MOST INSIGHTFUL BOOKS ON FRIENDS/QUAKERISM

1. FIRST AMONG FRIENDS by Larry H. Ingle
2. THE HISTORY OF QUAKERISM by Elbert Russell
3. QUAKERS IN CALIFORNIA: The Effects of 19th century revivialism on western Quakerism by David C. LeShana
4. FRIENDS FOR 300 YEARS by Howard H. Brinton
5. AN INTRODUCTION TO TO QUAKERISM by Pink Dandelion
6. QUAKERS IN CONFLICT: The Hicksite Reformation by Larry H. Ingle
7. THE QUAKERS IN AMERICA by Thomas Hamm
8. THE BAPTIST-QUAKER CONFLICT IN 17TH CENTURY ENGLAND: PRIMITIVISM, RADICALISM, AND THE LAMB'S WAR by T. L. Underwood

First California yearly meeting of Friends
Gardiner, R. H.: photographer
1895
A group of people stands before Founders Hall at Whittier College (Calif.). [Printed on paper attached to matboard] First California Yearly Meeting of Friends Church. R. H. Gardiner, Arist. [Handwritten] March 1895. [Followed by lists of names from various states.]"
8.
9.
10.

Joel and Hannah Bean, from Iowa Yearly Meeting
College Park Association of Friends

From Friends Historical Library:
"Joel Bean (1835-1914) and his wife, Hannah Elliott Bean (1830-1909), were prominent Quaker ministers in Iowa Yearly Meeting in the mid-nineteenth century when Quaker settlements were expanding in Iowa. Joel Bean was born in Alton, New Hampshire, in 1825, the son of John and Elizabeth Hill Bean, and educated at Friends Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island. He migrated to Iowa in 1853, and taught school at West Branch, Iowa, from 1850 to 1861. In 1859, he married Hannah Elliott Shipley in Philadelphia. Hannah was the daughter of Thomas and Lydia Shipley of Philadelphia. Joel Bean was appointed Clerk of Iowa Yearly Meeting in 1867, and he and Hannah traveled in Europe from 1872 to 1873. The Beans opposed the extremes of revivalism, but declined to join the Conservatives in withdrawing from Iowa Yearly Meeting. After their move to California, they joined a group of Friends who were initially affiliated with Iowa Yearly Meeting. They helped to form the College Park Association of Friends. However, Joel and Hannah were deposed as ministers by Iowa Yearly Meeting in 1893 and disowned by them in 1898. This action caused a strong reaction among Quakers outside of Iowa Yearly Meeting, particularly among English Friends. The Beans were subsequently received by New England Yearly Meeting as members and ministers. The Bean Papers consist primarily of the writings and correspondence of Joel Bean, although some material by Hannah Bean is also present. Joel Bean's writings include accounts of the Iowa separations, sermons, religious writings, school lessons, poetry, historical writings, memorials, and personal reminiscences. Over 1600 letters and 57 volumes of diaries
complete the collection"
Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
https://web.archive.org/web/20050908150331/http://www.swarthmore.edu/library/friends/ead/5012bean.htm


In the Light,
Dan Wilcox
seaquaker@gmail.com

How Republicans and Democrats are so very tragically similar to opposing sides in Germany in the 1920's

What is most scary about the Republicans and Democrats currently dehumanizing, lying about, claiming false charges against (besides that it is uncivil and morally wrong)
is that it is a milder version of what happened in Europe at the start of the 20th century! For instance, this unfair vitriol, hateful rhetoric, name-calling, is very similar to the opposing sides in the democracy of Weimar Germany in the 1920's and 1930's.

John Minchillo AP photo (of just one instance of rightwing versus leftwing immoral and unjust attacks. For a Democratic photo take a look at the riots in Chicago, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Portland, Oregon that many leading Democrats defended. ETC.

IF You DOUBT this, please read the long biography (based upon his private diaries) of the National Socialist leader Goebbels. Goebbels: A Biography by German historian Peter Longerich, available at Amazon.

In many instances, Goebbels is almost "normal" (meaning like American leaders) in how he acts and presents himself. Take his efforts at raising his children, particularly his difficult little daughter who often defied her daddy!

And in his obsession with being liked by his acquaintances, how insecure he was within himself, (though a genius with a PhD), how he could be very sensitive and sensitive to others, yet could quickly dehumanize his enemies, and feel that he was 'good' in doing so!

All this happened years before the German leaders began to systematically mass murder enemies.

Reject the current political and religious-secular debacles currently ruining the U.S.


Seek, instead, the Light--the Good, the True, the Just, the Kind.

Dan Wilcox

The Nature of Reality; and why I became a Friend

Most of my life, I have been of the Friend-Quaker lifestance.

