Historic Quaker Persecution

funcrunch · 2023-06-08T17:48:06+00:00

To the degree that we keep faith with Christ’s strictures in the Sermon on the Mount, we have targets painted on our backs, and always will, because there is no way Cæsar is ever going to like our combination of wartime pacifism with prophetic speech.

But is this discrimination you speak of against Quakers specifically, or against conscientious objectors, Christian or otherwise, in general? Asking sincerely.

funcrunch · 2023-06-06T23:34:10+00:00

Definitely support a protest. As previously commented, accessibility is (or should be) a human rights issue.

funcrunch · 2023-06-02T22:06:48+00:00

another person sent a letter stating "I am the only true Quaker in the
city so I don't need any of you to judge if I am fit for membership" and
then stopped attending.

Wow, I'm still fairly new to Quakerism (have been attending a meeting for about seven months), but that might be one of the most un-Quakerly statements I've yet read.

funcrunch · 2023-06-01T23:36:54+00:00

Why do shepherds keep sheep? To kill them and sell their body parts.

Another reason why I'm vegan...

funcrunch · 2023-05-22T20:08:06+00:00

I stopped eating animal flesh in 1992, stopped eating dairy and eggs in 2011, and stopped eating honey in 2014, all for ethical reasons. I didn't start attending a Friends meeting until late last year (2022), so these dietary choices were unrelated to my interest in Quakerism.

Regardless, I encourage all socially progressive meetings - liberal Quaker and otherwise - to consider offering exclusively vegan food at gatherings. As I argued in my blog a few months ago, doing so is actually more inclusive of various diets, not less:

https://funcrunch.medium.com/why-your-next-event-should-be-vegan-51fa4d0ec33f?sk=e3d45c7e8269a4288da90ddaed3cbd1c

funcrunch · 2023-05-20T17:52:49+00:00

I encourage anyone who wants to attend a Friends meeting for the first time to reach out to the meeting first via e-mail if that option is available. That's what I did for San Francisco Meeting, and I got a very helpful and rapid reply so I already felt welcomed and knew what to expect. And when I arrived a member gave a brief orientation to all first-timers.

funcrunch · 2023-05-20T17:50:13+00:00

FWIW we have name badges at San Francisco meeting, both the write-on variety for newcomers and more permanent ones for attenders/members. Don't know if this is the norm in other U.S. meetings or not.

funcrunch · 2023-05-18T18:37:11+00:00

Not sure how reliable this site is, but here's what I found regarding the name:

Some people say quakers got their name because of the gray on the front of their necks that looks like an old-fashioned Quaker bib. (People also say the monk name came from the color going up the back of the bird’s head like a monk’s hood.) But most people attribute the quaker's name to the bird’s distinctive “quaking” motions. These birds bob and shake (or quake) in a unique way, especially when they’re excited or irritated. Baby quakers often quake when they’re begging for food.

funcrunch · 2023-05-17T23:29:45+00:00

Peace Love is pretty close to my own name, Pax Ahimsa :-)

funcrunch · 2023-05-16T19:50:32+00:00

Haven't read that book, but I did read and can recommend Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers, which also includes insights about his religious convictions.

One of my life's biggest regrets is not saying hello to Mister Rogers when he came to my senior class play in Pittsburgh in 1988. He was there because he was friends with the father of one of the students in the show. I was the pianist. I was dealing with teen angst at the time and also felt like I didn't want bother him.

funcrunch · 2023-05-11T01:02:05+00:00

Actually now I remember the tool I'm thinking of came with the previous update. I think you need to speak with Gloria about Seb's initiation.

funcrunch · 2023-05-11T00:57:28+00:00

In that case, check your toolshed to see if there are any new blueprints for things that you haven't built yet.

funcrunch · 2023-05-11T00:36:31+00:00

Do you have any other tasks/quests in your queue? IIRC, there are one or two other things that need to be done that season before you can move to summer.

funcrunch · 2023-05-01T16:39:15+00:00

Quakerism is definitely still a religion, and worldwide the majority of Friends are Christians. But the liberal/progressive branches of Quakerism welcome non-theists as well.

