Disclaimer: I write from my experiences as a Quaker, raised in a multi-generational Quaker family and community in the rural Midwest. This disclaimer that I don’t speak for other Quakers or organizations is especially important in the following since I will be expressing my views about Quakerism. “We” refers generally to white Quakers in this country. I will focus on the Quaker yearly meeting I belong to, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) but am not speaking on behalf of the yearly meeting.
The previous post ended by talking about the paradox that a people so concerned about justice would not see the harms they themselves were inflicting upon others. Settler-colonialism requires this denial, that the settlers are justified in colonizing the original people and the land. And then we were seduced by the materialism of the capitalist economy. And we accepted the state’s violent enforcement of this economy and the political and military systems that are required to make it work for the wealthy. These interlocking mechanisms are what make change so difficult. Attempts to change one piece are usually thwarted by adaptations by the other parts of the Christian colonial capitalist systems.
And you cannot create justice by using the tools of the systems of injustice you are trying to change.
A paradox has two, opposing sides. The last post was about the damages that are often inflicted by people with the “best of intentions”, which includes far more people than Quakers, of course. That is guaranteed to happen when outsiders try to implement solutions without involving the people they intend to help. Too often the intention was to benefit the outsiders at the expense of those who were supposed to be helped anyway.
How did we get it so wrong? This has made me think and act more cautiously. Probably overcautiously. But the answer reveals a way we can move toward justice.
Conservative
I believe the explanation of what happened, and a way forward requires an understanding of how members of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) experience the Spirit. The key is the word conservative, which does not refer to political viewpoint.
Quakers formed in the mid 1600s in England during a period of general religious upheaval, much of it aimed at the Church of England. Quakers believed the Spirit or “Inner Light” existed in everyone. They believed religion wasn’t a thing of the past that required sermons from priests. So, instead, Quakers gather together in expectant silence, listening for a message from the Spirit. The meetings generally last about an hour these days. At anytime, anyone might feel led to share a spiritual message by speaking into the silence. There is often a quality to the gathered quiet that is different from individual meditation.
This belief in the presence of God in every being made Quakers more aware of and concerned for whoever suffers. Led to work for peace and against injustices related to religious persecution, child labor, minority rights, poverty, prisons, and enslavement.
The Great Separation
Quakers were among those white Europeans who migrated to and settled upon this land.
An event of great historical significance for Iowa Quakers occurred in 1877, as summarized by this graphic. As with many religions, there have been numerous splits and branching of groups of Quakers as peoples’ beliefs and circumstances changed.
But what happened in 1877 was an attempt to change the very manner in which Quaker worship was practiced. Attempts were made to change Quaker silent meetings for worship back to churches led by pastors who gave sermons and other practices of organized religions.
So a group of Quakers, including my ancestors, rejected the revivalist changes and formed a new yearly meeting, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) to conserve the original, Spirit-led practices.
Authority
Since Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative) ( IYMC(C)) Quakers did not have paid ministers, where did they look for guidance and authority? Quakerism is considered a Christian religion, though some Friends consider themselves to be agnostic. Our yearly meeting has a document referred to as our Faith and Practice, or the more formal title, “The Book of Discipline of Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) Religious Society of Friends” that outlines and explains our beliefs and practices.
Because IYM(C) Quakers believe the Spirit is active in the world today, the key concept related to guidance and authority is continuing revelation, as expressed here in our Faith and Practice:
Continuing Revelation
CONTINUING REVELATION
Truth does not change, but individual and corporate perception does. Friends acknowledge that understanding of Truth may change through careful attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Truth is revealed continuously if gradually through the living link with God in a person’s heart. Careful discernment and testing of leadings help guard against
lightly discarding long-held understandings of Truth or being distracted by fanciful “notions.” Though the Bible includes words of God, it is not the entire Word of God. It can be understood through revelation of the Spirit, thoughtful study, and reflection.
DISCERNMENT AND DECISIONMAKING
In personal and corporate decision making, Friends seek to discern and follow the will of God. Friends make decisions in a worshipful manner, patiently seeking together under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to uncover Truth pertaining to the issues at hand.
The Book of Discipline of Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends (Conservative) Religious Society of Friends
A source of hope
Continuing revelation explains how we can sometimes get things wrong. From our incomplete or incorrect understandings.
But crucially, this represents the hope for the future, that with continued Spiritual guidance we can be given a more complete understanding of injustice, and will be shown a better, Spirit-led way to respond.
Is this for you?
I’ve been working on this for several days, and early on it occurred to me to wonder who I am writing this for. Most Quakers know most of this, so its not for them. Often I write to explain things about Quakers to allies or whoever in the general public might be interested.
But as I’ve written and will continue to write, for white settler-colonists in this country, I believe a spiritual response is required. Christianity is deeply implicated in colonial capitalist violence, so the spiritual response needed probably won’t be coming from there. But conservative Quakers were implicated, too, and there are signs of progress among us.
The difference is that we conservative Quakers have the processes in place to discern and advocate for change. That are designed to continue to bring attention to our spiritual lives, and that of our meeting community. This is where the spiritual practice of conservative Quakers, seeking continuing revelation, can find Spirit-led guidance for a more just world for all.
You don’t need to be a Quaker to do this, of course. We need a spirit guided movement of multitudes of people. If you might be interested, you can find more information, including searching for Quaker meetings near you, here: https://www.fgcquaker.org/find-a-meeting/ This listing includes both silent, or “unprogrammed” meetings, and programmed Friends Churches.
So many of us are bewildered by the rapid devolvement into authoritarianism in this country. And the horrors of the wars conducted in our name. But these are some of the consequences of this country’s centuries of Christian colonial capitalist violence. Maybe some of this will, as the Quaker phrase goes, “speak to your condition.” We could use your help.
