DOCSLIB.ORG

Deep Vegetarianism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Deep Vegetarianism CHAPTER A Historical-Ph ilosophical Overview 1. Learning from the History of Vegetarianism Two approaches to the history of ideas have relevance to the topic of vegetarianism. One of these is the view, suggested by William James (1842-1910), that theories pass through three “classic” stages: “First, you know, a new theory is attacked as absurd; then it is admitted to be true, but obvious and in- significant; finally it is seen to be so important that its adver- saries claim that they themselves discovered it.”’ James’s metatheory about theories may be applied to ideas equally well. A catchy but oversimplified formula, it derives its force from the notions that the truth will triumph, and that a baptism by fire must first be endured by positions that initially defy con- ventional wisdom, human prejudices, or vested interests. Usual examples include such theories as the fundamental equality of all human beings, the heliocentric solar system, the evolution of species, and the nonexistence of absolute truth. While some 1 2 Chapter 1 might contend that vegetarianism is an idea whose time has ar- rived, it seems unlikely that, even if this were so, such a claim could be construed as implying that vegetarianism has passed through all of these stages, let alone the first. Vegetarianism-long well-established in the East-is no longer being ignored in the West by such prominent portions of society as opinion-makers, publishers, and the service sector, but it is still frequently subject to ridicule and hostile/aggres- sive or suspicious/skeptical interrogation. It is somewhat easier to place attitudes toward vegetarianism on a scale of develop- ment or evolution if we acknowledge that the broader concept of animals as beings having or deserving moral status-an ini- portant ground for vegetarianism-is itself in its infancy in terms of social acceptance, normative affirmation, and public advocacy. One could scarcely expect vegetarianism, when seen as a specific implication of this moral status, to be any further along in its journey toward general cultural endorsement. The second way of perceiving the history of ideas that relates to vegetarianism was put forward by Daniel A. Dombrowski, and focuses on its “intermittent” or “phoenixlike” quality: “Of- ten an idea is suggested, held to be true for a while, then ig- nored, finally to be rediscovered. But if the idea is ignored for too long, the rediscoverers may consider themselves discover- ers.”* Dombrowski maintains that Western philosophical vege- tarianism is properly viewed as “an idea with a history of nearly 1,000 years in ancient Greece. Then the idea curiously died out for almost seventeen hundred years. After such a long dor- mancy, all that remained of the idea was ashes, out of which blooms the phoenix of contemporary philosophical vegetarian- ism.”3 Arguments for vegetarianism are accordingly reaffirmed in a way that is reminiscent of the cyclical manner in which the history of Western thought has been peppered with such an- timetaphysical views as Greek skepticism, medieval nominalism, Humean skepticism, the “Scottish School” of common sense, logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, and the “end A Historical-Philosophical Overview 3 of philosophy” theories. The difference, however, would appear to reside in the fact that in relation to vegetarianism-at least if we adopt Dombrowski’s position-a process of reinventing the wheel is at work. A certain amount of truth in the “phoenix” view of the his- tory of ideas cannot be denied. For example, S~renKierkegaard (1813-1855) pointedly suggested that there are those who for- get “what it means to be a human being,” adding that “the ex- isting individual who forgets that he is existing will become more and more ab~entrninded.”~It is just as easy to forget what it means to exist as a humane being. And when we forget, we even- tually have to remind ourselves of the meaning. Or, as G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) would observe, the history ofideas, like the history of anyhng else, reveals a dialectical process in which be- liefs are initially championed, then scorned, then reaffirmed in an enriched, “higher” form. Hence some acquaintance with the historical sources of vegetarian thought not only generates an appropriate sense of humility but also imparts greater depth to our understanding of its contemporary manifestations. The two perspectives on vegetarianism outlined above are neither incompatible nor exhaustive. We are not forced to choose between mutually antagonistic views about the history of ideas in general and of ideas about vegetarianism in particu- lar. Perhaps vegetarianism has, in some meaningful sense, been rediscovered of late in the West. But the contrasting “baptism of he” image also captures central features of the attempt to es- tablish vegetarianism as a mainstream or socially normative idea. Indeed it might be argued that it is precisely because vegetari- anism has not fully emerged as a guiding idea (or ideal) that it can be periodically rediscovered and relaunched. Even when a particular idea is triumphant-and vegetarian- ism is far fi-om being proclaimed victorious-it is not exempt fi-om having to be rediscovered yet again, after an age of forget- fulness, at some future time. It seems to be the fate of Western and other nonindigenous peoples always to be recovering or un- 4 Chapter 1 earthing the lessons of the past, many of which they themselves have