In my old leather breeches and my shaggy shaggy locks
I am walking in the glory of the light said Fox
Funny you should mention that! I actually had a (oh boy get this... we now call the elders OVERSEERS! sounds like the slave days!) "overseer" quote me one of Fox's statements on the divinity of Christ.
I who also see Quaker faith as a zen process (as a young Quaker we - as a group of young Quakers used to go the the Zen studies society as an adjunct to understanding waiting on the Lord...)... well as I was saying, I said to him, "Well, I always believed Fox, if he were involved in this discussion today, would say he showed us a path, not left us with a set of beliefs and observations, or we'd have a Pope and a creed!"
In light of modern linguistic forensics, we can trace the origins of beliefs in the gospels, and as a result, many Catholic historians have been driven out of the church. I would hate to see that as a growing trend in the Society of Friends. I hope we are strong enough in our faith in God to see that as we know more about the history of Jesus, as a man, we can come to understanding that Christ as an abstraction of faith should bring us closer to understanding that there is God in everyone (I almost wrote as a knee jerk to my youth everyman! - whoops!).
If we have to rely on the pagan alternative, of seeing God in a thing (the historical figure of Jesus), well, it will be very hard for educated Friends to remain in the Society.
BUT, on the other hand, I am trying hard to find a middle ground of tolerance, of learning to see God in the intolerant Friends in our meetings, who fail to see God in my beliefs... Ain't we a bunch?!
I have to ask Genie, my wife, it may have been Chester, rather than Guildford! I was thinking of that meeting on the past first day.
Someone rose and began to read a statement, that was a bit, well odd. It was a commandment from God to paint the White House black FOREVER (he thundered). An elder/overseer - whatever, rose and gently asked him not to read testimony, and he began to yell at the other Friend.
I was trying to find that commonality in silence for awhile after that, and remembered a meeting in Chester or Guildford, which was very very small, so I suppose there was no First Day school. Two young children were in meeting, and after awhile got board and began to play, sucking in air, making VERY QUIET noise. Finally they began to giggle and their mum dealt with them, one way or another, but it did not take away from the silence anymore than do chirping birds. I thought of how what we see as distractions can be incorporated into our silence, and before the end of meeting a Friend rose and said that though the testimony was not in the usual form of our worship, it really made her think. I guess we really are a bunch!
All the very best, Larry