Interdependence Day Walking Meditation on July 2

As a Quaker, I was very pleased to learn of this "Independence Day" event, sponsored by the Episcopalian Church. When I began my journal seven years ago on the 4th of July, I spoke about Interdependence Day. I have also written a blog explaining why Quakers didn't celebrate the 4th of July, and paid a price of their refusal to do so. See http://laquaker.blogspot.com/2012/06/why-quakers-did-not-celebrate-fourth-of.html

What I do celebrate as a Quaker is our interconnectedness and interdependence. That's why I support this upcoming event and hope to attend. I hope you will join us!

Leaders of Los Angeles religious traditions will conduct the fourth-annual Walking Meditation on Interdependence around Echo Park Lake, L.A., on Saturday, July 2 at 7 p.m., sponsored by the Los Angeles Interfaith Consortium, an emerging media resource informing and uniting the Southland’s vibrant spiritual community. Prayers and reflections in seven traditions – Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh – will be offered along the way, with special intention for refugee relief worldwide. Participants are invited to observe silent meditation and prayer while walking between the stations. The walk will be preceded by a 6 p.m. interfaith dialogue with the Future 50, a program of theInterreligious Council of Southern California and the University of Southern California Center for Religion and Civic Culture, and followed by an interfaith Iftar (breaking of the daytime fast observed during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan) from 8:10 to 9:30 p.m. The dialogue and Iftar will be held in the Great Hall of the Cathedral Center, at 840 Echo Park Avenue. For more information and reservations (requested), contact Robert Williams, Interreligious Council president. Above: Buddhist U.S. Naval Chaplain Aroon Seda leads prayers near a lotus bed in Echo Park, with the downtown skyline in the background. Photo / Bob Williams

The Way of a Pilgrim: Reflection on my Greek Orthodox Roots and Quakerism

I am grateful to my parents, and to God, that I was baptized into the Greek Orthodox faith. I wasn’t always grateful, however. When I was several months old, my parents took me to St George’s Orthodox Church in Trenton, NJ. There a strange man in a dark robe with a white beard stripped off my clothes, plunged me naked under water, and I gasped for air and screamed. Since then, I have attended such “sacraments” several times and am familiar with the routine, which takes nearly an hour. First, the priest exorcizes any demons that might have entered the church to thwart the baby’s salvation. Then he recites liturgies in Greek that go back to the early days of Christianity. After being prayed over and dunked, the child is given a fresh set of white clothing, declared a Christian and confirmed as a Greek. My family celebrated this rite of passage with a huge party.

In my childhood I attended a number of Orthodox celebrations—mostly weddings and what we called “Christenings”. Orthodox rituals and art are inexpressibly beautiful and have lingered in my soul, but were largely meaningless to me as a child growing up since I didn’t speak Greek.

My Scottish mother took me to the Episcopalian Church which also had a lot of rituals, but at least provided me with some grounding in Christianity through Sunday school classes where we heard bible stories in a language I could understand. My mother liked to tell the story that when I came to the Episcopalian church as a preschooler, and was introduced to the priest, I said emphatically, “He’s not a priest.” My mother and priest were surprised by my strong reaction, and asked me why I didn’t believe he was a priest. I replied, “He doesn’t have yenyas,” “Yenyas” was my way of saying the Greek word for beard (γενειάδα). From this story, I conclude that even at an early age, I had strong opinions, which were not always correct.

By age 12 or so, I had begun to read voraciously and to think critically, and was not impressed with the history of the church. I read about schisms and Crusades and inquisitions and religious wars and witch hunts, and decided that the church was part of humanity’s problem, not the solution. I found Marx and socialism much more appealing than Christianity, even though the history of Communism also has its dark side.

I stopped going to church, but I still had a yearning for some kind of religious experience. In my high school and college years, I turned to psychedelic drugs, which seemed to expand my consciousness but ultimately led me down a dark alley of drug abuse and despair.

 It was after college that I had a truly transformative religious experience. After graduating from Boston University, where I studied poetry with Anne Sexton and aspired to be a poet, I went “on the road,” travelled across Canada by rail, and had a “road to Damascus” experience in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In this low-key prairie city that was utterly different from the frantic pace of eastern cities like Boston and New York,  I felt my New England anxieties lift. Out of curiosity I entered an empty church, perused a Bible that was open on the altar, and suddenly felt the power of the Holy Spirit. My eyes welled up with tears. I realized that Jesus was more than just a teacher. His words could revolutionize the world, and my life. I experienced the Living Christ, and my life was never the same.

This happened apart from church, but a few years later, after I returned to Princeton, I became churched when I married my first wife, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. During my graduate school days at Rutgers I attended the Presbyterian Church in Princeton, NJ, which was highly stimulating intellectual experience but not particularly spiritual. During these days, I read authors like Bonhoeffer and Tillich and engaged in intense theological discussion with my father-in-law, a brilliant professor of religion and philosophy, who drank far too much Scotch and died of alcoholism.

After earning my Ph D, I got a job teaching at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, but this professional success led to a life-changing crisis.  My marriage broke up and my mother became terminally ill and needed my help. I returned to Princeton, where I had another transformative spiritual experience. Asking for God’s help, I discovered the Quakers and once again experienced the living God through silent worship. I also became editor of an interfaith magazine called “Fellowship in Prayer” and had the opportunity to interview many religious leaders and teachers who opened my eyes and heart to many spiritual paths, including Zen Buddhism.

