ZJ's Narrative - Agender Quaker
Alright, so I've said I am one of the 19% of the trans community who participates in a faith community.
Which one?
The Quakers, the Society of Friends. I do not believe this community is perfect - I have not felt welcome at every single meeting I go to. Quakers have a lot to work on.
But the beliefs align with my own. The practices help my life make sense.
Quakers gather and sit in silence for an hour on Sunday mornings. We believe that this is spiritual, and that the practice of being together changes the environment of the room.
We believe that there is that of God in everyone. Or, for non-theists, that there is Light in everyone. Quakers work for peace. We believe war causes suffering and should be avoided. It is true that Quakers worked on the underground railroad in 1800's, and on the sanctuary movement for Central American refugees in the 1980's.
It is also true that there were Quaker boarding schools for Native Americans. (The boarding schools were genocidal - separating families and seeking to eradicate culture.) Some Quakers are grappling with this history, and have started a project called Decolonizing Quakers (https://www.decolonizingquakers.org/).
Right now, the historical figure known as the "Public Universal Friend" is trending on social media in Quaker spaces. They were a person in the 18th century who refused to use binary pronouns. They were a Quaker leader. Their existence proves Quakerism has a long history of engagement with queerness.
Further, Quakerism is non-hierarchical. The annoying rules for Lutheran pastors do not appear in Quakerism, because Quakers do not have pastors. We have each other, and make decision in community by consensus.
Quakerism began as a denomination of Christianity. However, Quakerism today is not necessarily Christian. In most meetings, you would be hard pressed to hear anything about "Jesus", though some people use their silent time to think about him or other religious figures. Some Quakers believe in God. Some do not. Some, like me, are not sure.
I find in Quakerism space for all my uncertainity. In our meetings, I have only heard God mentioned occasionally, and rarely with any gendered pronouns. If god is not a person, if god is rather Light or energy, god does not have a gender. Like me.
In this thexology, I am seen.
Which one?
The Quakers, the Society of Friends. I do not believe this community is perfect - I have not felt welcome at every single meeting I go to. Quakers have a lot to work on.
But the beliefs align with my own. The practices help my life make sense.
 |
| Photo from quaker.org |
Quakers gather and sit in silence for an hour on Sunday mornings. We believe that this is spiritual, and that the practice of being together changes the environment of the room.
We believe that there is that of God in everyone. Or, for non-theists, that there is Light in everyone. Quakers work for peace. We believe war causes suffering and should be avoided. It is true that Quakers worked on the underground railroad in 1800's, and on the sanctuary movement for Central American refugees in the 1980's.
It is also true that there were Quaker boarding schools for Native Americans. (The boarding schools were genocidal - separating families and seeking to eradicate culture.) Some Quakers are grappling with this history, and have started a project called Decolonizing Quakers (https://www.decolonizingquakers.org/).
Right now, the historical figure known as the "Public Universal Friend" is trending on social media in Quaker spaces. They were a person in the 18th century who refused to use binary pronouns. They were a Quaker leader. Their existence proves Quakerism has a long history of engagement with queerness.
Further, Quakerism is non-hierarchical. The annoying rules for Lutheran pastors do not appear in Quakerism, because Quakers do not have pastors. We have each other, and make decision in community by consensus.
Quakerism began as a denomination of Christianity. However, Quakerism today is not necessarily Christian. In most meetings, you would be hard pressed to hear anything about "Jesus", though some people use their silent time to think about him or other religious figures. Some Quakers believe in God. Some do not. Some, like me, are not sure.
I find in Quakerism space for all my uncertainity. In our meetings, I have only heard God mentioned occasionally, and rarely with any gendered pronouns. If god is not a person, if god is rather Light or energy, god does not have a gender. Like me.
In this thexology, I am seen.
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