Observation of the Day!
As a Part Two to yesterday’s posting, I offer a brief history of my religious background that you may not know. It may surprise you that I was born and raised in the Quaker Church. The Quakers were what was called a peace church and Anabaptists, much like German Baptists, Mennonites, Amish etc. One of the beliefs that made these churches different is the fact that they believed that a person should have reached an age when they can make their own decision about their religious preference, as opposed to the early baptism in other Christian faiths.
We were Quakers for no particular reason, I guess. I had always felt that the Arnold side of the family were life long Quakers, but in my genealogical research the Arnolds were actually originally German Baptist and did not join the Quaker Church until 1931 when my grandfather, grandmother and dad joined the First Friends Church in Marion, Indiana. However, on my mother’s side is a long history of Quakerism from the early days of William Penn and Philadelphia. The good thing for a genealogical researcher is that the Quakers kept meticulous records of births, deaths and moves from one meeting to another. I actually found the information about my family joining the Quaker Church in these records at the Minnesota Historical Society.
Quakers believe in a personal relationship with God with little help from a middleman. The Quakers would sit in long silence at the meeting house, men separated from woman, until the spirit moved them to give testimony to those gathered.
Quakers are also pacifists. It is up to the individual, but the original Quaker belief urged conscientious objector status. Many Quakers served their country as medics and other non-combat roles, particularly in WWII. WWII created much anguish among the Quakers, as to how they would serve their country. Many did in fact serve in combat roles. The true Quakers are genuinely a humble, simple and peaceful people.
However, the First Friends Church of my youth was not unlike other Protestant services I have attended. There was a Sunday school, a sermon, a period of silence in deference to the basic Quaker beliefs, no communion and of course an offering. Our church was also on the local radio station every Sunday. Our minister was Murray Johnson, a very short parson.
In my young adult years I really didn't attend a church.
When I met Doe, she was a Roman Catholic. The Catholic Church had always caught my religious interests. I converted before I got married. I continued as a church going Catholic until a couple of years ago. I often said I was the last Catholic standing in Doe’s family, since all of them had fallen away. When the pedophilia scandal hit the Church, I could not reconcile being a member of the Catholic Church. The priests and hierarchy rail against everything sexual, and yet some priests committed crimes too horrific for anyone to imagine from a man of the cloth. Just as bad was the cover-up by the Church hierarchy. The Church still doesn’t get it. At that point I renounced my Catholicism.
I decided I did not need organized religion to find God. It is interesting that this decision brings me almost full circle back to my original Quaker roots. I don’t know where I go from here, but I have found that The Rock interests me. We will see.
God Bless my friends!
Have a nice day!!
Samuel
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