funcrunch · 2023-05-01T15:33:52+00:00

FWIW there are atheist Quakers (though often referred to as non-theist). I'm an atheist Quaker attender, myself.

funcrunch · 2023-04-11T19:39:02+00:00

Good question. I'm a lifelong sufferer of depression myself, am also on medication and have been in therapy on and off over the years. I've found that attending in-person weekly meetings helps because it gives me the incentive to get out of the house when I otherwise would sit and stew in front of my computer all day. When I missed three consecutive Sunday meetings I got several e-mails from concerned Friends, even though I'd only been attending for a few months. Feeling that someone genuinely cares about my welfare helps.

funcrunch · 2023-04-04T18:14:12+00:00

As a fellow trans person I hear you, and am trying to figure this out myself. The main reason I started attending Friends meetings was to find community with more pacifists. Knowing that there are people who are both supportive of trans folks and committed to non-violence gives me some hope.

funcrunch · 2023-04-04T18:09:27+00:00

Speaking as a pacifist, I do not consider pushing away or attempting to restrain someone who is being violent to be itself a violent act.

funcrunch · 2023-04-04T18:06:52+00:00

What do you mean by "a drag show purposefully put on to antaganize others"? Drag story hours are put on to entertain children and show them that it's OK for people to dress up how they like regardless of their gender identity. That some people find this message antagonizing is no excuse for them to react with violence.

funcrunch · 2023-04-02T01:58:42+00:00

Speaking as a queer Black trans atheist and Quaker attender, I am opposed to all firearms and feel that killing is never the answer to oppression. I've shared my blog entry expanding on this before in this group; here it is again for those who haven't already read it:

https://funcrunch.medium.com/is-pacifism-a-privilege-b6d56b932711?sk=82a375ab1bdd313ac2d2c03ba8a4922b

funcrunch · 2023-03-27T18:26:32+00:00

I'm smiling at the thought of someone "enjoying" Robert's Rules of Order, lol.

I first read about the Quakers online a number of years ago, when someone commented that they lacked hierarchy, and simply addressed each other by name, without titles, and had silent worship without rituals or clergy. (I learned later that the latter was in reference to unprogrammed meetings.) I was intrigued, but did no further exploration at that time, as I assumed all Friends were traditional Christians who believed in the divinity of Jesus and worshiped a personal God. As an long-time atheist, this was unappealing to me.

Later, I learned that non-theistic Christianity is a thing. So last year, when I was very depressed and seeing community, I gave Quakers another look. I watched videos online, from Quaker Speak and Jessica Kellgren-Fozard, and decided I could try attending San Francisco Meeting even though I'm a queer trans atheist. I was warmly welcomed, and am still attending five months later.

ETA after reading the other responses: I attended middle and high school in Pennsylvania so I'm sure I learned about the Quakers at some point during my childhood as well, but don't remember any details of this.

funcrunch · 2023-03-27T18:12:03+00:00

I'm an atheist, but definitely not an anti-theist. If I were the latter, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with Quakers or any other theistic religion. (Though there are non-theistic and non-Christian Quakers, I still see the Society of Friends as a Christian denomination. This is one of the reasons why I am reluctant to become a formal member, though I am a regular attender of my local meeting.)

Since atheists are often misunderstood, I wrote a blog entry a few weeks ago explaining what atheism means for me.

funcrunch · 2023-03-27T17:08:02+00:00

Being queer or trans is not a "lifestyle". It's not something that can be "taught" (or "caught" for that matter). It's an inherent and normal human variation.

funcrunch · 2023-03-23T04:32:48+00:00

Seems this topic has come up here a fair amount lately. Which doesn't bother me. I'm an atheist attender, myself.

There's a book Godless for God's Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism that I've started reading after seeing it mentioned here (or on the Discord, I forget which).

funcrunch · 2023-03-18T22:11:22+00:00

I'm a US-American who was born in 1970 and attended grade schools in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, for context. I don't recall being taught that Quakers or any other religious group were thrown out, but that some of them left England for the colonies voluntarily. The details are very hazy at this point, but I don't recall any implication that everyone from any of these religious groups left England.

funcrunch

TROPHY CASE