The Quaker experience of silent, unprogrammed is as far from Orthodox practice as can be imagined. Yet as I entered more and more deeply into Quakerism, I was led to Orthodox spirituality for the first time.

This happened around 1984 when I became involved with a Quaker peace and reconciliation project. Appalled by Reagan’s sable rattling and imminent threat of nuclear war, I was led to join a group of Quakers who were reaching out to form spiritual links with the Russian. We began working on a joint book project with the Soviets called the “Human Experience,” a collection of stories and poems about everyday life in both countries that showed we are not enemies with horns, but people with families and the desire for peace. It was during my trips to the Soviet Union that I started going to Orthodox churches and reading about Orthodox spirituality.

One work that had a profound influence on me was the Way of the Pilgrim, a classic 19^th century work about a Russian seeker who wants to learn how to “pray unceasingly” and finds a teacher, a staretz or elder, who introduces him to the Jesus prayer. The pilgrim’s quest for God was similar to my “dharma bum” days after college, and the Jesus prayer was very similar to the mantras that I was learning about through my explorations of Eastern religion. I began using the Jesus prayer as a way of centering down, and letting go of the chatter in my head. I still use it from time to time and find it helpful.

As I delved more deeply into Orthodox spirituality, I found interesting parallels with Quakerism. The Orthodox have a tradition known as hesychasm, meaning inward stillness. It is based on Christ's injunction in the Gospel of Matthew that "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray.” Hesychasm has been the process of retiring inward by ceasing to register the senses, in order to achieve an experiential knowledge of God.

This is similar to our Quaker practice of worship, except that we do not seek to be silent as much as attentive to the Inward Light or Christ Spirit within us. That’s why our form of worship is sometimes called open or listening worship rather than silent worship.

I’d like to conclude by lifting up an orthodox spiritual leader who speaks to my condition, the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I. This humble, erudite and deeply compassionate man of God has become the symbol of unity for the Orthodox Christian churches throughout the world. He is well known for his commitment to protecting the environment, and for opening communications with other Christians (especially the Roman Catholic Church) as well as with Muslims and other religious groups. 

I loved his book Encountering the Mystery: Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today,  which was published in 2008. (The Quakers published book with a similar title called Enlivened by the Mystery, which includes some Zen poetry I wrote.) Bartholomew’s work opened my heart and mind to the Orthodox tradition in many new ways. I was especially impressed by what he said about interfaith dialogue. I’m paraphrasing, but the gist of his message was: When we dialogue with others about the ineffable  mystery of God, we need to be utterly humble since what we know about the infinite is extremely limited. He also summed up Orthodox theology in a way that spoke to me as a Quaker. The whole purpose of theology, he said, is to bring us to such wonder at the awesomeness of God that we are silent.

I could talk at length about other experiences like going to Greece with Jill and partaking of Orthodox Easter, but Bartholomew’s call for silence seems like a good place for me to end this reflection on my Orthodox roots. I hope that during our spiritual practice time we can enter into a silence that brings us closer to each other and to the Infinite.

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For our spiritual practice, I’d like us to use a variant on the Jesus prayer. This prayer is simply: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Whether are not we believe in God, or in the concept of being a sinner, we all recognize that we are fallible human beings in need of forgiveness and compassion. So let’s direct our minds and hearts towards the God of our understanding, the Inward Light, the Inward Christ,  the Buddha nature, or however we conceive our higher power.  Let’s breathe in mercy and compassion for ourselves, and breathe out mercy towards others. I suggest we use words like “Have mercy on me.” And “Let me have mercy towards others.” If we are comfortable with the word "God" or "Christ," let's use it. And let's began and end with silence. 

Minutes of Concern and Our Quaker Polity

There appears to be confusion at our Yearly Meeting over the question of what authority or power a Quaker body has when it approves a minute of concern. Some are uneasy when the Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) or Pacific Yearly Meeting (PYM)  approves a minute calling for monthly meetings to take action.  To help bring clarity, I’d like to share my understanding of Quaker “polity” (the form of government by which a religious body makes its rules or decisions). My understanding is based in part on the diagram above, which you can find at the Southern California Quarterly Meeting website.

First, a quick explanation of a “minute of concern.”  For Quakers, a concern arises from a leading of the Spirit, usually involving an issue of justice. This concern causes the individual or the body to express its views and usually to take or call for action.  This concern usually arise in an individual or group of individuals in a Quaker body (such as a monthly or yearly meeting, or a Quaker organization, like FCNL or FWCC). Spirit usually calls on Friends to share this concern either with the Quaker community and/or those in power.

What is the process for discerning a minute of concern, according to our Quaker polity? As aforementioned, concerns usually arise from an individual who feel Spirit or the Inward Light leading or compelling them to take some action. The individual goes to a Meeting to discern if this is a genuine leading, and if so, whether it is an individual or corporate concern. If the Meeting unites with this concern, it may decide to bring it to Yearly Meeting so it can be shared with the larger body of Friends.

