The Dreaded O word again

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