(Friend is the other name for Quaker) So, is anyone here a Quaker? That's me! I've been a Quaker for about a year and a half now. I'm in a semi-programed, lightly pastoral meeting. How about you (if you are a Quaker)?
Hi Hello. that's pretty interesting. I was reading some of what Thomas Jefferson had to say about religion just last night and I noticed, while he was pretty opposed to organised christianity in general, he had nothing but good things to say about the Quakers. Welcome. Maybe you could tell us a little about your faith (?)
Yeah, a lot of the things that people don't like about organized religion, don't seem to apply to Quakerism. Quakers are a very diverse group as we do not have a writted creed or doctrine that all must abide by, however individual meetings and churches do have a statement of faith... You do not need to be a member or even agree with the statement of faith to participate in the life of the meeting or church, however, if it does not sit well with you, that will be taken into consideration when applying for membership. Two things that Quakers are know for are honesty and simplicity. Quakers also believe that God can talk (usually figuratively speaking) directly to individuals and that we need no intermediary such as a priest to comunicate with God. We also believe that things such as baptism and communion are internal experiences that no ritual can replace. If anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them to the best of my abilit, however, I might end up posting links if I can't do a decent job of explaining things.
I agree with most of what you are saying, I mean it sounds like a pretty good way to practice faith in a higher power. I was raised in a Catholic family, but I do not agree with some of their teachings. So, I have a faith without a name, it is my very own. I believe everyone should grow into their own little faith, instead of walking in lockstep with the crowd. I believe that the best faith is had when a person has a sincere one to one relationship with God. God appreciates sincerity, not someone just following the crowd. Please check out my personal not-for-money website. www.woodstockanddeadseascrolls.net
Nope. Some don't even have pastors. Quakers believe that each individual can hear God for themselves, therefore they don't believe a pope or priest-like figure is necessary.
The Walking Purchase August 25, 1737 Record Group 26: Records of the Department of State, Basic Documents, Indian Deeds, #35, "Deed of Nutimus, Teeshakommen, et. al.…to John Thomas and Richard Penn" August 25, 1737. Iron gall ink on parchment, 28 3/8"X 17 5/8". Consistent with the Society of Friends' (Quakers) belief that all people are children of God and should be considered equals, William Penn attempted to treat Native Americans fairly. Although King Charles II had granted to Penn in 1681 the land that he called "Pennsylvania," Penn also purchased it from the indigenous people, acknowledging them as the rightful owners. He made his first purchase in 1682 and continued this practice in the following years. Many were for small tracts, some overlapping others. William Penn's sons John and Thomas had inherited the colony's proprietorship, but had lived beyond their means and, like their father, had fallen into debt. In order to increase their income, they were selling land to European settlers even before they had purchased it from the Indians. Provincial Secretary James Logan, too, was selling land. In fact, he was one of Pennsylvania's largest land speculators. The demand for land was strong because of heavy immigration from Europe, and settlers were moving north into the area from southeastern Pennsylvania and west from New Jersey. Provincial officials believed that they needed to extend their authority and provide the institutions of government in these settlements. As a result, they considered it necessary to obtain a clear title from the Indians to the land in the upper Delaware and Lehigh River valleys. To demonstrate their claim to the area, they showed to the leaders of the Delaware Indians a deed that they insisted indicated that William Penn had bought the land in 1686 but that he had not completed the purchase. Because these Delaware Indians with whom Logan and the Penn brothers spoke had moved there from New Jersey, they explained that they knew nothing about that purchase. They tried to secure help to resist the officials' claims from the Iroquois to whom they were subservient. However, Logan had prepared, and the Six Nations' leaders signed, a deed giving up the Indians' interest in the area. Without support from the Iroquois, the Delaware leaders therefore relinquished on August 25, 1737, the lands that the Penns and Logan wanted. The next step was to measure the purchase and specify its boundaries. The deed indicated that the purchase extended from a point on the Delaware River near present-day Wrightstown, northwest into the interior "as far as a Man could walk in a day and half," a typical Indian measurement of space. Logan hired three men to "walk off," the area who were accompanied initially by several Indians. The "walk" ended well into the Lehigh River Valley, near what is now the borough of Jim Thorpe, formerly Mauch Chunk, at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Instead of projecting the boundary due east, provincial surveyors drew the line at right angles to the Upper Delaware River, near the New York border. The Delawares charged that the deal was a fraud. A reason for the Indians' ignorance of the 1686 sale is that it never happened. Logan could not produce an original copy of the deed, nor does the sale appear in the provincial land records. Also, because the Penns had sent scouting parties to clear the route and had recruited outdoorsmen to travel it, the area that the walk covered became half again to twice the distance that the Indians normally traveled a "day and half." Two of the three hired "walkers" were unable to maintain the fast pace and dropped out. The third eventually collapsed in near exhaustion. The Delaware early had withdrawn in disgust, complaining bitterly that the white men did not "walk fair." Consequently, the outraged Delaware refused to leave the land, whereupon, provincial officials called on the Iroquois to force them out. This they did in 1741, informing the Delaware that as a subject people they had no right to sell land in the first place and insulting them by calling them "women." The deed and "Walking Purchase" that implemented it were revealing. Certainly, a Britisher prepared the document, but it included not only English legal terminology but also typical Indian phrases that showed their respect for elders and their way of calculating distances. More important is what they disclose concerning the attitude of the Europeans toward the Indians. William Penn's sons John and Thomas, as well as Logan indicated clearly that they had abandoned William Penn's policy of fairness toward the Indians. They seemed to have had no qualms about using one group of Indians to cheat another out of its land. Their action also demonstrated their short-sightedness. Although they achieved their immediate objectives of acquiring land in the upper Delaware and Lehigh River valleys from the Indians, they contributed to a later catastrophe by alienating the Delawares. Forced from their homeland, all but a few moved west where "the French welcomed them and promised them a chance for revenge." Not needing motivation but only the opportunity, as the French implemented their claims to the Allegheny and Ohio River valleys, during the early and mid-1750s the Delaware moved down the Susquehanna and ravaged Pennsylvania's frontier. They destroyed crops, burned barns and homes, carried off and killed many of the colonists. The Quaker Party in the provincial legislature charged, probably validly, that the Delawares' actions were the direct result of the "Walking Purchase."
I live in the state that was named after a Quaker. I considered the Society of Friends for a few years. I think it's important to listen to the "still, small voice of God" but the service was so devoid of spiritual fervor for me. I need music, and communion and spoken Word.
