https://www.quakerranter.org/on_the_web_transmitting_quaker/ A Weekly Newsletter and Blog from Martin Kelley Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:47:45 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.quakerranter.org/on_the_web_transmitting_quaker/#comment-530 Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:16:05 +0000 http://www.quakerranter.org/?p=137#comment-530 Hi Phil: you’re going to make me cry. Yes!, how many are there looking in saying “if only!” I’m glad you’ve found the blog but we’re all looking for more than websites and emails…

]]> https://www.quakerranter.org/on_the_web_transmitting_quaker/#comment-529 Thu, 17 Mar 2005 07:08:29 +0000 http://www.quakerranter.org/?p=137#comment-529 Hi! I’ve been reading your blog for some time and really learning and enjoying it — so thanks. Here’s a general comment I’d like to make about my journey towards (and I guess away from) Quakerism. I’m a follower of Jesus but I’ve grown disatisfied with mainstrean church because I can’t see a commitment to peace, care for the poor or often a real radical seeking after the presence and leading of God. Because I was born and grew up near where George Fox was born I read his journal and started thinking about Quakerism. I’d also known a wonderful old Quaker lady who was definitely a follower of Jesus and believed the teachings of scripture. Her gentleness impressed me alot. She used to annoy people by the way she would never show disrespect to anyone even if they weren’t there at the time. This was very inspiring for me.
I ventured along to a meeting — but to my astonishment found that they weren’t worshipping Jesus, but made statements that seemed more like Buddhism to me. I’m not wanting to judge them at all, but it did make me hurry away from the meeting which is a shame because I really needed the peace at the time.
Over the years I have stayed interested in Quakerism, but have always at the last moment decided that it would draw me away from Christ and that is the last thing I want. I work for a Christian NGO now which works with the poor. I joined an evangelical Friends church while I was living in India, which was great, but not at all Quaker.
So, here I am, wishing that Quakerism was all about Jesus and longing for the kind of spirituality that Fox showed (although I do wish he would admit to a mistake sometimes in his journal!)
I love your blog and many of the blogs linked to it. I wonder how many of us evangelicals are on the outside looking in, thinking, “if only.…”

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