Re: [Assam] joining a Quaker High School in Philadelphia ??

Tue, 05 Oct 2004 10:45:10 -0700

Umesh:

Quakers are protestant group born in the 17th century. Here is something from the net on the history of the Quakers.
Will be interested to know your experience with the Quakers.
Rajen Barua
 
 
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WHEN did Quakerism begin?

Quakerism began in the middle years of the Seventeenth Century. This century has aptly been called "The Century of Revolution". This does not mean simply the political revolution in England, which led to the Civil War. There was a revolution in science, in religion, in thought generally; people were questioning authority in a number of ways, all about the same time. Thus:

Round about 1630, Galileo was questioning the wisdom of the ancients: of Aristotle with regard to falling bodies and to mechanics in general; of Ptolemy with regard to the motion of the planets. As a result he came into conflict with the established thought of the Church.

About the same time, William Harvey was questioning the established anatomical teaching of the Greek scientist, Galen, and developed his own view of the circulation of the blood.

In 1620, a small body of religious dissenters (often known as "The Pilgrim Fathers") who had gone to Holland to escape persecution, sailed to America in the "Mayflower".

The 17th century might also fairly be called the "Century of Dissent"; meaning that it was a time when people were not content to accept established authority, but claimed the right to think and find out things for themselves. Not only in science, but also in religion, direct personal experience was to become the all important thing. So now it is possible to answer the second question.........

WHY did Quakerism begin?

The group of "dissenters", who first went to Holland and then to America, was only a fraction of those who were dissatisfied with the Church. They were not able to express their dissent openly and fully, with the result that there developed small groups scattered through the country, who met for worship and for discussion. The general term "Seekers" has been applied to them. How much communication there was between them it is hard to say, but there was no cohesion and, most importantly, there was no leader to inspire them and to weld them together. Probably many of them were in a state of expectation, waiting for such a leader, as it were for a "Messiah" for their time. This leader came in the person of George Fox.

HOW did Quakerism begin?

It began through the agency of George Fox; and the date which is generally accepted as the "birth time of Quakerism" is 1652. For some five years, Fox had been travelling round the country, spreading his message. He was understood and welcomed by some, but he also met with considerable opposition; he had been imprisoned in Derby gaol on a charge of blasphemy and had suffered considerable ill-treatment. He had been working very much on his own and he had certainly not initiated any sort of religious movement. Then, in May 1652, he was in Lancashire and had climbed to the top of Pendle Hill, near Clitheroe. It was a strange thing to do, for people did not climb hills for fun in those days, especially one well-reputed as an abode for witches; still, Fox had a habit of doing unaccountable things! The view from the summit of the far spread countryside inspired him and shortly afterwards he had a vision, or an insight, of "a great people to be gathered". It was, in fact, the district where he would meet groups of interested people, for instance those known as the "Westmorland Seekers".

The really significant visit which he paid, one to have far reaching and permanent effects on the history of Quakerism, was to Swarthmore Hall, near Ulverston (reached by crossing the dangerous sands of Morecambe Bay). This was a large house and property occupied by Judge Fell and his wife Margaret. Both were of a liberal outlook in religious matters and visiting preachers had already been made welcome there. Margaret Fell welcomed George Fox with great enthusiasm and was quickly "converted" to his teaching. Fell, though he never formally associated himself with the Quaker movement, was supportive and permitted meetings of Fox and his followers to take place in the Hall. Presumably because of Judge Fell's standing in the county (and also in the nation), these group meetings were not subjected to harassment by Church and Law, which was otherwise common. Thus, for many years right up to the time of George Fox's death, Swarthmore Hall was the "headquarters" or "powerhouse" of the Quaker movement. It was from this Hall that the early Quaker "missionaries" were sent in small groups of two or more to spread the message in different parts of the country.

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 11:55 AM
Subject: [Assam] joining a Quaker High School in Philadelphia ??

Hi,
 
Who are Quakers?
Are they similar to Hindus - having basic principles of Indian Yogis - ie God is in everyone.
Why were they declared heretics and killed by ealry Massachusetts citizens?
 
Check it out.
 
Umesh
 
PS: was wondering about taking up a job in a US high school - since a seminar is on Oct 7 by "Independent schools of America" - a group of private schools here.
 
The Religious Society of Friends is a Christian organization,
in the sense that it is originally based on the teachings of
Jesus in the New Testament.  You will in general find some
disagreement among Friends about whether there was a Virgin
Birth, whether various miracles were supernatural occurances
or religious embellishments, whether Jesus was The Son of God,
or just one of God's children etc.  You will in general find
agreement that those differences are not important :-).

We *can* all agree that certain things "feel Right," that there
is a part of us that knows what right and wrong are, and that
that part of us is the "Inner Light", or in some sense God.

Friends have our own traditional Universalism, which is
quite different from Unitarian Universalism.  One may find
many expressions of our traditional Quaker Universalism in the
writings of George Fox, Isaac Penington, Robert Barclay, WilliamPenn, John Richardson, and other first- and second-generation
Friends -- and in the writings of John Woolman, etc. -- and yes,
in the writings of Joseph John Gurney too. 

This traditional Quaker Universalism does not say that
all religions are completely true, let alone that they are
equally true.  But it affirms that, as all people have the Light
(John 1:9), so they have it whether they consider themselves
Christians or not; and people of all faiths and upbringings may
give _expression_ to the promptings of that Light in their words and
deeds, so that, as a result, one finds the Light expressing itself
from time to time through religious leaders within *all* faiths.
Thus in a religion which overall contains many errors -- be it
Buddhism or Hinduism or Protestantism or Catholicism -- there
will nevertheless be some genuine and wonderful expressions of
the Light.  One who knows Christ will recognize and h! onor these
expressions of the Light, even as she recognizes and avoids the
errors elsewhere in those religions.

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