prison hairdo when a local news photographer took my photo.
After this week I really did feel in a new and revised relationship to the world—a larger, more complicated world, with awareness of my brothers and sisters living or employed in prisons. The bonding and faith I felt on leaving jail, and honor now as I write this, seem akin to that faith which is the opposite of fear. [I felt] decidedly not guilty about the whole week in maximum security. Our list of miracles included turning coffee into glue and being able to view our guards as thoughtful caretakers.
Hopefully I will find some way to serve, or at least remain more alert to, the needs of those living in these institutions. I have learned that if I wait in the right spirit and am bulwarked by caring support, I am able to choose, commit myself, and follow through. I hope to retain new appreciation for freedom, more consciousness of my privileged status. The Korean Christian pastor Joon Park spoke of his 11 years in prison for speaking out for democracy. He remarked that life was easier when he was in prison. I think he meant choices were more clear, less complicated, God’s will more evident, as he discerned how best to serve God and his fellow prisoners.
Perhaps I understand better now what Joon meant. Thoreau said something like, “Read not the times, read the eternities.” I think during my very good week in prison I was a bit better at reading those eternities. Now the daily homework is to continue, in this more complicated world outside prison, a journey toward faith, away from fear.
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2nd, we overlook Fox’s condition prior to hearing the voice. What was the condition Fox was in, that needed to be addressed in a way that would shake him out of it? The experience of a voice shifted Fox out of a blind spot where he thought ideas were the way to solve his spiritual quest. Trusting that our own powers of thinking and reasoning can save us is, in fact, a universal condition; one that we all need to change.
Gaining a Perspective on Creeds/A Further Look at Fox—Unless we are fully cognizant of the threat that creeds and ideologies pose for us, we are in as much danger of falling under their influence as the rest of the world. [We have raised the witness of early Friends so high above us, that we are] less able to see our own spiritual struggles reflected in the struggles of our Quaker forebears. Fox at 1st sought answers from the well known spiritual “experts” of his time and place as to what he should believe and do. But he failed to find a belief system that did not compromise his spiritual integrity; one that, when made part of himself, would be the key to a spiritually centered life. It is upon this failure that the Quaker faith and its integrity were founded. Fox said: “And if the truth sets you free, you are indeed free … free from all ego-based religion and airy doctrine.”
The nature of silent worship’s experience of the Inward Light eclipses all tendencies toward creeds. Fox wrote: “But oh, the poverty, the shadows, the worships, traditions, & sects that be in the world.” Others before Fox & since have found the Light from a Divine source for themselves (e.g. Hindu Vanaprasthas; Gautama Buddha; Jesus of Nazareth). They found that letting go of the confines of the ego would open them to compassion and love. We are dependent on the experience and convincement of individual members. Without a creedal test to winnow out those who would join us, the opportunity for the infusion of creeds is ever-present in our meetings.
The Threat Creeds Pose for Quakers—While the words “There is that of God in everyone” may seem to newcomers to be the Quaker core creedal statement, that is a grave misunderstanding of Fox’s message. He and other early Friends knew that people didn't always choose to use that wisdom. Contact with the Divine wasn't enough unless it shook them out of their devoted attachment to their own belief systems. Isaac Penington wrote: “Give over thine own willing, running, desire to know or be anything, & sink down to the seed which God sows in thy heart.” Following the Light was a kind of authority for one’s life that was entirely different from following a creed. And, to be effective, the Light had to be followed with discipline and practice. Group creeds or personal creeds alike lead us away from the profound authority we need in our lives. [Perhaps elders] have been eliminated partly because some members were made uncomfortable by having their private creeds challenged.
Some are attracted by the peace, simplicity, equality, community and integrity testimonies. But testimonies embraced as ideals are without spiritual grounding; this makes them “good notions,” but still only notions. Friends do not make it clear to others that their testimonies are the fruits of their spiritual foundation, not the foundation itself. Creeds are not just recitations in church services. Actually, creeds and ideologies are continually forwarded by all segments of human society; nothing is easier than being swayed by them. Quaker membership will never be easy. We have no product for believers to buy. We want them to do something on their own, not follow us.
Flaws & Notions—Fox disparaged ideologies & creeds by calling them “notions.” Creeds act as a screen, a prism, through which we filter our experience of the world. What we see isn't what is but only what our creed lets us see; we become blind to what doesn't fit the creed. Creed becomes part of our self, a personal possession. We seek to possess a spiritual life, [rather than live one]. By adopting a creed we place those who do not share our creed outside the faith. [We create adversaries, opposition, enemies, those who have less faith than we have].
Creeds and ideologies are the tools by which worldly powers keep us in their thrall. They are “shepherds who feed only themselves, clouds without rain.” As long as we remain credulous, we will be ready to wear the labels we are given and act accordingly. Creeds make for contented settlements that put the mind and conscience to rest and leave them there. Prophecy is what breaks down the contentment and defensive walls of creeds. Silent waiting is still what enables Friends to resist the lure of creeds and retain the ability to prophesy to a world mired more than ever in the illusions of creeds and ideologies.