In the past, in 1967, during my conscientious objector service in a Pennsylvania hospital for emotionally disturbed teens, I regularly attended BackBench young adult meeting in Philadelphia. Later in California, I (and my sweetheart) became members of California Yearly Meeting and later I was a member of Pacific Yearly Meeting.

One of the main reasons I was drawn to Friends-Quakers in 1967, beside commitment to peacemaking, is because of Expectant meeting. In those open open, transcendent meetings, I experienced the Immanence of the Light--the Good, the True, the Just, the Caring.

Besides that day-to-day Friends lifestance, what view of Reality of billions of humans is closest to the truth?
I am not a philosopher, just a rather average guy who reads a lot of books on cosmology, philosophy, and biology and advocates for human rights.

Here's a brief description of the Process view of Reality which I think is true and try to live up to:

#1 All reality is coming about by the everlasting but limited cosmic reality that is becoming. Essential reality is Process influencing matter and energy. This is the view of brilliant thinkers such as philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead.

This cosmic but limited ultimate/transcendent reality--God, the Light--who is far beyond human understanding works toward changing matter and energy and conscious, creative life such as homo sapiens into increasing patterns and forms of beauty, meaning, and purpose. This is also the view of some liberal Jews.

But where is the evidence for this?
Process thinkers explain that consciousness, reason, ethics, mathematics, natural law, creativity, aesthetics, life itself, etc. are the evidence.

We are living in a universe about 27 billion light-years across, and about 13 billion years old and, according to cosmologists, the cosmos will last more billions of years.

This view aligns well with liberal Quakerism, but most of the technical philosophical explanations are BEYOND my understanding. I'm a relatively average teacher and former mental health worker (who got born with a "why" in his throat;-).

But to function, we need to take a stand somewhere in order to live and create.

However if my speculative understanding is incorrect, what are other--many far more popular--views of Reality exist?

#2 All reality came about by cosmic chance. Seemingly the view of the French biologist Jacques Monod in Chance and Necessity, a powerful book I read a few years back, and the view of the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould.

My take on this as an average person: I think this view is possible. I guess given cosmic time even the "laws" of nature, math, reason, life, ethics, consciousness could all blip into existence.

#3 All reality came about by a cosmic determinism of meaningless matter and energy which is eternal. Everything is lock step. There are no choices, not for what I supposedly ruminate on having for lunch or whether or not to commit murder or what to choose for my career.

Based on our studying this at university, and for many years since, and many times trying to imagine my "I" as an illusion who is only 'done to' by the cosmos, I think this is one of the least likely views of reality. But the view is very popular these days--sort of an atheistic version of Creedal Christianity.

#4 All reality came about somehow by a temporary, finite, imperfect, even distorted, expression of the perfect eternal Ideal Forms of Platonism.

#5 All reality came about by emergent possibilities in a quantum singularity vacuum or some unknown ultimate reality. But where did the quantum singularity vacuum come from? Here goes "turtles all the way down."
This view seems to posit an eternal physical reality with no "super" reality 'transcending' it.
Humankind is a "fluke," an "accident," a "lucky" break.

#6 All reality came about by an impersonal ultimate reality of cosmic beauty. Scientists such as Albert Einstein stated this was his view, that he thought the impersonal god of Spinoza was true. But this seems similar to a combination of #3 and #4.

The emergent-possibility cosmos isn't meaningless and purposeless, but filled with meaning.
Interesting, but I doubt it.

#7 All reality came about as just one of an infinite number of universes of an infinite multi-verse, the view of some modern cosmologists. What is the ultimate of the multi-verse is unknown or maybe the multiverse itself is ultimate.

Intriguing, but seems too speculative for me. However, I'm not as skeptical as Martin Gardner, one of the co-founders of the modern skeptical movement who wrote a scathing dismissal of this view.

#8 All reality came about by the impersonal Brahma God of Hinduism and some modern New Age leaders such as Ken Wilber with his Integral Theory, and Deepak Chopra, etc.

The impersonal Ultimate, Brahma is conducting a cosmic dance in which it forgets its self and dreams into billions of separated forms including in one minor edge of the universes, thinking humans.

But all is illusion. And all events both good and evil are produced by Brahman. That is why Ken Wilber and other such leaders claim that Brahman caused 9//11, causes all murders, all rapes, etc.

Given that I am a human rights worker from way back, for about 55 years, obviously this isn't my cup of philosophical tea. Also, I still vividly remember as a Gandhi devotee being shocked when a Hindu priest in L.A. tried to persuade me to go to Vietnam to kill (when I was drafted), saying insects are killed all the time in reality.:-(

#9 All reality came about by unknowable factors. Everything beyond and before the Big Bang is such a complete unfathomable mystery that it will probably not ever be solved by finite humans at least not for a very long time.

