Karen, I feel so bad about all of this. Selfishly, I suppose, I was happy to find someone who was both active on QuakerQuaker and whose boldness and sensitivity I really admired and appreciated. You know how us young folks are - we get so excited when we find people who are old enough to know lots of stuff and young enough to get where we're coming from. I think the site will be a poorer place without you, and I know that I will deeply regret your absence. You've given voice to things a lot of people have been thinking but not saying, as reflected by many of the comments to the posts you've made. I'll miss you.

Greetings  Friend Karen,

You have some how read into my response about the commentary on the rich are greedy etc. a number of things I never intended. My fault no doubt.

What I was trying to communicate, first and foremost, was the for reasons some are rich and some are poor is far more complex the supercilious trite about candies, greed and liars.

 Also, I wanted to point out some of the factors that had been wholly ignored by commentators to this thread and gave examples of some of those factors which had noting to do with ethics of the materially successful individuals. 

Many who have not received the Divine Revealtion and attribute the differences to karma and past lives. The man called Buddha speaks of this at some length.  

So while I find such study and conversations interesting on a relative level, as no doubt you do, ultimately we know we change nothing and if we keep or focus on such things for we know we have wandered well off the Way and the 'narrow gate' and joined the ranks of those stumble down the wide highway and miss the narrow gate and fail to enter in.

Those who are blessed to know that George Fox was given a Message directly by God's Christ to proclaim to world know that the best we can do if we are not led and taught directly by the LIGHT is to stumble around and do more harm than good in this fallen realm. 

Dear George spoke of such matters when he said (in words to the effect)  it matters not what system people use to organize their societies what matters is if the people are led by Light and their characters forged in the fire of HIS LIGHT. 

And truly, as GF says, all we need to do  (to very loosely paraphrase him) "is to sit down, shut up, be still, pull our attention away from all thoughts, imaginations, philosophies, beliefs, concepts etc. and wait for the Light come and teach and lead us.  

Because of obedience to the simple instructions received from the LIGHT and taught to the people the first generation of Quakers ensured women and girls learned to read and write.  Something in the order of 10,000 female Friends in the first generation learned to read and write making them the largest number of literate women in the English speaking world and the most literate of any women, no matter their language in the Western world.

They in turn taught their next generation to read and write and by the third generation over a 75, 000 plus Quaker women were literate. 

 This was the largest group of literate women in the Western world, if not the entire world at that time. The effect of those women being able to read and write and them be lead by the LIGHT was so profound it completely changed the world.

So much so that even the average so called Quaker of today has next to no understanding how vast the good was from which came about because of these women obedience and willingness to wait upon the leadership of the Light. 

Not only did they, in conjunction with male Friends, bring about well known achievements in social justice such as the end of slavery, freedom of conscious, equality for women and to such huge achievements but smaller things that though small had a huge effect on the average persons well being, e.g., price tags, fair business practices, care of the poor and elderly. 

Me thinks that is a subject worthy of our attention for sure as sure can be, if those who are standing around the candy jar, be they rich or poor, would understand from WHOM the message that George Fox came from and did what HE instructed them to do  they would be unable to lie or cheat and they would stand back and make sure the least among  them had a candy before they took one for themselves.  

Shalom Friend,

Stuart

Lovely to be here!

Hi Karen! I'm not sure what the problem is with my blog. Sometimes folks tell me that they can't comment. I don't know what the deal is, because you should be able to comment anonymously.  I hope you'll try again.

I'm glad you're reading, and glad that my posts are striking a nerve. :)

Hello, Karen!  In your situation, I would check out the Mennonite church.  It is probably not quite fair to ask them to incorporate a period of silence in their worship experience, especially since you would be a newcomer.  Some Conservative Friends who are more conservative than any of the existing Conservative Quaker groups find fellowship in Mennonite and/or Old German Baptist churches, either as members or as long term attenders.  We have attended a conservative Mennonite church for 7+ years after being "released" involuntarily from our meeting.  We are still Friends and cherish Quaker worship, but do not miss the power plays and underhandedness that were standard fare in the meeting we belonged to.  *Friends Community News* is a good way to keep in touch with Friends, even if one feels compelled to find fellowship in another denomination.

Dear Friend Karen,

Wishing you peace.

Will write soon.

Margaret