Nontheism Among Friends
By tradition, the doors to Quaker Meetings are open to all seekers, wherever they are in their spiritual journey. People in many Quaker communities exist across the entirety of the religious belief spectrum. While many Quakers will identify themselves as Christian, it is common that some members or attenders at liberal, unprogrammed Friends Meetings will have different beliefs. Some may be nontheists or atheists, and some who were raised in other faiths may have different understandings of the nature of “God” and different rituals and worship experiences.
… a nontheist is someone who does not accept a theistic understanding of God …. Such a person may reject all understandings of God, may embrace certain non-theistic understandings of God, may find God language useful and rich in trying to describe their experience of the world but not true in a literal sense, may believe in certain non-material, transcendent realities that have little in common with the common understanding of the word “God.” An atheist falls within this understanding of nontheist, as does an agnostic, a humanist, a Buddhist, and many Quakers who find the whole practice of labeling our belief systems an unfortunate distraction from genuine religious living.
James Riemermann, from What is a Nontheist? 2006
Quaker “Silent Meeting”
The method of Quaker “silent meeting” is sitting together in silence with each person meditating, silently praying, or listening for the “still small voice within” – waiting for a message of understanding and inward peace, and the quaking, tears, or joy it may bring. Along with this meditation is an opportunity to discern whether the message is only for you or if it should be told to the whole meeting. But where does such a message come from? Some Friends would assume it is God speaking to them, others would not care or think about where it came from, and some might feel that the “still small voice” is a product of the “seed” which is often associated with God, but which might be seen as the urge to grow, love, and thrive.
Like others who bring different religious backgrounds, nontheist Friends have, throughout time, been generally careful to support Quaker traditions and be respectful towards others who use language and emotion that may be different from theirs. The Friends Meeting is a welcoming community for all who attend, and the expectation is that no one will criticize others who may have expressed their own deepest thoughts or inward experiences.