Quaker Thought and Today
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April 1989 Quaker Thought FRIENDS and Life OURNAL Today MYTHOLOGY AND THEE DARKNESS, DAYLIGHT, AND DISCERNMENT THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE Edltor-ll•n•ger Among Friends Vinton Deming Assocl•te Editor Melissa Kay Elliott Art Director Barbara Benton Renewing Our Advertising ll•n•ger Timothy Back Clrculetlon •nd Office Coordlnetor Commitment Nancy Schoerke T,.,esettlng Servlc- James Rice and Susan Jordhamo important event is scheduled this month that deserves Friends' Secret.r~•l Services special attention. It will be called "Lighting the Torch of Jeanne G. Beisel Bookkeeper Conscience" and is to occur April 14 in Atlanta, Georgia. James Neveil On that morning a summit gathering of sorts will take place, Volunt..... attended by representatives of most of the major religious bodies in Jane Burgess, Emily Conlon, Bruce Hunt, and Amy Weber our country. National religious leaders will convene at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Change to consider the Bo•rd of M•neg.... /986-1989: Jennie Allen (Secretary), Dean Bratis, serious implications of capital punishment in our country. An Helen Morgan Brooks, Sol A. Jacobson, Leonard interreligious service is planned at the tomb of Martin Luther King, Kenworthy, Mary Mangelsdorf, Linell McCurry Jr., at which a symbolic torch will be lighted. Individuals will be (Clerk), Janet Norton, Elizabeth S. Williams 1987-1990:· Frank Bjornsgaard, Emily Conlon asked to sign a statement calling for the abolition of the death (Assistant Clerk), Marcia Paullin, penalty, and a campaign against capital punishment is to be William D. Strong (Treasurer), Allen Terrell, Mary Wood announced. 1988-/991: Nancy Cocks, Barbara Dinhofer, Sam To place this event in some perspective, let me cite a few recent Legg, Parry Jones, Richard Moses, Harry Scott, figures relating to the death penalty (prepared by the NAACP Legal Larry Spears, Judith Randall, Alan Walker, Ellie White Defense and Educational Fund in New York): Honor•ry M•n...... • Since the Supreme Court opened the way to a resumption of Eleanor Stabler Clarke, Mildred Binns Young capital punishment in 1977, there have been 106 state executions (as FluENDs JOURNAL (ISSN 0016-1322) was of Theodore Bundy's death in Florida on January 24). established in 1955 as the successor to The • Currently 39 states have death penalty laws. Friend (1827-1955) and Friends Intelligencer (1844- 1955). It is associated with the Religious • Executions have occurred in 13 states, the largest number being in Society of Friends, and is a member of the Texas (29). Associated Church Press. • 38 percent of those executed have been black, 55 percent white. • FluENDs JoURNAL is published monthly by • There are 34 states with death row populations. Friends Publishing Corporation, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497. (215) • The total number of prisoners on death row is 2,182, the largest 241-7277. Accepted as second-class postage number being in Texas (284). paid at Hanover, PA_ 17331. • Subscriptions: one year $15, two years $29, The NAACP figures reveal a particularly distressing fact: the crime three years $43. Add $6 per year for postage victims of those executed were largely white (86 percent). So ·not only outside United States, its "possessions," are death row populations disproportunately black, NAACP leaders Canada, and Mexico. Foreign remittances should be in U.S. dollars or adjusted for point out, but their victims have been predominantly white. currency differential. Sample copies $1 each; Prosecutors seem less likely to call for the death penalty-judges and back issues $2 each. juries less likely to find guilty verdicts-when whites are accused of • Information on and assistance with advertising is available on request. Appearance capital crimes against blacks. This argument has been rejected to date of any advertisement does not imply by courts asked to overturn existing death penalty laws. endorsement by FluENDs JOUllNAL. Historically Friends have stood firmly against capital punishment. Copyright © 1989 by Friends Publishing Corporation. Reprints of articles available at Our meetings and organizations have made strong statements over the nominal cost. Permission should be received years and have taken steps to lobby for change. The following words before reprinting excerpts longer than 200 words. Available in microfilm from University are from a statement prepared by Friends United Meeting in 1960. Microfilms International. May they help to inspire each of us to renew our commitment to work for the abolition of state authorized killing. We oppose capital punishment because it violates the gospel we proclaim, and promotes the evils of vengeance and injustice through the agencies of government Postm•ster: intended to advance righteousness and justice. We believe the Christian way to nncl eclcl,_s ciNine- to deal with crime is to seek the redemption and rehabilitation of the offender, Friends .loum•l, promote penal reform, and work more diligently at the task of preventing crime. 