Kindly?

First, for a joyous and definitely not theologically insipid if also challenging statement of Quaker faith and Practice, check out
http://northseattlefriends.org/

Now for the Adult Religious Education program postponed from last weeik
Selling out to Niceness?
https://www.friendsjournal.org/selling-out-to-niceness/

This is to be the theme of Adult Religious Education on Sunday at RantWoman's Meeting.
Please be advised, RantWoman tends to be about the third youngest of regulars at ARE. RantWoman is pushing 60. RantWoman will be interested to hear whether the age distribution varies for this presenter.

Please be advised,, among regulars, there is one voice of great weight who speaks little in groups and frequently wonders to RantWoman where the word "Religious" is in various of the weekly offerings. Rantwoman loves this Friend partly BECAUSE she clearly articulates views and standards that RantWoman considers a touch archaic and that other younger Friends have even stronger opinions about. The other point about this Friend: she is among the peoople RantWoman is terribly grateful to see on Sundays and for whom it would be very difficult to travel to meet on other days. So RantWoman REALLY hopes that whoever is too afraid of being around RantWoman can also take into account other people who are very glad to see each other.

RantWoman has in mind another Friend who she usually sees after 9:30 worship who falls into a similar category..

ANyway, RantWoman read the article. Even though it is stirring, there is not as much "religious" as RantWoman might appreciate. But "theologically insipid...?" Uhhhh

Okay, out with it. Just go all Biblical on a testimony or two, even if the Biblical references are a littleoff.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me!"
What does God require of us except to love justice, do mercy, and walk humbly with....?"
Now go find the part about that of God in everyone and then add up to the Testimony on Equality. And will this automatically be comfortable for people of privilege????

RantWoman has unexpectedly run short of biblical references related to teh Testimony on Integrity. So instead, RantWoman will simply point out the irony (?) of inviting Friends to engage deeply with each other a week after ... well read the blog posts.

Please be further advised: RantWoman is working on a kind way to address Friends who talk much, amy times and appear to listen poorly. Is it kind not to identify the most likely gender of said Friends?

Readers of this blog are invited to meditate about kindness, telling too much of the truth, and questioning the established order as reflected in this blog and particularly by recent entries.

RantWoman would very much like to hear the presentation. RantWoman would very much like to hear what rises for others from the presentation, particularly since Madame Clerk sent RantWoman a  eamil blatantly tryingto definie RantWoman out of the community. Not so fast! RantWoman has not dedicated multiple decades of her life to this Meeting to let anyone get away with that.  RantWoman kindly and regularly promises to be faithful to her Light and refuses to promise what that will look like. This week one version is just a schedule conflict. And RantWoman actually is willing to see  what can be done to nourish Quaker process among Friends younger than herself.

BUT right now Business Meeting has decreed that life is "safer" without RantWoman.
 RantWoman is not necessarily ill-disposed toward "safe," but for RantWoman safe and the presence of god are partners, particularly moments of difficulty.  RantWoman keeps reminding Friends that God keeps sending people with disabilities to live among us, that COPING has much to recommend it, and that people with disabilities are too regularly called to be places where they are implicitly or explicitly not wanted, up to the point of even ardent prison abolitionists with meditations on kindly calling the cops,

So RantWoman is wondering, seeking Light about what faithful to her Light will look like on Sunday.

Aside from kindly calling the cops though, RantWoman is meditating on the kindness of publicly eldering the presenter just as she is about to facilitate a discussion as above. Perhaps RantWoman can put the eldering in a separate blog post at least....

In light and Faithfulness

RantWoman