What and where exactly are we?

Since jumping in head-first to the Social network, I have gained a great deal through reading the thoughts of other Quakers. Since these Friends have gone to some trouble sharing their insights, it would seem appropriate for me to begin this entry by thanking them. All ministry is I believe given to us for a reason.

Some of the comments I read concern me since they would suggest insecurity among some Quakers, making them unhappy. At times this feeling is reflected in very strongly expressed opinions. Whether this be towards Quakers, or others within the wider community, an intolerant approach inevitably creates barriers. Since Quakers believe that there is that of God in everyone, this form of expression would seem more of a panic reaction. The world is not always a thoughtful, kind and loving place, so at times, quite understandably, even Quakers are afraid.

Where trust would seem to be an issue, it is usually necessary for organisations to look at both their defenses and their foundations.

The first part of this process is not at all encouraging because from the onset we always have been a totally defenceless people. Through reading about the fatalities, inability to fight back and intense unpopularity of Early Quakers, it would seem quite remarkable that we did not all die out during those early years.

The foundations for Quakerism are however quite reassuring for those of us who have ever felt intimidated by the language, culture and priorities of seventeenth century England. They are not, I believe its history. Instead it would seem that any stable organisation needs to be triangular with its widest point at the base. Our continued commitment to be inclusive, welcoming and loving provides Quakerism with a strong stable foundation, grounded very firmly on this earth.

At times there would seem a temptation for Quakers to focus merely upon the base layer believing themselves to be an entirely a social group. Instead, as with any triangular shape, there should be a natural progression upwards. This process will involve some kind of spiritual journey. Our tolerance, diversity, and absence of creeds it will enable us to remain "open to new light, from whatever source it may come?" Traditionally those brave, honest Quakers at the start of a spiritual journey are defined as being "Seekers after Truth."

It can be very easy to feel an outsider among Quakers, even perhaps at a somewhat lower level to the rest. At times it is also possible to get lost and there will be times of poor visibility in Meeting. To reassure those who feel on the peripherals, it would seem of relevance to note how Early Quakers were particularly inspired (at times down-right lyrical!) by the presence of honest enquirers who were ready and receptive to their teaching.

A Quaker life involves progression. We learn through experience. I do not believe we should be too proscriptive about the travel aids each chooses to adopt, other than through the offer to share those we have found useful.

At times there may be a tendency to focus on unnecessary items for that journey. It would seem to me the search for God has very little to do with having a good imagination, intellectual superiority of being able to express yourself in a particular way. Through being humble, we might also dispense with reason. By putting our own egos on a back burner, we travel light and so there is a greater incentive to listen out for God. Having silent Meetings would seem a pretty pointless exercise were it not for this opportunity of guidance. This mountain to climb may require the support of Friends. It has many paths although, if everyone heads for the summit, we will all get to the same place given time.

No one could possibly expect to see God although at some point on this journey, a Quaker may reach a stage of "being convinced."  This very seventeenth century phrase refers to having had an awareness of God's presence.
Although there are a great many ways in which this can happen, it is always individual, tends to involve clarity, wonder, transformation and a continued sense of guidance. There is no doubt of its power, relevance and permanence to the human condition.

To me Quakerism has very little to do with appearance, sharing a particular way of life or our ability to campaign. We are vertebrates by nature and that the search for truth continues to provide us with a backbone.
In recent years we may have become a little quiet, even quite confused about our identity, but there is still is a need for unconditional love for the whole of humanity, the opportunity to be a Seeker after Truth, a shared spiritual journey, and that unchangeable focus for all of our lives at the top of the Mountain.

Does anything unite Quakers?

At the World Conference of Friends in 1991, Val Ferguson asked:

 

"Does anything unite this diverse group beyond our common love and humanity? Does anything make us distinctively Quaker?

I say yes.

Each of us has different emphases and special insights, but wherever Friends are affirming each other’s authentic experience of God, rather than demanding credal statements, we are being God’s faithful Quakers.

Wherever we are seeking God’s will rather than human wisdom, especially when conflict might arise, we are being faithful Quakers.

Wherever we are affirming the total equality of men and women, we are being God’s faithful Quakers.

Wherever there is no division between our words and our actions, we are being faithful.

Whenever we affirm that no one – priest, pastor, clerk, elder – stands between us and the glorious and mystical experience of God in our lives, we are faithful Friends.

Whether we sing or whether we wait in silence, as long as we are listening with the whole of our being and seeking the baptism and communion of living water, we will be one in the Spirit."

Quaker Faith and Practice- Fifth Edition

Chapter 29 » 29.16

On Freedom

Many years ago, I can recall being set an essay to comment on the quote "Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains," by someone called Rousseau.
This was a very alarming undertaking, made considerably worse by not knowing anything about French philosophers or what certain college lecturers might like to read. Instead of pretending to be very informed about either subject, I can recall noting all the ways in which a student could feel restricted, blaming various organisations, including the government and police. Since these observations addressed that particular area of the curriculum, and lecturers like having their lectures quoted back at them, somehow I passed that essay!

