Quakers were more mindful than spiritual. Spirituality is the belief in something greater than oneself, and the Quakers were very spiritual because they believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Spirituality and mindfulness play a crucial role in Quaker religion. In the article, in which we were assigned to do a moodle post in class at the start of the course; Quaker Spirituality: How Can We Serve Unless We Listen? written by Grace Adolphsen Brame it teaches us both the similarities and differences between Quaker beliefs and mindfulness. Quaker people have a “habit of listening in the silence” (Brame, p.1) which means they feel the connection between themselves and the “Holy Spirit” this causes their body to “quaked.” This connects to mindfulness because when a person is meditating they are also “listening in the silence” by being in the present moment and feeling the energy around them. Also just like how the Quaker people feel this experience in their body, mindfulness gives a personal awareness to how their body and mind feel. Quakers are a group of people belonging to the Christian movement founded by George Fox called the Religious Society of Friends. Adding to this the Quakers are a group of people that disagreed with Britain's use of rituals, hierarchical views, and religious institutions in the name of God. They are people of simplicity, who disagree with the Church's use of liturgy, stained glass, organ music and such as acts to bring them closer to God.
The Quakers practiced “meditation prayer,” and sat in silence as they waited for God to speak to them directly so they could carry on his message. In this way, Quakers' practices are similar to that of mindfulness meditation practice, in which we learn and practice in class, because there are no set rituals and liturgies that you must practice to attain mindfulness. Instead, you simply have to turn inward. In contrast, mindfulness meditation does not require spirituality or religion. Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you carefully observe your thoughts and feelings without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to your current experience, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future. Mindfulness is a shift of the body, in which the way we pay attention, within that shift our body changes from the inside out. With mindfulness there is understanding it and knowing it. Reflecting to the “now” moment is a huge part of what mindfulness is all about. There is part of each individual that when engaging in a certain activity or hobby we become this sense of mindful. When we are engaging in this specific “now moment” we become mindful to ourselves in our body. Where the moment of where there is a deep connection with the understanding of ourselves, where we are not thinking about last week’s exam, homework deadlines, final exams, chores, and many other things on our mind. When we connect to ourselves, when engaging in a hobby or activity, such as drawing, listening to music, playing a sport, going on a run and much more, this is when we are most mindful. Involving the full conscious to our awareness. Connecting mindfulness to the Quaker religion, the Quaker’s would practice mindfulness when interacting with each other to lower stress and strengthen their spiritual unity of god. Mindfulness is meditative teaching that helps demonstrate to people how to be one with yourself and your thoughts and as a result, it helps a person becomes more “mindful” in the sense that you become more aware of your surroundings and where you are in the present. Even though Quaker religion resembles many mindful qualities it is still very diverse. Quaker religion includes the belief of God which is left out in mindfulness. Before a Quaker act on something they “waits on the Lord” (Brame, p.2) and use prayer to be guided. They believe that God speaks to every human naturally and that “God will be heard if one learns to listen.” (Brame, p.2) The reason why Quaker religion contrasts to mindfulness is that mindfulness is more internally. A mindful person is concentrating more on what they need to work on rather than what God wants them to work on. Even though both Quaker and mindfulness practices have the same goal to be present and to practice spirituality it is both examined in a different way.
Spirituality is the belief in something greater than oneself, and the Quakers were very spiritual because they believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. Spirituality means something different to everyone. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. The Quakers beliefs were centered around god. Spirituality was the basis of living, they understood that commitment to love God and Neighbor, their doctrine. The religious event is sometimes called a Quaker meeting for worship or sometimes called a Friends church service. This religious tradition arose among Friends in the United States, in the 19th century, and in response to the many converts to Christian Quakerism during the national spiritual revival of the time.
Comparing to mindfulness and spirituality, I believe that Quakers were more spiritual in nature. They would practice mindfulness when interacting with each other to lower stress and strengthen their spiritual unity of god. Quakers were more mindful than spiritual.
My three themes, in which I picked to correspond to my beautiful question, are as following; responding to god’s call, Quakers and the afterlife, and turning within. The first theme, responding to god’s call, the rediscovery by ordinary men and women of a sense of the immediacy of God is one of the most distinctive aspects of Quakerism. The writings of early Friends are full of stories of "meetings with God" and of "being led by the Holy Spirit". Sometimes these experiences helped their understanding. Sometimes it was an awareness of something that had to be done as part of God's purpose on this earth. "This is what needs to be done – and you are to help do it". It is common to both Judaism and Christianity. My second theme, Quakers and the afterlife, Quakers do not consider a life after death as a reward for virtue, or as a compensation for the suffering in their lives on earth. Neither has the fear or threat of damnation been used to induce Friends to live better lives. The Quaker view of what happens beyond death is firmly rooted in the experience of this life. My third and final theme, turning within, this is an essential element of the Quaker spiritual journey. At some point, the seeker discovers that god, the Light, the Holy Spirit has been dwelling inside all along, inwardly present in a quiet and humble way that was often easy to dismiss or ignore. At the beginning of Quakerism, one did not become a Quaker merely through seeking, or even through discovering the indwelling divine presence.
Some historical context of the Quaker religion, the Quaker movement arose in the mid-17th century in England. The Quakers were members of a historically Christian group known as the Society of Friends, which was founded by George Fox in 1652. The name "Quaker" was a nickname used by others, as it was said that they connected with the religious devotion. Friends have since adopted the term and today the words Friend and Quaker have the same meaning. There were meetings of the kind later associated with the Quakers before there was a group by that name. Small groups of Seekers gathered during the Puritan Revolution
Mary Dyer was born with the name “Marie Barrett” in 1611, and lived till the age of 49. She was an English and colonial American Puritan who turned Quaker who was hanged for repeatedly defying a Puritan law banning Quakers from the colony. Mary Dyer boarded a ship for England, and stayed there for over five years, becoming an avid follower of the Quaker religion that had been established by George Fox several years earlier. When Dyer returned to Boston from England, she was immediately imprisoned, and then banished. Defying her order of banishment, she was again banished, this time upon pain of death. Deciding that she would die as a martyr if the anti-Quaker laws were not repealed, Dyer once again returned to Boston and was sent to the gallows in 1659, having the rope around her neck when a reprieve was announced. Not accepting the reprieve, she again returned to Boston the following year, and was then hanged to become the third of four Quaker martyrs. Mary Dyer's time in England lasted for over five years, and during her stay she had become deeply taken by the Quaker religion established by George Fox around 1647. Formally known as the Society of Friends. A quote that I use from Mary Dyer, an English and colonial American Puritan who turned Quaker, “This is to me the hour of the greatest joy I ever had in this world. No ear can hear, no tongue can utter and no heart can understand the sweet incomes and the refreshing of the spirit of the Lord, which I now feel.” This quote connects to spirituality, in which the Quakers would connect themselves to something bigger than each individual. Mary Dyer
I believe the answer to my beautiful question would be that the Quaker religion was more related to Mindfulness. They would practice mindfulness when interacting with each other to lower stress and strengthen their spiritual unity of god. I was led to ask this question, after reflecting it to my own belief system.