intentionally buried or are actively erasing. And maybe this fateful condition of rediscovery, inasmuch as it is part of the di- alectic of moral enlightenment, ought not to be despised. For perhaps it keeps vegetarianism vital and progressive as it gains ever-greater acceptance within new historical contexts. Beyond the two theories concerning the history of ideas discussed above lies another perspective: that an idea such as vegetarianism may be percolating through the ages in a sub- terranean and subversive, countercultural manner. It is this PO- sition I shall adopt in the discussion that follows. There are of course plenty of nay-sayers on the issue of whether we can learn from history. We all know the adage that “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to re- peat it.”s This may be perceived by some as a warning rather than as a pronouncement on the possibility of benefiting from a close scrutiny ofthe past. But other voices are even more neg- ative. Hegel, for instance, opined that “what experience and history teach is that peoples and governments have never yet learned from history, let alone acted according to its less~ns.”~ And Henry Ford (1863-1947) once notoriously declared that “history is more or less bunk.”7 Presumably Hegel would have exempted the history of ideas from his own censorious gener- alization, for otherwise he should be at a loss to explain why his approach to so many subjects, philosophy not least among them, was historically constructed in a painstaking and highly self-conscious manner. Sound ideas, for Hegel, grow organi- cally out of a fertile seedbed of past hunches, inklings, insights, and partially correct attempts to understand; out of a process of trial and error in the search for knowledge. Perhaps, then, we may reasonably expect to be rewarded by an investigation into the ideas that lie behind modern vegetarianism. And yet here too we find detractors. The author of an arti- cle on vegetarianism in the Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics claims that “in this particular subject no sound inferences as to A Historical-Philosophical Overview 5 modern problems can possibly be drawn from any records of the past.”* This seems an astounding statement from a scholar of religious studies, a field that is inevitably historical. And we would do well to ignore such counsel, for while it may be granted that knowing about vegetarian tendencies of the past cannot tell us all we need to know concerning the tendencies of the present, such historical knowledge is nevertheless instruc- tive for several reasons. First, it demonstrates that vegetarianism is not merely an isolated or faddish aberration of our era or of any other. Second, it illuminates the origins of particular argu- ments as well as their various expressions and amplifications over time. Third, it explains how vegetarianism and its promi- nent proponents relate to certain historical contexts. Fourth, and most important for our purposes, it enables us to appreci- ate the complexity and power of vegetarianism by recognizing the diverse sources of the positions that support it. These dif- ferent dimensions are best explored in their entirety within the framework of a comprehensive historical study of vegetarian theories and practices, which the reader is encouraged to seek in works such as those listed in the Bibliography.9 My goals in this chapter are much more modest: to connect contemporary arguments in support of vegetarianism with important histori- cal precursors, and to illustrate, by taking a careful look at the ancient philosopher Porphyry (c. 234-c. 305 CE), how “mod- ern” certain early views about vegetarianism have been. 2. Antiquity and the Special Case of Porphyry The most striking feature of the history of vegetarianism is its length. Some scholars suggest that prehistoric hominids were vegetarians and develop their case at considerable effort. lo Per- haps more persuasively (or at least less speculatively), it has been claimed that from observations of present-day tribal groups our ancestors were basically omnivorous scavengers who were nonetheless “semivegetarians.”l This seems scarcely very 6 Chapter 1 illuminating, however, both because the evidence is thin and because our interest is in vegetarianism as a product of modern critical reflection, not of sheer necessity. For these reasons I shall not discuss this debate hrther here (but see Chapter 7, Section 4).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Of Becoming and Remaining Vegetarian
    Wang, Yahong (2020) Vegetarians in modern Beijing: food, identity and body techniques in everyday experience. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/77857/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Vegetarians in modern Beijing: Food, identity and body techniques in everyday experience Yahong Wang B.A., M.A. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social and Political Sciences College of Social Sciences University of Glasgow March 2019 1 Abstract This study investigates how self-defined vegetarians in modern Beijing construct their identity through everyday experience in the hope that it may contribute to a better understanding of the development of individuality and self-identity in Chinese society in a post-traditional order, and also contribute to understanding the development of the vegetarian movement in a non-‘Western’ context. It is perhaps the first scholarly attempt to study the vegetarian community in China that does not treat it as an Oriental phenomenon isolated from any outside influence.