Even then I had a somewhat uncomfortable feeling there were bits neither of us had thought of.

These days I cannot pretend to be any wiser about Jean-Jacques Rousseau although this isolated statement, taken perhaps well out of the original context, continues to make me think. The world continues to be unjust in how it apportions resources and it is a tragic reality for many people that they still are so far away from freedom. We are victims of our own decisions, and fate also has a cruel tendency to place us in chains.

Those chains of oppression have a tendency to change according to circumstance. For some the struggle for survival could well require every possible resource yet still result in chains. In societies however, where there is law, stability, human rights, material safety, and the option of being content, it would seem ironic that we still somehow seem to end up in chains.

It would seem to me that we shall never experience complete independence because it is part of human nature to submit. If one source of oppression is removed, we will simply replace it with another because human beings naturally choose to be led. Instead of allowing ourselves freedom, we allow ourselves to be influenced, effectively tied down in chains.

Instead of being entirely free it is almost impossible to walk through a shopping centre without believing that there is something that you need.
It is hard to feel content, because we have chosen to accept the guidance of advertisements, as our teachers.
It is hard to feel happy with who you are because we have adopted certain role models which stress the importance of perfection and success.
It is hard to love your own body because somehow there is an image of perfection fixed in our minds.
It is hard to feel valued, because we have chosen to adopt a culture of competition which involves making judgements about ourselves and each other.
It is hard to feel full, when obliged to take all that there is to offer.
It is hard to feel safe whilst believing we are entitled to be led by our emotions.
It is hard to feel happy when we are told to keep raising the level of expectations.
It is hard to forgive because we are supposed to be governed by reason which allows us to retaliate and stand up for ourselves.
Chains are an inevitable fact of life.

Since we are bound through our very nature to be governed in some way, it would seem unrealistic to expect that we can simply throw away our chains. Instead I would like to believe that there is an opportunity for freedom through actively listening out for God. In each moment there would seem to be a choice between being an ambassador for God's Kingdom on earth, or self employed and entirely wrong.

When people sometimes ask me if Quakers believe in God?
I am aware of the many other available chains and ask myself,
Who else should they follow?

Unwelcome Guests

In 1975 a Comedy Series was introduced to British television viewers involving a very traditional seaside guest house. Every episode something went quite seriously wrong. Although in some instances people were unlucky, the cause for so much of this trouble was a seethingly rude, particularly stressed out proprietor called Basil Fawlty who in his attempts to present the best possible impression of his establishment, was, (in the words of their website) "the epitome of a frustrated, social climbing middle-Englanders".

Although it may seem we are not very like Basil Fawlty and cannot imagine ever owning a guest house, most of us would identify with having a home and visitors who come to see you.

The ones I am thinking of this morning do not come announced, They do not make an appointment or ring the shiny brass bell on the front desk to let you know they are here. They do not write their names in the visitors book, but intead put down promises about being there to make you happy, fulfilled, successful, appreciated and so with no further questions, it is quite understandable that we have a tendency to let them in to stay.

Such guests can be everything they promised. There was that surprise birthday party, unexpected presents, winning the charity raffle, a Valentines Card right out of the blue, and a job interview which went really well. Its a lovely feeling to be happy.

Gradually however, such guests have a tendency to become more demanding. At times they will over-eat, take their fun with little regard for the neighbours or other people's guests, create so much dirty washing, use chocolate, alcohol, pills, to achieve the same results. It feels a little unsafe, even dishonest, but who isn't afraid of the alternative to what your guests provide?

That discovery one morning that your guests had repainted the living room a bright sunny yellow was a bit awkward. Even in your dreams it seemed you might be losing control, relying too much upon feelings.

There was now a funny smell about the place. Although difficult to raise the subject directly, it seemed that some treasured possessions, besides those you had just become accustomed to, didn't quite fit in.

Next day it was all very dark because someone had stitched together the curtains. As you stumbled about the house, everything seemed that bit harder to do. Nobody came round to visit because everyone thought you were out. Through lack of practice, it was impossible to remember how curtains are supposed to move, although your guests said it would be quite ok to blame everyone else in the neighbourhood, even the wider world if this would help you to feel better, as it is a horrible feeling being all alone and no body came to help you.

The problem with intrusive guests is that they seem to have an answer for everything. This works for a while but then you are either stuck with the same problem, or else have something else to deal with. There's that promise of happiness and all life's other rewards written so convincingly in the visitors book. It begins well but now there are all these other guests who you don't like nearly as much even though they say that they're related. Somehow they have slipped in between, signed in with false promises or said quite rudely that they are realistic expectations. Instead of being in your own home environment, all these very different emotional responses have set up a roller coaster ride in your living space.