Finding a New Authority—When we let go of what we are most certain we know, when we have humbled and opened ourselves in silence, what we need to know to guide our lives comes to us. Friends were trying to end all religious practices. They were Christians in the sense that they discovered and practiced for themselves what Jesus discovered and tried to teach—that “The Kingdom of God is near.” Rex Ambler wrote: “It was an inner awareness which would enable them initially ‘to see themselves’ as they were, in reality, beyond the deceptions of “the self,” but then also to see what they and others could become, and should become.”
To grow spiritually we have to let go of the illusions we have come to cherish. When we depend on our ego-centered judgment to be the guide for our lives, we lose our relationship with the Divine. Fox’s argument opposed all religious thinking & practice based on conclusions reached by the human mind’s efforts alone. He wrote: “Now you have to die in the silence, you with your wisdom, your knowledge, your reason & your own understanding.” The process isn't easy or painless, but if we are able to do it, we find ourselves in a “new world.”
Knowing and Knowing About/Bruising the Head of the Serpent—I can know all about a work of art. None of that knowledge adds a jot to my aesthetic experience. It is grounded in the relationship between the “is-ness” of the work of art and my own “is-ness.” To have a genuine relationship with Divine reality, I must be open to experiencing that reality directly, putting aside all I think I know about it. Creeds are what lead us to judge others rashly while we remain blithely unaware of our own faulty thinking.
Creeds & ideologies were seen by Fox as the apple offered by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Giving up beliefs requires the discipline of feeding on the Inward Light. We need to be open to being filled by what is, & to let our actions be true to what has been made known to us. As believers, we have come to trust in our powers to choose what to make of reality rather than trusting that we are a part of the reality that encompasses us.
The practice of silently opening to the Light is challenged by nearly every aspect of our human society. Now more than ever, the survival of the human species depends on that species’ ability to let go of what it can manufacturing/ imagining/ own for itself/by itself so that it can freely receive the blessings of living within reality. All people can do it, if they will because what they need is already inside them. We can point toward the place where the experience is to be found, but we can’t give it to them. Those who build with creeds are rejecting the capstone of the spiritual life in favor of their own constructions. The discipline of waiting in the light will enable Friends to continue their witness in the world. What’s belief got to do with it? Nothing.
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378. Living in Virtue, Declaring Against War: Spiritual Roots of Peace Testimony (by Steve Smith; 2005)
About the Author—Steve Smith was born in 1939 and grew up as a member of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative); he attended Scattergood Friends School, Earlham College and Harvard. He received a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and taught it and Religious Studies at Claremont Mckenna College in California. He was active in Claremont Monthly Meeting (MM), Quarterly, and Pacific Yearly Meeting (YM).
Personal Struggles—Born in an era of profound spiritual awakening, the Quaker Peace Testimony remains a radical challenge today. Neither religious dogma nor philosophical principle, it offers no easy answers, only a daunting challenge. As a boy I was struck by the beauty of this teaching, although I have struggled with its meaning. My struggle has been circuitous and confused, drifting through skepticism and darkened by torment. The Peace Testimony is gentle. It asks no more [of all of me] than I am able to do.
Forbidden by my Quaker parents from fighting, I had become an easy mark for every bully at Gibson School; my choices were a beating, or running away. On the playground fear and violence ruled. I dutifully complied with my parents’ instructions, even as I begged for permission to defend myself. [I got what seemed to be permission and after a wild swing at a bully, he never bothered me again. Even as I seethed with rancor at my tormentors, I fell in love with love and sought to cultivate a generous life.
In a Quaker boarding school, neither I nor my fellow students were always true to Quaker values; subtle cruelty could still make life miserable. [I practiced generosity in ironing clothes in the school laundry]. I quickly realized that retaliation only submerged me in greater conflict and misery. With a generous response the cycle of hostility seemed to lift and I felt better about myself and my life. [Even at] a Quaker-related college I was occasionally overcome by violence. [I responded with passive nonviolence, and was berated by an attacker for not fighting back. I came away with a curious sense of triumph.] My own son I urged to seek nonviolent solutions whenever possible, but did not insist that he refrain from defending himself.
I found that coping with hurt feelings is often more difficult for me than coping with physical pain. I can still be jarred off-center by unexpected rudeness, insensitivity or malice. Neither Jesus nor George Fox asks me to be a doormat, absorbing abuse, [ignoring it], without standing up to it. [Self-judgment is included as] a form of emotional violence. I must see that I am forgiven as well [as others]. As a boy & a young man I sought to realize the values I held most dear by sheer effort, somehow willing myself into conformity with what I believed to be right. I have realized that I can’t by iron will rebuild myself into the stuff of my dreams; I cannot compel myself to love.
Living in Virtue/The Source of “War and Fightings”—Accused of blasphemy, Fox had been imprisoned for nearly 6 months. Fox might readily have gained his freedom by consenting to take up arms for the Commonwealth. Fox responded with his famous “living in the life & power that took away the occasion of all wars.” [When recruiters pressed him further] “in love and kindness because of Fox’s virtue,” Fox “told them that if that were their love and kindness I trampled it under my feet.” Fox was incarcerated for 6 more months. Fox cited from the Epistle of James, and claimed an exalted spiritual state, [which] undoubtedly inflamed their fury.