    [Show full text]
  • A Non-Violent Politics? Vegetarianism, Religion, and the State in Eighteenth-Century Western India
    Divya Cherian, Draft: Please do not cite or quote without the author’s permission. A Non-Violent Politics? Vegetarianism, Religion, and the State in Eighteenth-Century Western India Divya Cherian Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis Scholarly discussions of the place of non-human animals in Hindu and Jain ethics, ritual, and everyday life generally place the principle of ahimsā or non-injury at the very center. An adherence to non-injury is an ethical injunction imposed by these two major South Asian religions (in addition to Buddhism) upon their practitioners. In principle, the Jain, Buddhist, and Vaishnav insistence upon non-injury is a universal one, that is, their ethical codes do not make a distinction between human and non-human animals as objects of compassion and non-injury. At the same time, Hindu and Jain attitudes towards animals are complex, even inconsistent. While in certain respects, neither Hindu nor Jain thought draws a distinction between the jiv (soul) of a human and a non-human, both religions do in other contexts differentiate among and hierarchize different types of beings. Taking differences in the potential to attain liberation from the cycle of birth-death-rebirth as the metric, both Jainism and Hinduism place humans at the pinnacle of a hierarchical conception of life forms. Despite this complexity in their approach to the distinction between humans and animals, the law codes of Jainism and several strands of Hinduism nonetheless enjoin upon their followers an adherence to non-injury towards all life forms. This however was not always the case.
    [Show full text]
  • 219 No Animal Food
    219 No Animal Food: The Road to Veganism in Britain, 1909-1944 Leah Leneman1 UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH There were individuals in the vegetarian movement in Britain who believed that to refrain from eating flesh, fowl, and fish while continuing to partake of dairy products and eggs was not going far enough. Between 1909 and 1912, The Vegetarian Society's journal published a vigorous correspond- ence on this subject. In 1910, a publisher brought out a cookery book entitled, No Animal Food. After World War I, the debate continued within the Vegetarian Society about the acceptability of animal by-products. It centered on issues of cruelty and health as well as on consistency versus expediency. The Society saw its function as one of persuading as many people as possible to give up slaughterhouse products and also refused journal space to those who abjured dairy products. The year 1944 saw the word "vergan" coined and the breakaway Vegan Society formed. The idea that eating animal flesh is unhealthy and morally wrong has been around for millennia, in many different parts of the world and in many cultures (Williams, 1896). In Britain, a national Vegetarian Society was formed in 1847 to promulgate the ideology of non-meat eating (Twigg, 1982). Vegetarianism, as defined by the Society-then and now-and by British vegetarians in general, permitted the consumption of dairy products and eggs on the grounds that it was not necessary to kill the animal to obtain them. In 1944, a group of Vegetarian Society members coined a new word-vegan-for those who refused to partake of any animal product and broke away to form a separate organization, The Vegan Society.
