Friends in the vicinity of
RantWoman are in the process of renaming the committees now called Ministry and
Oversight in RantWoman’s quarterly and yearly meetings, and RantWoman is again overachieving
on the insufferability front.
RantWoman’s problem this time: RantWoman admits to being fond of the
wor Oversight in the sense of “oops, well” because the phrase just covers a lot
that one might prefer not to have to deal with .However, RantWoman is fine with
removing the dreaded O word in the name of reducing the harm of the word’s
association with racial injustice. But as long as committees are being renamed
in the name of racial justice, RantWoman would be terribly grateful if Friends
can think about whatever words get used. Do not just rename the committees
Ministry and Counsel because “all” the other Quaker kids do that. All that does
is leave the naming with the same level of racism permeating the Religious
Society of Friends.
Instead, how about a thoughtful
discussion of the history of the terms used, how meaing in Quaker context might
be different from other faith concepts, how whatever name we choose speaks to a
priesthood of all believers, being patterns and examples for the world, that of
God within all… See, RantWoman is a word nerd. She can geek out all day about questions
like this.
That is RantWoman used to be able to geek out all day about this kind
of linguistic research. Now RantWoman cannot read for herself and has to
prevail upon others in hope sthatthey will be seized by the same curiosity
afflicting RantWoman or at least that hanging out with RantWoman will be enough
fun to justify the afternoon. Okay this is RantWoman, so…
RantWoman appreciates people on the Facebook Quakers group who pointed
RantWoman to a greek word that means bishop and that has been preserved with
the word Oversight. RantWoman would find it interesting to hear Friends think
about the meaning and history of whatever words are proposed for the committee
name. RantWoman has no idea where to look. RantWoman may manage, grumpily, to
live with whatever name(s) get proposed, but as RantWoman said, she would be
delighted if some conversation goes a little more in depth first.
In Light and Faithfulness
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