The primary concern of Epistle of James isn't with politics or public policy, but with personal conduct. It is a caution against anger & a call to faithfulness, patience and discipline [James 1:19-20, 3:17-4:3 cited]. Until we have yielded to the Christ within, we are torn by competing desires, craving what does not truly satisfy. We quarrel with one another, demanding what is contrary to right order, using force and violence to gain our ends.
A Redemptive Vision/A Dramatic Test—Standing in the Light and opening to the Truth, abiding in God, we know that God abides in us. [Saying that he “lived in the virtue of that life … ”] was reporting the fruits of his own experience and spiritual discipline. His early years of seeking, depression and despair had culminated in the great openings of 1647 and 48, when he experienced a radical transformation of his entire being. Fox wrote: “Now I was come up in spirit through the flaming sword into the paradise of God. All things were new, and all the creation gave another smell than before, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, and innocency, and righteousness, being renewed up into the image of God by Christ Jesus.”
His public ministry sometimes led to mob beatings and abuse, [particularly] in Ulverston in mid-1652. “[They] shook me by the head, and some by the hands, and dragged me through mire and dirt and water … The skin was struck off my hand and a little blood came, and I looked at it in the love of God, and I was in the love of God to them all that had persecuted me … [They] could not do otherwise, they were in such a spirit.” On many occasions, Fox endured angry denunciations, verbal abuse, physical attacks, and imprisonment. Fox’s typical response was a stout refusal to engage in physical self-defense or retaliation.
The Voices of Quaker Women/Declaring Against War—Margaret Fell was named “chief maintainer” of the sect in the area.” She recognized at an early date the essentially nonviolent spirit of Quakerism. To Judge Archer she wrote: “Thou hast exercised thy cruelty upon a harmless people, that will offer violence to no one, nor wrong any one.” Agnes Wilkinson urged “all who handle a sward and take up carnal weapons … to strip yourself naked of all your carnal weapons and take unto you the sword of the spirit...”
350 Quaker women signed a declaration beginning: “[Christ] ends the War & makes Peace on earth … & destroys the Devil, the cause of War & strifes … whereby he brings peace on earth & reconciliation.” Margaret Fell delivered a paper to king & Parliament which read: “We … bear our testimony against strife, & wars, & contentions that come from the lusts that war in the members, that war in the soul… & love & desire the good of all.”
The Peace Testimony thus gradually assumed over time a more public, corporate profile. Later statements of the Peace Testimony are generalized declarations on behalf of all Friends. Oliver Cromwell’s concerns about the “military threat” of the Quakers was met [by George Fox saying that he] “is sent to stand a witness against all violence … and to turn people … from the occasion of the war … My weapons are not carnal but spiritual … Therefore with a carnal weapon I do not fight.”
The Need for the Sword/Quakers as Exemplars/The 1661 Declaration—Fox acknowledges Cromwell’s role in “cleansing the land of evil doers.” H. Larry Ingle notes that Fox “indicated that he recognized and accepted the authority of the state to use the sword … in the defense of a just cause.” Worldly rulers were bound to use the sword as “a terror to the evildoers who act contrary to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The primary responsibility of Friends in a world of injustice & violence was to exemplify a high path. Fox wrote: “Be examples … wherever you come … Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one; whereby in them ye may be a blessing, & make the witness of God in them to bless you. After Cromwell’s death, Quakers were under suspicion for challenging legitimate political authority.
In 1661, a dozen male Quakers, including Fox, drafted “Declaration from the Harmless & Innocent People of God called Quakers.” The Declaration is far from the unqualified endorsement of universal pacifism that contemporary Friends often think it is. It endorses “the power ordained of God for the punishment of evil-doers. “Our weapons are spiritual, & not carnal … Therefore we can’t learn war any more.” Friends, “the innocent … babes of Christ,” are a harmless, nonviolent people who wouldn’t engage in the seditious acts of which they were accused.
Lives of Grace/Testimonies and Principles/Principle Integrity vs. Deep Authenticity—The Declaration is consistent with Fox’s statements of 1651 & 55, and with his great spiritual openings of 1647 and 48. When we have truly awakened to the Christ within, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Liberation from wars and strife comes from spiritual surrender.
“The 1st Friends’ ministry was conversion to God, regeneration & holiness, not schemes of doctrines & verbal creeds. William Penn. At its inception & throughout most of Friends’ history, Peace Testimony has been [seen] not as a philosophical principle, but as expression of changed lives, the fruit of personal spiritual transformation.
[A principle is a fundamental truth that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning]. Testimony is a report of one’s own experience. Severed from personality, from the emotions & narratives of personal lives, the affirmation of universal principles is bloodless & detached—a “passion” of the mind, but not the heart. For 17th century Friends, fundamental spiritual truths weren’t general intellectual judgments but, rather, the effusions of direct experience, with all the passion of souls that had submitted to the Light. Seeking to feed ourselves with words, we “trample upon the life & fall short of true regeneration & holiness.”