    [Show full text]
  • New Additions to CASCAT from Carlisle Archives
    Cumbria Archive Service CATALOGUE: new additions August 2021 Carlisle Archive Centre The list below comprises additions to CASCAT from Carlisle Archives from 1 January - 31 July 2021. Ref_No Title Description Date BRA British Records Association Nicholas Whitfield of Alston Moor, yeoman to Ranald Whitfield the son and heir of John Conveyance of messuage and Whitfield of Standerholm, Alston BRA/1/2/1 tenement at Clargill, Alston 7 Feb 1579 Moor, gent. Consideration £21 for Moor a messuage and tenement at Clargill currently in the holding of Thomas Archer Thomas Archer of Alston Moor, yeoman to Nicholas Whitfield of Clargill, Alston Moor, consideration £36 13s 4d for a 20 June BRA/1/2/2 Conveyance of a lease messuage and tenement at 1580 Clargill, rent 10s, which Thomas Archer lately had of the grant of Cuthbert Baynbrigg by a deed dated 22 May 1556 Ranold Whitfield son and heir of John Whitfield of Ranaldholme, Cumberland to William Moore of Heshewell, Northumberland, yeoman. Recites obligation Conveyance of messuage and between John Whitfield and one 16 June BRA/1/2/3 tenement at Clargill, customary William Whitfield of the City of 1587 rent 10s Durham, draper unto the said William Moore dated 13 Feb 1579 for his messuage and tenement, yearly rent 10s at Clargill late in the occupation of Nicholas Whitfield Thomas Moore of Clargill, Alston Moor, yeoman to Thomas Stevenson and John Stevenson of Corby Gates, yeoman. Recites Feb 1578 Nicholas Whitfield of Alston Conveyance of messuage and BRA/1/2/4 Moor, yeoman bargained and sold 1 Jun 1616 tenement at Clargill to Raynold Whitfield son of John Whitfield of Randelholme, gent.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams
    THE SEXUAL POLITICS OF MEAT A FEMINISTVEGETARIAN CRITICAL THEORY Praise for The Sexual Politics of Meat and Carol J. Adams “A clearheaded scholar joins the ideas of two movements—vegetari- anism and feminism—and turns them into a single coherent and moral theory. Her argument is rational and persuasive. New ground—whole acres of it—is broken by Adams.” —Colman McCarthy, Washington Post Book World “Th e Sexual Politics of Meat examines the historical, gender, race, and class implications of meat culture, and makes the links between the prac tice of butchering/eating animals and the maintenance of male domi nance. Read this powerful new book and you may well become a vegetarian.” —Ms. “Adams’s work will almost surely become a ‘bible’ for feminist and pro gressive animal rights activists. Depiction of animal exploita- tion as one manifestation of a brutal patriarchal culture has been explored in two [of her] books, Th e Sexual Politics of Meat and Neither Man nor Beast: Feminism and the Defense of Animals. Adams argues that factory farming is part of a whole culture of oppression and insti- tutionalized violence. Th e treatment of animals as objects is parallel to and associated with patriarchal society’s objectifi cation of women, blacks, and other minorities in order to routinely exploit them. Adams excels in constructing unexpected juxtapositions by using the language of one kind of relationship to illuminate another. Employing poetic rather than rhetorical techniques, Adams makes powerful connec- tions that encourage readers to draw their own conclusions.” —Choice “A dynamic contribution toward creating a feminist/animal rights theory.” —Animals’ Agenda “A cohesive, passionate case linking meat-eating to the oppression of animals and women .
    [Show full text]
  • This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G
    This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Joseph Ritson and the Publication of Early English Literature Genevieve Theodora McNutt PhD in English Literature University of Edinburgh 2018 1 Declaration This is to certify that that the work contained within has been composed by me and is entirely my own work. No part of this thesis has been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Portions of the final chapter have been published, in a condensed form, as a journal article: ‘“Dignified sensibility and friendly exertion”: Joseph Ritson and George Ellis’s Metrical Romance(ë)s.’ Romantik: Journal for the Study of Romanticisms 5.1 (2016): 87-109. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7146/rom.v5i1.26422. Genevieve Theodora McNutt 2 3 Abstract This thesis examines the work of antiquary and scholar Joseph Ritson (1752-1803) in publishing significant and influential collections of early English and Scottish literature, including the first collection of medieval romance, by going beyond the biographical approaches to Ritson’s work typical of nineteenth- and twentieth- century accounts, incorporating an analysis of Ritson’s contributions to specific fields into a study of the context which made his work possible.
