Anyone who googles Quaker will find out more than anyone might want to know about Quakers.

I am in sympathy with the problem of "Friends" schools. Upon consideration, however, I suspect that the least Quakerly is more Quakerly than most other schools, in good ways. Even Sidwell.

Quakers seem to get involved a a broad range of social activism. They have a tendency to get around and can be found living in almost any part of the world, often doing "good works". The vast majority of Friends tend to live ordinary lives, although often with at least a bit of difference from the mainstream.

Through that social justice involvement, Friends attract people who want the social activism without respect for the historic traditions, such as following leadings of the spirit, meeting in silence, recognizing that the social activism needs to arise from the deep inner movings of the spirit, seeking the sense of the meeting (different from "consensus" or "unity") and making some attempt to adhere to testimonies on peace, simplicity, speaking to that which is God/good in each person, treating each person, and each other, with respect.....

The fellow who was turned off by Quaker school, also had parents who "did not like A Quaker View of Sex". This excellent publication was a landmark publication of the non-pastoral Friends. It helped, no doubt, provide openings for the development of the Friends Committee on Gay and Lesbian Concerns (?). Of course the more conservative Friends took umbrage with all of this carrying on.

Non-pastoral Friends do try to find ways to respect the diversity which abounds and to heal the hurts of both the individual and the corporate membership. We are not "organized religion" but we are differently organized in a more friendly, grass roots kind of way.

As Friends are human, we will find among them every failing that the human race encompasses, and every good as well.