Why I'm a Quaker

                

This particular edition is dedicated to all those who worship in freedom of conscience, the first and greatest of our American rights:  whether one chooses to do so in a church, synagogue, temple, mosque, ashram, sanctuary, shrine . . . or simply in Nature itself.

I make it a standard practice to never (and I do mean never) strive to push my personal views of religion on others. Nor will I begin to do so here. Freedom of religion is, indeed, our foremost and most cherished of American liberties.

Yet I am occasionally asked about my own “personal” form of worship. I will share it here - with the preamble that I have no intent whatsoever to proselytize others.

One may well make a valid statement that every person on Earth has their “own” individualized form of worship (or choice not to). Certainly no two people think exactly the same way about everything - not even those who have allowed themselves to become so deeply indoctrinated by a particular religious persuasion that they have come to think of their version of faith as the “only true way”.

Quakerism is not a religion. It is not even a denomination. It is simply a way of worship. Plain. Like us Quakers.

Quakers often refer to themselves as Friends, but are generally known to the world as Quakers.  If they hold a primary belief, it is this:  Within every human soul there dwells an element of God that exists independent of that soul’s gender, race, age, nationality, sexual orientation, or religion.