Thanks. Good information. As you describe it, the Quakers come
closest to an organization I could be involved with. As a young man,
I had a good opinion of the Quakers. Then along came Richard
Millhouse Nixon. If I'd had any real interest in the Quakers, Nixon
put a damper on it.
Maybe, when I get caught up and finished with my dance with at least
three doctors, I'll look deeper at them. But I know that in my
present state of mind, I'll not be joining any organized group no
matter how I might embrace some of their philosophy. Actually, my
final fling with organized religion was with the University Unitarian
Church, in Seattle. But I went for the various informative lectures,
not for any Spiritual guidance.
Finally, I admit that I have never let ignorance get in the way of
shooting off my big mouth. Hopefully no one swallows what I say
without checking it out.
Carl Jarvis
On 11/25/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
If I remember correctly, their concept is that God dwells within the self.
Aside from Evangelical Quakers, of whom Richard Nixon was one and who were
a
whole different kettle of fish, the Quakers do not pray to an "all seeing
God", as you phrase it. Quaker worship services, or meetings, are silent,
aside for when a member is feel moved to speak. They are democratic
institutions without a clergyman. Decisions are made by concensus. There
is,
I think, a governing body that makes administrative decisions. The Quakers
do not fight in any war, no matter how just their countrymen believe it to
be. And the Friends Service Committee provides assistance to people
throughout the world.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2015 12:31 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Quakers respond to terrorism
Hats off to the Quakers! Reaching deep inside themselves to touch the love
for their fellow Man. Can they reach just a bit deeper and realize this
basic instinct comes from their own understanding of who they are, rather
than needing some make-believe All Knowing Father, to tell them.
Carl Jarvis
On 11/24/15, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Quakers respond to terrorismtraumatised.
As Parliament prepares to debate next steps in Syria, Quakers in
Britain have made this statement:
Detail from old Quaker poster
The attacks in Paris on 13 November were deeply shocking and our
hearts continue to go out to those killed, injured, bereaved and
It is human nature that the closer suffering comes to us, the moretraumatised.
acutely we feel the pain and grief. But that experience should
sensitise us to the suffering caused repeatedly by acts of war and
violent crime in more distant places, including Beirut, Sinai, Bamako
and Aleppo. It should strengthen our determination to build a safer
world together.
Terrorism is a deliberate attempt to provoke fear, hatred, division
and a state of war. War - especially war with the West - is what
ISIS/Daesh wants.
It confirms the image they project of the West as a colonialist
'crusader'
power, which acts with impunity to impose its will overseas and
especially against Muslims.
The military actions of Western nations recruit more people to the
cause than they kill. Every bomb dropped is a recruitment poster for
ISIS, a rallying point for the young, vulnerable and alienated. And
every bomb dropped on Syrian cities drives yet more people to flee and
seek refuge in safer countries.
Our political leaders seem determined that Britain should look strong
on the world stage. Quakers in Britain believe our country should act
with wisdom and far-sighted courage. A wisdom that rises above the
temptation to respond to every problem with military might. A wisdom
that looks back at our failures in Libya and Iraq and Afghanistan and
learns from experience. The courage - and strength - to think through
the likely consequences of actions to find a long term, lasting
solution.
The courageous response of ordinary people who refuse to give up their
way of life and refuse to be driven by fear is one that politicians
could learn from.
[QUOTE-START]
The courageous response of ordinary people who refuse to give up their
way of life and refuse to be driven by fear is one that politicians
could learn from.
- Quakers in Britain
[QUOTE-END]
Although there are no quick or easy answers, there are things we can
do, all of us together, which will defeat the terrorists more
assuredly than military action. Quakers in Britain commit to playing
our part in these actions.
We can quieten ourselves and listen to the truth from deep within us
that speaks of love, mutual respect, humanity and peace.
We can and will refuse to be divided. By bridge-building among faiths
and within our local communities we can challenge and rise above the
ideologies of hate and actively love our neighbour.
By welcoming refugees, we can not only meet the acute needs of those
individuals but also undercut the narrative of those who seek to
create fear and mistrust.
And we can ask our political leaders to:
. Treat terrorist acts as crimes, not acts of war
. Stop arming any of the parties fighting in Syria
. Observe international law and apply it equally to all parties
. Build cooperation among nations, strengthening those international
institutions which contribute to peace
. Export peace rather than war, so that we can create the conditions
the world needs to address its most serious problems, including
climate change.
The statement concludes with this extract from a statement made by
Quakers in Britain in 1943 (Quaker faith & practice 24.09):
"True peace cannot be dictated, it can only be built in co-operation
between all peoples. None of us, no nation, no citizen, is free from
some responsibility for this."
Quakers respond to terrorism
As Parliament prepares to debate next steps in Syria, Quakers in
Britain have made this statement:
Detail from old Quaker poster
The attacks in Paris on 13 November were deeply shocking and our
hearts continue to go out to those killed, injured, bereaved and
It is human nature that the closer suffering comes to us, the more
acutely we feel the pain and grief. But that experience should
sensitise us to the suffering caused repeatedly by acts of war and
violent crime in more distant places, including Beirut, Sinai, Bamako
and Aleppo. It should strengthen our determination to build a safer
world together.
Terrorism is a deliberate attempt to provoke fear, hatred, division
and a state of war. War - especially war with the West - is what
ISIS/Daesh wants.
It confirms the image they project of the West as a colonialist
'crusader'
power, which acts with impunity to impose its will overseas and
especially against Muslims.
The military actions of Western nations recruit more people to the
cause than they kill. Every bomb dropped is a recruitment poster for
ISIS, a rallying point for the young, vulnerable and alienated. And
every bomb dropped on Syrian cities drives yet more people to flee and
seek refuge in safer countries.
Our political leaders seem determined that Britain should look strong
on the world stage. Quakers in Britain believe our country should act
with wisdom and far-sighted courage. A wisdom that rises above the
temptation to respond to every problem with military might. A wisdom
that looks back at our failures in Libya and Iraq and Afghanistan and
learns from experience. The courage - and strength - to think through
the likely consequences of actions to find a long term, lasting
solution.
The courageous response of ordinary people who refuse to give up their
way of life and refuse to be driven by fear is one that politicians
could learn from.
The courageous response of ordinary people who refuse to give up their
way of life and refuse to be driven by fear is one that politicians
could learn from.
- Quakers in Britain
Although there are no quick or easy answers, there are things we can
do, all of us together, which will defeat the terrorists more
assuredly than military action. Quakers in Britain commit to playing
our part in these actions.
We can quieten ourselves and listen to the truth from deep within us
that speaks of love, mutual respect, humanity and peace.
We can and will refuse to be divided. By bridge-building among faiths
and within our local communities we can challenge and rise above the
ideologies of hate and actively love our neighbour.
By welcoming refugees, we can not only meet the acute needs of those
individuals but also undercut the narrative of those who seek to
create fear and mistrust.
And we can ask our political leaders to:
Treat terrorist acts as crimes, not acts of war Stop arming any of the
parties fighting in Syria Observe international law and apply it
equally to all parties Build cooperation among nations, strengthening
those international institutions which contribute to peace Export
peace rather than war, so that we can create the conditions the world
needs to address its most serious problems, including climate change.
The statement concludes with this extract from a statement made by
Quakers in Britain in 1943 (Quaker faith & practice 24.09):
"True peace cannot be dictated, it can only be built in co-operation
between all peoples. None of us, no nation, no citizen, is free from
some responsibility for this."