    [Show full text]
  • A Diet for a Sensitive Soul: Vegetarianism in Eighteenth-Century Britain
    A Diet for a Sensitive Soul: Vegetarianism in Eighteenth-Century Britain Anita Guerrini While vegetarianism has a long history in Western culture, it reemerged forcefully in late seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain. Three main motivations for vegetarianism converged in this period: religious, medical, and moral. In addition, a vegetarian diet entered mainstream medical and popular thought in the works of the physician George Cheyne. By the time of Joseph Ritson's Essay on Abstinence from Animal Food in 1802, however, vegetarianism was about to rejoin the irrational fringe, exemplified in the nineteenth century by Sylvester Graham and his followers. 1 In this essay, I shall focus on three vegetarians of the period: the radical hatter Thomas Tryon (1634-1703), George Cheyne (1671-1743), and the man of letters Joseph Ritson (1752-1803). Cheyne's work, especially his Essay of Health and Long Life (1724) and The English Malady (1733), defined the nascent concept of the sensitive character and explicitly connected it to diet and lifestyle. To Cheyne, a vegetarian diet was preeminently a diet for the sensitive soul. Over the century, the sensitive soul negotiated a path from the overtly religious Tryon to the covertly religious Cheyne to the professedly antireligious Ritson. To each, in addition, vegetarianism was part of a wider critique of contemporary society. Tryon was one of a number of religiously motivated vegetarians in the period following the English Civil War. 2 The context of his ideas can be delineated by examining an earlier
    [Show full text]
  • HRC Study of Current & Former Vegetarians & Vegans
    Photo: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Study of Vegans Currentand and FormerVegetarians ! Team: Kathryn Asher, Che Green, Dr Hans Gutbrod, Mirna Jewell, Dr Galina Hale & Dr Brock Bastian • Sponsors: Animal Welfare Trust, VegFund, FARM & Stephen !Kaufman, MD • Acknowledgements: Jack Norris, Nick Cooney & Matt Bear! © Humane Research Council 2014 initial findings initial • december 2014 december !Introduction! This HRC study estimates the number of current and former vegetarians/vegans and examines potential factors in people’s decisions to either adopt or give up a vegetarian or vegan diet. Given the large and complex nature of the study, the findings are being released in phases. This first set of findings compares individuals who currently eat a vegetarian or vegan diet with those who have been vegetarian or vegan in the past but now consume meat. These are early and correlational findings and so have limitations. The full methodology, including the stringent criteria used to identify current and former vegetarians/vegans, is presented in the Companion to the Initial Findings report, released alongside this document. The companion document also includes detailed tables. The study’s sample is very large (over 11,000 respondents) and is generally representative of those aged 17 and over in the U.S. While others have estimated the number of current vegetarians/vegans using a representative sample, this study is the first to estimate the number of former vegetarians/vegans in the U.S. using a representative sample.! ! Key Takeaways & Recommendations (based on what we see in the data at this initial stage)! In the U.S., there are more than five times the number of former vegetarians/vegans compared to current vegetarians/vegans.
    [Show full text]
  • Durham E-Theses
    Durham E-Theses Animal rights & human identity: a polemical quest for authenticity O'Neill, Pamela Susan How to cite: O'Neill, Pamela Susan (2000) Animal rights & human identity: a polemical quest for authenticity, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4474/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Pamela Susan O'Neill, University of Durham, Department of Anthropology. Thesis submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Social Anthropology Thesis Title: Animal Rights & Human Identity: A Polemical Quest for Authenticity Abstract This thesis examines the hypothesis that 'The conflict between animal advocates and animal users is far more than a matter of contrasting tastes or interests. Opposing world views, concepts of identity, ideas of community, are all at stake' (Jasper & Nelkin 1992, 7). It is based on a year of anthropological fieldwork with a group of animal rights activists.
