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  • [Music: "Faster Car" by Loving Caliber & Anders Lystell]

  • [I've been feeling so small]

  • [Watch the clock ticking off the wall]

  • [but tonight]

  • [I'm letting it go]

  • [Spend my coin for show]

  • Today we're going to be talking about values, religion and God. If you've been watching me for a while

  • you probably know that I identify as a Quaker. I am a member of the religious Society of Friends.

  • They are commonly known as Quakers and [american accent] quakers. Quakers, not Quavers.

  • Although that is a pretty common misconception. Also nothing to do with oats,

  • that makes me mad every time.This is a video that I have been thinking of making for a while

  • but I wasn't too sure about. I ran some ideas past my channel members,

  • which is the new name for sponsors that YouTube has...but really, "members of the Kellgren-Fozard Club" is the actual definition

  • and they gave me some ideas for structure to focus on.

  • Remember, if you'd like to become a member and have your say on future video ideas,

  • you can just click the "sponsor" button down below next to the subscribe button, it may have now been changed to say

  • "join", they're changing stuff. In this video

  • I'm going to give you an incredibly brief overview of the history of Quakerism, give you some ideas about what we believe in and

  • our values

  • ..so on, and how that affects my everyday life.

  • I'm also really interested to know if you have a religion or you grew up with one and how you feel

  • it's shaped your life. Equally so, if you are agnostic or a complete atheist.

  • I have identified as a Quaker for

  • as long as I can remember. I remember asking my mother if I could be a member when I was about five and she said

  • no, because you have to be 16, I believe, to actually formally become a member. It has to be a choice.

  • It's a big part of who I am and I do feel like it has shaped me as I've grown up.

  • Also, a religion that allows for fluidity of

  • interpretation, and a lot of different viewpoints. So everything I'm going to be showing in this video is very much from my point of view,

  • it's the things that I believe in,

  • and also what I have been taught. So, other people will have different interpretations of

  • Quakerism, especially in different countries around the world. Quakerism grew out of Christianity in the

  • 1600s in the north of England. The explanation that I use to describe the founding of Quakerism is, I swear,

  • taken from a children's meeting when I was like four, but I think it describes it very well.

  • There was a man called George Fox who

  • was very dissatisfied with the way he saw the Church of England, and how he saw that it was being run.

  • He saw that the men around him would

  • lie and cheat and steal and beat their wives and then on Sundays, they would go to church and it was as if everything

  • was forgiven because they were very good on this one day. But George Fox instead believed that it was possible to have a

  • direct experience of God, and that all people should try to live lives reflecting, faith, piety, and love. Also a big deal:

  • he developed some of the major concepts

  • with a woman called Margaret Fell. Woman! And, Quakers considered women to be vital to religion, vital!

  • It was the 1600s, ok? I am allowed to get excited. Quakerism has a very firm

  • concept of spiritual equality amongst all people.

  • So yay! The religion as a whole however can be very difficult

  • to explain and to define as it doesn't have set

  • religious Creed's and doctrine. Instead of a Quaker Bible, we have Quaker Advice and Queries, which is an ever evolving

  • document that is written by the members themselves.

  • The idea is that it always reflects the times, so that people can read it and have a direct

  • answer almost, or help with the query that they have right now,

  • rather than a query that would have been super helpful to people in the 1700s.

  • Our religion is less about following exact rules

  • and more about the way that we live and the effect that we want to have on the world.

  • We try to help each other work out how to live ethically, following our core principles. These are: equality,

  • justice, truth, peace, simplicity, and sustainability.

  • Equality

  • The basic belief of Quakerism is that there is that of God in everyone.

  • Quakers believe that all people are equal,

  • it's not young and old, or rich and poor, or black and white, gay, straight,

  • whatever. I have always been raised as a Quaker, I could speak to adults on their level.

  • Justice

  • This belief in inequality inspires quaker's to work for change in all systems that cause injustice, whether that's

  • dismantling slavery in the past, campaigning for gay marriage, or in the here and now;

  • campaigning for help for asylum seekers. Obviously, it's not just campaigning, there's a lot of very hands-on help.

  • We also believe that no person is beyond redemption and that no matter what a person has done, they deserve to be treated fairly.

  • Truth

  • Quakers live according to our truth, what we know and believe to be right.

  • Even if this means speaking out against our own interests, or being straight talkers to those in positions of power.

