Be Doers of the Word

“…be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.”
(James 1:22-25, New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition)

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Quaker testimony as a living out of the wisdom and insight given to Friends through Spirit’s revelations, and mentioned how the distinction between such testimony and more abstract principles has become blurred in recent decades. The acronym SPICES has become common among modern Friends, a list of “testimonies” including simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship. (Social justice and environmental concerns have brought “equity” and “sustainability” into the mix, as well.)

James warns that principles only take us so far. We can’t just say we believe in simplicity and peace and all that, we have to actively commit ourselves to identifying what it means to live a simple, peaceful life, then live that way, every day. 

Quakers don’t simply find peace desirable. We believe in a divine leading, as the earliest Friends described it, “which leads us into all Truth, [and] will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons.” We don’t just like simplicity for its streamlined utility. We cultivate it, in the words of Lloyd Lee Wilson, “to subtract from our lives everything that competes with God for our attention and clear hearing.”

With that in mind, I want to share the “seven fundamental tenets” of another religious organization, so we can compare them to Quaker values.

“One should strive to act with compassion and empathy toward all creatures in accordance with reason.”

That last bit, “in accordance with reason,” would probably raise some Friends’ eyebrows, but I can’t imagine any Quaker arguing against compassion and empathy.

“The struggle for justice is an ongoing and necessary pursuit that should prevail over laws and institutions.”

Again, although some Friends may decline to violate the law, even if they believe it unjust, I don’t think you’ll find many Quakers opposed to the struggle for justice.

“One’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will alone.

The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.”

Some Quakers might see these two tenets as overly “political,” and certainly any number of Friends would have qualms about the legitimacy of a “freedom to offend,” but I still think many would accept these statements on general principle.

“Beliefs should conform to one’s best scientific understanding of the world. One should take care never to distort scientific facts to fit one’s beliefs.”

Many Friends probably haven’t given this much conscious thought—what does science have to do with faith, right? To me, though, it resonates with the concern Quakers hold for personal integrity, representing a refusal to lie even to ourselves. A refusal to pretend, say, that our prejudices against certain types of people have a basis in “fact.” (I could say so much more about science and faith, and one day I almost certainly will.)

“People are fallible. If one makes a mistake, one should do one’s best to rectify it and resolve any harm that might have been caused.”

Show me the Quaker who would disagree with that!

“Every tenet is a guiding principle designed to inspire nobility in action and thought. The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail over the written or spoken word.”

This last tenet echoes a sentiment in a foundational Quaker document written by the elders of the meeting in the English town of Balby in 1656. After laying down detailed guidelines for how to run a meeting, the elders declared, “these things may be fulfilled in the Spirit, not in the letter, for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.”

Like James, the elders at Balby knew that spiritual growth required more than merely professing faith. It also required work—showing up every day and doing the right thing. 

Anyway, now that you’ve considered all these tenets, do they sound reasonable to you? Do they outline a spiritual perspective you might find compatible with Quakerism?

If so, you have just found yourself in alignment with the Satanic Temple.

Oops?

Of course, I’m not trying to expose Quakers as devil worshippers. (In fact, not even the Satanic Temple members really worship Satan, at least not sincerely). Based on these tenets, though, you could make a case that the Satanic Temple strives toward “the good” much as the Religious Society of Friends does. They just don’t see “the good” as grounded in Spirit the way Friends generally do.

You could pledge allegiance to the seven fundamental tenets of the Satanic Temple for years, even decades, and live what others would recognize as a morally sound life—and, honestly, some Quakers, especially in liberal circles, would consider that good enough.

Does “good enough” satisfy you, though? Or do you feel yourself drawn to the Religious Society of Friends, are you already actively participating in Quaker life, because you seek something more than that?

Our Quaker testimony stems from our faith in that something more.