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Let Your Life Speak

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Let your life speak.  That is the phrase that resounds again and again in Robert Lawrence Smith’s work, A Quaker Book of Wisdom:  Life Lessons in Simplicity, Service, and Common Sense.

Smith writes:

“Quakerism is the only faith that is most commonly explained in a cascade of negatives.  Quakerism has no theology, no body of religious dogmas, no sacred books, no written creed.  Traditional Quaker worship does not involve a minister, priest, or other religious leader.  There is no liturgy.  There are no crucifixes or other religious images in Quaker Meetinghouses or homes.  Quakers do not accept the idea of original sin, nor do they believe in a personal God who rewards and punishes. Friends do not baptize, and their wedding service is a simple exchange of vows between  bride and groom within a Meeting for Worship.  Despite their Christian roots and the continued interest of many Quakers in the lessons of the Gospels, the relationship between the sufferings of Christ on the cross and what Quakers call “the light within” has always been pretty murky.  Forget eternal damnation.  Forget salvation.  And also hell, heaven, and purgatory.  Look for truth within yourself and within the Meeting for Worship.  Live a life of simpllcity, love, and service.  Let your life speak, and trust that your children will learn by your example.”

 

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