Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alan Bachman on 2nd mo. 12, 2011 at 10:35pm

There is no head of the Jewish Faith.  Of course someone can be a Jewish Quaker.  After all, what religion is G-d? 

There is an infinite source.  Wisdom is infinite.  We all have a piece of infinity.  Every piece of infinity is infinite.

 

I should add - I have a great book on Jewish Mysticism.  In that book, by a respected Jewish author (even in orthodox circles) - the holiest prayer in Judaism actual says:

The Name of the G-d of Israel is both the many and the one.

 

When I went to a Hindu Temple, I inquired about their statues.  Were they idols?  Non-hindus might think so.  But one guy there said they are like icons on a computer.  They are just links to the same divine everyone else links to through their method.

 

If G-d can be Jewish and Quaker, why not a human?

 

Personally, I think labels are for shirts.

My 2 cents. (I guess that is finite!)

Permalink Reply by parise on 3rd mo. 22, 2011 at 11:42am

i am also looking for this conversation. trying to have it within my meeting has been difficult. i don’t understand how corporate worship works if none of us believe the same thing or agree to focus on the same thing during worship. i don’t understand how we can thrive and grow as meetings if we can’t explain who we are in some sort of comprehensive manner. i don’t understand how we can live with ourselves in the face of the integrity testimony when our faith and practice says something that is so remarkably different from the reality of individual meetings.

Permalink Reply by Nikolas Southwell on 4th mo. 21, 2011 at 6:01am

I totaly disagree that as you put it

"Both traditional Judaism and traditional Quakerism have their own gods and they aren't the same. So I guess the question comes down to, do you have a relationship with God and if so, who is that God?"

All the worlds faiths share one God....particularly the three abramic religions.

Jesus and the disiples were all practicing Jews!

Permalink Reply by H. Wayne Williams on 5th mo. 2, 2011 at 1:30am

Speakin' my mind, Tom!

Permalink Reply by H. Wayne Williams on 5th mo. 2, 2011 at 1:44am

This is a very thoughtful response, Steven. For me, there is no polytheistic reality.  And although I would fight for your right to claim there is, for me, there is only One God in that meetingroom, and it is the God of Abraham, and Jacob, and Moses and the Man from Nazareth. I would passionately oppose the crafting of any "message" that attempted to express such a blasphemy! :) Peace to you.

Permalink Reply by Byron Sandford on 5th mo. 4, 2011 at 11:34am

If we believe that there is that of God in everyone, then all from any faith tradition could be a Quaker. Being touched by the divine is deeper than your accident of birth but is a reflection of your spiritual journey. As a start of our understanding of organized religions we should recognize that most religions became state religions, then became instruments of conquest. With that in mind we can better understand their enabling texts and  understand why faith and national boundaries are so connected. The idea that there is only one path is as realisitc as there is only the United States and that other countries can be successful if they believe and function as we do. There is jingoism in everything.

 

We must see what we share, what we have in common more than the nuances that separate us. I have been enriched by Christians, Buddhist, Muslims,Hindus and native traditions. Faith is like the story of the blind people describing an elephant, we fill in the blanks on that which we do not see or do not understand. How could the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Buddha not be at home and comfortable with the deeper beliefs that unite us all. The underlying question is why is it so important to people to think that there is only one spiritual path and that all others are somehow inferior? I think the answer says more about them than it says about their faith.

Permalink Reply by Aaron J Levitt on 10th mo. 26, 2011 at 11:51am

I'm about as weighty as helium, but it seems to me the question is can you be a convinced Friend and a new convert to Judaism, and that you're the only person who can answer it.

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