Principle integrity is top-heavy. 1st, [there is] the mind’s judgment, then conforming action.” Friends’ testimonies are rather the heart’s voices. Truth must be lived before it can be declared; “profess no more than you are.” Quaker integrity is authenticity. Paul said: “I delight in God’s law in my inmost self; I see in my members another law…making me captive to the law of sin.” When I yield to the Christ within, right action flows naturally.
Principle Pacifism vs. Testimony Pacifism—The Peace Testimony isn’t a philosophical generalization affirmed by intellectual judgment, but a confession of spiritual surrender & the fruit of that surrender. [The fruit is] “the wisdom to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” Few Friends can honestly claim to know intimately in each moment that they rest in God’s womb. Quakerism’s message is that [blessed peace] lies not in some distant place, but within us, & can be known by opening to the Inward Light inside us.
Without its spiritual ground, the Peace Testimony is profoundly weakened. It becomes merely a Peace Principle”—one partisan position among many. “Peace” becomes an abstract goal, [& time is wasted in fruitless “what if” fantasies]. In testimony pacifism, standing in a wordless conviction of the Light, [I answer “what if …” with] “[I don’t know]. I can only hope to be faithful & open to my leadings, if the circumstance arises.”
When I testify to my experience of God’s love, I am free to do what love requires. Because it rests in awareness of God’s love, testimony pacifism is serene. It acts with the assurance of divine presence even in chaotic circumstances. In a rootless principle affirmed by well-meaning minds, divine providence’s grace is obscured & forgotten, replaced by human striving. Testimony pacifism draws its strength from experiencing God’s presence.
“Principle Quakerism” is a free-floating belief system that has lost its roots in transforming spiritual experience and thus lacks vitality. As a boy, the teachings of Jesus were merely idealistic principles rather than true testimonies growing out of my own spiritual experience. As my spiritual life deepens, my straining to conform to idealistic principles eases. Sound religious discipline typically begins with adoption of precepts of right and wrong, and moves to a deeper experience of the sustaining Spirit disclosed by the tradition.
Seeking Peace/Speaking to the Witness Within/Voicing Unpopular Truth—Peace Testimony arose from an awakened spiritual state that wasn’t shared by everyone. Most Friends in later generations have acknowledged the need for “magistrates” or police officers to enforce laws & maintain order. Quakers today struggle with whether military “police action” is justifiable. Those who refuse to [seek peace] may require external constraints.
A true prophetic voice does not arise from the reactions of the ego but from a clear discernment of Truth, grounded not in fear but in love. My hesitation to “speak truth to power” is reinforced by my impression that [a lot of] “truth-telling” is merely rant, the indulgence of an outraged ego. Resolute unflinching recognition of who I am is the cleansing fire, the utterly humbling submission to the Light that destroys my delusions and awakens me to divine grace. Without submission to the Light, any theological reassurance I receive is a mere “airy notion,” earnest posturing, manifesting the fruit without drawing from the Root.
Retreat and Outreach/The Sustaining Support of Community—Should I “make peace in myself” before I make peace in the world? There are certainly times when retreat is necessary. But when my retreat becomes an ongoing path of avoidance, an excuse for maintaining personal comfort rather than faithfulness to the Light, my spiritual life becomes narcissistic and precious. I may rationalize with skepticism regarding the effectiveness of work for peace and justice. [Similarly] within each community of Friends there is an appropriate division of labor when individuals are true to their own specific gifts and callings.
Throughout dynamic shifts, the work of peace & justice is most effective when guided by corporate discernment within a community. To sustain inwardness & outreach, we need to support each other. What spiritual awakening brings to my social activism is freedom from fear, & thus a more joyful pursuit of a better world. The soul’s prophetic voice has found its true home in God. Some apparently come to God in a single, overwhelming moment. For others, the process of submitting to the Light & becoming more faithful is slow & incremental. Facing with others a frightening world of strife, bloodshed & injustice, I rededicate myself to “love’s royal law.”
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379. Living Truth: a Spiritual Portrait of Pierre Ceresole—1879-1945 (by Keith
Maddock; 2005)
About the Author—Keith R. Maddock was born in Galt, Ontario in 1947, and lived in Toronto most of his adult life. He obtained degrees in religious education and theology from Emmanuel College in the Toronto School of Theology. His work as a congregational youth worker led him to the faith of the Society of Friends. He has also written Beyond the Bars A Quaker Prime for Prison Visitors (PHP 342).
There is nothing particularly harmonious about the music of swallows that cry in high notes as they pass by, soaring upwards like arrows. But could there be a more admirable expression of liberty, courage or defiance in the face of old conventions? Could there be more enthusiasm, vitality or progress measured for its own sake?
Pierre Ceresole (1879-1945)—I was enjoying the lyrical prose of journals, when I came across the remarkable description of the view from a prison window [given above]. Ceresole was not a conventional journal writer. He was an activist-poet who captured inspiration on the wing while seeking spiritual nourishment for his day-to-day moral and social commitments. He left a testimony of spiritual growth from an intense individual disciplined by an objective scientific mind, yet still longing for the transcendent. He never lost his awe of the indestructible beauty of the natural world, and he did not hesitate to pick up a shovel and work alongside others who were trying to make the world a habitable place after the wars.