    [Show full text]
  • Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography As an Eighteenth-Century Omnivore's
    Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography as an Eighteenth-Century Omnivore’s Dilemma Dana Medoro University of Manitoba Custom makes killing, handling, and feeding upon flesh and blood, without distinction, so easy and familiar unto mankind. And the same is to be under- stood of men killing and oppressing those of their own kind. […] If men have but Power and Custom on their side, they think all is well. Thomas Tryon (1634–1703) My refusing to eat Flesh occasioned an Inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my Singularity. Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) lthough Benjamin Franklin tried his hand at virtually every intel- Alectual pursuit the eighteenth century had to offer—from scientific inven- tion and music to politics and philosophy—he always referred to himself as the “printer of Philadelphia.” And although he died a rich and internation- ally renowned man, he paints a vivid picture of himself in the early pages of The Autobiography as a half-starved runaway stuffing bread into his mouth as he wanders through Philadelphia looking for somewhere to sleep. Having just escaped his violent brother, to whom he had been indentured as a printer’s apprentice, Franklin sets into motion what he came to stand for in and beyond the revolutionary era: the promise of a self-made man, free from tyranny and caste. Keeping a sense of this promise or potential ESC 36.4 (December 2010): 91–107 at the surface of his recollections, he skilfully crafts his autobiography according to a philosophy of character as something made, broken down, and reassembled, like a composed form of moveable type in a printing Dana Medoro is press.
    [Show full text]
  • Vegetarianismamong
    The Society ofofEnglish English Studies l45 Vegetarianism among Quakers through History Tomoko YAMAGUCHI I) Introduction Thesc days many people are becoming concerned their health, and are getting interested in playing sports or reyiewing their life style, especially their way of eating. Because it involves one of our most basic bodily needs, eating could be said to be one of the most important and fundamentai matters in our daily life. One of the ways achieving a health life style, living only on vegetables, Vegetarianism, has been practiced for many years and continues today. Of course this practice contains several concerns such as health, peace, preservation of animals, religious matters, and so forth. Vegetarianism was also practiced by some Quakers in earlier days. Now they have a special pamphlet, the Friendly Vegetarian. It seems that interest in Vegetarianisrn has come to be more popular than bcfore among Quakers, I am interested in what QuakeTs think about their dieting life style, as a whole, religiously as well as spiritually. Their ways of thinking on their dieting life style is related to the idea of an ecological environment. In this I am to discusshow paper, going Quakers have advocated the natural way ef eating, and its connection with the histerical movement of vegetarianism. In addition, I invcstigated how Quakers, considering their health, have tried to continue eating well. II) The Historical Background of Quakers The rnovement of started Quakerism in 1652, yet the ideas were first preached by George Fox in 1647. His main philosophical ideas are described in one of the Quakers' "His cookbooks, Quaker Ftavors, A Cookbooh published by Williston Friends Meeting: `that `Light' `Christ centrar thought was of God', a oT within' every man; that the Divine Being epcrates directly upon the human life and the spiritual life begins when the individual becomes aware and sets himself to obey Him." In Quakerism, this concept is oftefi NII-Electronic Library Service The Society ofofEnglish English Studies t46 Tomoko YAMAGUCHI "faith" "truth".
    [Show full text]
  • Thomas Tryon, 1634 .. 1703
    Thomas Tryon, 1634.. 1703. s Baptists we are sometimes charged with claiming, on the slightest pretext, any considerable person as an adherent. A Claims need to be distinguished by our critics and our­ selves. For instanoe, the broad assertion that John Milton was a Baptist, 'apart from some qualifying epithet, may be too inclusive; for the full oonfessions of faith, the genius and temper of the Anabaptists of the seventeenth century, in England, least no spell upon him. It was our practice with regard to baptism by immersion he approv·ed; the integrity of our mode, when traced to primitive precedents, he endorsed. It may be in one point of oontact only, that men may be in harmony with us; this should be scrupulously indicated. Candour and precision should characterize our statements; we must not be more courteous in our inclusions, than jealous in our disclaimers. Thomas Tryon, the subject of this brief sketch, held no ambiguous relation to our body at one period of his life. This he makes abundantly clear in his .. Memoirs." He was in full fellowship with a church of .. Anabaptists" in London for a period; was the genuine contemporary of John Bunyan-being bom six years later-and must have read some of the stirring pamphlets of John M:ilton still wet from the press. He is here introduced simply as an illustration of the influence of Baptists in London during the seventeenth century upon the young lif.e of the country, that then, as now, poured into the Metropolis. Though he did not r·emain in fellowship with our people, his first inspirations to a singularly noble life were re­ ceived from them.
    [Show full text]