improve my understanding of the Quaker testimonies

Do I center my life in an awareness of God’s presence so that all things take their rightful place?

Do I live simply, and promote the right sharing of the world’s bounty?

Do I keep my life uncluttered with things and activities, avoiding commitments beyond my strength and light?

How do I maintain simplicity, moderation, and honesty in my speech, my manner of living, and my daily work?

Do I recognize when I have enough?

What in my present life most distracts me from God?

What am I ready to release so that I can give my attention to what matters most?

How do the ways in which I choose to use my time, my possessions, my money, and my energy reflect my most deeply held values?

What am I doing to ensure adequate water, food, shelter, education, and respect for those who do not have ready access to these blessings?

Do I avoid commitments beyond my strength and Light as well as a clutter of multiple activities? Am I careful how I choose to use my time and energy?

Do I structure my days so as to provide space to nourish my spiritual growth?

Do I center my life in the awareness of the presence of God so that all things take their rightful place?

Does my way of life nourish my spiritual growth and that of my family?

In my daily life, am I aware of pressures that separate us from each other and from the Divine?

Do I choose recreations that strengthen my physical, mental, and spiritual lives and avoid those that may prove harmful to myself and others?

Do I keep to a single standard of truth, free from the use of judicial and other oaths?

Am I punctual in keeping promises, prompt in the payment of debts, and just and honorable in all my dealings?

Do I exercise moderation and honesty in my speech, my manner of living, and my daily work?

http://home.earthlink.net/~imym-faith-and-practice/id30.html

To Quakers, simplicity is a spiritual quality that denotes an inward centeredness, a singleness of being that is responsive to the Divine within. Simple living is a creative act that frees us from extraneous concerns and enables us to devote attention to the Divine. A simple life is often hard to achieve. It means consuming or collecting nothing in excess of what is needful for our health and well-being and understanding what that is. What is needful may differ from one person to another, but in general it means that which is not extraneous in terms of time, possessions, speech, and activities.

Simplicity is at the root of what we call plain speaking. In the interest of declaring readily and easily our true meaning to one another rather than hiding or obscuring it, we try to avoid judgmental, pretentious, and ornamented language.

With regard to time, simplicity means handling important matters first, allowing them an appropriate share of our time, and taking care not to overcommit ourselves. Rather than rushing from one engagement to another, simplicity leads us to be deliberate in our choices about how we spend the precious gift of time. It guides us away from rigidity regarding the demands made on the hours of our days and encourages us to arrange a right apportionment of time to our religious life, our family, our work, our friends, and ourselves. Flowing through every decision we make concerning our priorities is an awareness of how we are serving the Divine within ourselves and other human beings

Early Friends wore unadorned, plain dress out of a desire to observe simplicity and be free from vanity. Although most Friends no longer wear Quaker plain dress, we do dress simply without ostentatious display. Moreover, although we may affirm the human urge for self-adornment, we do not call attention to ourselves by what we wear.

Simplicity is also expressed in our stewardship of our material resources. It implies consuming no more than we need and can afford, not spending beyond our means, providing what we require for our well-being in every sense. We understand that poverty distracts from the life of the Spirit as readily as overabundance does. The measure of deprivation or overabundance is, to some degree, different for different people.

Simplicity also implies the responsible use of what we have and avoiding poisoning our environment. When we have ordered our lives according to our reasoned understanding of what we really need, we become not confined or limited by our choices but freed by them.

In its essence, simplicity means keeping at the deep center of our lives a sense of the Divine, a daily awareness of the Light within us, so that all other matters fall into their rightful place.

The increase of business became my burden, for though my natural inclination was toward merchandise, yet I believed Truth required me to live more free from outward cumbers and there was now a strife in my mind between the two; and in this exercise my prayers were put up to the Lord, who graciously heard me and gave me a heart resigned to his holy will. Then I lessened my outward business, and as I had opportunity told my customers of my intentions that they might consider what shop to turn to, and so in a while wholly laid down merchandise, following my trade as a tailor, myself only, having no apprentice. John Woolman, Journal

John Woolman never let the demands of his business grow beyond his real needs…His outward life became simplified on the basis of an inner integration….He yielded to the Center and his life became simple. Thomas Kelly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony_of_Simplicity

Simplicity to Friends has generally been a reference to material possessions. Friends have often limited their possessions to what they need to live their lives, rather than accumulating luxuries. The testimony is not just about the nature of one’s material possessions, but rather also about one’s attitude towards these material goods. Many Friends who have been considered exemplary have also been wealthy; their commitment to the testimony, however, led them to use their wealth for spiritual purposes, including aid to the poor and oppressed. On the other hand, some Friends, such as John Woolman, gave up much of their wealth and economic position when they felt it to be a spiritual burden. In recent decades Friends have given the Testimony an ecological dimension: that Friends should not use more than their fair share of the Earth’s limited resources.

from http://www.quakers.org.au/files/pamphlets/Simplicity.pdf

The Simplicity Testimony now

Most Quakers in Australia, Europe and North America are part of the global wealthy elite. However, we are aware of gross inequalities in the world between rich and poor, and that dishonesty and violence are inextricably entangled with this.