This is a spiritual portrait, because 1st, I find a spirit or energy in his words that resonates with my inward journey. 2nd, a spiritual portrait seeks a holistic perspective on the individual. Ceresole could be seen as: solitary pilgrim on an arduous journey; humble laborer & humanity's servant; committed social activist; one struggling with depression, yet able to view the troubled, everyday world with wonder & submission to a higher power.
The word “portrait” also suggests a painter’s interpretation of the qualities, he admires in his model. It is the zest for life evoked by the image that continues to move us. A spiritual portrait is an opening into another life, inviting the spectator to step through the frame into the image itself, & perhaps follow his example into a deeper understanding of the truth. We might imagine how he would respond to our world’s conflicts & sufferings.
Pierre Ceresole: A Brief Biography—He was born on August 17, 1879, in Lausanne, Switzerland. His familial background was French, German, Italian, & 1 English grandmother; it was a family distinguished in state service. Ceresole studied mathematics, philosophy, & mechanical engineering; he taught in Zurich. Ceresole was becoming obsessed with the problems of philosophy, [particularly the predetermination of human events].
A 4 week trip to the US turned into a 4 year journey around the world, a spiritual pilgrimage. He worked 2 years for an engineering firm in Japan before he returned to Switzerland. He returned a citizen of the world, an opponent of war and a rebel bold enough to turn his back on the security and privilege of inherited wealth. Ceresole was increasingly distressed by the hypocrisy he observed among religious people, especially their apparent resignation to imminent armed conflict.
Ceresole was invited to the Netherlands, to a conference of the new International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). He joined IFOR in rebuilding French villages devastated by the retreating German army. His 1st international work camp to repair Esnes-Verdun was to develop into Service Civil International (SCI), [which also did work in] Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Wales, India & Spain. In his mid-50’s, Ceresole always joined in the physical work of reconstruction; he regarded labor as a spiritual practice. The rebuilding of Shantipur, the “Village of Peace,” was especially meaningful; it served as a model for 700,000 similar Indian villages.
After encountering Friends at the IFOR conference, he realized that they shared his belief in an unmediated approach to God & many of his social values. Ceresole sought ways to reach both the ordinary people & their leaders with his concerns over rising Fascism. These missions often ended in his arrest & internment in both German & Swiss prisons. He advocated a more active Swiss role in mediating global conflicts & in ending their own manufacture and exporting munitions to warring nations. We may at least be inspired to follow [his example beyond the limits of our understanding. His modest home on the shore of Lake Geneva was a retreat.
Seeking Truth—His lifelong struggle with Christianity and his unique approach to pacifism also began to take shape during [traveling] breaks from the past. Carl Jung said: “Belief is no adequate substitute for inner experience.” [Such experiences] instilled in him an awareness that he needed to come to terms with his own errors and shortcomings before he could begin to speak of Truth to others. Ceresole continued to criticize outdated and corrupt religious practices, as well as the secular idolatries of nationalism and materialism.
One of the truths that Ceresole discovered was that morality is the “scaffolding of life.” He wrote: “You need revolutionary people to prevent obsolete pieces from obstructing the workmen; you also need conservatives so the whole thing doesn’t collapse all of a sudden.” This scaffolding was especially applicable to inherited religious beliefs; Ceresole did not hesitate to set outdated formulas aside. He felt he needed to think and act as if the thoughts and actions of other people were his own. His poetic sensibilities were stirred as he began to feel himself a part of the whole order of creation.
Ceresole imagined that if war had any justification at all, it was because it reveals the truth to people about themselves. He imagined himself entangled in a gigantic web of falsehood, idealism corrupted by the bitterness of contemporary politics & feverish preparations for war. “God is the will that makes for harmony.” Ceresole was acutely aware of contradictions between real & ideal in his experience of the world. It was essential to put everything to the test. God came to represent for him a principle of integrity, a great mirror in which we see our-selves just as we are. He said: “If you allow me to have Christ as a friend, he may become what you call God.”
Love in Action—Pierre Ceresole was deeply impressed by the leadership of Gandhi. [He was impressed that Gandhi had] “a Sunday absolutely solemnized by the resolution to listen instead of to talk.” [From Woolman he got the inspiration] to make it the business of his life to take on the challenges of openhearted service for humanity. Ceresole’s distress over the failure of nationalism & conventional religion to create fellowship fired his commitment to turn love into action. Simply put, he believed that actions unite people; words tend to separate them.
He also discovered that truth only comes to light through personal sacrifice and active, physical involvement in rebuilding a broken world. [In spite of losing] any ideals he still had that an individual acting alone could make a difference, [he felt that] each person “must simply carry out, very scrupulously and exactly, and in all sincerity, the thing that is in him to do, developing a poetry of his own, according to the rhythm that is in him.” Ceresole became an advocate for constructive alternatives to violence.
Ceresole realized that knowledge of God & understanding Christ’s teachings come from faithfulness in daily living, [not] polemical arguments. Spiritual instruction should be offered with spiritual modesty or infinite consideration for who people are & what they already have. Ceresole donated his inheritance to the Swiss government. To Ceresole money interfered with the wholehearted collaboration with other people that he longed for. Ceresole conceived of a moral alternative to war that would bring people together to combat their common enemies—flood, famine, earthquake and war itself. Peace requires that we should recognize good will wherever it is and not only in our own nation, race, class, party or religion.
