One year after its formation, 95 members and supporters of the Nontheist Friends Network from all over Britain met as Friends together at Woodbrooke for the Network’s inaugural conference and first annual general meeting. In plenary sessions, break-out groups, workshops and worship we reflected on what it means to live with integrity as committed nontheists … Read more
(I presented this at an adult education session at Twin Cities Friends Meeting in November 2003. A Friend recently suggested it might spur some conversations around alternative ways of seeing and experiencing what Quakers call the “inward light.” In particular, I think the idea of the inward light as something pure, which can be experienced … Read more
Report by Miriam Yagud We expected a lot of interest at this Yearly Meeting, in exploring issues raised by nontheist Friends And there was. The nontheist Friends conference at Woodbrooke last February has stimulated a rich and energetic discussion about nontheism and theological diversity among Friends. Some of this has been reflected in the pages of “The … Read more
The creation of an identity is often a long process, some of which is conscious and some of which happens through experience. In many ways it is similar to the French art form of bricolage, using found pieces of whatever is around to create a unique piece of artwork. Identity work is constrained by the … Read more
A meeting in February of 40 nontheist Friends at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, England, decided to organise with a view to becoming a recognised special interest group of Britain Yearly Meeting. A steering group of six Friends was appointed to take the work forward. The steering group resolved to call the new organisation the Nontheist … Read more
Minute and Epistle of the gathering of nontheist Friends at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Britain, Feb 18-20 2011 “There are nontheist Friends… Friends who might be called agnostics, atheists, sceptics, but would nevertheless describe themselves as reverent seekers.” So began the report of the first formal workshop for nontheist Friends, held in New York State … Read more
By Charley Earp – part 1 – The Radicalization of a Preacher’s Kid
Doctrinally open membership is becoming more accepted by Friends. What is this method of arriving at membership decisions? How does it affect other areas of Quaker life and what does this imply for the future of the Religious Society of Friends? The Method Consider a typical Friends meeting. Members gather in silent worship. They cooperate … Read more
To seek to live in the light is essentially a value, a principle of living, rather than a belief. We need no theology, nor even a particular conception of “the light” as a distinct quality, in order to seek to live by it. Perhaps it would help me to clarify my point, if I described my own quirky, incomplete, and mostly psychological sense of where “the light” comes from
MINUTE of the workshop on “Quaker Identity and the Heart of our Faith” at the FGC Gathering, Blacksburg VA, July 2009 28 Friends (26 from USA and one each from Britain and Canada) have participated in this workshop. We have met together on six successive mornings from June 28 to July 3 2009 to tackle … Read more