Muriel Strand

Articles

Please Do Not “Believe in” Science

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Cautious confidence in the scientific process is, I believe, the best perspective. Science is akin to continuing revelation and undermined by groupthink. However, modern science is fundamentally materialistic, and we do not live by bread alone.

Issue: On Science (November 2022)

Moral Debts

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Dear Friends:

Issue: On Debt (July 2021)

Across the Generational Divide

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Dear Editor: In response to Rebekah Percy’s article in your Jan/Feb 2021 issue, I will start by saying that every generation faces challenges which seem daunting. Future challenges, remaining to be withstood, will always look more daunting than past problems that have been resolved, even if they have only been resolved in ways that have kicked the can down the road.

Issue: On Relevance (March 2021)

Rules of Engagement

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Some rules are written down, like those in law books. Others are unwritten rules, which can be even more stringent and unforgiving than statute, like the unwritten rules that whisper to dictate which emotions each gender is supposed to feel and show, or not. Lately, various new and somewhat inconsistent rules have arisen concerning speech that some people experience as offensive, and these rules have been causing occasional havoc.

Issue: On Rules (November 2020)

Matters of Race and Witness (3)

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Dear Editor:

Issue: On Neighbors (September 2019)

Substance Abuse

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Margaret Fisher’s reminder of the “traditional Quaker testimony on abstinence from alcohol” is also a reminder of the diversity of the world of Friends. Pacific Yearly Meeting’s Faith and Practice mentions the general concern of addictions, particularly those that are harmful to others. Serving alcohol at Meeting gatherings is not to be done, and Friends should always provide alternatives when they serve alcohol to guests in their homes. Pot is not explicitly addressed in Faith and Practice. So I see that this testimony has a few hairs that can be split.

Issue: On Knowing (March 2015)

Woolman Students Inspire

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Dear Friends: The recent Woolman Semester graduation events at Sierra Friends Center were truly inspiring. Two dozen students presented their capstone projects, and the topics ranged widely, from wildfires to baseball to addiction, and they all reflected the Woolman Semester focus on “peace, justice and sustainability.” The graduates’ valedictory talks were also diverse, with common threads of emotional growth, intellectual awakening, lifelong friendships, safe space, and personal responsibility weaving them together.

Issue: On Production (May 2014)

Healing Collective Trauma

Author(s): Muriel Strand

Dear Friends: After I received the Sept/Oct 2023 issue of Western Friend, “On Healers,” I read the book, Healing Collective Trauma by Thomas Huebl.

Issue: On Seeds (November 2023)

Issue: On Tech (July 2024)

Muriel Strand

Articles

Please Do Not “Believe in” Science

Moral Debts

Across the Generational Divide

Rules of Engagement

Matters of Race and Witness (3)

Substance Abuse

Woolman Students Inspire

Healing Collective Trauma

A Few Thoughts about Prayer

Do No Harm

Hierarchy of Technology

Library items

Healing Collective Trauma

Variations on Worship Sharing

Eternal / Traditional Family Values

Aunty M’s Bookshelf

Doing Democracy in the 21st Century

A Fossil Fuel Addict

Wealth and Wellth

Muriel Strand

Contact Information

Articles

Library items