From A Friendly Letter, #28 Seventh Month (July), 1983
THE CRAZY QUILT OF CURRENT QUAKER
THEOLOGY
- Continued
*Agnostics and Atheists: the "Methodonians." The man who introduced me to the
society of Friends, the late Morris Mitchell, founder of Friends World College, was a
devoted and distinguished Quaker. His life preached, as it was supposed to. But Morris
Mitchell, as he explained to me later, was also an atheist. I have heard of other atheists
among us, and not a few who would call themselves agnostics.
What do such people find in a Religious Society such as ours?
It is risky to generalize, but I suspect there are sev-
eral things: one is a set of testimonies with which they unite: Morris Mitchell, a World
War One combat veteran, was passionately for peace; then, Quakerism offers a method of
spiritual discipline, of worship, business and witness which, doctrine aside, they feel is
rewarding in itself; and they find in their meetings a supportive, non-dogmatic comm-
unity. Thus it is no surprise to hear that some, like Morris Mitchell, are in many ways
exemplary Friends, and pillars of their groups. And it seems to me that the best answer
to the question I have often heard about them, namely, "But why would an atheist want
to
be a Quaker?" is found by turning the question on its head: Don’t these Friends
provide
the evidence That Quakerism is such a rich spiritual resource that one doesnĘt even have
to be a theist to see great value in it?
*Pagans, Aquarians and New Age Quakers: The "PANists." By pagan is meant a
pre-Christian religious outlook which seeks transcendent meaning in natural phenomena and
cycles. Chief among these are sane feminist Friends who find the patriarchal character
of Christianity offensive and have sought an alternative in earlier religions. One sur-
viving form of pagan religion is what is now commonly called witchcraft, and this form
has also been explored by sane of these Friends. This feminist sentiment is often
expressed
in the pages of an occasional journal called The Friendly Woman.
Second Comings, Old & New
Aquarians and New Ageists, on the other hand, make up a broader group, shaped
by the counterculture of the sixties; they are particularly prevalent in some of the West
Coast unaffiliated Yearly Meetings, but are also found elsewhere. Astrology, reincarna-
tion, the I Ching, and anything with the word Wholistic prefixed to it are among the host
of notions and practices which are widely dabbled in, if not staunchly affirmed.
For some, exploring these newfound modes of awareness is enough; for others,
these means have disclosed the imminent emergence of a whole new kind of civilization,
with a new human consciousness and new ways of life emerging with it. This is the New
Age. To a traditional Christian, this notion has obvious parallels with the apocalyptic
expectations of the Second Caning widely held among some evangelical groups. But by and
large, PANist Quakers find the Christian orientation of other Quaker groups to be irre-
levant or oppressive. Sane have shown interest, however, in one or more of The numerous
occult interpretations of Jesus’ career and message which are abroad in such circles.
*Twelve Steps Quakers: The "Billites." Only recently have I become aware,
from reliable sources, that groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous have become a
significant source of Quaker recruits. This fact is due, not to any excess of alcoholics
among us, but rather to the character of these organizations, which is essentially
religious but non-dogmatic, highly decentralized and strongly supportive of its members.
The "theology" of such groups is summarized in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics
Anonymous,
as formulated by its founder, Bill W.
For a growing number of people whose lives have been redirected through this
approach, a Friends meeting offers a congenial and reinforcing setting. Because of the
nature of Alcoholics Anonymous and other Twelve Steps groups, however, these Billites
will likely remain largely unidentified among us That desire is understandable; yet in
a way it is too bad, because the affinity of Quakerism and these other groups seems
very much worth learning more about.
In Conclusion: Conclusions Are Illusions
This survey is unavoidably superficial, and intentionally avoids the question
of what all this variety in Quaker theology means. To some, it is a scandal, a sure sign
of apostasy; to others, it is endlessly fascinating and enjoyable. I tend to oscillate
between the two in my responses. My hope is that this summary might serve as a handy
guide, and can be useful in efforts to make sense of unprogrammed Quakerism, and in be-
ginning to sift the wheat from the chaff within it.
This Month In Quaker History
With a women’s peace camp in progress near Seneca Falls, New York, it may be
worth recalling a few details about the place of that small town in the annals of the
Quaker witness for equality of the sexes. In Sixth Month 1848, five women met in a
house there and planned the first women’s rights convention. Three of the five were
Friends, including Lucretia Mott, who was chosen to be the gathering’s featured
speaker.
The five also drafted a resolution to sum up their demands, and hit on the idea of
rewriting the Declaration of Independence. The resolution read, in part, "We hold
these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal....The
history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of
man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny
over her...." It is no wonder that, once the convention was successfully held, on
Seventh Month 19 and 20, there was a storm of unfavorable editorials in newspapers
all over the country. The New York Herald denounced Lucretia Mott, saying she was
full of "old maidish crochets and socialist violations of Christian dignity."
The story of the convention and the long career of Lucretia Mott as a Friend
and an advocate of women’s rights is well told in Margaret Bacon’s book
"Valiant Friend,"
from which most of this material is taken.
Quaker Chuckle
The Perils of Pauline
When challenged by a critic of woman’s rights, Lucretia Mott’s answers were
some-
times sharp. Asked once about the Apostle Paul’s directive that women should obey
their husbands, who were to be the heads of families, she replied that "Many of the
op-
posers of woman’s Rights who bid us obey the bachelor Saint Paul, themselves reject
his
counsel. He advised them not to marry."
A View From the Bridge
Awhile back a Washington tourist was standing near the Lincoln Memorial when ano-
ther visitor to the city pointed out toward the broad Potomac River and said, "Look,
I
can see a Quaker swimming in the Potomac!" (This was, of course, back when the river
was
swimmable.) The first tourist squinted at the speck in the water and asked, "How can
you tell it’s a Quaker from here?" "oh, that’s easy," came the
reply, "she’s swimming
upstream!"
Copyright © by Chuck Fager. All rights reserved.