Thursday, March 17, 2005
Simplicity:
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From the above diary:
"Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength."
Quaker Books
The Religious Society of Friends
The Quakers are a tiny sect in the large panoply of Christian sects, yet who among us has not heard of them? For more than 300 years, their practice of "plain living" and the spiritual strength it has given them have enabled them to move mountains. You can't do better than read Pym's book (I'm reading it a second time right now) and Whitmire's book of aphorisms is a good companion.
"All of the ideas that have come out of the Quaker experience are applicable to anyone who takes them seriously. They are the fruits of a practical mysticism for ordinary people. ... for Quakerism is above all a religion of everyday life."
-- Jim Pym, Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives
Plain Living: A Quaker Path To Simplicity by Catherine Whitmire
With Response:
About once a month I see comments in a dairy, usually in sets of three, that are about Japanese lifestyle, Quakers, and Buddhists. Not saying anything, but maybe there's something that (normal) Christians just don't get.
Yes I do realize Buddhism is widely practiced in Japan, but Christianity is widely practiced here, do most people follow those principles?
The culture wars are over, everyone lost.
And Follow up:
I personally believe that most people who style themselves "Christians" do not, in fact, follow the tenets of their faith. In fact, if there is one single thing lacking in modern life, I would say it is religious feeling. It's difficult to regard the tenets of faith as anything but a bore if you don't have the feeling -- which is something internal and between you and God.
All the most faithful and honest Christians I know (and I know a few) have one thing in common -- they hardly ever talk about God. Their faith simply determines how they live and how they live flows out of the tenets of their faith. They don't have to talk about religious matters because their lives are religious matters.
And that is the secret of the success of the Quakers. There's a story in the Pym book about William Penn, who was disturbed by his stylish dress and carrying a sword as a part of it. When he asked George Fox (founder of the Quakers) about the carrying of the sword, Fox replied "Wear it as long as thou canst." One day, you look at all your "stuff" and you say, "I can no more."
mp
"Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength."
Quaker Books
The Religious Society of Friends
The Quakers are a tiny sect in the large panoply of Christian sects, yet who among us has not heard of them? For more than 300 years, their practice of "plain living" and the spiritual strength it has given them have enabled them to move mountains. You can't do better than read Pym's book (I'm reading it a second time right now) and Whitmire's book of aphorisms is a good companion.
"All of the ideas that have come out of the Quaker experience are applicable to anyone who takes them seriously. They are the fruits of a practical mysticism for ordinary people. ... for Quakerism is above all a religion of everyday life."
-- Jim Pym, Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives
Plain Living: A Quaker Path To Simplicity by Catherine Whitmire
With Response:
About once a month I see comments in a dairy, usually in sets of three, that are about Japanese lifestyle, Quakers, and Buddhists. Not saying anything, but maybe there's something that (normal) Christians just don't get.
Yes I do realize Buddhism is widely practiced in Japan, but Christianity is widely practiced here, do most people follow those principles?
The culture wars are over, everyone lost.
And Follow up:
I personally believe that most people who style themselves "Christians" do not, in fact, follow the tenets of their faith. In fact, if there is one single thing lacking in modern life, I would say it is religious feeling. It's difficult to regard the tenets of faith as anything but a bore if you don't have the feeling -- which is something internal and between you and God.
All the most faithful and honest Christians I know (and I know a few) have one thing in common -- they hardly ever talk about God. Their faith simply determines how they live and how they live flows out of the tenets of their faith. They don't have to talk about religious matters because their lives are religious matters.
And that is the secret of the success of the Quakers. There's a story in the Pym book about William Penn, who was disturbed by his stylish dress and carrying a sword as a part of it. When he asked George Fox (founder of the Quakers) about the carrying of the sword, Fox replied "Wear it as long as thou canst." One day, you look at all your "stuff" and you say, "I can no more."
mp
From the above diary:
"Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength."
