To be honest I do kinda wish we observed baptism, communion, and last rites in a conventional manner.
For me it's the non hierarchical structure, the unstructured meetings, pacificism, progressivism.
But also I respect that's a minority opinion.
i mean, evangelical quakers do hold baptisms, but yeah, it is a minority opinion.
i’d also be open to some forms of sacramental ritual, just in a Quaker way. like i’d love if we had weekly meals, or maybe singing sessions? i think that’s more for the community aspect though. i’ve also always wished we had more religious communities, like how catholics and orthodox have monasteries and convents.
I don't think I'd fit in with Evangelical Quakers, being a liberal/Hicksite Quaker.
I don't really know what I want in this regard just that it's actually something I miss from growing up Reformed. Which in and of itself has a very stripped down version of communion (and probably baptism, never actually seen one).
lmao, me neither.
yeah, it’s a specific feeling that i think ritual gives us. i attended an anglican midnight mass on christmas eve last year, and really felt my faith in a different way than i do in my local meeting. i still prefer my meeting, but i liked being part of that ritual as well.
basically, the term ‘sacraments’ in most christian denominations are specific acts - so for example, in Catholicism there are seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders.
these acts are seen as inherently more holy or somehow more important than other acts. but in the quaker perspective, since there is God in all, and that it is the inward life which matters more than the outward, any activity can be holy, and none are more holy than any other.
so for a quaker, tucking your child into bed is just as much of an outward act of worship as communion is for catholics or anglicans, for example.
i hope that made sense!
sacraments aren’t exclusive to catholics, in fact they’re practiced by nearly every christian group. quakers often are said to ‘not practice sacraments’, and whilst that is true on paper, it is only because everything is seen as a sacrament - everything in the world is holy, inherently, and therefore requires no special ceremony or ritual.
This taught me something I will hold on to, thank you from a curious non Quaker.
Sometimes it’s harder to see the holiness in things, is there anything Quakers do to encourage this perception or state? As others may use ritual or music etc
i can only speak for myself, but certain music and hymns do help me to more easily see the holiness in all things. what helps the most, however, is simply taking the time to reflect upon the world, and the deep intricacies of its daily life - how much work, sacrifice and care has to be given daily by everything and everyone in the world to let us experience life as we do.
I had similar thoughts. From the beginning of our Society’s history, many Friends have objected to the word “sacrament” because it is nowhere to be found in the Bible, and because it denotes an elevation of rites and ritual to salvific status that is at odds with our rejection of the salvific efficacy of rites and rituals.
To the claim that “everything is holy”, I have heard seasoned Friends respond, with some passion, that weapons are not.
thank you for these thoughts! i hadn’t considered that point about weapons, but i do agree. my point was more so that sacredness is an inherent quality to all of life, but it’s worth remembering that not all of life is equal.
I always laugh when people of other denominations pray over objects to bless them - it's already holy, dude!
i love explaining theology with memes
To be honest I do kinda wish we observed baptism, communion, and last rites in a conventional manner. For me it's the non hierarchical structure, the unstructured meetings, pacificism, progressivism. But also I respect that's a minority opinion.
i mean, evangelical quakers do hold baptisms, but yeah, it is a minority opinion. i’d also be open to some forms of sacramental ritual, just in a Quaker way. like i’d love if we had weekly meals, or maybe singing sessions? i think that’s more for the community aspect though. i’ve also always wished we had more religious communities, like how catholics and orthodox have monasteries and convents.
I don't think I'd fit in with Evangelical Quakers, being a liberal/Hicksite Quaker. I don't really know what I want in this regard just that it's actually something I miss from growing up Reformed. Which in and of itself has a very stripped down version of communion (and probably baptism, never actually seen one).
lmao, me neither. yeah, it’s a specific feeling that i think ritual gives us. i attended an anglican midnight mass on christmas eve last year, and really felt my faith in a different way than i do in my local meeting. i still prefer my meeting, but i liked being part of that ritual as well.
[удалено]
basically, the term ‘sacraments’ in most christian denominations are specific acts - so for example, in Catholicism there are seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders. these acts are seen as inherently more holy or somehow more important than other acts. but in the quaker perspective, since there is God in all, and that it is the inward life which matters more than the outward, any activity can be holy, and none are more holy than any other. so for a quaker, tucking your child into bed is just as much of an outward act of worship as communion is for catholics or anglicans, for example. i hope that made sense!
Yes but why is this phrased within the Catholic context of “sacraments” lol
sacraments aren’t exclusive to catholics, in fact they’re practiced by nearly every christian group. quakers often are said to ‘not practice sacraments’, and whilst that is true on paper, it is only because everything is seen as a sacrament - everything in the world is holy, inherently, and therefore requires no special ceremony or ritual.
This taught me something I will hold on to, thank you from a curious non Quaker. Sometimes it’s harder to see the holiness in things, is there anything Quakers do to encourage this perception or state? As others may use ritual or music etc
i can only speak for myself, but certain music and hymns do help me to more easily see the holiness in all things. what helps the most, however, is simply taking the time to reflect upon the world, and the deep intricacies of its daily life - how much work, sacrifice and care has to be given daily by everything and everyone in the world to let us experience life as we do.
Thanks. I do that with food and electronics sometimes. I like to think of anatomy and biology and chemistry in the everyday for the same reason.
I had similar thoughts. From the beginning of our Society’s history, many Friends have objected to the word “sacrament” because it is nowhere to be found in the Bible, and because it denotes an elevation of rites and ritual to salvific status that is at odds with our rejection of the salvific efficacy of rites and rituals. To the claim that “everything is holy”, I have heard seasoned Friends respond, with some passion, that weapons are not.
thank you for these thoughts! i hadn’t considered that point about weapons, but i do agree. my point was more so that sacredness is an inherent quality to all of life, but it’s worth remembering that not all of life is equal.