So it seems that 'advices & queries' started out as an effort by the 'weighty' Quakers to set out a moral code for the rest. It was about setting boundaries for the community.
So where is our community today. When we think of and consider our advices and queries in Britain Yearly Meeting we are thinking about how we manage our community.
What would you change?
What speaks to you today?
I have a friend who has a friend, both Friends (ie Quakers, but i wanted to write that), who reads A&Q on the tube. If someone asks her about it, she gives them a copy. She keeps copies with her for this very purpose.
It takes me back to the point about telling people about Quakers, what we call outreach and what we mean when we try to avoid evangelism. In one sense, we are trying to help people know who and what we are, what we believe and where they might or might not fit in - too often I/we hear people say 'i wish that i had known about you before' or 'coming to Quakers was like coming home'.
In another sense, like those who came before us we are seekers of truth and we have a sense that there are some eternal truths, some answers here among our Quaker faith and it is important to share it.
We aren't just here in the Meeting for Worship, in Quaker Quest, on committees, in service in our employment, attending social events just because we 'came home' (well, not just that), we're here because we believe, we have faith and we want to grow.
It is not always silent, it is sometimes challenging, it is our lives.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
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3 comments:
I wonder if Ads & Qs is really a good representation of Friends. It's fairly short and to be honest, you kind of have to know how to read it.
What would I change are the underlying messages implied but not said. They are the things I stormed through asking questions about as I considered joining Quakerism. Now I think I would like to, but the questions did not go away.
I realized what was missing were testimonies on lovingkindness, compassion, joy, harmony, diversity, wholeness and equanimity. There is nothing in these that contradict what the Quakers already say and do, but I believe the tone would change to something sweeter.
There's a difference for Friends between the functions of Advices and Queries and the testimonies to peace, truth, equality and simplicity. Both ask us to take a long hard look at ourselves, the way we live our lives and the way our concerns for humanity are expressed. Most would wish like Allison to celebrate the joyous aspects of life. But we would be neglecting our responsibilities if we ignored the problems created by greed, selfishness and cruelty to people and animals.
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