Ceresole had many fears—of his self, being inadequate, & repeating the same mistakes—all major obstacles [for him]. We have to recognize all our errors, our shortcomings, in order to be true. As a citizen of a country that prided itself on neutrality in wartime, his pacifism took a different emphasis. He acknowledged that conflicts [can] call forth the virtues of chivalry & courage, along with faithful devotion to duty. [His experiences with love led him to say] “To put love before all else—before the Eternal? My poor friend, you would never see [home] again—neither the smaller nor the greater.” He wrote: “Eternal … take me tenderly by the wing & allow me to find the right path (despite & against & across & beyond reason) in simple faithful obedience, in prayer.
Speaking Truth to Power—Ceresole’s faith also demanded courage to speak truth to power & to accept the consequences, including humiliation & imprisonment. His refusal to pay the military exemption tax resulted in estrangement from family & friends, as well as the 1st of several imprisonments for such actions. He called on clergy to resist service to national idols & to direct their energies & devotions to the heroic service of God.
Reconciliation became one of the guiding principles of Ceresole’s life, although the possibilities for it were often overshadowed by the darkness that spread across Europe. In 1933 he crossed the Swiss-German border illegally to explore the possibility of organizing an international work camp on German soil. Of his talks with Mussolini he said, “I did not attempt to force an argument by replying to all the objections raised by Mussolini so as to place him with his back to the wall.” He also reflected that it was better to seem a fool than to be a coward, and better to seem a fool risking one’s life for peace than for war.
Ceresole [spent WW II] distributing pamphlets, ignoring the police prohibition, making public appeals in churches and defying official blackouts. The short prison sentences he served seemed almost welcome respites from stress. In prison, he used his time to talk with prison officials and prisoners in the same way that early Quakers took advantage of their imprisonment. He was also sustained by the belief that the conscientious pursuit of Truth give one an assurance of absolute peace in the end. He believed that those who suffer are often the best instruments of the Spirit not so much because of their moral attitude but because they learn to submit their own wills to a higher power. His confession of 1933 reads in part: “I do not know what means most to Him, but I do know that for me the heart of the matter is to listen for, and to obey, that supreme voice, which is always there; and this is my whole significance, my existence, my life.” He believed that love, truth, harmony, justice and good will would infallibly win the day by bringing others into agreement.
An Alpine Vision—Ceresole’s [Alpine Vision] is a view of the world seen from the heights of spiritual revelation, & ever-growing awareness of the world as it is or can be without the obstacles of religion & political ideology. Ceresole once reflected that “Justice is like a mountain peak for which a man sets out in the morning with a light heart; then he finds a nice resting place; settles himself comfortably…builds a shelter; digs himself in; the peak becomes nothing but a part of the scenery.” The mountain peak is a point from which details of life can be appreciated as windows on Eternity. The Alpine Vision can occur anywhere that one pauses to enjoy the wonder & beauty of Creation [if one doesn't fail to notice]. Above all, Ceresole Alpine vision was characterized by joy.
Leonard Kenworthy wrote that: “Ceresole was a man with “a particularly sensitive conscience that forced him to do things that others weren’t willing to do.” Such praise is consistent with his striving for a fully integrated life that takes in the panorama of earthshaking events, simple everyday activities & moral behavior, beautiful vistas & the natural world’s intricate details. Awareness of the interrelatedness of all things inspires both humility & courage. In Ceresole’s life, this awareness fired the strength of one person’s conviction to an extraordinary degree.
One day in a German prison cell, Ceresole reflected that he had no cause to regret any of his actions while so many were dying for more foolish causes. He embraced a practical and exhilarating way to participate in the process of restoration during one of the most destructive eras of world history. Ceresole continues to speak to the condition of many people in this present age of violence and social injustice. He continues to offer a practical form of poetics that celebrates the beauty of the world while exposing the folly underlying historical events. He writes: “Pray the Eternal to keep your weathervane in good trim so that it readily responds to the true winds of the spirit and doesn’t get jammed by the rust of tradition in a position unrelated to Truth…”
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380. A very good week behind bars (by Janeal Ravndal; 2005)
About the Author—A Pendle Hill Pamphlet some 50 years ago sparked my interest in Friends. My parents and their parents were all pacifists. Teresina Havens relieved my difficulty with creeds by saying, “You cannot catch the spirit in a net of words.” I belong to Stillwater Meeting in Barnesville Ohio, Chris taught at Olney Friends School there and I became a social worker. Chris and I presently live and work at Pendle Hill.
I have learned that if I wait in the right spirit and am bulwarked by caring support, I am able to choose, commit myself, and follow through. Janeal Turnbull Ravndal
[Civil Disobedience, Arrest, and Trial]—On March 20, 2003, at the start of the war in Iraq, I was among 107 war protesters blocking entrances of the Federal Building in Philadelphia; I had never before committed civil disobedience or been arrested. I considered whether this civil disobedience was the right thing for me to do if war began, worrying about the trouble it would cause [users and employees in the Federal Building].
