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Primitive Christianity Revived, Again

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Primitive Christianity Revived, Again

Alison Irving Sydney, NSW Australia: Share on Facebook

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Quaker Vegetarians

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Alison Irving replied to Karen Mercer's discussion 'Convergence Movement/ The purpose of Quaker Quaker'

"If there were a 'like' button on this site, I'd be pressing it. Well said, Olivia. Step back, take a breath, have a cup of tea (I'm British) and be at peace with one another. There are probably many people on this site with whom…"

3rd month 28

Alison Irving added a discussion to the group Christianity

Quakerism and early Celtic Christianity

Re-visiting some texts on Celtic Christianity, I am struck by the similarities between the early Celtic church and Quakerism. Of course, there are definite differences, such as prayer to the saints, and I do not mean today's Celtic church, which can be quite fundamentalist, but those caveats aside, there are strong similarities with the 'primitive church'. The early Celtic church had a strong emphasis on simplicity. Their places of worship were often wattle and daub and were rarely built of…See More

3rd month 26

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Alison Irving commented on Ray Lovegrove's group 'Quaker Vegetarians'

"Hi Mackenzie, I know what you mean about the smell of red meat. Lactose is also a problem for me. As for MacDonald's, we don't often go there, although they are popular in Australia. I love their gherkins! Fortunately, there is a lovely…"

2nd month 18

Alison Irving commented on Ray Lovegrove's group 'Quaker Vegetarians'

"Three months ago, I developed a niggle about eating meat. I'm not sure where the niggle came from, apart from a sudden dislike of eating meat and a need to reduce cholesterol, but a few weeks later one of my daughters decided to become…"

2nd month 18

Alison Irving joined Ray Lovegrove's group

Quaker Vegetarians

"Thou shalt not kill" does not apply to murder of one's own kind only, but to all living beings; and this Commandment was inscribed in the human breast long before it was proclaimed from Sinai.Leo TolstoySee More

2nd month 18

12 Comments

Alison Irving replied to Karen Mercer's discussion 'Convergence Movement/ The purpose of Quaker Quaker'

"Karen, I liked this post, especially the part about people's negative perceptions of 'traditional'. I fully agree with the stereotyping experience. Sometimes people telling me what I believe as a Christian can be fascinating. It…"

1st month 1

Alison Irving replied to Karen Mercer's discussion 'Convergence Movement/ The purpose of Quaker Quaker'

"I came to this site to learn more about Quakers. As a fairly new attender, there is so much that I don't know about the different traditions, and where I 'know', I often don't understand. I do know that I fit into the Christian…"

12th month 28, 2011

Alison Irving commented on Cathy Barney's blog post 'Held somewhere else'

"I have 2 daughters, the one that stretches me is now 22. Through the temper tantrums and the tough teens, I took her out regularly on her own for mother-daughter times. The worse she behaved, the more I kept taking her for lunch etc. and just…"

12th month 28, 2011

Alison Irving commented on Cathy Barney's blog post 'Held somewhere else'

"Cathy, your blog really touched me, probably because like many women I've had a stressful mammogram recall but also because I too have a demanding daughter. What a good idea to go to the pool, have the water hold you up and to float in it as if…"

12th month 27, 2011

Stephanie Stuckwisch commented on Alison Irving's blog post 'Coastlands'

"Thank you, Friend, for sharing this. The image of residing on the border has always spoken to me."

12th month 27, 2011

Alison Irving posted a blog post

Coastlands

Lately I've been watching the rather wonderful BBC series 'Coast' on DVD, so the sea was on my mind yesterday as I sat down with the Bible, my sketchbook and my journal. At present I'm reading through Isaiah. In Isaiah 41, I found the verse:'Listen to me in silence, O coastlands, let the people renew their strength; let them approach, let them speak; let us together draw near for judgement'. The idea of Christians as the coastline appeals to me. The shoreline is different. It does not normally…See More

12th month 27, 2011

1 Comment

Mackenzie commented on Alison Irving's blog post 'Learning simplicity'

"Gandhi recognized that the English textile industry was helping them control the Indian population. The people sold their cotton cheap to England and bought clothing expensively back from England, in English styles. Gandhi took to wearing khadi…"

12th month 5, 2011

Alison Irving commented on Alison Irving's blog post 'Learning simplicity'

"Yes, I've been reading Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen. Both great writers from the monastic tradition. Didn't know that about Gandhi. It's one of those comments that would merit a 'like' button as in Facebook!"

