The spiritual path for me?
Ron Kentish encountered Quakers on his home patch, the Isle of Wight. He gives a candid view of what he found
Now be honest, what would you do if a leaflet dropped through your letterbox inviting you to ‘explore a spiritual path for our time’?
You might notice that it is from the Quakers and wonder just who they are. Some sort of religious sect, probably out to convert people? A bit like Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses, perhaps, except that Quakers don’t turn up on your doorstep.
Well, that would certainly be the reaction of many people. But on the Isle of Wight a record number of residents did decide to take up the invitation to explore that spiritual path via the Quaker Quest programme of talks and discussions – and the result has been an incredible success. It was in Newport, the county town, that Quakers founded one of the earliest Meeting houses in the country in the mid-seventeenth century, so we are seeing something of a Quaker revival on the Isle of Wight.
I am not a Quaker, although I have been to a number of Quaker Meetings and have grown to appreciate their simplicity and attitude to many aspects of life, combined with an openness and non-judgmental approach seldom found in other spiritual ‘houses’.
Like a lot of people, I have been on my own spiritual path for sixty-odd years and it’s a path that has led me in various directions but eventually to end up nowhere in particular, hence the appeal of the Quest talks.
So I met Sue and Bob Johnson from the Local Meeting at a garden party they hosted for the Quest participants.
At the party one woman, a lapsed Anglican who had turned to Humanism, told me that the leaflet dropping through her letterbox was the turning point. She had long been interested in and attracted by Quakerism but had struggled with the Christian aspect. The reference in the leaflet to the fact that Quakers included Buddhists and Humanists leaped out at her. ‘I was excited by this opportunity to learn more, the time was right for me and each Meeting “spoke to my condition” – what a lovely expression!’
A couple said they particularly liked the freedom from the restrictions imposed by creeds and dogmas of formal religion. They were interested to hear the practical ways in which Quakerism has determined day-to-day approaches to work and life generally. Everyone I spoke to said how much they appreciated the friendly welcome and hospitality. ‘Ten out of ten’, said one. ‘Open and inclusive, we never felt excluded in any way’, was another familiar comment. I can vouch for that!
At a later meeting the Quaker Testimonies of peace, truth and integrity, justice, equality and simplicity were discussed by the Quest participants. There was some tough questioning, peace being one of the issues causing difficulty. How do you deal with Hitler (who kept cropping up) and Mugabe? While supporting the principle, what would any of us do faced with the threat of violence to our country, family and friends? This is the stumbling block. Another problem was simplicity – ‘being as free as possible from dependence on material security’. How does this relate to pensions, for example?
But overall, the response was positive. As for me, there are still some unresolved issues, one being the question of homosexuality, which so bedevils the established church. Like many others, I have grown used to feeling excluded, patronised or regarded as an abomination by various churches. Quaker friends tell me there is no discrimination. But in a recent issue of this magazine it was apparent that some Friends are still uncomfortable with the idea of treating gay and heterosexual relationships with equality.
So my spiritual journey continues… and who knows, it may lead me along the Quaker path eventually. My quest is far from over.
Quaker Quest
National Quaker Week
Isle of Wight Quakers
Quaker testimonies
Ron Kentish
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In this week's
online edition...
cover
Dear visitor
Judy Kirby, editor, the Friend The poetry of silence and the prose of action
Kevin Franz The spiritual path for me?
Ron Kentish What about Hitler?
Geoffrey Carnall Why I came to the Meeting house
Sibyl Ruth Why I love Meeting for Worship
Bob Johnson Recharging our Quaker batteries
Harriet Hart Loving the Spirit of the Age
Laurie Michaelis Give Jesus a promotion!
David Boulton Jesus and me
Paul Oestreicher Restorative justice
Marian Liebmann ‘Our Lives’: working in disadvantaged communities
Rowena Loverance Conciliation behind the scenes
Oliver Robertson Far more than pacifism
Rosemary Hartill On being a Quaker artist
Rowena Loverance
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eye@thefriend.org
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