Re: Re there is no such thing as Quakerism
- From: ijdavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ian Davis)
- Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:20:34 +0000 (UTC)
In article <ae9bh1t6ng09m4rtqmd5cn54f7660aqqjg@xxxxxxx>,
Timothy Travis <qspirit@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>On Wed, 31 Aug 2005 03:31:11 +0000 (UTC),
>ijdavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ian Davis) wrote:
>
>>As I said in a later post this difference seems to me a fairly radical one.
>>Most of the American Quakers who post here consider themselves Christian.
>>[Those that don't are more than welcome to speak up and be counted.]
>>They spend as much of their time arguing about christianity, and sadly
>>have a tendency to behave much like christians, in some of the arguments
>>that I have witnessed here. You Timothy for example have few qualms about
>>labelling certain others idolators/blasphemers and these others take offence
>>at this precisely because they consider themselves christian and resent
>>not being given credit for being what they are.
>
>I don't think that idolatry--the practice of putting one's faith in
>things other than the transformative power of God--or
>blasphemy--misleading others as to the nature of God--are exclusively
>"Christian." I have heard those words used in many other spritual
>contexts. The fact that these words are used and misused for all
>kinds of reasons doesn't drain them of their meanings and the fact
>that people have such a negative reaction to them should temper their
>use.
>
Perhaps so but my point is that I spent two years at a Friends meeting
here in Kitchener, Ontario and it wouldn't have crossed my mind that
being Quaker was compatable with telling people that they practiced idolatry
and/or blasphemed. I rather think that if I make the huge leap of faith
in trying to imagine some of those Quakers I knew even thinking such
thoughts, they've have considered it most unquakerly to be publically
voicing them. It likewise wouldn't cross my mind to tell you this, for I
welcome diversity, but for the fact I am trying to emphasis how different
the Quakers I have known are from most on this forum. In that context you
seem to be constantly responding from a position that all think like you,
or at a minimum perhaps aught to think like you, or still struggling here
(knowing no matter what I say my words will be read by some in their worst
possible light), perhaps only that all claim to be christian, aught to start
acting like christians according to your understanding of what it means to
be christian, or being christian aught to see their faults as clearly as
you do. This seems the opposite of valuing strength through diversity,
and thinking that the RSofF is the better because not all think the same. It
also seems the opposite of those within the RSofF who would I think take the
attitude that who your God is is something very much between you and your
God, and of little or no concern to others.
What seems the really hard thing to get across here is the degree to which
most of those who claim to be Quakers on this forum, are so very different
from what before coming to this forum I'd imagined Quakers to be.
Ian
.
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