It has been the practice of Pacific Yearly to give the Peace and Social Order Committee (PSO) authority to discern which concerns should go to the Yearly Meeting. PSO brings forward a concern only when three or more Meetings unite, or when a Quaker body such as FWCC or FNCL asks for a concern to be brought forward. This process insures that Yearly Meeting’s annual session recognizes and honors “that of God” in the monthly meetings and in the Quaker bodies to which we send our representatives.

This year it was decided by M and O to let the Spirit work directly by giving Friends the opportunity to raise minutes of concern during Listening Sessions at the Yearly Meeting annual session. I have no objection to this new practice and see merit in it, but I am troubled that we seem to have abandoned a practice that recognizes and honors how Spirit is at work at the monthly meeting level. Our new practice raises questions about our Quaker polity.

Is Quaker Polity Bottom up, or Top Down?

Modern Quaker theology stresses the primacy of the monthly meeting over the Yearly Meeting. Most Friends reject the hierarchical idea that the Yearly Meeting is a “higher body” that can dictate to monthly meetings. But this hasn’t always been the case among Friends. In the past, Yearly Meetings had much more authority and power than they have today. In Woolman’s time, when Philadelphia Yearly Meeting united in a minute calling for Friends to cease and desist from owning slaves, most Friends felt obliged to do so. I don’t know if there were any penalties for not complying with this minute, but the pressure was such that many Friends either gave up their slaves or left the Society of Friends.

It’s worth comparing our Quaker polity that how many churches operate today. For example, if the General Conference of the Methodist Church says it is contrary to church doctrine to have gay pastors or perform same-sex marriages, every constituent church is obliged to follow that decision. Failure to follow that decision results in consequences, such as a trial that could lead to a pastor losing his status as a pastor.

Quakers do not operate in this way now. When FWCC or FCNL or a Yearly Meeting comes to unity to support a minute on same-sex marriage or sustainability, it can make requests or recommendations to monthly meetings but it has no authority to enforce such a request.

Our polity has changed over the years. During virtually every war from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq invasion, Yearly Meetings have affirmed our Peace Testimony. At one time, Friends were pressured to leave the Society of Friends, or at least repent, if they joined the military or even if they married outside the Society of Friends (which was considered an equally grievous offense--which shows that our Quaker discernment process isn't infallible). In the 20^th century we no longer have such requirements. We uphold our Peace Testimony, but individual Quakers have joined the military, while others became COs or war resisters. We do not reject a Friend who has served in the military, or require an allegiance to pacifism. We simply affirm our Peace Testimony, urge Friends to refrain from war, and then leave it up to individuals to do what their conscience and Inward Light require. This is our 20^th century polity and I happily embrace it.

Modern Quaker polity can be imagined as a series of concentric circles of different sizes (as the above diagram shows). The individual (who has access to the Divine) is the smallest and central circle, the monthly meeting is larger, and the Yearly Meeting or Quaker organization is much larger. Each circle is on the same level. Each circle can communicate with and make requests of other circles of Friends. But these requests are non-binding. They are simply appeals to the Light Within.

So I am not troubled when FCNL or FWCC ask me to take action. I know that these bodies have gathered in the Spirit, have come to unity around a concern and feel led to share this concern with Friends. When they ask me to take action, it is up to me to inquire within and ask myself, “Can I unite with this minute of concern? Do I feel led to take action myself, or to support others who are taking action?”

Some Friends may feel pressured, but perhaps that may be because they don’t fully understand our Quaker polity. Because I know our Quaker organizations are doing their best to be faithful to Spirit and are asking (not requiring) me to do likewise, I am grateful to these bodies for encouraging me to ask such questions.  They remind me how important it is to wrestle with difficult issues.

I love our Quaker polity, as it is practiced today, because it is all about equality. A monthly meeting can make a request to yearly meeting and a yearly meeting can make a request to monthly meetings. Each body is equal. This is consistent with Jesus' teachings that we are to call no one a leader except God (see Matthew 23: 29-31).

Do Local Meetings or Larger Quaker Bodies Have More Clout?

The world doesn’t embrace our equality testimony, however, and we need to be clear and honest about this fact. When FWCC or FCNL takes a position, it is seen as representing the Religious Society of Friends. Because FWCC is a world-wide body, it carries more clout in the world that if a little meeting with, say, twenty souls approves a minute of concern. That same is true of FNCL, AFSC, etc. That’s why it’s very important for us to choose carefully the representatives we send to these bodies and to voice our concern if these bodies take a position we cannot unite with.

When FWCC unites in a minute on sustainability not once but twice in four years, we can be pretty confident that this is a continuing revelation. We are seeing a new testimony emerging from Spirit and uniting Friends around the world. Therefore, we need to take it seriously. But we aren’t required to do anything about it.

The Choice is Up to Us

Thankfully, I see our sustainability testimony becoming increasingly crucial to Friends. Meetings like Claremont are taking extraordinary actions, like putting up solar panels and partnering with a local group to get rid of their water-wasteful lawn and plant fruit trees sustainably. But the impending environmental crisis is so scary it is very tempting to hide our heads in the sand and do nothing and hope it will go away. For this reason, I am grateful for FWCC, QEW, FCNL and concerned individuals who keep reminding me that our mother earth is indeed very sick, we are the cause and we need to do something about it. I have lived in denial myself for many years, but now that the veil has been lifted, I thank God I can see clearly. 

