Download pdf - Canadian Yearly Meeting
Download pdf - Canadian Yearly Meeting Download pdf - Canadian Yearly Meeting
The Flowers and the Bees: Learning Through DiversityKeith R. Maddock“Like the bee gathering honey from the different flowers, the wise person accepts the essence ofthe different scriptures and sees only the good in all religions.”GandhiWilliam Penn wrote in 1693: “The humble, meek,merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhereof one religion, and when death has taken off the maskthey will know one another, though the diverse liveriesthey wear here makes them strangers.”The value of this insight for contemporaryFriends, is that it may awaken our interest in religiousand spiritual diversity in an era when secular andmaterial values appear to be in ascendance. It mayalso remind us that the reality of such diversity in ourown communities provides openings for compassionand understanding. A look back into the history ofreligions is often helpful to appreciate the continuingimportance of spiritual and religious care, amidtumultuous changes in our world.St. Basil of Caesarea (CE 329-379), for example,learned about the Christian religion at home, underthe influence of his mother and grandmother. This wascustomary in the ancient world where the elementaryschool system taught literacy, mathematics, classicalGreek and Roman culture, but made no provision forspecific religious instruction. While Christian familiesdid not appear to question the value of a publiceducation, many believed that spiritual values wouldenable children to lead meaningful lives withoutbecoming absorbed into the mainstream culture.After pursuing a higher education in Athens,Basil became inspired by the example of mystics whoretreated into the desert, adopting contemplativediscipline to avoid worldly corruption. But he neededto learn that the contemplative life he desired wasalso influenced by Platonism and involved progressivediscipline leading to the creation of an ideal society.With this understanding, Basil learned to balancethe virtues of self-discipline and self-sufficiency withcompassion and social service.In a letter to his nephews he employed themetaphor of bees flying from flower to flower gainingsustenance from a variety of nectars before returningto their hive. This image has become a model for livingfaithfully and imaginatively in a pluralistic society.Truth can be experienced, to some degree, in the manyvarieties of religious and secular knowledge that are6available. Mahatma Gandhi may have had Basil inmind when he wrote: “Like the bee gathering honeyfrom the different flowers, the wise person accepts theessence of the different scriptures and sees only thegood in all religions”.Basil realized that the world he knew was richin diversity. Religious and cultural influences spreadthroughout the Roman Empire, Central Asia and theFar East. Universal toleration and openness to freshideas enhanced the whole life of his community.After Constantine adopted Christianity as the officialreligion of the Empire, monastic communities –founded by Basil, and others like him – continued topromote intellectual freedom through dialogue withother religions.The rise of Islam in the seventh century CE wasone of the most notable challenges to the hegemonyof official Christianity. Mohammed, who received hisrevelation in 610 CE, did not intend to found a newreligion, but to revive the faith that was taught by theancient prophets: Abraham, David, Moses, and Jesus.His role as “the last of the Prophets” was intendedto reaffirm this tradition as well as to protect it fromforeign (including Platonic and Gnostic) ideas thathad corrupted the original meaning.When the Islamic empire was less than five hundredyears old, the Sufis were attempting to reconcile Greekphilosophical ideas with the Koran and the teaching ofthe Prophet. One of the most respected teachers in thisenterprise was El Ghazali of Persia (CE 1058-1111), ascholar in many ways similar to Basil in method anderudition. He maintained that Sufism was the innerteaching of all religions, and used many quotes fromthe Bible and the Apocrypha to make his point. Oftenaccused of promoting religious syncretism, or tryingto cover all bases at once, he described his ideal of the“perfected man” as a person of integrity, whose universalinterest in humanity was more than superficial.The first principle of El Ghazali’s belief systemasserted that a student should be free to explore thewhole field of contemporary knowledge. The secondwas that a teacher should convey to his students thatwhich is within range of their personal experience.May 2013 - The Canadian Friend