Friends have a consciousness and energy conducive to healthy change. We are aware that spiritual poverty exists within affluent society and that we need to nurture our own spirituality and to reach out to others.

The rising level of consumption in affluent societies is more than the planet can sustain. In the last 50 years the need for us, both as individuals and as a species, to have a loving and sustainable relationship with the earth has become a major issue for Friends. Is recognition of this the evolution of an environmental testimony, or does it follow from the testimony of simplicity?

Inward simplicity

Quakers accept that we experience the universal spirit of love and creativity in different ways. ‘To live in the presence of God’, ‘to walk in the Light’, ‘to flow with the Spirit of creation’ are different ways of expressing that experience.

If we believe that can put our whole lives under the guidance of the spirit then our priority will be to let go of inner ‘clutter’ so that we have the emotional and mental space to be open to these leadings. Such simplicity needs perseverance, courage to be and willingness to change. It is nourished by connection with ‘our true inner self’, (that of God within), by connection with others, and by connection with the earth. In silent communal worship, Friends find a space of peace and simplicity where we are all equal and truth can become plain.

Outward simplicity

Simple living asks us to share more, and to understand how our lives affect the planet. Each of us must discern what steps to take towards living simply when the culture around us is encouraging us in the opposite direction. The support of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) can help us as we struggle to swim against the tide. We can car-pool, think more carefully about how we spend our money, grow organic vegetables, spend more time in the bush, organise to challenge the economics of consumerism, devote more time and energy to our families, develop daily spiritual practices … Such activities deepen our connections with our inner self, with God, with others, and with the earth.

from http://www.bridgendquakers.org.uk/QuakerTestimonyE.htm

The testimony to simplicity is integral to Quaker faith: our spiritual responsiveness depends on being as free as possible from dependence on material security. Quakers therefore seek to resist the temptation to define their place in society by acquiring possessions. In so far as we are led towards true simplicity we will increasingly be called to dissent from much of what the modern world stands for.

Simplicity is not just about possessions but also about attitudes. Because of their integrity in business dealings, many early Friends prospered in business, especially in the 19th-century. The wealth they accumulated was not, however, sought for its own sake but was often used for the wider benefit of society and especially the dispossessed.

We live much less simply than our forebears a hundred years ago, or than people in most other countries in the world. Simplicity involves constantly challenging the way we live and what our true needs are, and especially how our own standard of living is sometimes achieved at the expense of others. It means standing aside from the fuelling of wants and manufacturing of new desires.

from Earlham College, http://www.earlham.edu/policies/principles.html

Simplicity

The Quaker testimony of simplicity may be the least well-understood tenet. Simplicity implies clarity, calm, and focus, rather than distraction, stress, and excess. Lacking simplicity, our lives begin to lack integrity, and we become “not a single self, but a whole committee of selves,” pulled in many different directions by so many needs, wants, and desires.

Simplicity allows us to make right and appropriate use of all our resources, whether human or environmental. It enables us to discern what is really necessary and essential for our happiness and the well-being of others, and to seek a life that is whole and sustainable.

Practicing Simplicity

Living simply “cannot by reduced to lists of what is permitted or proscribed.” In a culture that has made a virtue of consumption and overcommitment, the principle of simplicity challenges us to use and choose with care. We are led by this principle to be good stewards of all our resources, including our own time, energy, and talents, as well as the human and natural resources so unequally distributed throughout the world. We strive to make only just and reasonable demands on the time and resources of others, and to model balanced lives for those around us. Quakers often refer to the notion of centering as an intentional focus on both our inner spiritual life and regular examining of our priorities.

Queries

• Do I make thoughtful and intentional choices, considering what is important to my well-being and to those around me?
• Do I try to keep my commitments in a healthy balance?
• Do I find joy in a clear and focused inner life?
• Am I careful about how I use both human and environmental resources?
• Do I consider what the “right amount” is in whatever I use?
• Do we as a community work for an environmentally responsible and sustainable future?

I missed the class on Monday, but have the handout. I found the readings a little unsatisfying, so I will do a little bit of poking around on the net to see what I can find.