It’s like the excruciatingly painful moment when the doctor told my wife and me: “That growth in your chest is cancer.” We were devastated, but once we knew the truth, it set us free to act wisely and make the right choices. We didn’t blame the doctor for the diagnosis and for prescribing treatment. We thanked him and were glad that the doctor gave us his recommendation. We knew it was up to us to do what we felt was right.  That’s what a minute of concern is all about.

Recently I went to a documentary about the climate crisis called “Time to Choose.” It showed the horrors caused by our fossil fuel addiction—its catastrophic effects on the poor in the developing nations—and then showed how wind and solar could provide us with a clean, healthy lifestyle.  Seeing this stark contrast, and its implications for our future, I was glad that the film maker reminded me that it is “time to choose.” I hoped others would see this film and take its diagnosis and prescriptions seriously. What came to my mind were the words spoken through Moses to his people: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deut 20:19). Each generation is forced to make this difficult choice:  do we choose the comfortable path that leads to death and destruction, or do we choose the more difficult path that leads to life? My hope and prayer is that our Religious Society will choose life so we and our children will live in peace and harmony with nature and with God.  

Hundreds gather at the Islamic Center of Southern California to grieve, to express solidarity with the LGTBQ community and to call for gun control in the wake of the tragic Orlando shooting

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On Monday, June 13, I took part in a vigil sponsored by Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace and the Islamic Center of Southern California. As we reflected on the tragic mass shooting that took place in Orlando, Florida, hundreds of people took part in this media event, including religious leaders of diverse faiths--Jews, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, etc. Many condemned our culture of violence and called for gun control. Most expressed solidarity with the LGTBQ community. It was especially gratifying to hear Muslim leaders speak out so strongly in favor of gay rights since in many Muslim countries gays and lesbians are being persecuted. “There’s no room for LGBTQ violence in any of our faiths,” said Salam Al-Marayati, President of Muslim Public Affairs Council who called what happened in Orlando “the most vicious of hate crimes.”  He passionately denounced ISIS and all it stands for. Check out this article:Voice of America on the ICUJP vigil

I felt honored to be among those who gave a two-minute reflection at this event. Pictured above are many of my dear interfaith friends and colleagues. In the front row: Sihk Nirigian, Rabbi Comes-Daniel playing guitar, Ruth Sharone, Salam Al-Marayati, Grace Dyrness and myself (behind Grace).

Here is what I shared during this gathering:

                                                                                      ******

It was shocking to learn of the tragedy in Orlando, the 133rd mass shooting in the US since January 1st. My heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims, and also to the LGBTQ community. They need our prayers and our support. Let us not forget to pray as well for the family and friends of the shooter, and of the Muslim community. During these times of violence and fear there is a great temptation to scapegoat and blame whole groups for the actions of a dangerous and demented few. Our Muslim brothers and sisters need our prayers and support. That’s why I am here.

I am here with my friends in the interfaith community to let our fellow Americans know that we stand in solidarity with Muslims who are as appalled as we are by senseless violence. The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) has not only condemned this act of hatred and terror, it has called on Muslims to donate blood to aid the injured and to extend their giving and prayers for all those affected by this mass shooting, including the LGBTQ community. (See letter below.)

I stand here with people of conscience, people of many faiths, to speak out against all forms of violence and bigotry. Gun violence, and "violence of the tongue."

We should not tolerate intolerance, whether by a follower of ISIS, or by a Presidential candidate who says "Islam hates us" and  Muslims should benot allowed to emigrate to this country.

I stand here as a Quaker and as a Christian who has committed my life to ending war and violence. For the past fifteen years, I have fasted during Ramadan to express solidarity with my Muslim friends and neighbors. I have vowed to continue fasting till there is peace in Israel/Palestine and the Middle East. Through fasting I have come to appreciate even more Jesus words: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.” Let us redouble our efforts to work for justice and oppose all forms of bigotry so that those who died in Orlando will not have died in vain.

******
This is a statement by Salam Al-Marayati, the President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

Today, our hearts are heavy with the horrific news of a hateful homophobic mass shooting targeting a gay club in Florida, which has taken the lives of 50 people and injured at least 53 others. We join with the LGBTQ community and all Americans in expressing our profound outrage, grief, and condemnation of this sickening act of senseless violence that violates all human decency. Hate, bigotry and violence are our common enemy.

We send our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased and injured, and stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTQ community as we deal with the aftermath of the despicable crime. We are in touch with federal and local law enforcement about the investigation surrounding this tragedy.

We urge Muslim Floridians to donate blood to aid the injured and to extend their giving and prayers for all those affected by this mass shooting.

MPAC and many other American Muslim groups around the country have strong ties with LGBTQ communities and groups, and have worked together to oppose hate, intolerance, and bullying which impacts both of our communities.

As we all grapple with this senseless tragedy and we learn more about the motives and facts of the case, we will be reaching out to LGBTQ communities with condolences and solidarity. As President Obama said at his press conference this afternoon, let us stand together in our grief and outrage, and our solidarity with the victims and their families.

As Muslims, we believe in religious freedom, civil rights, and human rights. We reject violence, hatred, and discrimination toward anyone on the basis of race, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or national origin. We support civil rights for all people. May God guide us all as we strive in His cause.

Should Christians fast with Muslims during Ramadan and if so, why?

