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Alternatives to Prison

• Authored by:
• Susan Cozzens

Prisons rank high on the list of institutions that Quakers want to eliminate, very close to war. The most recent statement of legislative priorities by the Friends Committee on National Legislation (possibly the most widely-discerned document in the Quaker world) includes advocating for a system that “eliminates mass incarceration and promotes law-enforcement that is community-oriented and demilitarized.” The Board of the American Friends Service Committee, after producing an extensive background paper, took the position – back in 1978 – that it supports the abolition of prisons. Clearly, Quakers by and large want to live in that Light and Love that takes away the occasion of all prisons – along with jails, detention centers, and other places where people are held in cages.

On Alternatives (March 2022)

Individual Decision or Mutual Discernment

• Authored by:
• Lyn Gordon

The test for membership should not be doctrinal agreement, nor adherence to certain testimonies, but evidence of sincere seeking and striving for Truth, together with an understanding of the lines along which Friends are seeking that Truth.

On Alternatives (March 2022)

Forging a Relationship with Self

• Authored by:
• Kristina Kenegos

When I was a child, I craved quiet places where I could be alone with my feelings. Sometimes I would go along the side of the house where camellia and pomegranate grew or down the stone steps to a small orchard under a tangerine tree in full fruit. Later in life, when I was old enough to be trusted, I would venture to a meadow and lie down in the tall grasses or climb high in a tree. Each of these places offered an essential opportunity to experience my inner being. [pullquote]Children have access to this “still small voice” in nature, preferably alone, where they can connect with their dreams and harness themselves for disappointment, which will surely come in life.[/pullquote]

On Place (May 2022)

The Meaning of Membership

• Authored by:
• Mike Shell

Dear Friends: I’m sad that so many people – including so many “recorded Friends” – misunderstand what “membership” in a meeting means.

On Place (May 2022)

Webs

• Authored by:
• Ann Fuller

 

On Normality (July 2022)

William Penn’s “Holy Experiment” (review)

• Authored by:
• Robert Levering

I’d be interested in this book even if I weren’t a Quaker.

On Normality (July 2022)

Dancing with History (review)

• Authored by:
• Shelley Tanenbaum

The title of this book beautifully describes George Lakey’s preferred way to engage with the world: Dancing with History. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir about Lakey’s roots and his path over eighty-four years.

On Cooperation (September 2022)

God (or Not) among Quakers

• Authored by:
• Bill Donovan

[This article was excerpted from a more detailed original, which is published online at: https://westernfriend.org/media/concepts-god-or-not]

On Conflict (January 2023)

Calls to the Annual Sessions 2023

• Authored by:
• Jerry Peterson,
• Jana Ostrom,
• Laura Magnani

 

On Perception (March 2023)

Black and White Traffic Stops

• Authored by:
• Deborah Stucken

 

On Perception (March 2023)