Sometimes it’s interesting to take an excursion out into the world of belief to see what else is out there. I think it’s part of what the freethought movement is all about. We’re always asking questions, always seeking to find out what’s true using the faculties evolution has supplied us with and always being reasonably open minded. That’s the idea, anyway. This is part of why I recently visited a local Quaker meetinghouse for a worship service. I’ll admit that I didn’t go there purely for the benefit of the greater freethought community; I also went for selfish reasons relating to a screenwriting project I’m working on, but hopefully no one is keeping score.
For the project I’m working on, I have a lot of Quaker characters of past and present, so I had done a good bit of library research into the past. However, I knew next to nothing about modern-day Quakers. I did my due diligence online and communicated with some Quakers through venues like reddit, but it was frustratingly sporadic. Fortunately for me, I found the Cincinnati Friends Meeting and reached out to them. Despite warning them that I am an atheist and that I wanted to put them under the microscope, they were warm and welcoming.
Before I dig in, I just want to say that yes, Quakers still exist. No, they have nothing to do with oatmeal or Amish people. They certainly aren’t the most common religion in the world, but they haven’t faded away and there are good reasons for that. As you read this, I must warn you that not all Quakers believe the same things. This was made abundantly clear to me numerous times, so bear this in mind when I make claims about Quaker beliefs or ideology. They also differ quite a bit from the first wave of Quakers that started moving to Pennsylvania in the 1680s and after.
No frills on this meetinghouse. (Courtesy of cincinnatifriends.org)
On Sunday, July 5, I was trying to ignore my Independence Day hangover as I entered the quaint, unassuming meetinghouse on Keller Road nestled on a lush, well-maintained piece of property set back from the busy world. Immediately upon entering, I was cheerfully greeted and shown around the building. This particular meetinghouse just celebrated its 200th anniversary, so there was a bit of subdued excitement in the air. “Are you the man who is writing the story?” I was asked. My confirmation was followed up with, “Good. We’ve been expecting you.”
As I entered the worship space just before the service began, I immediately noticed a rather conspicuous lack of crosses or crucifixes. In fact, the room itself, pictured below, was the simplest of spaces. This is just how they like it. Those in attendance silently entered, found a seat and remained quiet for some time. Although Quakers do things differently in different places, generally speaking they worship in similar manners. It involves lots of silence and occasional individual expression. In stark contrast to religions like Catholicism in which mass is very rigid and there are few silent moments, this particular service was mostly silence. A speaker (notice how I did not say priest), who is either a congregant or someone designated as a kind of worship leader, might speak a little while about the day’s theme (our theme was faith). After that, the quiet takes over.
Very simple in nature, their meeting room contains no crosses. (Courtesy of cincinnatifriends.org)
As I was informed afterwards, Quakers use silence during worship as a means to find what they refer to as the “inner light.” This seems to be the one thing that is unifying among all Quakers but it does mean different things to different people. It was described to me as that connection one feels to God which compels them to act in certain ways. An uplifting, positive presence in the very fiber of their being. Praying is more about listening than speaking, which I feel is a rather humble approach to communicating with a deity that most other religions pester with nonsense and trivialities. Periodically throughout the service, a congregant stood and spoke about what was on their mind regarding faith. One woman described her father’s deathbed conversion and another about her Catholic background and how that led her to question God, but she still maintained her faith. At the end guests were invited to introduce themselves, so I spoke about not having any faith yet at the same time acknowledging that I could be wrong, just as they could. They seemed to completely understand.
Afterwards, I spoke to many congregants and I noticed some common ideas they all shared at this particular meetinghouse. Firstly, they love visitors. But that openness is fortunately not tinged with the bitter taste of pressure to come back, to convert or to accept their prayers like in other religions. They just want to meet new people it seems. Also, they are very inquisitive folk. This is why they understood my rejection of faith and my willingness to come hang with them. Generally, they all seemed to have had some degree of doubt, no matter how minuscule, and they all seemed to be permanent questioners. They want to know the truth as well, but obviously they are at the point where they “know” somehow that God exists and they must determine how best to deal with this “reality.” They combine external experience (physical observation) with internal evidence (the so-called inner light).
Another interesting thing I noted was that they are rather progressive. Again, some Quakers groups aren’t, but this one definitely is. For example, they recycle all that they can. They don’t believe in a second coming or that the world is theirs to abuse. They want to care for the planet. Their ideas on scientific and social issues were generally progressive as well. I discussed at length their thoughts on evolution (we evolve), choice versus life (choice), war (pacifism), genetics (legit), women’s rights (equality) and the age of the planet (old). They also, like many churches, support local charities and do community service, but their efforts are put toward ones I’d deem worthwhile instead of other religions that spend their time “assisting the community” by passing out Bibles. Assisting women’s homes and animal causes were among the most discussed things.
If you can believe it, not only do they not mind you attending if you are an atheist, but allegedly there are atheistic Quakers. How is this, you ask? I’m not totally sure, but this is just another example of how open and accepting they are.
I mentioned before that they have varying beliefs. I asked them about their thoughts on the supernatural, heaven, hell, an afterlife and souls, among other things. As usual, the responses were prefaced with the whole this-is-just-what-I-believe disclaimer, but I found that generally, Quakers have a very odd religious outlook. Many did not believe in an afterlife, much less souls or places you go when you die. Scratch supernatural phenomena as well (sorry, ghost hunters). You’re probably thinking to yourself, “If they don’t believe in an afterlife, what’s the point of believing in God?” Good question. The responses were a little foggy here, but it sounded like they thought God existed but didn’t want to claim to know anything about how he/she/it operates, what God does with you when you die, where you go or anything else. It sounds very wishy-washy when I put it like this, but at least they’re honest about not knowing. God seems to be more of a guiding entity to their daily lives than a being they desire to meet after taking their last breath. To me, this is utterly fascinating.
How would I summarize my experience with modern-day Quakers? I’d say that apart from their belief in the Christian God they look a lot like us freethinking atheists/agnostics. Take away the God aspect and you’re left with science, community service, progressive ideals and a general humanist love of others and desire to better the world. They’d fit right in with us. Compare this to other Christian sects (or other religions) and you usually see deep-seated xenophobia, holier-than-thou attitudes and general condemnation if you aren’t one of them. Simply put, Quakers are doing it right.
If you’d like to learn more about the Cincinnati Friend Meeting, check out their website here. They are worth getting to know as allies in the religious community and I would recommend going to see what they’re all about, you know, for science. Perhaps one day our two groups could work together.