  • Hence, many Quakers got put into prison because they refused to deny that they were Quakers and they refused to stop having meetings.

  • We're not great to helping ourselves

  • We're guided by integrity - for this reason, Quaker businesspeople were known to have

  • incredibly good practices and

  • Quaker companies were generally companies that people really wanted to do business with, so then, some other businesses that were not Quaker businesses

  • took our name and decided to put it on the box of their grain related food product and then did not

  • follow Quaker business practices: point is, you'll never get cheated by a Quaker.

  • We are the ones who get really upset

  • if you give us too much change. On the personal level, I try to be open and honest at all times,

  • even if it might help me personally, because in the long run it might help someone else.

  • Peace

  • Quakers are probably best known for our peace testimony, since we believe that all life is of equal worth and that

  • love is the center of the universe. We can't harm another human being, we don't believe that it's right to do so.

  • Thus, Quakers refuse military service and work towards peace instead.

  • This could be personal, or interpersonal, and ranges from doing hands-on work in conflict zones to considering options for peace and

  • working in places like The Hague. Sidenote, my brother and I never had water guns as a child or any type of toy that

  • was similar to a weapon, or video games where you would injure someone.

  • So I am super versed in the zoombinis.

  • Simplicity and sustainability.

  • I have lumped these two together, because that's kind of how I see them now. In the past,

  • simplicity was a lot to do with Quakers wearing certain forms of

  • dress and living very modest and simple lives. Quakers would wear very plain clothes in very plain colors without any kind of lace edging

  • or anything glittery or fancy. Today, however, it's more of a

  • spiritual life type of thing and

  • goes along with the sustainability aspect. So we work to try and reduce excess and waste in our society.

  • We want to make sure that our use of natural resources is

  • sustainable and that we focus on living a

  • simple life that doesn't take away from others, even if there are others in the far future who will be

  • damaged by global warming. I try to focus my life on the things that really matter. I really try my hardest to always be as

  • sustainable as possible, but obviously with my disability I do have some issues with this, and

  • that is why I get quite upset by certain things like

  • plastic straw drama.

  • But if you really want to know yes, I do use plastic straws. No, I don't just use them

  • once, I run them through the dishwasher.

  • They're fine. I am fortunate enough to have a dishwasher, one pack of straws last me for like two years. Okay, don't..

  • Chill. Anyway today's video is about Quakerism and not about disabilities. Oh, I didn't actually add that, did I?

  • Sorry, able bodied, disabled, we are also equal. Onto the tricky topics though -

  • What do Quakers believe about God? Quakers do have

  • differing beliefs when it comes to God, and they might use that word in different ways. But the one thing that

  • binds us all together is that we believe that there is that of God in everyone,

  • but that God is different for everyone. The greater understanding of God is that it is shaped by personal experience.

  • We all use different words to describe it and it's down to whatever you feel is

  • personally helpful and meaningful - not all Quakers believe in "God" as a

  • separate entity who lives

  • in the sky. I personally believe that the goodness within each of us,

  • which you could call the spirit, if you will, that goodness combined is what God is. In my mind,

  • there is something precious and transcendent about every person, and I take great

  • strength and comfort from that. We're all connected

  • and thus we're never truly alone. I think it's a lot of history and

  • baggage that comes with the word God and it causes a lot of division. One thing

  • I personally really like about Quakerism

  • is that even though it grew out of Christianity, Quakerism very much sees the benefits and the

  • meaning and value and other forms of religion.

  • You could be a Quaker and also be another religion. Quakers are cool with that.

  • There's great history of tolerance and openness, but also

  • independence of mind

  • and thought and spirit when it comes to a Quakerism that I really value.

  • Basically,

  • we all believe that there is something beyond our individual selves and that we can communicate with that directly

  • on a personal level, whether that be through living spiritual lives or through silent reflection,

  • or both. Which brings me to: how to Quakers pray?

  • Now as I mentioned earlier,

  • we believe in complete and total equality.

  • Thus we have no traditional religious structures or a minister, priest, bishop

  • vicar

  • whomever. Instead we share responsibility for what we do, because everyone has a valuable contribution to make. We pray collectively through a thing called

  • "Meeting for Worship"

  • Which can take place at any time,

  • anywhere, but is generally held on a Sunday morning at a Quaker meeting house, because it's handy to know

  • where to go.