[In the arrest and the court room I experienced kindness]. What I found that day sitting in the rain and then behind bars was a sense of personal peace. I pled guilty to obstruction but refused to pay the $250 fine. While realizing our country’s justice system is often flawed, especially for the poor, for African Americans, [and Native Americans. The thinking of] our Presbyterian family did not allow for enemies: all people were God’s beloved children. My mother loved and suffered with the people of the Middle East. My father was a lifetime member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. [During the war], the assurances of adults that war would not come here never made sense to me. I expected every plane I saw or heard to drop a bomb on me.
[My 67 years, my study, social work, and parenting have led me to understand that violence does not solve problems; violence makes us less safe. [As a child] in every service I met the Apostles Creed. I knew I did not fully believe it. Should I say it? Today, the war in Iraq still seems to me a tragic mistake with raging repercussions. When will the dear children of one group stop obeying orders to denounce and kill the dear folk of another group? I use much more than I need of the world’s resources. I still send in taxes that pay for this war. I am thankful for my day of civil disobedience, my day in court, and especially for my week in prison.
[Reporting to Jail, Singing; Cold Nights]—O n Earth Day April 22, 2004, I went off to jail. As I left for Jail from Pendle Hill, I was told that the Christmas star would be lit until I returned from jail. I realized that I no longer felt like my usual rather skeptical self, but was full of faith. Downtown, 9 prospective prisoners and some supporters gathered in front of the Federal Court Building and walked the block to the Federal Detention Center.
Inside the detention center [we went to a holding cell where we 6 women would now spend more than 8 hours on metal benches. We waited, speculated and sang; the 1st strip search went all right. [I was a smart aleck when I spoke to a social worker], which perhaps stemmed from my growing fear. We 6 women were taken, hands cuffed behind our backs, to a small visiting room near the Special Housing Unit (SHU). There we had a 2nd strip search. I put on the orange bra, panties, t-shirt, socks, shoes, and jump suit that was handed in through the door’s hole.
I was delivered to a cell and found Patricia Pearce would be my cellmate. We knew the same hymns and she was a soprano, so I could sing alto. We had a blessing for our cell: “Spirit, we thank thee for this cell/ Thy bounteous love provides./ Stay with us here that ours may be/ A cell where peace abides.// Let all our words be soft with love/, Our thoughts all free from shame./ Let every act beneath this roof/ Be worthy of thy name.”
The room had a shower, metal bunks, metal table, stainless steel toilet & sink. We took turns leading the start-of-the-day time. I made lists of what we wanted, & our luxuries. [A man who was a counselor, ordered me to be handcuffed to go make a phone call]. I called my husband Chris & gave him my prisoner number. The counselor was irritable & unkind]. I cried a bit, perhaps at the thought of inmates having such a bitter, angry counselor.
[Activities on “Retreat”]—That night we had trouble sleeping. We were chilly, but worse, could not turn off our very bright room light. The next day we were feeling solidarity with all prisoners everywhere. Hoping to find something to use for glue, we saved juice carton, plastic spoons and drink and condiment packages. It turned out coffee powder with a few drops of water made serviceable glue. [I made a collage about my imprisonment.] It occurred to me that President Bush appears to want people to trust and follow his lead without challenge; that is not what is best, even for him. He must be so overwhelmed; what he needs is a few quiet days in a quiet jail cell.
[We enjoyed Father Ben and his book cart when it came. He enjoyed spreading good cheer on his rounds]. My life has been spent living in church or Quaker communities, so I wondered about community in prison, whether some inmates might even experience more there than on the outside. I know I was being supported by the Pendle Hill community. [That night I used a thick layer of newspaper to insulate the bottom of the bed, tucked in one blanket and pulled the other to my chin].
In maximum security we weren’t allowed to leave our cells for the religious services in the detention center. We taught others in SHU hymns, & held our own service, using our orange cotton blankets as shawls. Patricia’s closing prayer went in part: “Thank you for the vision of a healed world where children are cherished & protected … We pray that your shalom will take root & the people will come to see the ineffectiveness of violence … Help us to inhabit the world so that through us your shalom and healing will spread to others.” We found ourselves able to joke about our circumstances. I wrote: “Oh dear! I’m sentenced to 7 days/ away from traffic, chores, phone.”
Regimentation, Rules and Prison Employees—[Right before going to jail, I met a young man who had done 45 days in county prison; he called my week in Detention “a cakewalk. I suspect he was right. Yet] bright lights, a headache, feeling grimy and uptight about no privacy brought me pretty close to discouragement, [despite the fact that] I was there by choice and without the burden of guilt.
I found myself thinking about how prison un-prepares people for democracy in particular and life in general. They may expect a continuation of such rules, or possibly even feel more comfortable taking orders. [Yet in places like a Domestic Abuse Safehouse] it is the staff’s job to recognize them as responsible and mature adults who need to learn to make their own choices and decisions. [I wondered] how many prisoners could be much better helped back to a state usefulness by a different type of program [than jail].
