Pagans often argue about how to define who we are. What are the boundaries--between Wicca and Witchcraft, between Heathens and Pagans, between polytheists, pantheists, and non-theists... While I could do without the acrimony, we're a new as well as an old religious movement, so it makes sense that like any adolescent, we are fascinated by questions of identity. I will admit to preferring the Quaker approach to identity, though: rather than trying to create the definitive checklist of belief that make someone a "real Quaker," Friends typically share a body of testimonies and questions for reflection with those who are drawn to the Religious Society of Friends. "Do you feel this same sort of spiritual leading?" Friends ask one another. "Does this speak to the condition of your soul, as it does to ours?" Queries, not checklists of doctrine, hold the ways Quakers approach discernment, including around membership. And though no individual can declar...
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it always helps me when words fail
You've got a point. I'm not terribly visual--with me, it's all about the words.
But maybe if I can loosen up my attachment to logical sequences, and put out a series of impressions, without worrying too much about ordering them or building to one particular point or conclusion. I think that might work.
@ Hystery: that's a large question! In brief, we set aside our usual agenda to make room for more open-ended worship. What emerged was both good (lots of deep movement of Spirit among us) and less-good (compromises to Quaker process, and some of the strains and fault lines among us that are normally camouflaged by business being made evident).
It was complex enough that I fear that doing justice to one part of it might distort other parts. So I'm struggling.
A sort of word-collage may be the best way to describe it. It will not serve well as journalism, but then, can traditional journalism capture what it feels like to be in a body of people experiencing Spirit moving among us?
@ Fr. Jay: yeah. It kind of feels like I'm still to close to it to bring it all properly into focus.
I'll try my hand at a small snapshot or two over the next few days, and see how that goes.
Thanks.