During my life as a Friend, I have learned that the relation of Quaker faith and practice is different from what is usually described by Friends. It is often said that Quaker beliefs are the source of Quaker action. That is not the whole story, and the rest of the story has exciting implications for […]
Author Archive | Os Cresson
Nontheist Friends: Where to from here? A Reply
A first step in discerning our future as nontheists among Friends, is to distinguish between our roles in two very different settings: that is, (a) settings that include a wide variety of theist and nontheist Friends who have come together for many different reasons, and (b) settings in which everyone is there to focus on […]
Roots and Flowers of Quaker Nontheism (Abridged)
This abridged version of “Roots and Flowers of Quaker Nontheism” was compiled for the convenience of students of Quaker nontheism. An ellipses ( . . . ) or brackets ([ ]) indicate where material has been omitted. The original is a chapter in Quaker and Naturalist Too (Morning Walk Press of Iowa City, IA, in […]
Publications on Quaker Nontheism
This first appeared in Quaker and Naturalist Too (Iowa City, IA: Morning Walk Press, 2014, pp. 135-145). The list is divided between earlier publications (1962-1995), and later publications (1996-2013). Unfortunately some publications have been missed and the list is not being kept up to date. Please send copies of material to be included, or their […]
A Message for Future Quakers: Work for All Friends, Not Just Your Friends
Our concern today is the future of nontheism among Friends and the future of Friends in general. It is not surprising that nontheist Friends are evaluating our work since 20 years have passed since we began holding regular Friends General Conference (FGC) Gathering workshops. Social movements often need to be reformed after a generation, even […]
Quaker and Naturalist Too: a new NTF book
Quaker and Naturalist Too, by Os Cresson, foreword by David Boulton, published in 2014 by Morning Walk Press, Iowa City IA. This book is available now at QuakerBooks in Philadelphia (online at www.quakerbooks.org ) for $15.95, and it will soon be carried by the Quaker Centre Bookshop in London (online at https://www.quaker.org.uk/shop ). The author’s income from book sales goes to […]
Reviews of Publications on Quaker Nontheism in the 2010s
Contents: Introduction Review #1: Patrick Nugent’s homework assignments Introduction: For a general introduction, see the document on this website with reviews from the 1960s. There is also a list of publications on Quaker nontheism on this website. It does not include letters, editorials, book reviews or internet blog postings (an exception was made for two […]
Reviews of Publications on Quaker Nontheism in the 1960s
Contents: Introduction Review #1: Claire Walker and the Questing Quakers Review #2: Larry Miller’s review of Honest to God Review #3: Toward a Quaker view of theology Review #4: Dan Seeger and nontheist conscientious objection Review #5: Carol Murphy Review #6: Bradford Smith Review #7: Joseph Havens Review #8: Scott Crom Introduction: Learning about the […]
Doctrinally Open Membership in the Religious Society of Friends
Doctrinally open membership is becoming more accepted by Friends. What is this method of arriving at membership decisions? How does it affect other areas of Quaker life and what does this imply for the future of the Religious Society of Friends? The Method Consider a typical Friends meeting. Members gather in silent worship. They cooperate […]
The NTF dove
It would be nice to know who else uses our dove logo. Happily, it appears on a page about a peace fair at Buckingham Friends School (http://home.comcast.net/~buckinghamfriends/peacefair.htm). The dove was found in the public domain in 2004 by Crystal Hashmet when she created the first NTF website at www.quaker.org. Let’s see where else this little […]