Allegedly the view of the Mysterians such as the skeptic Martin Gardner, Roger Penrose, etc.

#10 All reality continually comes about by infinite impersonal reality which never had a beginning. No creator god exists. Some forms of Buddhism are atheistic and nihilistic, though other forms are theistic.

--

What do you think?


In the Light,

Dan Wilcox

Side Bio Note: My career for many years was as World and American literature and writing teacher after I dropped out of seminary and quit being a youth minister. However, I've also worked driving a caterpillar on a kibbutz farm in Palestine-Israel, driven a chrome truck, and been an assistant manager of a backpacking-camping store.

Inspiring Guest Post about Pete and Chasten's adopted, endangered premature twins

INSPIRING STORY from TODAY, last fall:

from "Pete Buttigieg and husband celebrate their [previously premature and very ill] twins' 1st birthday"
By Liz Calvario

"The couple’s son and daughter, Penelope and Gus, celebrated their first birthday with a cake-filled party. Chasten shared photos of his little ones seated in their high chairs and delightfully eating their mini cakes.

Gus wore a multi-colored printed shirt as he devoured the dessert with his hands. Little Penelope, wearing a pink Hawaiian print shirt, looked off camera after snacking on her portion of the treat.

-- "In November [2021], little Gus got sick and spent three weeks in and out of the hospital. The couple didn’t elaborate on their son’s illness but later shared that he was home and “doing great.”

“After 3 weeks in and out of hospitals, 125 miles in an ambulance, and a terrifying week on a ventilator, Gus is home, smiling, and doing great! We’re so relieved, thankful, and excited for him and Penelope to take DC by storm! Thank you so much for all of the love and prayers,” Chasten tweeted..."

"In October, Pete shared...that it was “most demanding thing I think I’ve ever done.”

“I used to think of 5 a.m. as early. Now, I think of it as naptime if I’m lucky. And yet, I catch myself grinning half the time,” he said.
Adding, “I think the biggest thing that surprised me is just how much joy there is even sometimes in the hard
parts.”
https://www.today.com/parents/dads/pete-buttigieg-husband-celebrate-twins-first-birthday-rcna43250?fbclid=IwAR0WU3WAtw1HSWozD1RAtmo7sACLDJPqKELQj2MJrV1mjlLU1jPVWGOOst8
Liz Calvario
"Liz Calvario is a Los Angeles-based reporter and editor for TODAY.com who covers entertainment, pop culture and trending news..."

What the Sermon on the Mount Got Right, But Christians, Jews, and Muslims get woefully Wrong

What the Sermon on the Mount Got Right, But What the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Religions Get Woefully Wrong

If the 10 Commandments had been practiced with ALL people and for ALL people, they would have been good,
BUT notice that Jews, Christians, and Muslims for thousands of years
only required that enemies NOT violate those commands and that they themselves only needed to practice such moral behavior within their own select religious group.

In contrast, believing that God had ordered them to do so,
the Jews, Christians, and Muslims regularly
lied,
stole,
and slaughtered their enemies.

And still do so even now in the 21st century.

Read about constant Jewish abuse and theft of land, of water, of resources, in Palestine-Israel, etc.

Jews sometimes massacred every man, woman, child, and infant in the Bible because they believed that God ordered them to do so.

David, supposedly the “man after God’s heart, massacred whole villages, killing every person. And he did this to STEAL their loot.

And in the Jewish Bible in Exodus, if after a Jewish slave owner beat a slave almost to death, yet the slave didn't die in less than 2 or 3 days, no Jewish owner was punished because the slave was the Jew's “property”!

Strange isn’t it, that the Hebrews were so thankful that they escaped slavery, but then they enslaved others.
- Muhammad robbed caravans, had at least 500 Jewish men beheaded, and then enslaved all of the women and children:-(

And Muslims have been doing likewise, for the most part, ever since.
Some nations of Islam didn't even ban slavery until the 20th century!

Creedal Christians in history constantly lied, stole, abused, slaughtered..
Read what they did in “Jesus Wars” back in the 4th century--see the historian Philip Jenkins famous book, Jesus Wars.

Other horrific examples include the present Christian war by Russia, who has invaded Ukraine, with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church calling for the war, much as devout Christians 1,000 years ago called for the evil Crusades.

Many others show these same immoral and unjust actions by Christians--the English Civil War, the 30 Years War, the American Civil War, the French Religious Wars, the Great War, Vietnam, the British Opium War against China where they forced that nation to take opium!