I'm not the only Christian to fast during Ramadan. Since 9/11, so many Christians have adopted this practice there is even a Twitter called  #Christians4ramadan. Most do it in order to express solidarity with the Muslim community and to understand better the Muslim faith. They do not see their fast as diminishing or compromising their Christian faith; rather they see it as an expression of Jesus' commandment to "love your neighbor" and (given the Islamophobia current in the US) "love your enemies." Sarah Ager, a Muslim who leads the Interfaith Muslim project, explains:

 "Each participant brings their own unique touch – some fasting for the whole month, others for a day, and some not at all. Others are using the opportunity to raise money for charity, including persecuted Christians and Muslims abroad."
         It is not enough to simply read about Islam, Ager says, but we need to engage with one another on a personal level. Fasting alongside each other "provides an opportunity for Christians and Muslims to support one another through a shared physical experience, one which has the core aim of bringing about spiritual change for the better," she adds, noting that abstaining from food for prayer is a tradition shared by both Christians and Muslims.                                         Interfaith activist and former director of the Christian Muslim Forum, Julian Bond, was one of the early adopters of the Christians for Ramadan movement. He has chosen to fast on three separate days over Ramadan on behalf of a Muslim friend who is unable to do so due to health problems. He is also reading the Quran, and tweeting a verse from it each day. He wants to "engage as deeply as possible" with those of other faiths, he says, to combat stereotypes –  particularly of Muslims – which have been growing since 9/11.                                      "It's about being able to speak from an informed position to encourage others, that they don't have to go as far as me, but if they want to – it's safe," he adds. "It's about building relationships with other people".

         My practice is similar to Julian's. I rise before dawn, read the Quran as well as the Bible, and I recite the Fatihah (the opening prayer of the Quran) as well as the Lord's prayer. These two prayers are foundational for both faiths and are surprisingly compatible. The Fatihah contains nothing that a Christian couldn't agree with, and the Lord's prayer contains nothing that a Muslim couldn't agree with. When I was in Kenya, I met a Muslim iman who was asked to give a prayer at an interfaith gathering and recited the Lord's Prayer. Incidentally, his name was Issa, the Arabic word for Jesus. When I asked Issa how he felt about Jesus, he replied enthusiastically, "As a Mulsim, I love Jesus. He is one of God's messengers, like the Prophet Mohammad." As a Christian, I feel that Jesus is more than a prophet, but I am glad my Muslim brother honors and loves Jesus. I try to reciprocate by showing respect for Mohammad and his followers.
            I honor the Muslim faith by reading the Quran not to refute but to understand and appreciate it. I don't agree with everything I read, especially parts relating to war. I also question certain passages in the Bible that seemingly promote violence. In both Scriptures, I find wisdom and truth about the nature of a loving God who calls us to live together in peace..
            As a Christian, I see Jesus as the ultimate embodiment of God's love and the guide for my life. As a Quaker,  I also see "that of God" in other people and faiths and feel called to a ministry of reconciliation--reconciling people in conflict, and reconciling God and God's children. 
           I was pleased to see the Christianity Today, an Evangelical Christian publication, ran a series of reflections by Christians addressing the question I posed as the title for this blog. Most seem to feel that fasting with Muslims is a good thing, if we do it for the right reasons and don't equate Christianity with Islam. We are all created by, and worship, the same God, and share many ethical values, but we have theological differences that shouldn't be minimized or discounted. But whatever our theological perspective, it is worth taking to heart what Rick Warren said when he was the keynote speaker at the Muslim Public Affairs Counsel:

"I love Muslims, I love Jews, I love gays, I love straights, I love Republicans and I love Democrats because Jesus Christ commanded me to love."

That summarizes for me in a nutshell what it means to be a Christian. I would add only that we are not only commanded to love, we are also created to love since we are made in God's image and God is love.
            

Should Christians Fast During Ramadan With Muslims?

Church leaders and observers weigh in on a current debate.

Compiled by Ruth Moon/ OCTOBER 26, 2009

"I would say it's absolutely appropriate, particularly if one does it for spiritual reasons, combining it with prayer and strengthening your discipline and submission to God. If there are side benefits, like showing some solidarity with your Muslim friends, that's fine too. It's best not to be bragging about it. (But) it has to be a personal decision."
Donald Wagner, co-founder, Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding

"The idea of Ramadan and the feast of Eid is Muslims are asking that they would encounter God more. What that means to them varies from place to place and person to person, I'm sure, and Islam has so many different manifestations, that varies dramatically across the globe. But still—that's something we can agree with, that we pray and get to know God more."
Lynn Green, international chairman, Youth With a Mission

"In order to bridge the gap between the East and West Muslim and Christian cultures, rather than condemning and criticizing, here's something very easy that we could do as followers of Jesus that's consistent with the teachings of Christ and the scriptures. Not that we're supporting every viewpoint and doctrine, no—we're supporting them as neighbors in the spiritual journey. We're all on a spiritual journey."
Mark Siljander, author, A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide

"There's such fragmentation between the Christian community and the Muslim community that it makes sense to me that we participate in something that is both inherently Christian and, for Muslims, inherently Islamic, to build bridges of peace."
Ben Ries, pastor, Sterling Drive Church of Christ, Bellingham, Wash.

