All posts tagged nontheism

Report and reflections

January 9, 2009

The promised report on the retreat is now up, at nontheistfriends.org:

“If you think Richard Dawkins is too easy on religion, go down to that end of the room,” I said, indicating the steps up to the bookstore. “And if you…”

“Careful…” someone said.

And I was. There were several believers-in-God present – the exact number depending on your definition – and I didn’t want to make a joke that might be taken the wrong way.

“If you’re, uh… very theistic, go down to the other end,” I finished, indicating the fireplace. “And if you’re somewhere in between, go somewhere in between.”

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Mystery: it’s what we don’t know

December 16, 2008

Lately I’ve been reading Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism to prepare for the aforementioned retreat on that topic. I should’ve read it ages ago, but didn’t because I was always either too broke or it was out of stock. Plus, there was plenty to read online.

The following heavy passage comes from James Riemermann’s contribution, Mystery: It’s What We Don’t Know –

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Nontheism among Friends (Quakers), January 2-4

December 16, 2008

Powell HouseAfter New Year’s, Robin Alpern and I will be co-facilitating a retreat on Nontheism among Friends at Powell House near Albany.

(The link by the way goes to the Facebook event page.)

The full flyer text below the cut:

As early as 1976, the Friends General Conference Gathering hosted a well-attended Workshop for Nontheistic Friends. In the decades since, Friends have become increasingly aware of the theological diversity of our Religious Society. Through experience and statistical studies, we have learned a large proportion of our members and attenders are somewhere on a spectrum that includes postchristians, agnostics, atheists, secularists, humanists.

How can we be nontheists and Quakers too?

If our Quaker life is not centered on belief in God, what is our center?

What are our challenges?

How can theists and nontheists enrich each other while holding views that differ?

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Quaker nontheism, membership, and the recent YAF conference

June 20, 2008

Last night of conferenceThe interest group on nontheistic Quakerism I facilitated at the aforementioned young adult Quaker conference went rather well – a report may be coming on the Nontheist Friends website. (I posted one to the email list, but would want to edit it down a bit.)

Both the interest group and the conference generally changed something for me, and I find a new sense of commitment to the Quaker experiment.

I first started attending Quaker meetings back in 2002 at North Shore Friends Meeting in Beverly, Mass., and officially became a member a few years later. I’ve been living in the city for two years now, and in the past few weeks finally decided I really really felt right about transferring membership to Friends Meeting at Cambridge. I just sent North Shore a long letter of transfer, which is found under the cut.

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