The third was that the teacher should not hesitate toexpress what he understands by inward experience;this was often considered a more advanced levelof understanding once the students had learned tocultivate the tools needed for introspection.Never have we been more aware of the diversityof religious experience in the world and in everycultural and ethnic community. Many adherents ofspecific religious doctrines may feel threatened bythis development as they retreat into fundamentalistenclaves, denying the possibility of enrichment fromdialogue. Others may discover that the integrityof religious experience can be preserved only byan appreciation of different faiths, and a deeperunderstanding of our own heritage in relation tothem. Like Basil, we may find that sipping from themost exotic flowers will not be so much a deviationfrom essential belief systems as an opening into the lifeof the Spirit at the heart of all true religion.Relating this insight to his experience, Penncontinued: “This world is form; our bodies are form;and no visible acts of devotion can be without forms.Yet the less form in religion the better, since God isa Spirit; for the more mental our worship, the moreadequate to the nature of God; the more silent, themore suitable to the language of the Spirit.” Do Pennand his spiritual forbearers speak to our conditiontoday? How can interfaith dialogue contribute topeace and understanding in a predominantly secularworld? Again, to paraphrase George Fox, how canFriends today learn “...to speak to people of allconditions...” by reaching through the barriers thatkeep us apart?Keith R. Maddock, Toronto Monthly MeetingChaplaincy volunteer[Keith visits inmates in the Toronto jail. “...some ofthe men have approached me with questions about spiritualand religious values, to find some measure of consolationor meaning in their difficult lives. Seeking an appropriateopening for dialogue, we begin exploring points ofconvergence in our experiences.”]NoticeSharing Our Stories:The First Annual Gathering of Friendly MysticsOrganized by the editors of What Canst Thou Say?June 14-16, 2013, Earlham College, Richmond,Indiana. Registration deadline May 15, 2013.Call or write Michael Resman 501-281-5838Around the Family AroundMontreal Monthly Meeting: We have moreattendance on the days we have potlucks and discussa special topic after Meeting. Recently discussed:Divestment, Boycott and Sanctions. The food issensational and we learn more about each other.Caroline Balderston Parry offered Quaker Explorationson Chapters from the book Letters to a Fellow Seekerby Steve Chase .Victoria Friends Meeting is preparing the MeetingHouse for its 100th birthday. Restoration is underwaywith an eye to preserving simplicity and integrity. Wemanaged to make a more accessible washroom forwheelchair access and are working toward creatinga cohesive attractive library. While celebrations havebegun, we’ll have our big day in May!Yonge Street Monthly Meeting held their HalfYearly Meeting on Saturday, November 3, 2012. It washosted at Simcoe Muskoka Monthly Meeting, OrilliaFriends Meeting House, 231 Westmount drive, Orillia[see report on page 29]. The Spring Half Yearly Meetingis to be held June 7,8 & 9, 2013 at Camp NeeKauNis.Pelham has been contacted and has agreed to be inattendance at this time.Quaker Eearthcare Witness (QEW) is sponsoring the Young Adult Friends Conference:Continuing Rev_l_tion, at Pendle Hill, June 14 - 19 2013_____________________________________________QEW has sent $2000 for the 2013 YAF conference and is seeking your support for an additional $2000.Yourfinancial support will cover program costs, guest workshop leaders honoraria, and support those participantswho are unable to pay all of their conference fees. Please contribute $50, $100, or whatever you can afford to thisinitiative. Information details available on the Pendle Hill website. Or, Emily Higgs at ehiggs@pendlehill.org.Volume 109, Number 2 7
- Page 1 and 2: The Canadian FriendVolume 109, Numb
- Page 3 and 4: In This Issue1 Sacred UniverseRoger
- Page 5: Sunderland P. Gardner LecturerCYM 2
- Page 9 and 10: completely stupid. I also had troub
- Page 11 and 12: Every Christmas, we tell a story ab