12th month 5, 2011

Mackenzie commented on Alison Irving's blog post 'Learning simplicity'

"I've been attending Friends meetings for about two years, but the ascetics & monks thing came from a comparative religions class I had in high school that included Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. The most interesting example of extreme…"

12th month 5, 2011

Alison Irving commented on Alison Irving's blog post 'Learning simplicity'

"You also probably guessed from the comment that I am new to the Quaker fold. We've only been attending the Friends for 6 months - hence the Quaker Basics course. Until this year, I didn't know any Friends, so had no opportunity to grow…"

12th month 5, 2011

Alison Irving commented on Alison Irving's blog post 'Learning simplicity'

"So did I, but that would be somewhat inappropriate with the learning disabled kids with whom I work! The problem with simplicity-as-a-virtue for me, and I must stress that this was only a personal experience, was that it came with extra…"

12th month 5, 2011

Profile Information

About Me: Married to Malcolm, we have two daughters, Jenni and Joanna and two Border Collies. Malcolm and Jenni also attend our local meeting house. We're just attenders, but are enjoying the fellowship of Friends in Sydney. Our local meeting is Liberal, but I would describe myself as Christian and would like to learn more about conservative Quakers.

Alison Irving's Blog

Coastlands

'Listen to me in silence, O coastlands, let the people renew their strength; let them approach, let them speak; let us together draw near for judgement'.

The idea of Christians as the coastline appeals to me. The shoreline is different. It…

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Posted on 12th mo. 27, 2011 at 2:56am — 1 Comment

Learning simplicity

This week, as I approach the start of the Quaker Basics course, I've been reading about simplicity. To a new Friend, this is a challenging concept. I was concerned that it made a virtue out of not thinking and this troubled me. Many years ago, as a new Christian, I remember being told that Christians should accept all they are told without question. Even as a teenager, I thought that was ridiculous. How could I separate the two ideas? Simplicity, as it was presented, seemed at first to mean…

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Posted on 12th mo. 5, 2011 at 3:13am — 6 Comments

Stepping out of the boat

I've never done a blog before - never blogged? Is it a verb? Anyway, here goes...

This morning while walking with my two dogs and an Anglican friend, I was thinking about how much of a step it has been to move from our local traditional Anglican church to the Quaker meeting. Suddenly, into my head popped the story of Jesus walking on the waves and Peter stepping out of the boat. The story is something like this:

Jesus had been praying all night, while the disciples went off…

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Posted on 11th mo. 29, 2011 at 5:12am — 4 Comments

Comment Wall (4 comments)

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At 6:52pm on 11th mo. 22, 2011, David Carl said…: Well, the inward journey can be the more challenging part, can't it? I'm glad you have found a supportive community of Friends!

At 10:24am on 11th mo. 21, 2011, Aaron J Levitt said…: Hi Alison,

I'm a non-Christian (at least in any typical sense) attending a liberal meeting, and I just wanted to say that the meeting's explicit openess to and respect for Christ-centered members was one of the reasons I chose it from among several in the area. Particularly given the centrality of Christianity to the history and development of Quakerism, I'd have real reservations about any meeting that wasn't welcoming to Christian members, their perspectives and contributions. I hope that you, and other Friends in your position, will always feel comfortable sharing your experiences of God with the rest of us.

Regards,

Aaron

At 10:35pm on 11th mo. 20, 2011, Kirby Snell said…: Hi Alison, I just happened to spot your exchange of comments with David re: being a Christian in a liberal meeting, and thought I'd offer my 2 cents. I'm a Christian, and have been attending a liberal meeting for about a month now. While this hasn't been enough time for the question of Christianity to come up on any deep level in my personal interactions with the folks there (and, like you, I was hesitant about how my beliefs would be received), the general vibe I've gotten is one of openness towards Christ-centered beliefs (with much regard for other faith traditions as well). Similar to what David said - I suspect that as long as we, as Christians, are welcoming of others' spiritual backgrounds, there will be room for us in a liberal meeting. One thing that helps me is to remember that each person's spiritual journey is as valuable as my own, whether they call Jesus their Savior, or are questioning whether God even exists. And God cares just as much about bringing each of them closer to God's Truth as for me - and how wonderful that Quakerism offers them that searching space. I'd imagine there's a fair number of liberal Friends who would never have a positive encounter with Christianity outside of Quakerism... Anyway, I wish you well as you seek and learn, and know that there are others here sharing your journey. Peace!

At 6:58pm on 11th mo. 18, 2011, David Carl said…: Alison, there was a post here a few years ago on this topic, but I've been unable to find it. I would encourage you to learn about early Friends by reading their journals. You can also visit find information on the web from current conservative yearly meetings. A liberal meeting can be challenging to Christian Friends. But it can also be a place where you can learn and practice Christian virtues and faith -- can I be loving and yet forthright in the face of disparagement and conflict? Also, liberal Friends often will respond to Christian themes and scripture if presented in an inviting and friendly manner. Finally, I find the objections many liberal Friends (and others) seem to have toward "Christianity" are often valid ones and actually help me become a better Christian. I don't know the situation in Sydney, but in the liberal meetings I've been members of (I'm on my second now) there are indeed liberal Christian Friends! Often there are "closet Christians" as well, or people who are open to Christian themes but not sure its OK to talk about them...until someone does!

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QuakerQuaker is a community of Friends exploring Primitive Christianity Revived: plain witness, ministry, beliefs. Quaker blogs, photos, videos & gatherings. Learn More.

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