  • But you could also just call a meeting right now

  • if you wanted to. You don't have to be a member to come, you could be either a tender,

  • which is what my father was for many many years,

  • which is where you go to Quaker meetings quite regularly and you get involved in the community

  • but you're not actually a registered member of the religious Society of Friends.

  • You could also be a visitor, which is what Claud is when she comes with me. Again,

  • They are completely open to absolutely anyone, and you don't need to know someone who already goes to go,

  • though obviously you are expected to show a level of respect when you attend. Don't be on your phone or something.

  • Children also come to meeting, although they generally don't stay for full length of time, which is

  • often about an hour, and the rest of the time they will be at the children's meeting,

  • which is generally like a room next door to where everyone else is sitting, and they will be doing some kind of

  • game or learning experience.

  • I made my parents many bad paintings at children's meeting. During the meeting,

  • we all sit in silence facing the center of the room. This could be the chairs either

  • in

  • circles or squares sometimes

  • The idea is that there isn't a

  • certain special

  • spot where one person is. Although sometimes there are chairs that are held for elders, but that is just so you know

  • where they are. And what is an elder you ask? Well, within Quakerism,

  • there's a certain number of jobs that need to be held like someone needs to clark the meetings,

  • someone needs to be in charge of the building and setting up, and someone is to write rotors and the elders are basically there as

  • spiritual

  • advisors. But, the great thing about Quakerism is that you can only hold a post for three years.

  • You can't nominate yourself. You have to be nominated by someone else

  • so the community puts you forward, and I think you can only hold two consecutive

  • posts. You can only do it for a maximum of six years, so no one gets too big

  • for their boots.

  • Elders are also called weighty Quakers because they have a weighty spirits.

  • Every meeting begins in silence,

  • it starts as soon as the first person enters the room and it only finishes when two Quakers shake hands.

  • We use that silence to fully listen to ourselves and to be open to the wisdom that is around. Again,

  • there's no minister to lead and we don't have any set prayers, hymns or sermons. The idea is when you feel

  • moved to stand up and

  • give ministry, you do, you say your piece, and then you sit back down then there is a silence again.

  • And if someone else feels moved to speak, they will stand up, they will speak for a little bit and then they will sit down.

  • And some more silence and people reflect on what is being said.

  • It sounds a little strange if you've never experienced it before, but honestly when you sit in stillness and you open yourself up to

  • knowledge that comes from around, you sort of feel

  • sometimes as if there is something that you should share with the group?

  • Sometimes, really often, people will stand up and they will say what you've just been thinking, or they'll be talking on a

  • topic or a subject that you came into the room

  • thinking about. It's a very beautiful experience and I personally find that it

  • enriches my life. I need my stillness and my silence which is hilarious because

  • deaf girl, but I need that certain amount of time every week where you just

  • empty your mind, let yourself be. Please let me know if this makes sense to you.

  • But Quakerism isn't just about how you gather on a Sunday

  • It is also about how you live your life

  • the rest of the time. How we act as Quakers goes along

  • directly with what we believe. I use those core beliefs that I told you about earlier

  • to enrich my life. I think growing up a Quaker, going to Quaker events, having lots of Quaker friends,

  • I went to Quaker school for a bit, helped me to develop things like a complete and total belief that all people are equal -

  • always. There are no bad people.

  • There are bad actions that people can do, but there are no bad people, just like there is no perfect person.

  • And it also helped strengthen

  • my very natural optimism, believing the best in everything, all people all situations.

  • I find it very easy to see the good within all people and a silver lining to every situation.

  • I don't know if I can separate those strands to see whether that was

  • growing up with Quakerism or whether that was just something I would have had

  • anyway, but I don't even know that I want to separate that. Not that it is always easy to live as a Quaker - I found

  • that out a lot when I was teenager.

  • I chose at quite a young age to not swear or use harsh language and that was quite difficult for

  • my teenage friends to you understand. And I always try my hardest to never

  • upset anyone.

  • That is the thing that would just - it cuts me to the core

  • every time I feel that I might have upset someone, I really don't like that. I have no

  • right and no place in the world to upset someone else.

