Category: About Quakers

If I were to ever join another Christian church, it would undoubtedly be Quaker. This category contains many thoughts about why that is.

About Quakers3 Comments

Paul or Plato – Part II…

RJ Walters

This is a continuation of the post about two distinctive worldveiws so prevalent in our society today. Let me say up front that even with violating my self imposed 500 word limit on posts this will only very lightly touch on the matter of good or evil. Lets pull a couple of quotes from yesterday’s post to concentrate on here. Still, the distinction is real and important — and its implications touch on areas of our cultural life far beyond criminal justice. It helps to explain, for example, the very different ways that Platonic liberals and Pauline conservatives approach sex — with … Continue reading Paul or Plato – Part II…

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Insight 6 – Listen To Yourself…

RJ Walters

Always be true to yourself. Do not blindly believe what you are told about what brings happiness, even what is reported in this book. Find out for yourself what brings joy and contentment to your world. Your inner voice will tell you what will bring you peace of mind. Above all , ask yourself what would give you true happiness. Listen to your answers carefully. Then do what you have to do to attain it. You cannot afford not to. Many years from now you will regret the things that you didn’t do much more so than the ones you … Continue reading Insight 6 – Listen To Yourself…

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Being Still ….

RJ Walters

Human mind works in a funny way, its basic nature is that of rebellion and the more you try to tame it, the more it gets out of control. Try keeping it fixed at a particular spot for a few minutes and you will understand the point am trying to make here at an experiential level. There are so many times wherein i have just wanted to be quiet, silent in all 3: physical, vocal and mental levels. By being quiet, I don’t mean draining my mind of all thoughts, for that stage is way high up in one’s spiritual … Continue reading Being Still ….

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If Grace Is True…..

RJ Walters

I didn’t consider this for many years. I actually thought my experiences rare. I was one of the chosen. I was special. Now I know the truth. God whispers his love in every ear. He isn’t interested in declaring his love to a select few. He doesn’t limit his presence to Vatican City, to the halls of seminaries, to the offices of preachers, or to church altars. God doesn’t restrict his communication to the Bible. He doesn’t confine his presence to any single denomination or religion. God speaks to all people, even when they’re not inclined to listen. Gulley, Philip; … Continue reading If Grace Is True…..

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Christianity is Always Fun and Happy…

RJ Walters

This is part 3 of my series based on a post by Stephen Mattson on the seven misconceptions of Christianity.  It’s Always Fun and Happy Christianity can be full of joy, but it can also be really hard.Following Christ demands sacrifice. It involves giving, helping, volunteering and participating in difficult work. The main tenant of loving others is hardly ever easy, and the Christian life is often filled with trials, pain, suffering, heartbreak and struggles—often requiring large amounts of grace, forgiveness, patience and energy. It’s not easy, comfortable or effortless—it’s incredibly demanding. But in the end, it’s worth it. I … Continue reading Christianity is Always Fun and Happy…

About Quakers, Philosophy & Religion4 Comments

All Christians Believe the Same Thing..

RJ Walters

This is part 2 of my series based on a post by Stephen Mattson on the seven misconceptions of Christianity. Everyone Believes the Same Thing Beyond a basic belief of Jesus being divine, Christians hardly agree on anything. Common practices such as baptisms, communions, confession and even worship styles are hotly debated, and Christians are divided into hundreds of denominations, thousands of churches and endless communities—each passionate about their own opinions. Christianity is made up of different cultures, ethnicities, doctrines, traditions, practices, theologians and practices—one of the most diverse religions in the entire world. Conformity and uniformity are uncommon, and … Continue reading All Christians Believe the Same Thing..

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Fear vs. Love….

RJ Walters

A theology based on this fear seldom inspires great acts of compassion and service. When we live in constant fear of divine rejection, we focus all our attention on securing our survival. Sadly, this self-absorption only leads us further from love. Fear and love are incompatible. Fear indicates our distrust of the one who claims to love us. A child trembles when a parent threatens, “If you don’t behave, I’ll send you away.” A wife is terrorized when a husband warns, “If you leave me, I’ll kill you.” Human beings cower when God commands, “Serve me, or I’ll damn you … Continue reading Fear vs. Love….

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The Theology Of Love….