Quaker Books
The Religious Society of Friends
The Quakers are a tiny sect in the large panoply of Christian sects, yet who among us has not heard of them? For more than 300 years, their practice of "plain living" and the spiritual strength it has given them have enabled them to move mountains. You can't do better than read Pym's book (I'm reading it a second time right now) and Whitmire's book of aphorisms is a good companion.
"All of the ideas that have come out of the Quaker experience are applicable to anyone who takes them seriously. They are the fruits of a practical mysticism for ordinary people. ... for Quakerism is above all a religion of everyday life."
-- Jim Pym, Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives
Plain Living: A Quaker Path To Simplicity by Catherine Whitmire
With Response:
About once a month I see comments in a dairy, usually in sets of three, that are about Japanese lifestyle, Quakers, and Buddhists. Not saying anything, but maybe there's something that (normal) Christians just don't get.
Yes I do realize Buddhism is widely practiced in Japan, but Christianity is widely practiced here, do most people follow those principles?
The culture wars are over, everyone lost.
And Follow up:
I personally believe that most people who style themselves "Christians" do not, in fact, follow the tenets of their faith. In fact, if there is one single thing lacking in modern life, I would say it is religious feeling. It's difficult to regard the tenets of faith as anything but a bore if you don't have the feeling -- which is something internal and between you and God.
All the most faithful and honest Christians I know (and I know a few) have one thing in common -- they hardly ever talk about God. Their faith simply determines how they live and how they live flows out of the tenets of their faith. They don't have to talk about religious matters because their lives are religious matters.
And that is the secret of the success of the Quakers. There's a story in the Pym book about William Penn, who was disturbed by his stylish dress and carrying a sword as a part of it. When he asked George Fox (founder of the Quakers) about the carrying of the sword, Fox replied "Wear it as long as thou canst." One day, you look at all your "stuff" and you say, "I can no more."
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"Try to live simply. A simple lifestyle freely chosen is a source of strength."
Quaker Books
The Religious Society of Friends
The Quakers are a tiny sect in the large panoply of Christian sects, yet who among us has not heard of them? For more than 300 years, their practice of "plain living" and the spiritual strength it has given them have enabled them to move mountains. You can't do better than read Pym's book (I'm reading it a second time right now) and Whitmire's book of aphorisms is a good companion.
"All of the ideas that have come out of the Quaker experience are applicable to anyone who takes them seriously. They are the fruits of a practical mysticism for ordinary people. ... for Quakerism is above all a religion of everyday life."
-- Jim Pym, Listening to the Light: How to Bring Quaker Simplicity and Integrity into Our Lives
Plain Living: A Quaker Path To Simplicity by Catherine Whitmire
With Response:
About once a month I see comments in a dairy, usually in sets of three, that are about Japanese lifestyle, Quakers, and Buddhists. Not saying anything, but maybe there's something that (normal) Christians just don't get.
Yes I do realize Buddhism is widely practiced in Japan, but Christianity is widely practiced here, do most people follow those principles?
The culture wars are over, everyone lost.
And Follow up:
I personally believe that most people who style themselves "Christians" do not, in fact, follow the tenets of their faith. In fact, if there is one single thing lacking in modern life, I would say it is religious feeling. It's difficult to regard the tenets of faith as anything but a bore if you don't have the feeling -- which is something internal and between you and God.
All the most faithful and honest Christians I know (and I know a few) have one thing in common -- they hardly ever talk about God. Their faith simply determines how they live and how they live flows out of the tenets of their faith. They don't have to talk about religious matters because their lives are religious matters.
And that is the secret of the success of the Quakers. There's a story in the Pym book about William Penn, who was disturbed by his stylish dress and carrying a sword as a part of it. When he asked George Fox (founder of the Quakers) about the carrying of the sword, Fox replied "Wear it as long as thou canst." One day, you look at all your "stuff" and you say, "I can no more."
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