  • Anyway, that didn't always go over well. As an adult, I don't drink alcohol because it doesn't react well with my meds and

  • it's just not something I'm really into, because I still dance on tables and

  • get really loud. I didn't drink as a teenager either and

  • people

  • had difficulty with that. I think it generally comes from people outside

  • assuming that there is a sense of moralizing. Claud drinks when we're with our friends, when we're going out.

  • Sometimes she will have a glass of wine with dinner. I genuinely have no opinion one way or the other

  • I don't think it's a bad thing or a good thing.

  • I think I wasn't great at explaining that to the people around me when I was a teenager -

  • they thought that because of the way I lived I

  • thought everyone else should live exactly the same way.

  • I do not judge other people but whatever,

  • they may do. One thing

  • I should probably point out, as Quakers we do not believe in

  • proselytizing, which is where you advertise a religion to other people or attempt to force it onto someone else.

  • So this video not about that. I tried to make this video educational and just share

  • my views and my experiences, please don't take this as me saying: Quakerism is amazing! You should do it!

  • Everyone should be a Quaker! For one thing, Quakerism as a religion is something that you need to find yourself and secondly, I

  • don't want to do that to anyone. That's not my -

  • that's not my place. It's not my point. Hopefully that comes across.

  • Hopefully. I've also tried to sensitively title this video so that you know exactly what you're getting. What else can I tell you about Quakerism?

  • I went to a Quaker school for awhile for

  • three years

  • it was the best school I've ever been to but I think that I also had a lot to do with the way that I

  • had been brought up, to kind of to feel that...we were all equal so I don't some children can converse and then I

  • went to a Church of England Primary School

  • and they were very much like: no, children should be quiet and listen to their elders and betters - and I was like:

  • No, there is no such thing as a better person and so I would just

  • converse with adults on their level and they'd be like: "this incredibly cheeky,

  • incredibly rude, go and sit over there."

  • You can find out about that more in the "being gay in school" video I made. I think also the "being disabled in school"?

  • Although I actually only became disabled in the school after that school. Both of those videos will be down in the description.

  • Next - Claudia and I had a Quaker wedding.

  • We spoke about that in our wedding video - again, that will be down the description or up in a card

  • I don't think we went into that much

  • depth about the Quakerism aspect of that,

  • so if you would like to know more about it, I can make a separate video, please

  • do let me know if you'd like to see a Quaker wedding video. What on earth does that entail? Also, obviously, yes Quakerism

  • okay with the gay! Growing up as a Quaker,

  • I felt really privileged to grow up alongside

  • other Quaker children and young people - we went to youth groups together, obviously see each other every week at meetings,

  • but then we'd go and stay somewhere like a week on mass. It was

  • amazing, really great. We learnt so much about the world, and people, and diversity and

  • at the same time it was a hotbed of hormones. The thing that was really

  • excellent about it was that we always knew it was a very

  • safe space to experiment in, so if one of the boys was like "I want to try out

  • wearing dresses for a week". He just would and we'd all be like "cool". When I became really ill I

  • lost a lot of the school friends and the friends that

  • stayed with me were the ones I've known for years and years and years, the ones I gone to Quaker groups with,

  • the ones some of my best friends becoming people who were just on the periphery of my group of Quaker friends,

  • and they suddenly stepped in to fill all these gaps that were now-many job applications going around for the roll of Jessica's friend.

  • I'm not saying the only Quakers are good people, or that good people are Quakers.

  • Or even that being a Quaker necessarily makes you good person. I assume there are some Quakers who don't always do great things.

  • But this became a much longer video than I planned...

  • Let's wrap it up. If you'd like to learn more about Quakerism, then I have probably put some links down in the description.

  • So, if you're like: what Jessica? That made no sense to me. You can go and...

  • Please let me know if you have any questions about this video because I'd really love to do a follow up.

  • Probably in a Q&A style with Quaker related questions.

  • Please do remember to always be very kind to other people when you respond to their comments and

  • do not hate on anyone or

  • anything. Alright. I look very much forward to seeing you next time. Thank you for watching. Oh and

  • if you're watching this video because we're writing an essay about Quakerism. Stop it. No, go and read a book or

  • find an internet resource that is not YouTube.

  • Thank you.

[Music: "Faster Car" by Loving Caliber & Anders Lystell]

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何てこった...私の宗教について話そう // クエーカー教とは?[CC] (Oh God... Let's Talk About My Religion // What Is Quakerism? [CC])

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    林宜悉 に公開 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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