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- Page 19 and 20: direct them against Muslims or othe
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- Page 25 and 26: Are Quakers Christian?Maxine Kaufma
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The third was that the teacher should not hesitate toexpress what he understands by inward experience;this was often considered a more advanced levelof understanding once the students had learned tocultivate the tools needed for introspection.Never have we been more aware of the diversityof religious experience in the world and in everycultural and ethnic community. Many adherents ofspecific religious doctrines may feel threatened bythis development as they retreat into fundamentalistenclaves, denying the possibility of enrichment fromdialogue. Others may discover that the integrityof religious experience can be preserved only byan appreciation of different faiths, and a deeperunderstanding of our own heritage in relation tothem. Like Basil, we may find that sipping from themost exotic flowers will not be so much a deviationfrom essential belief systems as an opening into the lifeof the Spirit at the heart of all true religion.Relating this insight to his experience, Penncontinued: “This world is form; our bodies are form;and no visible acts of devotion can be without forms.Yet the less form in religion the better, since God isa Spirit; for the more mental our worship, the moreadequate to the nature of God; the more silent, themore suitable to the language of the Spirit.” Do Pennand his spiritual forbearers speak to our conditiontoday? How can interfaith dialogue contribute topeace and understanding in a predominantly secularworld? Again, to paraphrase George Fox, how canFriends today learn “...to speak to people of allconditions...” by reaching through the barriers thatkeep us apart?Keith R. Maddock, Toronto Monthly <strong>Meeting</strong>Chaplaincy volunteer[Keith visits inmates in the Toronto jail. “...some ofthe men have approached me with questions about spiritualand religious values, to find some measure of consolationor meaning in their difficult lives. Seeking an appropriateopening for dialogue, we begin exploring points ofconvergence in our experiences.”]NoticeSharing Our Stories:The First Annual Gathering of Friendly MysticsOrganized by the editors of What Canst Thou Say?June 14-16, 2013, Earlham College, Richmond,Indiana. Registration deadline May 15, 2013.Call or write Michael Resman 501-281-5838Around the Family AroundMontreal Monthly <strong>Meeting</strong>: We have moreattendance on the days we have potlucks and discussa special topic after <strong>Meeting</strong>. Recently discussed:Divestment, Boycott and Sanctions. The food issensational and we learn more about each other.Caroline Balderston Parry offered Quaker Explorationson Chapters from the book Letters to a Fellow Seekerby Steve Chase .Victoria Friends <strong>Meeting</strong> is preparing the <strong>Meeting</strong>House for its 100th birthday. Restoration is underwaywith an eye to preserving simplicity and integrity. Wemanaged to make a more accessible washroom forwheelchair access and are working toward creatinga cohesive attractive library. While celebrations havebegun, we’ll have our big day in May!Yonge Street Monthly <strong>Meeting</strong> held their Half<strong>Yearly</strong> <strong>Meeting</strong> on Saturday, November 3, 2012. It washosted at Simcoe Muskoka Monthly <strong>Meeting</strong>, OrilliaFriends <strong>Meeting</strong> House, 231 Westmount drive, Orillia[see report on page 29]. The Spring Half <strong>Yearly</strong> <strong>Meeting</strong>is to be held June 7,8 & 9, 2013 at Camp NeeKauNis.Pelham has been contacted and has agreed to be inattendance at this time.Quaker Eearthcare Witness (QEW) is sponsoring the Young Adult Friends Conference:Continuing Rev_l_tion, at Pendle Hill, June 14 - 19 2013_____________________________________________QEW has sent $2000 for the 2013 YAF conference and is seeking your support for an additional $2000.Yourfinancial support will cover program costs, guest workshop leaders honoraria, and support those participantswho are unable to pay all of their conference fees. Please contribute $50, $100, or whatever you can afford to thisinitiative. Information details available on the Pendle Hill website. Or, Emily Higgs at ehiggs@pendlehill.org.Volume 109, Number 2 7
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