Morality always advances.

There is one quirk of Quakerism that outsiders may not be familiar with.

Friends place personal revelation above scripture.

The Bible is important, but when it comes right down to it. We consider it to be just one way to commune with the Light.

Quaker reliance on personal revelation dates back to our founder George Fox. Fox preached that within  every person there is a measure of the Holy Spirit. In it's modern form we refer to this as, "That of God in Everyone," or "The Light Within."

Quaker Silent Worship has as it's express purpose reaching towards that light. It is an attempt to commune with the Spirit and receive God's wisdom.

This wisdom is then meant to inform our actions and guide us in a careful and caring life.

We follow personal revelation because of a simple fact. Over the last Two-Thousand years morality has advanced. It continues to do so. In the past the Divine was only able to reveal what the people alive at the time were ready to hear.

I tend to see the history of the Judeo-Christian tradition as a maturation process. You have the early Hebrews. Who were violent, arrogant, and obsessed with purity and cleanliness. Like a young child (who very often can be described by my previous sentence) they needed a lot of rules. Just as you need rules telling a small child not to hit their sister, or pull a vase down on themselves. The Ancient Hebrews needed rules telling them not to eat un-refrigerated and non-preserved pork and shellfish in the desert.

Then you have the loosening of the rules with Yeshua of Nazareth. Just as with a teenager, you are able to rely on your children to make their own judgements. Yeshu made it clear that the intent behind the rules was more important than the letter of the rules. That God is love, and following God will always produce love in this world.

Now, for the most part society has advanced to adulthood. Morality overall has advanced to the point where the Divine does not need to intercede directly on a constant basis.

Just as adults only need their parents when they ask for help. We only need Divine Assistance when we ask for it. Although, like any good parent, sometimes he will help us with something more difficult without actually letting us know.

Of course there are those who ignore current Morality and the guidance of the Divine. Who, for whatever reason act in selfish and short sighted ways. Who instead of loving their neighbors, find reasons to hate and exclude. Who like the proverbial Tax Collector, only love those who love them.

Following the Light we receive guidance to care for everyone. For all people contain That of God within. Even when it is so hard to see.

Worship is not for The Divine.

I was just reading Marcus Borg's The Heart of Christianity. There is a point in chapter Eight where Borg points out that Worship of the Divine is not totally for the benefit of the Divine. It is for the benefit of the Worshipers.

I long ago realized that for the most part occasions such as funerals, weddings, and graduation parties are not for the benefit of the guests of honor (especially funerals). They are actually for the benefit of the attendees (again, especially funerals). To strengthen bonds of community and love.

I should have made the connection before, because after all, what does the Divine need with worship? I'd think anything great enough to create the Universe would be beyond needing unending praise and slavish devotion. I've often wondered if it was human hubris to assume that the Divine needed the attention. 

The real purpose of Worship is to bring the worshipers together. To create community, love, and fellowship as a group. To connect with our fellow worshipers, as well as the Divine

I know that when I am sitting in Silent Worship, I feel so much more in tune with the other Friends. All of us aware of what was inside, and out, as we call to the Light within.

I've always been inclined to stay for the Community and Fellowship events. Realizing that Worship is for us, makes me even more committed to doing so. Whether it be Snack/Coffee, Potluck, or an Ice Cream Social. So I can continue to deepen my connections with my Faith Community. This realization makes me even more devoted to spending time with others I meet in Worship.

I Want to Be Thomas K. Beecher When I Grow Up.

In my post Hometown Heroes I mentioned that I wanted to know more about Thomas K. Beecher. If only because one of my ancestors helped create the statue of Rev. Beecher.

Since that blog I have gotten the chance to tour the Park Church downtown. I discovered that Rev. Beecher was the sort of man that all Christians should aspire to be

Rev. Beecher has a bad case of more famous older sibling. His older sister Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. Which of course is still required reading in many schools today, over 150 years after it was published. Like her, he was an abolitionist.

The Park Church that Rev. Beecher was pastor of was actually founded by abolitionists. Quite a few of the members were active conductors on the Underground Railroad before the end of the Civil War. At least 800 fugitive slaves passed through Elmira on their way to Canada. I'm positive that he had a hand in some of those activities.

Rev. Beecher was also close friends with another literary giant. He would play billiards and debate with his buddy Sam regularly. Sam wasn't the church going type (I've read his "Letters From The Earth" so I totally understand that), but his wife and daughters were members of the Park Church. Why Rev. Beecher even performed Sam's marriage to his wife Olivia in her family's mansion (the current site of which is a strip mall, take that as you will). Sam is better known by his pen-name, Mark Twain. I can't help but envy Rev. Beecher's friendship with Mark Twain. I have long wished I could have gotten to know Mark Twain personally.

Rev. Beecher gave the "indigent" a place to clean up and rest (which tells me how old my town's homeless population is). His study was my City's first library. He helped create the local school system. He was even a carpenter and helped the townspeople build and repair their homes. A fixer, a creator, a caretaker, an educator, and a spiritual leader. From his talents and actions, you can see that he was a man that tried very hard to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

When Rev. Beecher retired as the pastor of the Park Church, he handpicked his successor and hired her himself. Yes, that is correct. In the 1890's he hired the first female pastor ordained in his denomination Annis Eastman and her husband to oversee the church he had built.

Rev. Thomas K. Beecher was such an influence that even the placement of his statue was symbolic and purposeful. With his church standing behind him, and him watching out and over the town.

I see so much of what I admire in a man of Faith in Rev. Beecher. I am somewhat awestruck at what I learned on the tour. While he and I are from different denominations, we both belong to the same religion. I am inspired to be a better Christian in the way he was. To do as much good, and bring as much love and kindness into the world.

I know that Quakers have so many stories in our past that are as vibrant and inspiring as Rev. Beecher's is for the Congregationalists. I can't help but wonder where that spark is now for the Religious Left? Shouldn't every Friend and Progressive Christian try to be as devoted and giving as he was? Shouldn't everyone no matter their Faith or lack thereof try to live up to this example?