"Muslims believe that fasting is an essential component during the month of Ramadan, essential to their obedience to God. So they assume anyone who is seeking to be serious about God will show that dedication by fasting as well. Muslims have a hard time understanding how Christians can be serious about wanting to follow God without also fasting during Ramadan. If Muslims see a Christian fasting, they tend to respond with a development of very positive rapport. They say, "Here's someone who is serious about obeying God as much as we are." It builds ties with Muslim friends and acquaintances."
Mateen Elass, Christian from a Muslim family background and senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Edmond, Okla.

"If we are using traditional Christian disciplines just as a matter of solidarity then we are missing the point. The whole thing rides on motive. If one is doing it just to be a nice person and identify with a Muslim neighbor, then I don't think it's appropriate, because you're using a spiritual discipline not as a spiritual exercise but as a social connection. If one is saying, 'During Ramadan, I'm going to fast too because that's part of our history and I want to be drawn closer to Christ and be more like Christ,' then it's totally appropriate."
Joel Hunter, senior pastor, Northland Church, and member, President's Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships

"It depends on the attitude and the biblical understanding of prayer and fasting. We are not praying and fasting in the name of Allah. Yes, we will pray and fast with Muslims, to a certain extent; but we will pray and fast in Jesus' name, and do it for their salvation."
Ron Kernahan, joint coordinator, 30-Days Prayer Network

 "Christians may fast alongside Muslim friends, either as a gesture of friendship or in order to open dialogue, but not as part of Ramadan itself. Christian fasting is fundamentally different from Muslim fasting. Christians must make clear that their view of God, God's approach to us, and therefore fasting as part of our relationship to God, are each different from Muslim views."
Gerald McDermott, Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion, Roanoke College

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/november/6.18.html

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.christians.are.fasting.for.ramadan/58529.htm

Lifting the Veil on the Peace Testimony Among Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends

It is hard to assess how the Peace Testimony is faring among Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends since attendance at PSO’s monthly conference calls has dwindled to two or three besides the clerk and co-clerk, and very few reports have been received from our email blasts to clerks of Peace Committees. Some Peace Committees have been laid down. Appointed members of the PSO Committee have mostly not taken part in our calls. No minutes of concern have come to our attention, except for a minute on "Living Sustainably" from the FWCC World Plenary in Peru. The good news is that individual meetings and individual Friends are active in peace and social concerns (some doing extraordinary work), but we are not collaborating or communicating very well as a community of Friends. 

The Book of Revelation was very
important to early Friends, as Gwyn
makes clear in this important study
of George Fox

It is worth noting that the theme of this year’s Yearly Meeting, “Lifting the Veil,” is related to the word “Revelation” (Apocalypsis in Greek), which means “to uncover or lift the veil.” The Book of Revelation was written when Christians were living under oppression and persecution during the dark days of the Roman Empire. Its coded message was that the spirit of Christ would prevail over the forces of empire—a message that early Friends took to heart, often at great personal risk.  Experiencing the living Christ as their Teacher and Guide,George Fox and early Friends struggled so that there would be a “new Jerusalem,” God’s beloved community, on earth as it is in heaven.

Some questions arise: Do Friends still believe that is possible to transform our culture and system of war into a culture and system of peace? What sacrifices are we willing to make for the sake of justice and peace?

In our dark times there are some glimmerings of light and hope among Friends.  Here are a few examples:

Orange Grove Meeting has a thriving Peace and Social Concerns Committee with adult studies on peace and social justice topics, and two members attending the FCNL Quaker lobby day. Orange Grove Friends approved minutes on the refugee crisis (endorsing FCNL’s position) and the “Facing the Climate Crisis” minute approved by Pacific YM.

Claremont Meeting has demonstrated extraordinary stewardship and concern for the poor and the environment. They host a dozen homeless people in their Meetinghouse every night of the year and have helped birth the “Claremont Homeless Advocacy Program” that involved the Claremont community provides homeless people with wrap-around services. They also installed solar panels and partnered with a local group that plants fruit trees sustainably. They have reduced  their water use by replacing lawns with permaculture berms and swales that capture rainwater for these trees. 

Santa Cruz had laid down its Peace Committee but it was resurrected through the efforts of committed Friends. A retreat was held to help discern what Santa Cruz Friends care most deeply about. Adult studies were organized to explore these concerns. And the Peace Committee is now thriving again. How was this accomplished? We are eager to learn more and to help other Meetings to do likewise.

Strawberry Creek Meeting had many adult education forums (climate change Paris COP20, solitary confinement, Quaker Bolivia tour, etc.), participated in climate change events, and raised and distributed Dime-A-Gallon grants re environment. It considered Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Priorities for 2017 and recommended focusing 1) on climate change that includes justice and sustainability concerns, 2) on economic equity that would include Native American, immigration, and racial justice concerns, and 3) on peacebuilding that includes efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Strawberry Creek Friends also approved signing an interfaith petition to the President and Congress asking for "legally binding solutions that reduce national greenhouse gas emissions" and providing "poor and vulnerable communities here and abroad support to build low carbon and climate-resilient societies."

Other Meetings may have engaged in peace-related actions but have not reported them to the clerk of PSO. The co-clerks of PYM-PSO urge Peace Committees of every Meeting to report their activities to us so we can share this news and encourage others.

