A couple of days ago I received the following email from Llyn Richards (Aotearoa / NZ Yearly Meeting Clerk). I asked his permission to post it here because I found it really fascinating and thought others would too!
Dear Leith,
I was delighted to get your report and inspired by its contents!
I am very glad you have sent it to the newsletter and would have recommended that if you had not thought of that already -- the Newsletter gets to a lot more Friends than the YM Clerk's Monthly Letter. However,if the Newsletter does not want it (why not, good heavens? Space perhaps) then I will put in my letter with great pleasure. I send out 180 paper copies and 120 by e-mail.
I would like to hear you some time on how you distinguish a non-theist Q from an atheist Q. I have for a while been a 'lurker' on the USA-based Non-theist Friends' e-mail discussion list. They seem to be a very mixed bunch (typically Q, eh?!) with most contributers being very keen to talk about the route they took in becoming non-theist (jargon: spiritual journey) and in the harassment they get from their meetings -- they must be rather outspoken since I have been 'eldered' only twice for my views. They are about to put out a real book but when I asked about what sort of contibutions they wanted they were all about personal 'spiritual journeys' and not about the REASONS for non-theism or the replacement 'faith', 'godless-theology', 'philosophy', or whatever, that makes them still call themselves Quakers. You touch on those matters in your report. Hooray.
Judith and I particularly liked your quoting of Penn -- Quakers are people are trying what love can do. That may just be enough to distinguish non-theist Qs from
humanists.
However, my own reply to those who ask me why I am a Quaker (most are not asking about my funny beliefs, which they probably have not heard. Yet!) I usually reply,
'The Society is my support group.' (possibly now old fashioned pop-psychology jargon but I think you understand.)
I got fed up with the Presbyterians (both my father and grandfather were presby clergymen) mostly because the rank and file were unaware how they said they had
certain, mostly moral, beliefs but their practice denied it, also because the highly educated clergy at that time were mostly liberal if not revolutionary in theology but
they did not explain why they did not believe in virgin births, etc., to the people in the pews. So I looked around for 'church people' (an all-white Springbock tour was
looming) who would peacefull protest with all their might. 70-year-old Betty Fowler made herself a batton-proof boob-protector out of rolled up newspapers sewn into a
jacket and we, along with all those other good citizens, showed Muldoon what we thought of Apartheid. For other reasons as well, Qs fitted like a glove. But having a
bunch of people who wanted to do what I was willing to do on my own, if necessary, was a tremendous comfort. Something like your experience of belonging, ev
en among the disparate majority. 'Look how these Christians love one another."
Sorry about the spiritual journey! But it was trying to make a point. On the whole non-programmed non-birthright Friends are comfortable with making up their own minds, but they need help (who doesn't?) with their concerns.
And it was good to see you taking note of the problems of air-travel, scientific and
economic. The electronic communications are going to be a great thing when planes
are grounded by pandemics and terribly expensive oil and climate change. BUT did you
notice at Yearly Meeting that the moment it was suggested that we should cut down on
air travel by New Zealand Quakers, the excuses about how spiritually important face
to face contact is for the people getting that. I have no trouble with the importance
but morality (and this is reflected in the law) is mostly about weighing the
consequences of actions: pushing children about is generally immoral unless it is
pushing a child out of the path of a speeding car. Killing people is wrong but at the
edges the morality get blurred - euthenasia and abortion. A trip half way wound the
world by jet to a committee meeting that can be done by tele-conferencing by people
who have mostly met before is miles different from getting 200 YFs together for a once-in-a-life-time experience. But even the latter needs some payback
in working for conservation -- and this you have begun in your report.
I once wondered if (1) the recent scientific discoveries about what life was like in
the year 30 and (2) the scientific disentanglement of gospel stories so that we have
about 90 sayings which can be reasonably attributed to Jesus and pictures of what the
early Christians (despite Paul) thought about him; I once wondered if these good
solid facts could be a basis for a reprochement between evangelical Qs and those not
so inclined -- the Bible-based learning what the real Jesus was like and starting to
ignore the 'Son of God' Pauline interpretation; and the spiritually inclined learning
what Jesus was really like and finding him much more down to earth and worth
listening to than before.
But it looks like a longer job that I, or the world, has time for.
Sorry to have rambled on so.
I'll have a look at your blog soonish.
Now get back to that doctorate -- its a great boost to confidence when you get it
done.
Walk cheerfully
Llyn
P.S.
My doctoral thesis was on logic and theology -- it summed up my spiritual journey to
a non-theist quaker position in 400 pages!! Mind you, I made the journey 30 years ago
so writing it just helped me get my ideas straight: theism is too illogical to be
correct -- if there is a God he/she is not a theist. But such a conclusion is of very
little moral worth and certainly no practical use to a world bent on letting itself
go to wrack and ruin.
"It's being so cheerful as keeps me going."
anna d: Well it prompted ministry this morning in Wellington (even tho' they did think you'd been to a recent FWCC event not WGYF!) about being accepted and 'why are we here' =) (06/24/06)
Julian: Well, I don't know how you do it Leith, but you've done it again. Reading your report again yesterday in the Newsletter, combined with a particular piece of Ministry at Meeting today has brought me to the point where I'm finally ready to apply for membership. You have challenged and helped expand my faith more than anyone else I know. I want to thank you for being you. (06/24/06)