Friends Beliefs and Adult Religious Education

October 29, 2005, prepared by Mark S. Cary (Middletown Meeting)

In 2001-2002 we surveyed 550 member and attenders in 10 Monthly Meetings in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) as part of the "Making New Friends" outreach project. These Meetings represented a wide range of types-NJ, P A, Inner City, Suburban, etc. The interviews provided a snapshot of Friends' beliefs and suggest some issues for adult religious education.

In preview, 1) PYM Friends are less religious on traditional measures than the general population, 2) vary widely in their beliefs from atheist to deeply religious, from Christian to anti- Christian, and 3) Meetings themselves vary from one another in their overall views.

PYM Friends are less religious than the general DoDulation on traditional measures. In a question used since 1914, we asked whether Friends "believe in a God to whom one may pray in the expectation of receiving an answer. By 'answer,' I mean more than the subjective, psychological effect ofprayer." About 4 in 10 Friends believe in a traditional God as defined above, half the percentage as the general population and about the same rate as professional scientists. Meetings varied from 34% of members believing in a traditional God to 67% believing in a traditional God.

In the general US population only 2% say they never pray. Among PYM Friends, about 2 in 10 say they never pray (ten times higher than the US population). However 3 in 10 PYM Friends say they pray every day.

PYM Friends are ambivalent about Christianity. Despite only 4 in 10 believing in a traditional God, 6 in 10 consider themselves Christians, so one could say that a majority of Friends consider themselves Christians. The percentage varied by meeting from 45% to 87%. However, while the majority of Friends consider themselves Christians, about 2 in 10 agreed that "I am uncomfortable with Friends using Christian language such as Jesus, Christ in Meeting for Worship." On the other end, nearly 4 in 10 agreed that "I am uncomfortable with Friends using terminology from new age spirituality in Meeting."

PYM Friends no longer agree with some traditional Quaker beliefs. For example, about half disagreed that different people have the Light within in different amounts ("God hath given every one of you a measure (of the Light), according to your ability"-GF). Likewise 7 in 10 disagree with the older Quaker view that those who reject the Light will be condemned ("But hating this Light, it is your condemnation"-GF)

Michael Sheeran (author of "Beyond Majority Rule") considered Friends to be divided into those have had and those who have not had a transcendent experience where one felt oneself in the presence of God. In our survey, almost 5 in 10 said they had had such an experience, while 3 in 10 had not. The remaining 2 in 10 were not sure.

Do PYM Friends want a deeper spiritual relationship with God? Yes, at least some do. About 6 in 10 agree that "I very much want a deeper spiritual relationship with God." About half agree that "I would like to know more about the Bible"

There is a tremendous opportunity. Friends in our survey don't view adult religious education their Meeting provides to be excellent. Only 14% rated it excellent, while 40% rated it good. In contrast, 32% rated their children's FDS program as excellent. The only program these Meetings thought they did worse than adult religious education was outreach! There appears to be a need and opportunity for a more satisfying adult program in many Meetings.

Do PYM Friends have any common religious views around which a program can be built? Yes, our survey found some:

• Nearly everyone believes in "that of God" in everyone, even the few who crossed out God and wrote in "that of Good"
• It matters less what we believe than what we do
• There is general agreement with the Peace and social testimonies
• Friends generally believe "only I can decide what the truth is for me," emphasizing the need to a program respecting the diversity of religious beliefs.

Likewise, PYM Friends are fairly uniform in some areas:

• Well educated, with five in ten have an advanced degree, and over 9 in 10 with a college degree
• Nearly 8 in 10 reported being politically liberal compared to 1 in 10 being politically conservative,
• Middle to upper middle class incomes, and white collar occupations, with few from the business or blue collar world,
• About 96% White, 2% Black, 1% Hispanic, and 1% Asian, and
• Eight in 10 "convinced," that is not "birthright" or born into Quakerism.

What do these findings imply for adult religious education?

• Friends want spiritual deepening, but are not all that satisfied with their Meetings current program.
• Some traditional rationales in teaching Quakerism don't resonate as strongly as before. For example, how can Meeting for Worship be a time to wait for God to speak to us when 6 in 10 don't believe that God speaks to us in prayer?
• Because of the antipathy to Christianity among some, we have often coined words that are acceptable to all, such as "Spirit led" which can mean

o        The Holy Spirit (to the Christian)

o        The "Great Spirit" of Native American religion (to others)

o         The "Spirit of the Group" (to the non-believer).

• At worst, this diversity can lead us to "Quaker minimalism," a form of the least common denominator that may satisfy no one.
• Because of the high educational levels, adult religious education can easily become overly intellectual, perhaps missing the spiritual experience.

The Challenge

How can we help Friends on their spiritual journey to come into a closer relationship with God?

Remember from whence we took our name (John 15: 12-17)- "My command is this: Love one another as I have loved you. ..You are my Friends if you do what I command. .." At the core, Jesus has commanded us to love one another as Jesus loved us, and to be Friends of Jesus by following that command.

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