. I am a bible reading, bible believing follower of Jesus who believes that BYM has not only made a brave decision that will incur distaste from conformist traditions, but has stuck its corporate neck out in a political sense to. Well done!

Personally, I am against second-guessing what God does and doesn’t accept, and leave that up to God. After all, that is why God is God. Besides, who created homosexuality in the first place? Probably the same divinity that created androgynous bears and asexually reproducing fish!

As an aside… the Holy Trinity is not mentioned in the good book, as Tony points out. God is, obviously, so is Jesus (the Son), and the holy spirit. Alas, they are talked of in a rather different way than many of our post-modern brethren seem to think…

If you can’t bring yourself to abide by or respect a decision made by BYM, then perhaps you should not be a Quaker. It sounds harsh, but nevertheless, if you think your own interpretations (or prejudices) are more important than the decision of a gathered meeting seeking the Light, then really you have no place in the Quakers, because that process is our modus operandi.

I say this in love and respect because I have been where you are. It was not a nice place to be.

being Friendly

Tone

I find your last comment strange. Although I don’t read the bible that often I’m sure God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are mentioned in it.

Anyway, you are getting off the thread.

I’ve raised my concerns with a Friend at the meeting I attend and we will see the clerk. I very much hope I won’t have to leave the society but at the moment I can’t see any other way forward.

We are all sinners and I believe welcomed by God into his church but when the society completely supports a sinful act I don’t believe God can accept that.

In Friendship and Spirit

Richard

You write “As an aside, there is no mention of the Bible in the holy trinity.” In fact I think you will find that there is no mention of the trinity in the Bible.

Tony

Replying to Piers’ comments, I do not intentionally mean to upset you or other gay Friends.

However, I also can’t support same sex relationships for the reasons given in my comments. I do not believe this is my own judgement but the will of God.

Replying to Tony’s comments. I left the church of england for various reasons. One of them being the bible led Christianity which is often preached. I believe Christians should follow the Holy Trinity – God, the father, son and holy spirit / inner light. As an aside, there is no mention of the bilbe in the holy trinity. Also I understand there are very few references to gay or same sex relationships in the bible anyway, only one or two and in fact these could even be open to interpreation. My believes I hope are not bible based.

I think most Quakers have always seen the bible as a book written by men who hopefully wrote in the spirit of the inner light / holy spirit. I do not think Quakers have been led by the bible right from the founding of the society and I agree with this. We hope to communicate with God through the inner light in our meetings. I agree we should not worship a book. I disagree with you in that UK Quakers have not been bible based from the start.

Consider this…If Quakers for over three hundred years ‘listened’ to the same God as we hope to ‘listen’ to now how or why has God’s will / opinion with regard to same sex marriages changed in the last forty or fifty years!! Is it a coincidence that the securlar opinion has changed at the same time!! I believe this decision is not led by God but by secular thinking.

I believe Quakers should lead society not the other way around. Quakers should not have changed their opinions, as you state, as we should follow the same God who’s will I don’t think changes.

I agree with you that this decision should be supported by Quakers. It puts me in a very difficult position. I doubt I will remain a Friend which upsets me a lot. However, I do believe marriage is sacred, a blessing from God and this decision is not that of God.

I agree with you that I can’t trust my own judgement either. I disagree that God doesn’t care what we do with our bodies, as they are supposed to be temples of the inner light.

In Friendship

Richard

However, I resolved sometime ago that I would abide by decisions made by Quakers as a gathered group in the Spirit. I cannot trust my own judgement alone.

So, I accept this brave decision ans will defend it. I suspect that it will become part of the Quaker testimony to the world, just as the Peace Testimony has done.

Now that I have reached senior years, I cannot believe that a God of Love and Light really cares what we do with each others’ bodies in the name of love. Prejudice is not of God. Yes,God is a Judge too, but I’m sure that judgement will about the harm that we have done to others, not about the love and commitment we have given them.

Well done BYG. I am proud to have been a part of this ground-breaking decision.

Tone

I’m very troubled to hear yearly meeting has passed this minute allowing same sex marriage.

As a Christian Quaker I believe it’s God’s will only a man and woman can and should marry. Same sex relationships I believe are against God’s will and therefore sinful.

Unfortunately this is another example of how the religious society of Friends is being influenced not by the will of God, the inner light / Holy Spirit, but by activists who do not seem to be lead by God in their ministry but want to take the society away from its Christian roots and believes.

I apologies for upsetting any Friends though I believe it is God’s will to stand up for Christian principles, just as Jesus stood up against the religious leaders of his day and George Fox did the same.

The society should not be lead to accept modern sinful lifestyles and attitudes but should stand against them even if this stance is unpopular.

I believe it’s God’s will that the society should accept homosexual Friends as we are an inclusive society but we should recognise that same sex relationships are sinful. If meetings only accepted Friends who don’t sin then there wouldn’t be any Friends!!

In Friendship and Spirit

Richard

In all these years, it seems the guidance of life and the light that combines us all has been reduced to the politics of self, rather than the pursuit of life.

In combining, life is given. To combine same colors, confusions ensues when the product has no color to see that is good.

Life is what is important; not our own needs. Please be kind to the children, they need our guidance.

Peace