1101 Cherry St., Phlleclelphl•, PA 18102·1487. 2 April 1989 FRIENDs JOURNAL April 1989 FRIENDS Volume 35, No. 4 JOURNAL Features Departments 6 Mythology and Thee 2 Among Friends Greg Pahl Joseph Campbell challenged us to rethink the framework 4 Forum that shapes our lives. 5 VIewpoint 8 Darkness, Daylight, and 23 Witness Dlscemment Keith Smiley 24 Reports Our sensitivity supplements our eyesight. 25 Friendly Funnies 10 Wandering Attention During 26 News of Friends Worship 28 Bulletin Board Katherine Green-Ellison Wandering thoughts are like the child within that needs to 30 Books be loved. 32 Resources 12 The Quaker Tapestry 34 Milestones Gay Nicholson Anne Wynn- Wilson started out intending to cover "awful 36 Calendar walls" with Quaker history. 36 Classified 14 Quarles and the Awareness 38 Meetings Exercise Renee Crauder A daily rhythm of reflection helps us focus on our Poetry spiritual center. 11 Interlude 15 A Universality of Spirit Laura Nell Morris Janet N. Riley New Bonds of Friendship Tatiana Anthony Manousos Kudryartseva (left) and Hills Janet Riley Vasily Belov (see page 15.) A unique U.S.-Soviet publishing venture comes to fruition this month. 20 Organizing for Planetary Protection Bob Cory Cooperation, vision, and commitment are contributions Front cover art is a drawing done from Costa Rican Quakers can make to environmental stewardship. goldwork, taken from American Indian Design and Decoration (Dover Publications, Inc.). FllmNDs JOURNAL Apri/1989 3 Forum Not Persuaded I bet if we channel some of the great cannot but agree with chapter 9, verse energy spent defining ourselves into 29, of the Bhagavadgita: "I look upon Regarding Larry Miller's report (FJ giving humanity more of the fruits of our all creatures equally; none are less dear Oct. 1988) on Reagan presenting the film testimonies, we would then come to learn to me and none more dear. But those Friendly Persuasion to Gorbachev, I am who we really are. who worship me with love live in me, greatly offended by that act and his Joel Sartorius and I come to life in them." Might it reported comments. Reagan is not a man Philadelphia, Pa. possibly be fruitful to let transformations of peace and certainly no pacifist. He is just happen from the heart, and not by directly responsible for an insane military I haven't read enough of John invoking a theology of group-approved build-up and the direct commission of Woolman or Robert Barclay to know if least-common-denominator statements, violence in Lebanon, Libya, Grenada, Barbara Olmsted's conclusions are Fox's "airy notions."? and Nicaragua, plus supplying arms to be correct. I do know proof-texts can be David K. Trumper used to suppress minorities in Israel, El misleading. I have read enough George Peekskill, N.Y. Salvador, Angola, and many other places Fox to know that he preached Jesus resulting in the deaths of thousands, Christ as the only way. He also said Just what is this "Inner Light" and mostly innocent bystanders. As far as there was that of God in every person, "God within" that we Quakers are sympathy with pacifists, he signed the and to those who would listen, that supposed to respect? Are they, really, Sullivan Act, which prohibits loans to indwelling Spirit would reveal the truth anything more than trite expressions students who refuse to sign for the draft. about Jesus Christ. which have been in existence for The president's act in presenting the From personal experience I know that hundreds of years and are spoken film is a gross act of cynicism. God does honor the earnest seekings of a because "they sound so Quakerly?" person even while that person is far from Could it possibly be (though we have Silas B. Weeks him, and God is faithful to shepherd us gotten to the place because of higher Eliot, Maine through all our wanderings in false education, philosophical concepts, beliefs. God does not desire that any psychological discourses, etc.), that we and a Response should be lost. have so concerned ourselves with our The ultimate question, though, is own thinkings that we have completely There are good reasons (Silas Weeks "What does God say?" Is it true that forgotten "who, or what, is BOSS?" has mentioned some of them) to be Jesus Christ is the only way? God is the Any person who is employed by cynical about Ronald Reagan. I do think only one who can answer that question. another knows that the boss is very he has had a change of heart in respect Christ has come to teach his people important and has the power to hire, to the Soviet Union and more particularly himself. fire, promote, etc. Individuals who have regarding Chairman Gorbachev. Diane Benton their own business also have a boss in the Obviously no pacifist and no social Oklahoma City, Okla. form of customers. Each and every justice advocate, President Reagan seems person who has a "boss" should pay to want to go down in the history books Barbara Olmsted's article on the much attention to the boss.