So I went to a Quaker meeting.

Well, I didn’t actually physically go to a meeting.  The Quakers in England run an online meeting you can go attend.

Theology has always been an interest and their values broadly correspond with mine.  How you interpret those values is up to you. I sat in my bedroom, cup of camomile tea in hand and just sat quietly for twenty minutes just breathing and being still.  Some people spoke or typed suggestions/thoughts.

I felt a little uncomfortable with the words “worship” at the beginning, but you don’t have to use or like those words.  It’s a very broad Church.

How did I find it? Well, it was an really interesting experience.  It felt similiar to when I tried mediating. I would go to another online meeting again. Perhaps one day a I will go to a physical meeting.

Is anyone else a Quaker? Been to their meetings etc

  • Oh in terms of beliefs, I think you'll probably be surprised in the wide range of different things different Quakers believe and yet are happy to identify as Quakers.

  • I've been to several Quaker weddings, but unlike something like a registry office I don't think they're quite something people can rock up to and just "get married".  They essentially happen as part of a meeting for worship.  Also, I'm not sure if the Clerk is allowed to register marriages of non-Quakers - there may be a restriction on that.  I'm also not sure what happens in terms of births and if there is a baptism equivalent.  I'm certain the Clerk can register births and deaths, but I don't know if they have other gatherings for particular types of family events like, say, the Catholic Church do.

    Im a little uncomfortable with the “Quakers believe” and then have a recent protest etc  next to it. That’s seems a little too prescriptive.

    I'm not sure what you mean by this?  Do you have a reference of some sort I can see?  That'll probably make it clearer.

    What does seem odd is the lack of events they could do.  

    For example, baby naming meeting, blessing meeting for marriages. 

    Heavily promote weddings.  Having a simple meeting for marriage could be promoted as a beautiful and cheap service.

    I think a lot of Quakers are not the "ram their religion down people's throat" type.  If you're interested they'll help introduce you to things and information is available (e.g. http://www.quaker.org.uk/) but they're not generally pushy advertising types like the televangelists  you see on US television etc.

    If you're interested in finding out more you should be able to find your local meeting on the website and I expect they have contact details.  If you found the on-line meetings interesting doing one "live" might be a good experience for you.  Depending on how you're feeling and what goes on you can get quite a spiritual experience from them, plus there's no compulsion to stand up and give ministry.  My experience is that there's a list of "usual suspects" in every meeting who are likely to say something most MfWs, but sometimes the people who you wouldn't expect can be the most interesting on the odd occasions when they do decide to stand up and speak.

  • I was looking at their website and Ilthey are looking for new contributions to Qfp. 

    Im a little uncomfortable with the “Quakers believe” and then have a recent protest etc  next to it. That’s seems a little too prescriptive.

    I share many of the values with a Quakers, but I think there are more effective ways of achieving their/our aims.

    Lobbying is one, but also leading by example. 

    I think many people share the values of Quakers.  What does seem odd is the lack of events they could do.  

    For example, baby naming meeting, blessing meeting for marriages. 

    Heavily promote weddings.  Having a simple meeting for marriage could be promoted as a beautiful and cheap service.

  • They have some interesting publications.  I imagine a lot might be all be on-line now.  IIRC there was QFP and one other "main" one but I can't recall the title of the other one.  I remember there was some survey, probably back in the 80s I guess, where they were asking Quakers something along the lines of "what books do you feel are central to your religious beliefs?"  From what I can recall there was some "controversy" about how low down on the list the bible was :-).

  • I read this from Quaker faith and practice and thought, that’s refreshing: 

    20.01

    I ask for daily bread, but not for wealth, lest I forget the poor.
    I ask for strength, but not for power, lest I despise the meek.
    I ask for wisdom, but not for learning, lest I scorn the simple.
    I ask for a clean name, but not for fame, lest I contemn the lowly.
    I ask for peace of mind, but not for idle hours, lest I fail to hearken to the call of duty.

    Inazo Nitobe, 1909

  • I didn’t know I had a view of god? And I definitely don’t have any beliefs ~ I gave them up a long time ago. 

    Being autistic, of course we find thinking a worshipful activity, because we are, afterall, god’s of our own world, due to the self obsessed nature of autism, and there’s probably nobody who loves thinking more than me, I was just saying that the point of that hour, is to connect with something bigger than us, a higher power, god, or whatever, but I wasn’t saying we have to do that. We can think about what we want, but can’t we do that anywhere? 

  • Yes.  We're so used to rushing around being occupied with "stuff" that many people find just taking an hour to be quiet an interesting experience in many different ways.

  • Well the point is to use the time to worship as you see fit and not everybody buys your view of what a god is or isn't.  The point being that's your *belief* not an incontrovertible fact thank you very much.

    I happen to find thinking a worshipful activity.

  • The point is, to ‘not’ think! Lol! And the people who get up to speak do so because they’re moved by god to speak. When I first went, a guy kept getting up to speak and I kept arguing back with him because I didn’t agree with him!!! Lol! It took me a while to understand what was going on but me and the guy ended up being good friends. 

  • I went to another online meeting yesterday. I concentrated in my breathing.  I had a tingling feeling half way in brain going backwards.  

    Also i felt more calm and abit weird. More settled.  Anyone else had this happen. 

  • Usually they do "tea" afterwards as well which is good for a bit of low-key small-talk social skills practice.

  • They're an interesting experience, and there's an interesting social dynamic that goes on.  Particularly who decides to stand up and speak.  But they can also be a good way of getting a reasonably quiet hour to do some random thinking!

  • Is was a nice experience.  I might try and go to a physical meeting.  The only trouble is they are mainly at weekends.  When I work.

  • I spent 4 and 2/3 years at a Quaker school.

  • I love going to Quakers meetings. I'm close to two in particular, that I was going to for a good period of time. They're both at opposite ends of the country, but one is in the town I'm currently living in and one of my first missions, post burnout, is to go to a Quaker meeting as I've missed the meetings and the people. I have had a lot of many times with the Quakers.