Comment by C. Morningbear Cullimore Mercer on 6th mo. 25, 2011 at 8:21pm

Having served in various capacities that might be considered leadership roles in FGC and FUM meetings,  having been a regular attendee among Conservative Friends and a rare attendee among Evangelical Friends I have witnessed  diverse manners of speaking truth to power.  Some were whimsical, others pragmatic to a fault, and others unhealthy and hurtful.  I was taken aback how individuals could use the most vulgar epithets in meeting for worship for business and when speaking as ostensibly led by the Spirit.  This still causes me to disregard the message because of the unclean fruits of discourse.  Yet, I could be wrong.  All too often congregations of Friends see simple language that is "dumbed down" as their golden rule of plain speech.  Plain speech does not have to be destitute of intellect.  Plain speech is, to me, determined by what one says not how it is said.

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