Escaping from a destructive and misleading environment will require carefully planning. It takes time- a whole life time of practice, but best to break the challenge down into individual moments.
An act of worship provides an opportunity to quietly slip away from the rest of life and think. Through silence it becomes possible to recognise those emotional dependencies which so easily get in the way. Gradually we re-discover who we really are by seeing our lives in context. Guests with all their promises need to be told very firmly that within any home there are rules. In future there will be a little sign right next to the bell telling any potential guests about the owner of this house. It says that what we want is not all that there is and that "We are Quakers"

  

What are Quakers supposed to do?

" The world needs deliverence from the bondage of fear, a fear which makes men selfish, cruel and callous.

Everywhere significance and security have faded out of the lives of men.

Our Society should be witnessing, from its own particular angle of approach, to a God who delivers from fear, and in whom men may find strength and abiding peace."

Yearly Meeting  Minutes 1938

Separation anxiety among Quakers.

Through having spent all of my adult life with the very good company of a rescue dog, I will be among the first to recommend this particular type of friend. It is a wonderful privilege to be welcomed every time you enter the house by your greatest fan........... although I do rather wish it wasn't necessary almost every time, to re-arrange the carpet.

Many rescue dogs have a tendency to suffer from separation anxiety. From insecurity, loneliness, hunger and mistreatment, a new leader of their pack arrives. Suddenly there is someone to latch on to, prepared to provide for all their needs giving them a home. For this reason it is very important to practice leaving your dog, building up intervals of separation gradually, causing the minimum disruption every time you arrive or leave. Since the relationship we have with our dog is based on trust, it is very important that we are not unreasonable in our expectations. However well adjusted and well trained, dogs are social creatures who need exercise, and cannot be left alone in the house too long.

Since it would be possible for my dog to do a great deal of damage, I like to think that rearranging the hall carpet is more symbolic than the result of prolonged distress. On my return, she is usually asleep in her basket, and through the limitations of a dog's short term memory, cannot recall digging about in the hall for those few crucial incriminating disruptive moments just after her pack leader left.

For Early Quakers there cannot have been much doubt who was the pack leader. Through their letters and testimonies there is so much evidence of trauma from the recent civil wars, howls of anguish through lack of consistent leadership, feeling very lost, and then finally re-homed with a living experience of Christ in their midst. Their responsibility towards God was decisive. Whether it be through leaving their plough, wives, likelihoods, rejecting the excesses of fashion, social protocol, refusing to swear an oath of allegiance, interrupting the priest, not paying tithes, burning all their musical instruments, going naked for a sign or heading to Boston for almost certain execution, duty to the pack leader totally transformed their lives. The depth and closeness of this relationship was expressed in many ways.

Typically, the Early Quaker William Dewsbury said during his final days

"If anyone has received any good or benefit through this vessel called William Dewsbury, give God the glory; I'll have none, I'll have none, I'll have none."

These days it may not always be so clear who Quakers have as their pack leaders. Instead of reacting quickly to every whistle of command, we tend to consider the prospect first, wonder if running after balls is really worth the effort since we are all such busy and important people really.

Absence of leadership can often lead to panic. At times Quakers also have a tendency to dig up the hall carpet, desperately looking for meaning. Without a guiding influence in our Meetings there may be dog fights because in the strength of our opinions we too can get preoccupied with power.
We may make our mark in all the wrong ways, considering Quakerism to be merely a way of life and our sole responsibility to the rest of society is merely to make an impression. At times in the absence of leadership, Quakers can be quite ingenious in their ability to ignore the rules. Through misguided priorities and lack of trust we raid the rubbish bin. Through not being challenged, there is a tendency to chew away on all sorts of improbable items because even though we do not like to admit this, it can be very frightening to be left on your own.

Those Early Quakers understood how hard it was to be patient but at least through a sincere preoccupation with truth, they were facing in the right direction.

Isaac Pennington later recalled how
" I have been a man of sorrow and affliction from my childhood, feeling the want of the Lord and mourning after him, separated by him from the love, nature and spirit of this world, and turned in spirit towards him almost ever since I could remember."

For lonely impatient dogs waiting on a somewhat lumpy hall carpet, there is hope, that moment of joy for every seeker after truth, the sound of a key turning in the lock above their head, a furiously wagging tail rearranging all the letters on the mat, then a desperate need to find some toy to show your pack leader and, above all else, that knowledge of being loved.

Testimony of Marmaduke Stephenson

"And this is given forth to be upon record, that all pople may know who hear it, that we came not in our own wills but in the will of God."
 

Marmaduke Stephenson

Boston Martyr died with William Robinson October 27th 1659

Testimony of Marmaduke Stephenson