We received cleaning supplies, and a fresh change of clothes, everything except the jumper. Later I wrote: “Do you hear that noise?/ I think they cannot keep from us / The sound of spring rain,” and “Oh that the news/ in these papers spread on my bed/ would keep our whole world warm.” That morning we were taken to “the cage” for recreation. A narrow strip of gray sky was visible around the high roof. There was a young woman with us who was the mother of 3 children. Perhaps I have never seen a look of more sadness and exhaustion on such a young face. We talked, sang, and danced; what a happy hour. As time went by the situation seemed more and more absurd to us. What threat were they recognizing in trying to control us [with prison]? What could the government have done instead to save itself the cost and trouble of housing me there? Surely the point is not punishment but choosing some legal response likely to further the welfare of society.
[Mail Call; Fasting; the Hokey Pokey]—At Mail Call I received 2 letters from Chris & a homemade card with a peace crane on the front, full of cheering notes from Pendle Hill folk. I read everything, read everything again, & hung up the peace crane. A correctional officer said that former military personnel not up-to-date on the present situation would be very angry at our anti-war positions, & that if he were in this prison he would want to be where we were. On Tuesday Patricia & I fasted until suppertime, in concert with some of Patricia’s friends.
After some writing I finished my bracelet, made from torn-paper beads wound up with toothpaste glue and strung on triple blanket threads. I wore my beads to recreation hour the next day. I think it was because it was so cold in the cage that I had the idea of dancing the “Hokey-Pokey.” The others seemed to experience our “performance” as something of a lapse from their intentions to be single-minded in working for peace here in prison. The thin line of sky around the top of the cages that day was blue.
Having long seen myself as a doubter, questioner &, a challenger of believers, I have always omitted any name for God. [With Patricia], I finally started my prayer, “Spirit of Love among us.” I told Patricia the story of Pendle Hill’s Christmas star, how my hope was reborn by it being hoisted to the top of the tall Canadian hemock. [I left half-serious advice to future inmates in the margins of] “S.H.U. Rules & Procedures Inmate Copy.”
[Last Day & Lessons Learned]—On the last day Patricia came up with the idea of painting “Strip for Peace” on her back. We never did get warm enough. The last night we talked to our friendly 2nd-shift guard about the men & community in prison. The men were noisier, more numerous & most of them hadn’t gone to trial. He said there was some community here. Our final morning I woke with words for a thank-you to the SHU staff. From flowery magazine pages I composed a note which said: “Thank you SHU staff for the kindness & respect & caring you show those who are under your supervision. I think there is a real possibility that new peace in our world will begin with you.” We had our final prison breakfast of Honey Nut Cheerios & sang our room blessing. Volunteering as accomplice, [I wrote] “STRIP FOR PEACE” on Patricia’s back in brazen, hot orange capitals.
We handed out our Priority Mail envelopes filled with letters and journal pages and secreted artwork. In the storage room where we were taken to change into our own clothes, we had to call to the attention of our beautiful young inspector the words painted on Patricia’s back. Her laugh seemed to reflect a sort of resignation to the impossibility of keeping this group in order. [We sang one last time in a holding cell. One of our number referred to us as either “The Prisoner of Conscience Choir,” or “The Outrageous Orange Sextet].”
Finally, handcuffs removed; we were taken by elevator to the basement & let out through a garage-like area in the rear of the building, into a bright, cold day. [Friends, family, and former prisoners] gathered in a circle in front of the Federal Building where adventure had started. Patricia blessed a loaf of bread & we passed it around until it was gone. Then the circle scattered, each of us heading home through the lush, plush world of spring & freedom.
That night I enjoyed the star shining atop the Canadian hemlock; the next morning I enjoyed the photo of our 8 beautiful grandchildren & patches of morning sun on the table. I walked to morning Meeting for Worship past dogwood, lilac, & new green. I said thanks for all the support, then added that I had had a good time. Great laughter; it felt then, & still feels, true. It was a good time. I kept my prison hairdo when a local news photographer took my photo.
After this week I really did feel in a new and revised relationship to the world—a larger, more complicated world, with awareness of my brothers and sisters living or employed in prisons. The bonding and faith I felt on leaving jail, and honor now as I write this, seem akin to that faith which is the opposite of fear. [I felt] decidedly not guilty about the whole week in maximum security. Our list of miracles included turning coffee into glue and being able to view our guards as thoughtful caretakers.
Hopefully I will find some way to serve, or at least remain more alert to, the needs of those living in these institutions. I have learned that if I wait in the right spirit and am bulwarked by caring support, I am able to choose, commit myself, and follow through. I hope to retain new appreciation for freedom, more consciousness of my privileged status. The Korean Christian pastor Joon Park spoke of his 11 years in prison for speaking out for democracy. He remarked that life was easier when he was in prison. I think he meant choices were more clear, less complicated, God’s will more evident, as he discerned how best to serve God and his fellow prisoners.
Perhaps I understand better now what Joon meant. Thoreau said something like, “Read not the times, read the eternities.” I think during my very good week in prison I was a bit better at reading those eternities. Now the daily homework is to continue, in this more complicated world outside prison, a journey toward faith, away from fear.
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