Quakers have a unique and important place in the development of modern mysticism. Thier entire approach to God seems to affect their view of country and king, and thousands were persecuted and even martyred in both New and Old England for their
pacifism and insistence on all men being equal.
I used to attend a Freinds meeting and have been thinking of paying another visit

http://www.bym-rsf.org/scfm/worship.htm

QuakerOats.com <*))))><

Interesting worship, Mike. Contemplation and solitude has been the component of Christianity. To worship God in total silence in a Friends meeting is I think in line with C. This type of worship can be important but if we still don't understand our being, if we don't ponder how our thought function we can be lagging behind from the real spirituality. Because our mind can foul us by simply immersing in silency without understnding its movement. I don't think it is possible to be modern mystic without understanding our mind.

I think it was Father Keating who firts brought to my awareness that God's first language is silence. Trains, planes and automobiles, motorcycles, construction crews, radio TV, walkmans.

I was enjoying some silence and the neighbors cranked up the Beatles, as they do on Saturday afternoons. After ten minutes of fighting it, I began to sing and dance to it. It may or may not have glorified God, but at least it was fun. I really do LIKE the Fab Four

ssssshhhhhh.com

Which reminds me, I picked up a book on the Shakers the other day. Now there were some dancers

shakerattle&roll.com

It seems that the traditional, silent Quaker gatherings have been in decline through the past few decades, many moving toward a somewhat evangelical Protestant form of worship while other groups have gone the other way, in the direction of a pluralistic community that strains to find its unity in Christ. Still, the idea of meeting in an atmosphere of silence to listen together for the movement of the Spirit would seem to be timely.

Here are some Quaker links a "Freind" sent me

http://www.fum.org


http://www.evangelical-freinds.org/

http://www.snowcamp.org/shocf/shocframes.html

http://www.fgcquaker.org

Hello, from a while back....

After I became a Christian (thanks in part to the Quakers and the Mennonites) I decided to become a member of a Quaker Meeting after spending some time among the Mennonnites.

According to the prevailing wisdom among Quakers, the silence is not the goal, but rather active listening for the leadings of the Spirit. A subtle difference, but one which is very important to Friends.

Promptings / leadings of the Spirit may result in one or more people speaking from the silence regarding that which has been given to them and they cannot deny. However, one is encouraged to ask first "am I meant to share, or is this just for me?" in order to avoid just chatting.

If a meeting goes for long periods of time (months, not minutes) with no one speaking from the silence, there is some concern.

Quakers see a difference between meditation and silent worship.

It's true that some Quaker meetings (esp. in the Midwest) include hymns, prayers and sermons in their Meetings, and it's also true that some of these Meetings have decreased the amount of time spent in corporate silent worship.

My Meeting is mostly Christian, but we have a few people who are not. Whether or not a person is a Christian is considered to be a matter between that person and God.

I learned a lot about Christianity from the Mennonites, and I've learned a lot about putting that into practice from the Quakers.

There is more to the Quaker faith than worship style. The testimonies and other life ethic issues are as important. A person can switch meetings and embrace a new worship style without giving up on the core testimonies.

shanti