The one nugget from the reading that I did respond to is this:

“Simplifying used to mean ‘giving up,’ ‘sacrificing,’ and it felt threatening. Now I equate simplifying with ‘streamlining,’ ‘focussing,’ ‘consolidating,’ and I feel encouraged.” [Berit Lakey]

http://quakersfp.live.poptech.coop/qfp/chap20/20.43.html

Integrity is one of the virtues for which Quakers in the past have been praised. It is a quality worth having, but it is doubtful if it can be reached by self-conscious effort or by adherence to a principle… Integrity is a condition in which a person’s response to a total situation can be trusted: the opposite of a condition in which he would be moved by opportunist or self-seeking impulses breaking up his unity as a whole being. This condition of trust is different from the recognition that he will always be kind or always tell the truth. The integrity of some Dutch Friends I have met showed itself during the war in their willingness to tell lies to save their Jewish friends from the Gestapo or from starvation.

Kenneth C Barnes, 1972

http://quakersfp.live.poptech.coop/qfp/chap20/20.45.html

The Quaker testimony to truthfulness is central to the practice of its faith by members of the Religious Society of Friends. From the beginning Friends have believed that they could have direct and immediate communication with God which would enable them to discern right ethical choices. They soon experienced common leadings of the Spirit which became formalised into testimonies… Arising from the teaching of Jesus as related in the writings of John and James: ‘Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no’, Quakers perceived that with a conscience illuminated by the Light, life became an integrated whole with honesty as its basis.

From time to time … adherence to factual truth can give rise to profound dilemmas for Quaker Peace & Service workers if they are in possession of information which could be used to endanger people’s lives or give rise to the abuse of fundamental human rights… Some of us are clear that in certain difficult circumstances we may still uphold our testimony to truthfulness while at the same time declining to disclose confidences which we have properly accepted. Such withholding of the whole truth is not an option to be undertaken lightly as a convenient way out of a dilemma. We all accept that ultimately it is up to an individual’s own conscience, held in the Light, to decide how to respond.

Quaker Peace & Service, 1992

http://quakersfp.live.poptech.coop/qfp/chap20/20.46.html

A neighbour … desired me to write his will: I took notes, and, amongst other things, he told me to which of his children he gave his young negro: I considered the pain and distress he was in, and knew not how it would end, so I wrote his will, save only that part concerning his slave, and carrying it to his bedside, read it to him, and then told him in a friendly way, that I could not write any instruments by which my fellow-creatures were made slaves, without bringing trouble on my own mind. I let him know that I charged nothing for what I had done, and desired to be excused from doing the other part in the way he proposed. Then we had a serious conference on the subject, and at length, he agreeing to set her free, I finished his will.

John Woolman, 1756

from http://home.earthlink.net/~imym-faith-and-practice/id30.html

Let what you say be simply “yes” or “no”; anything more than this comes from evil.

Matthew 5:37

Friends consider integrity a way of life. In the stillness of worship we come into the Divine Presence and open ourselves to the Light; we hide nothing of who we are. In keeping with that openness of spirit, Friends express themselves with honesty in their dealings with others. Plain truth needs no decorative flourishes. We speak with simple clarity to reflect in our words the reality of our perceptions and thoughts.

Our experience tells us that things honestly said are no more or less true than words spoken under oath. Friends hold one standard of truth; therefore we eschew oaths. Friends have suffered imprisonment and loss for taking this position, but time and the law have recognized the justice of this view. In our country today we are free without prejudice to declare and affirm in courts of law and in other situations where an oath is usually required the plain and simple truth of what we say.

Friends do not want to deceive or exploit anyone. Therefore, we arrive at what we consider a fair value for buying and selling time, food, labor, material goods, and services. We do not try to gather any profit in excess of need or worth.

Friends attempt to behave with honesty in all our relationships. In speaking truth to others, we speak the truth in love.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony_of_Integrity

The essence of the Testimony of Integrity is placing God at the center of one’s life. Quakers believe that the Spirit is in everyone. Integrity means focusing and spending time listening to the small voice of the Spirit and being open to being led by it – whether the Spirit is speaking within oneself or through another.

The Testimony of Integrity also means refusing to place things other than God at the center of one’s life – whether it be one’s own self, possessions, the regard of others, belief in principles (such as rationality, progress or justice) or something else. It is the understanding that even good things are no longer good when they supplant God as one’s center.

The Testimony or Evidence of Integrity includes such practices as. . .

• making sure that one’s words and actions flow from one’s beliefs
• speaking the truth, even when it is difficult
• paying people fair wages for their work
• giving one’s employer the right amount of labor for one’s pay
• saying difficult things with grace and tact
• receiving difficult sayings gracefully
• guarding one’s reputation for honesty, fairness, and fidelity
• taking responsibility for one’s actions and their results
• fulfilling one’s commitments
• taking care of items entrusted to one
• being open to the ideas of others but not being too easily swayed by them
• confronting lapses in integrity in oneself and in others
• giving credit to others for their contributions
• assessing people and situations fairly and accurately
• avoiding spending beyond one’s means through the use of credit