So ironic the American un-Civil War where dedicated Christians even vandalized, wrecked Southern churches, stabled their horses in them, etc. Heck, one Union soldier even stole a Southern family's Bible and took it back to New England. These devout Christian soldiers after invading, stole clothes, weapons, horses, food, etc. nearly every day.

See, in all of these historic and modern cases, Christians thought it was only wrong to steal from each other, but that God gave them the “right” and “duty” to steal from the enemies, even if the enemies were also Christians.

In contrast, Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, states that humans ought to “love their enemies,” do good to their enemies…

This one reason that the secular writer Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and the Buddhist monk Thick Nhat Hanh, and many other human leaders consider Jesus' Sermon on the Mount an ethical precept of deep truth.

CAUTION: “Love” here doesn’t mean emotionally like or approve of!

As Martin Luther King Jr. so clearly pointed out in one of his speeches, to “love one’s enemies” means one has benevolence toward them. For instance, King certainly didn't like the KKK who attacked him, who firebombed his home, but he chose to have hope that if cared for, these bad people might come to the truth and change.

Moral truths are universal.
If stealing is wrong between my neighbor and myself, it is also wrong for us to do it to civilians and soldiers of an enemy nation.

This is why war is, by far, the most evil of all human actions. Invariably in every war, humans on both sides regularly lie, steal, abuse, rape, and slaughter, as well as violate the other commandments.

Let us hope and act to proclaim Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.


In the Light of the Good, the True, the Just, and Altruistic Caring,
Dan Wilcox

Novels so powerful, convincing, transforming that Readers Can't Put Them Down

WHAT ARE 2 FICTION BOOKS THAT YOU READ MORE THAN ONCE, NOVELS THAT INSPIRED, EVEN CHANGED YOU?

HERE’S my CURRENT LIST of
BEST NOVELS:

Ones I’ve read (most at least 3 times) that have incredibly real characters, suspense, setting, and theme—novels that take you into another life,
where for 2 hours or more,
you live a different life in a different time and place,
totally forget your own life!

Novels that have such deep meaning that you reflect on their themes repeatedly,
novels that inspire or warn,
that leave you changed!

THE TIME MACHINE by H.G. Wells
EXODUS by Leon Uris

WATCHERS by Dean Koontz
ONE DAY AWAY FROM HEAVEN by Dean Koontz

HYPERION and ½ of ENDYMION by Dan Simmons
THE HOST by Stephanie Meyer

THE ORIGIN by Irving Stone

THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan
THE SHORT STORIES OF JACK LONDON

11/22/63 by Stephen King
THE COVENANT by James Michener

IN DUBIOUS BATTLE by John Steinbeck
FLOWERS FOR ALGERON by Daniel Keys

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS by Ernest Hemingway
(though questionable because of some immoral events)
JANE EYRE by Currer Bell (Charlotte Bronte)
ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens)


What is your 'can't stop reading, until even the wee hours of the morning' novel?


In the Light,

Dan Wilcox

Finding the CENTER

Finding the CENTER

"Strained by the mad pace of our daily outer burdens, we are further strained by an inward uneasiness, because we have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all this hurried existence..."
"Within, is the beginning of true life."
"...a dynamic center, a creative life...a Light Within which illumines the face of God and casts new shadows and new glories upon the face of humans."
"Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center."
"From this holy Center we love our neighbors as ourselves and are stirred to be the means of their awakening..."
--Wise words from Quaker Thomas Kelly,
A Testament of Devotion and The Eternal Promise

The central difficulty though in finding this CENTER
and
living in the CENTER and becoming more and more who we truly can and ought to become
is
that many humans, including some Quakers, state that NO Center exists.

In so many ways, finding and CENTERING is like the story the Jewish prophet told about a seeker of fine pearls who found a wondrous pearl. One first needs to seek!
Then one needs to use her/his reasoning ability to identify and discard fake pearls and fraudulent ones that at first looked genuine.

Then one needs to compare average pearls to fine pearls--average facts to transcendent oughts and great truths.

And then comes the most difficult of all--when finding the ONE pearl of perfection,
we humans need to focus on that central wonder.

Each of us needs to give all in order to acquire the perfect gem.

Let us, in this dark present time of horrific suffering and confusion and delusion--
Seek that CENTER--seek what is true,
what is reasonable,
what is wise,
what is good,
what is just,
what is beautiful,
what is kind...

Live in the Reason which spangled the universe into becoming.

In the Light, in the Center,

--Daniel Wilcox Posted by Daniel Wilcox at 9:11 AM No comments: Links to this post Labels: A Testament of Devotion, burdens, Center, creative, destruction, Friends, God, hatred, Light, Quakerism, religious persecution, The Eternal Promise, Thomas Kelly, trials, troubles, war