RJ Walters

A theology of love begins with the assumption that all people are God’s cherished children and deserving of love. “We love because he first loved us. Those who say ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers and sisters, are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:19–20). Jesus demonstrated his love for the outcasts, those many considered unlovable. Regrettably, many Christians have been unwilling to adopt the ethic of Jesus—a theology of inclusion, acceptance, and love. We’ve been unwilling to love and … Continue reading The Theology Of Love….

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Muzzling God….

RJ Walters

Time and again, those who opposed Jesus would quote Scripture. They would remind him of the Sabbath law, the requirement to fast, the provision for divorce, and the penalty for adultery. Jesus seemed unimpressed with a person’s ability to quote Scripture. His interest was in a person’s ability to hear God’s voice. He said, “He who belongs to God hears what God says” (John 8:47). To limit the word of God to the written word is to muzzle God. Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James (2009-03-17). If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person Continue reading Muzzling God….

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Empower vs. Inspire….

RJ Walters

I’ve been using the word ‘empower’ for years. It’s a great word – one that implies giving dignity to others; the whole ‘give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime’ type story comes up when I hear the word empower…. It had never crossed my mind before that what this word implies is that I have the power and you do not. Therefore, let me give you the power. This also goes against my theology of humanity: that no matter our circumstances we are all … Continue reading Empower vs. Inspire….

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The Best Thing About ‘American’ Christianity

RJ Walters

Diversity For decades people have been prophesying about American Christianity’s demise. Church attendance is dropping, our culture is becoming increasingly immoral and the president is probably the Antichrist. Various pundits, experts and research groups have seemingly made a living predicting American Christianity’s downfall, and yet, while Christianity has become extinct in numerous parts of the world, it continues to live on—and sometimes thrive—within the United States…. There are faith communities for those who are conservative or liberal, egalitarian or complementarian, Calvinist or Armenian, traditional or modern, young or old, Norwegian or Cuban—you get the point. We often view are differences … Continue reading The Best Thing About ‘American’ Christianity

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Helping The Poor – Reason 2

RJ Walters

2)      It’s Not a Sin to Be Poor In a culture obsessed with consumerism, money is seen as the ultimate form of power and success, but it’s not a sin to be poor. For Christians, especially middle-class Westernized believers, it’s easy to assume the worst of the poor. We blame them for not working, being lazy, having drug addictions, making poor choices, and not trying hard enough. We often equate financial worth with personal value, and we place the poor in the lowest system of our preconceived (often subconscious) human caste systems. We treat them accordingly—bad, and are continually blaming, … Continue reading Helping The Poor – Reason 2

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An Emergent Witness for Friends?

RJ Walters

But there is also something else happening.  A growing number of Americans (nearly a third, according to one Gallop poll) describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.”  Books with titles like “Christianity After Religion,” “Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time,” and “The Underground Church: Reclaiming the Subversive Way of Jesus” are gathering a growing audience.  And the Emerging Church movement, seeking to live, as Harvey Cox puts it, “in a new Age of Faith rather than the old Age of Belief,” is inspiring many young people (and not a few of us old folks!) with fresh winds of the … Continue reading An Emergent Witness for Friends?

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Being A Heretic….

RJ Walters

“I have always rather enjoyed being considered a heretic, and have never wanted to be endorsed by any one. I have felt that to be endorsed was to be bound, and that it was better, for me at least, to be a free lance, with no hindrances to my absolute mental and spiritual freedom.”  SOURCE:  Meet Hannah Whitall Smith, a “Convergent Friend” at the turn of the nineteenth century – QuakerQuaker. I must admit that since I was tossed out of my previous church because I didn’t accept that the earth is only six-thousand years old I have kind of … Continue reading Being A Heretic….

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An Emergent Witness for Friends…..

RJ Walters

1.  As we often proclaim, Friends are, for the most part, non-creedal and non-hierarchical.  When we are at our best we’ve avoided creeds, and when we are at our worst we’ve just been bad at them.  One of the apparent features of the emerging church movement seems to be a general disinterest in formal creedal statements of belief that everyone is expected to conform to in order to be “in.”  Friends’ attempts to wait for the Spirit to lead rather than turning to a human leader is one of our historic precedents.  Our testimony on equality, so radical at the … Continue reading An Emergent Witness for Friends…..