In many Meetings individual Friends are doing good work for peace and justice with the support of "anchor" or accountability committees, while others are working without their Meeting support, for various reasons. For example, David Hartsough of San Francisco Meeting toured the country with his remarkable memoir "Waging Peace: Global Adventures of a Lifelong Nonviolent Activist" and has been invited to go to Russia this summer to follow up on peace activities he undertook there in the 1960s.  Unable to give the interest group on ending war that he had planned to lead at our annual session, David writes:

 "We live at a time the US and Russia are threatening nuclear war and we are closer to nuclear war than at any time since the Cuba missile crisis,when we are bombing seven Muslim countries and in full scale war with three - Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, when the US has over one hundred military bases in countries all over the world and the US spends ever more hundreds of billions for war and preparations for war while we skimp on funds for education for our children, affordable healthcare for all, adequate housing for our people and making the transition to a renewable energy society and world . How can Friends begin making a much clearer statement to the world with our words and our lives that we must end our addiction to the insanity of war and militarism?"

Jim Summers of La Jolla Meeting has been involved in an exciting project with Veterans for Peace: the re-launching of the Golden Rule, a ship that a Quaker named Albert Bigelow intended to sail into the forbidden nuclear test zone in 1958, and is now on a new mission for peace.

Questions worth exploring: Why are Friends reluctant to turn to their Meeting for support when they have a concern for peace and justice? How can we encourage individual Friends to work together as a community for peace and justice, under the care of their Meeting and of the Spirit?

The PSO Committee has sponsored the following interest groups with both local and global concerns:

How are Friends Helping and Serving the Community? David Brietzmann and Linnea Hanson are surveying Friends Meetings of Pacific Yearly Meeting to find out how meetings are serving and helping their communities. Their interest group will highlight some of the different ways that meetings are providing service. They would like to develop a spreadsheet that can be posted on the Western Friend website for all Friends to use to post their service activities. FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation) and FCL-CA (Friends Committee on Legislation—California) lobby to influence elected officials at the federal and state levels and often make ballot recommendations for us. This interest group will focus on and train us to influence our local governments, especially our school boards. Friends will also get information on campaigning for like-minded candidates and/or running for office. Conveners: David Brietzmann (San Francisco Meeting) and Linnea Hanson (Chico Meeting).

Friends Peace Teams. FPT works for peace in many parts of the world.  San Diego Meeting just gave FPT Peace in Latin America a grant to help with its work.  FPT Asia West Pacific is establishing a Peace Center in Pati, Indonesia, where people from Asia West Pacific come to a yearly conference to learn about AVP and peaceful development.  The African Great Lakes Initiative is working to hold together the peace in Burundi which is unstable because the President wants an unconstitutional 3rd term. Convener: Gay Howard (Central Coast).

67 Sueños Collective. The Oakland-based "67 Sueños Collective" ("67 Dreams," after the 67 percent of young people who would not be affected by the DREAM Act) holds monthly encounters or "Encuentros" with undocumented youth from across the Bay Area. The focus is to build solidarity, and to record their testimonies/stories in hopes to build awareness about the issues they face and to bear witness to their American experience. Convener: AFSC.

Open Your Eyes to the Wider World of Quakers: Report on the FWCC Plenary in Peru. Are you curious about Quakers from all over the world? What's it like to worship with over 325 Quakers from 37 countries? We are the children of God. We are who creation has been waiting for. We are called to reveal ourselves in our lives and in the work we do with our hearts and our hands. Although God can fill our hearts, God has no hands but ours to heal this broken world. We can be salt and light shining to the world and declaring the love of God. Conveners: Anthony Manousos (Orange Grove Meeting), Jan Turner (Humboldt Meeting), Hulda Muaka (Palo Alto), Janet Leslie (Chico) and Roena Oesting (La Jolla).

The 2016 FWCC Gathering in Peru and the Sustainability Minute. Presentations by PYM Friends who took part in this world-wide Quaker gathering, which unanimously agreed on a sustainability minute calling for specific actions by individuals and meetings. What does this minute, and the work of FWCC, mean for the Society of Friends? This minute calls for specific actions by individuals and meetings. How can Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends best respond to this call? Conveners: FWCC reps, QEW, and PSO.

A final note of hope, and a challenge: Friends throughout the world are now united around two Testimonies: Peace and Sustainability. Friends may differ theologically and culturally, we may have different approaches to worship, but we feel a unifying spirit that calls us to care for our earth and for those who are suffering from the effects of war and climate disruption. For this reason, PSO, FWCC and QEW have worked together to lift up FWCC’s minutes on Sustainability, Eco-justice and Peace that Friends world-wide are taking to heart. We are calling upon our Yearly Meeting to take two concrete actions that demonstrate our commitment to sustainability. The earth is in crisis, and we are urging our Yearly Meeting to act now.

Awakening to the Wider World of Quakers: a report on the FWCC World Plenary in Peru for Pacific Yearly Meeting

“The purpose of the Friends World Committee for Consultation is to encourage fellowship among all the branches of the Religious Society of Friends”

Dear Pacific Yearly Meeting Friends:

     Greetings from FWCC and from fellow Friends across the Americas and around the World.  THANK YOU for your support!

