Some Advice and Queries of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative)

Advice and Queries of Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative),

8 Personal Responsibility <http://iymc.org/documents/discipline1974/Queries/Personal_Responsibility.htm>28.09.2017.

ADVICE

Historic testimonies of the Society of Friends against taking oaths, joining secret organizations, gambling and using addictive substances grew out of efforts of Friends to live with integrity and consistency. To swear an oath implied that one is obliged to be truthful only under oath. Joining secret organizations, gambling and using addictive and/or consciousness‑altering substances were recognized as practices which diverted resources from useful purposes, distracted attention from the Inner Light, and placed obstacles in the way of Friends seeking to lead lives of integrity. We recognize the spirit of these testimonies and endeavor to apply the same principles in our lives today.

Honesty and simplicity are essential parts of personal responsibility. We manifest our commitment to Truth in all we do. We can have joy and beauty in our lives without allowing material things to dominate them. We need to free ourselves from distractions that interfere with our search for inner peace, and accept with thanksgiving all that promotes fullness and aids in service to the divine Center.

QUERY

- How do we center our lives in the awareness of God the' Spirit, so that all things may take their rightful places?

- How do we structure our individual lives in order to keep them uncluttered with things and activities? How does Meeting help us examine our personal lives for simplicity?

- Do we choose recreational activities which foster mental, physical and spiritual health?

- How are our lives affected by tobacco, alcohol and drug use? What can we do to deal with problems resulting from their use? What can we do to recognize and deal with unhealthy ways we treat ourselves?­

 - How do we ensure that we act with fairness and integrity?

- Are we sensitive to our own use of language which may be offensive or oppressive to others?

Proverbs 31:8-9

 "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." (ESV)

Quaker Faith and Practice 29.03

"We seem to be at a turning point in human history. We can choose life or watch the planet become uninhabitable for our species. Somehow, I believe that we will pass through this dark night of our planetary soul to a new period of harmony with the God that is to be found within each of us, and that S/he will inspire renewed confidence in people everywhere, empowering us all to co-operate to use our skills, our wisdom, our creativity, our love, our faith – even our doubts and fears – to make peace with the planet. Strengthened by this fragile faith, empowered by the Spirit within, I dare to hope."

Pat Saunders, 1987

Quaker Faith and Practice 24.04

"Our principle is, and our practices have always been, to seek peace, and ensue it, and to follow after righteousness and the knowledge of God, seeking the good and welfare, and doing that which tends to the peace of all. All bloody principles and practices we do utterly deny, with all outward wars, and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretence whatsoever, and this is our testimony to the whole world. That spirit of Christ by which we are guided is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil, and again to move unto it; and we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the spirit of Christ which leads us into all Truth will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world.
And as for the kingdoms of this world, we cannot covet them, much less can we fight for them, but we do earnestly desire and wait, that by the word of God’s power and its effectual operation in the hearts of men the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ, that he might rule and reign in men by his spirit and truth, that thereby all people, out of all different judgments and professions might be brought into love and unity with God and one with another, and that they might all come to witness the prophet’s words, who said, ‘Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’. (Is 2:4; Mic 4:3)"
Declaration to Charles II, 1660

Quaker Faith and Practice 26.46

"The New Testament clearly sets out Christ as fully human and as fully divine. The writers are conscious of no difficulty or contradiction involved in this position. It seemed to them the most natural thing in the world. Probably the sense of contradiction only arises in our minds through ignorance of what is meant by personality. We set divinity over against humanity, on the assumption that so much added to the one must be so much subtracted from the other. Some have so emphasised Christ’s divinity as to leave no room for his humanity, while others have done just the reverse. It seems so easy to solve the problem by cutting the knot: either say that Christ was absolute God or that he was ordinary man. But this does not solve the problem, for either solution fails to take account of many of the facts. The difficulty is to get a conception of Jesus that is true to all the facts – of one who was the incarnate Son of God and yet (perhaps we should say ‘and therefore’) was truly man. It is a pity that we insist on using the terms ‘humanity’ and ‘divinity’ as though they implied opposition. May we not rather say that Jesus ‘shows us the divine life humanly lived and the human life divinely lived’?"
Yorkshire Quarterly Meeting, 1919

A Quote from Quaker Faith and Practice

Quaker Faith and Practice 26.24

"It is often supposed that science and religious belief are incompatible. Indeed, a dichotomy does exist between some traditional views of God’s interaction with the universe and science’s perception of natural laws. If we only use God to fill the gaps wherever a rational explanation has not been found, God’s role must diminish as scientific understanding grows. A ‘God of the gaps’ is inevitably a rather small God. However, the immanence of God in our world may be appreciated through Science as vividly as through the Arts. Many scientists daily experience God through their work: in the elegance and sophistication of natural design or the beauty and harmony revealed in certain theories. The growing body of scientific knowledge demands a continuous re-thinking of what is meant by ‘Creator’ but our greater understanding magnifies rather than diminishes our appreciation of God. Science and religion have much in common. They are communal activities and involve a search for some greater truth. The sharing of ideas is fundamental to both. The discipline of science can make a valuable contribution to religious thought; critical honesty, the willingness to abandon old ideas and modes of thought when fresh insight demands it and the centrality of experience as an arbiter of truth are as important in one as in the other. In both the scientific and religious searches for truth, the implications of current beliefs are explored to see where they lead. Beliefs are not just safe ledges in an uncertain reality, but rather handholds from which further heights can be reached."

Eleven Quaker scientists, 1989

Spiritually dry II

I haven't had any inspiration to write in a long time now and I hope this dry period is about to end. I have become teetotal which is a good thing. A step in the right direction. I took a step in the wrong direction when I decided to cure my sore throat with honey which is non-vegan.I'll go back to veganism as soon as my cold is over.

In my search for inspiration I read the entire Bible from cover to cover. I don't feel much more enlightened but it was an interesting journey. I have finally figured out how I treat the different scriptures. I believe in the Old Testament as long as it doesn't contradict the new testament and I believe in the New Testament as long as it doesn't contradict the Quaker Faith and Practice. The Old Testament does contradict the New Testament amongst other things in its attitude towards warfare. The Old Testament permits war whereas the New Testament forbids warfare. The Quaker Faith and Practice does also forbid warfare so I'm against war. I would be against war even if Jesus would permit it since the Quaker Faith and Practice is against all warfare. When, or perhaps "if", the New Testament contradicts the Quaker Faith and Practice I choose to follow the Quaker Faith and Practice. So simple is that. I choose to follow the most recent revelation when I have to choose. 

When I say "Quaker Faith and Practice" I mean the Quaker Faith and Practice , Fifth Edition, The book of Christian discipline of the Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain.