I wasn’t given

a savage tongue

to savage people

but to wake them up

I'm told (via "Quaker Jane") that "Let your lives speak" literally isn't in George Fox's writings.

The well-known example, of phrases that come close, is of course from his Journal. Ironically, it is in a letter he addressed "To Friends in the Ministry."

"...

"Bring all into the worship of God: plow up the fallow ground thresh and get out the corn, that all people may come to…

Getting to the intent of Quaker Process forms

Less politeness.

Less hostility.

Less defensiveness.

Less reverence for everyone's poor silly gospels.

More attention to what that other silly fool actually means.

More faith in the One who leads us.

More sense of proportion.

More time than I have to waste, lately.

If I've recently failed to hold up my end in Friendly games of Mudinyourface, it may be because I'd much…

Several of us at my Meeting would like us to pass a minute in support of the Occupy movement... and our Clerk thought when we next meet for business... "Would you write it?"

I could see right away there will be difficulties. The Meeting is dominated by academic types of the Phd persuasion, and as John Ralston Saul pointed out in Voltaire's Bastards, specialization and a comfortable life are not unmitigated blessings. Many of us…

Since "Quakers do it in the Light" we three set up on a well-lit terrace in the midst of the stairs coming down from the building to the north. Goings on around us were sporadically on the ugly side, the police marching into the crowd from time to time to deal with some provocative individual while the people nearby yelled indignantly. 

Make your signs beautiful, for God to see.

They are prayers, not to be wasted

on that gang of lying brats who swindle us of power;

they're for that starved angel they keep

chained in the national basement.



Make your signs bright, for the blind to read

and don't expect victory, just miracles.



Don't demand peace or call loudly for justice.

Beg mercy. Our nation's trial

is now in the sentencing phase.…

We call what we're studying [on the kwakerskripturestudy blog] "Scripture", which means "written stuff."



People have gone from an overly-reverent attitude towards scripture, to effective neglect. "There's some very inspiring and ethically-instructive material in all that, and you can read it if you like, but we want to rush out and make a difference in the world."

the…

Traditionally we call these 'covenants', but there's no distinction that I can see: deals, covenants, treaties, contracts-- all about "We'll do this and You'll do that."

There's sort of an implied deal in a sacrifice; we eat some of it, the god eats some of it, and we hope relations will stay friendly, because a god on your side can't hurt, but one who's against you is bad news...

But we make a 'covenant' when we'd like to negotiate and make the details…

Maybe just my prejudice. Maybe being very conscious of style... and finding no resemblance whatsoever between the style of the synoptic Jesus, and the rather pompous style of John's "Jesus."

I know, I know, John is just being symbolic about Jesus' role in the scheme of things... and every once in awhile there's a really good quote. But mostly it's "I know who I am & Who sent me, and you don't, which just goes to show what a clueless, evil bunch you are..." Mostly…

April 20, 2011

An Open Letter to Ministry and Oversight, to the Clerk, members and attenders of San Diego Meeting of “The Religious Society of Friends.” And To All Friends, for Consideration

As all things come from God-- Disagreement is a gift, however disagreeable it may seem. Disagreement is an opportunity to…

Over Anne's piano we have a large, intricate drawing by her grandmother. (Her brother's wife refused to have it in their house.) It depicts a woman in long robes, holding a mask up to her featureless head, a string of discarded masks trailing to the ground at her feet.

I've been thinking lately about gods and angels... and archetypes, and how this all connects. One influence was a friend's post about 'The Angel of a Meeting' (…

My Meeting has a private listserv, and I've always been in contention about it, saying that we should be discussing everything, and if we dared, doing it publicly, taking on all honest commentors, etc.

I post links to articles there that are way too radical for most of our respectable leaders-- because the content is true, significant, and urgent.

Said leaders complain that they "don't have time" to look at the discussion material that comes their way. I…