This January, three members of Pacific Yearly Meeting  (Jan Turner, Anthony Manousos, and Hulda Muaka) attended the FWCC World Plenary meeting in Pisac, Peru, as your representatives from Pacific Yearly Meeting.  (Jill Shook, Sharon Shen and Janet Leslie attended as open delegates.) During the plenary, 320 Friends from 37 countries and 77 Yearly Meetings (plus independent Meetings and worship groups) met together for a week in the sacred valley of the Incas.  Another 60 Peruvian and Bolivian friends joined us for the weekend.  Being among the world fellowship of Friends is an experience of profound unity in the midst of a perplexing diversity of linguistic, cultural, and religious expressions.  If you think you know who Friends are, what they think and how they worship, you might want to attend an FWCC event and think again! 

Our theme at the plenary was “Living the Transformation.”  We were challenged to sense the deep spiritual connection that animates us all and act out Spirit’s leadings both individually and collectively.  There were many opportunities for us to get to know one another in small groups as well as to worship together as a body.  Not all the worship was silent – some of it was quite loud – with singing in several languages and simultaneous translation of spoken messages into English, Spanish, French, and Aymara (an indigenous language).  In working sessions, the plenary consultations focused on four topics:  developing leadership, creating vital Quaker communities, sustaining life on earth, and equipping FWCC to serve the worldwide community of Friends.  Young Adult Friends (90 of them!) took a vital role in the plenary, and, at its end, reminded us all that they are not just our future leaders – they intend to lead now.

One outcome of the plenary is the acknowledgement that FWCC world plenaries will happen less often in the future.  What was the “Triennial” became a four year interval after 2012 and will now be even more years between world gatherings.  The trend of donations is down, particularly from North America.  Unless we have more funding, it could be as long as eight years until the next world gathering. However, other concerns also motivate the change, including conservation of the Earth’s limited resources (less plane travel) and conservation of our energy for growing other activities like inter-visitation through traveling ministry. (To find more about this program, go to http://fwccamericas.org/about_us/programs/images/FWCC_app_TravelingMinistryCorps.pdf

In the meantime, our more local FWCC Section of the Americas continues to plan consultations every other year (next year in Pittsburgh), with local events in between.  As we encourage younger Friends to represent us, we need to remember to budget for their travel in the Americas and beyond!

Environmental concerns increasingly concern Friends globally.  Following the 2012 Kabarak Call for Peace and Ecojustice, this world plenary approved a minute on “Living Sustainably and Sustaining Life on Earth,” which calls for action at the FWCC level, at our yearly meetings, and as individuals.  At the world level, the minute asks FWCC to invest its funds ethically, share Quaker experiences with other faith groups, seek ways of connecting Friends worldwide that are sustainable, and facilitate dissemination of training materials on sustainability issues.  At the yearly meeting level, the minute asks us here at PYM to (1) initiate at least two concrete actions on sustainability, (2) support individuals and groups in Meetings who feel called to take action on sustainability, and (3) support the work done on by Quaker organizations such as the Quaker United Nations Office to support sustainability.  Finally, the minute asks individual Friends to share their experiences of living sustainably on the “sustainability webpage” of the Quakers in the World Website (http://www.quakersintheworld.org/).  The full text of the minute is available at http://fwcc.world/fwcc-news/living-sustainably-and-sustaining-life-on-earth-the-minute-from-the-plenary and contains an addendum with suggested individual, monthly meeting, and yearly meeting actions.

The world plenary epistle ends with these words: “We are one.  We are one in the spirit of God which does not wash away or hide our differences, but allows us to celebrate them and enables us to move beyond the spiritual boundaries that may separate us. … Through listening deeply and tenderly to each other and to God we reached a place where we can hear and sense where the words come from even when we may not understand the tongue they are spoken in.”  Amen to that!  At one moment during worship, we all listened with rapt attention to impassioned words spoken in Aymara, the native language of Peruvian and Bolivian Friends. 

The epistle ends: “The work of FWCC depends on us all.  In order to continue it, we encourage Friends, meetings … and Yearly Meetings to contribute financially to and participate in building connections between Friends.”  This year’s plenary faced a challenge when visa issues threatened to block participation by East African Friends.  Immediate action by the world community enabled our East African Friends to arrive, but at an $29,000 unexpected expense.  FWCC asks Friends to help replenish this deficit.  See details at: http://fwcc.world/fwcc-news/special-fwcc-pisac-travel-appeal.

-          Would you like to learn more about FWCC?  Please contact Anthony Manousos at interfaithquaker@aol.com.   We are offering two interest groups during the PYM annual session about FWCC and the world plenary, one focusing on the Sustainability Minute (co-sponsored by QEW and PSO) and one focusing mainly on the spiritual aspects of our FWCC gathering.  Please come, share your experience, and learn more about what’s going on in the world-wide Quaker community.  There’s a Power point about the Peru gathering at    http://laquaker.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-world-gathering-of-quakers-in-peru.html.   There’s also video about the world plenary at  https://vimeo.com/153757538.  Please also take a look at the FWCC website (http://www.fwccamericas.org/ , and, if so moved, consider making a donation to help fund FWCC’s work bringing Friends together across all boundaries.

In friendship, Anthony Manousos, Jan Turner and Hulda Muaka

(With appreciation to Rob Pierson of Intermountain YM, who wrote much of this report and serves on the FWCC Communications Committee, which Anthony Manousos clerks)