Monday, January 07, 2008
Thinking
There should be great concern from all Quakers about a "you-can-think-this" and "I-can-think-this" spirituality, a concern which I share. There is something about Quakerism that is unique, shared and deeply spiritual. Each of us has a connection to that inner seed and what is beautiful about Quakerism is that we see that connection and that spirituality in everyone.
The problem with "you-can-think-this" and "I-can-think-this" is that it involves “thinking”. Spirituality is not "thinking", which is where I believe the Universalists go astray. Quaker spirituality is something much, much, deeper and more connected. Yes thinking can be a raft that leads us to the spiritual shore and thinking can be the vessel that creates Quaker action from our spiritual core, but Quaker Spirituality is not about "thinking" it is about the mouth of that deep perpetually flowing river. It is the "thinking" that dilutes that "secret power". I believe that Christocentric Friends, if they listened long enough, would find their Christocentric spirituality and could drop their Christocentric "thinking" which requires Quakerism to be a Christian religion. If we listen with our "spiritual ear" we can hear that deep spiritual seed equally in the Christocentric Friend and the Friend that is not Christocentric. We can be equally transformed by both of them.
It has been said that secularism is a recent invention. In England 350 years ago being secular or non-theist was not a real option. Now we have to "think" about that choice and worse feel we have to proclaim Quakerism to be one or the other. One only has to read about Fox and Woolman’s interactions with native-Americans (a unique place where they had that "choice" opportunity) to see that Quakerism is broader organization of spirituality than one rational framework.
The problem with "you-can-think-this" and "I-can-think-this" is that it involves “thinking”. Spirituality is not "thinking", which is where I believe the Universalists go astray. Quaker spirituality is something much, much, deeper and more connected. Yes thinking can be a raft that leads us to the spiritual shore and thinking can be the vessel that creates Quaker action from our spiritual core, but Quaker Spirituality is not about "thinking" it is about the mouth of that deep perpetually flowing river. It is the "thinking" that dilutes that "secret power". I believe that Christocentric Friends, if they listened long enough, would find their Christocentric spirituality and could drop their Christocentric "thinking" which requires Quakerism to be a Christian religion. If we listen with our "spiritual ear" we can hear that deep spiritual seed equally in the Christocentric Friend and the Friend that is not Christocentric. We can be equally transformed by both of them.
It has been said that secularism is a recent invention. In England 350 years ago being secular or non-theist was not a real option. Now we have to "think" about that choice and worse feel we have to proclaim Quakerism to be one or the other. One only has to read about Fox and Woolman’s interactions with native-Americans (a unique place where they had that "choice" opportunity) to see that Quakerism is broader organization of spirituality than one rational framework.
