alpharaposa | Oct. 14th, 2002

According to the SelectSmart.com Belief System Selector, my #1 belief match is Orthodox Quaker. What do you believe? Visit SelectSmart.com/RELIGION

As I do so often on socialogical tests, I found myself qualifying my answers as I selected them. Not enough options. Still, not far off.. I wish I know how Lok (kepulver) does the extra link thingy. Oh, well, I'll just have a really long post....

Belief in Deities and Incarnations: There is a Trinity of the Father (God), the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit that comprises one God Almighty. God is personal and incorporeal.

God is very personal to me - one reason I don't pester my friends with calls to Christianity. The trinity - hell, yeah. I'm a firm believer in the St. Patrick's clover leaf model. As for incorporeality, it's probably more accurate for me to say that God has a body/form/something, but it doesn't have the limits of time/space that we do.

Incarnations: Jesus Christ is God's only incarnation. God is manifest within all as the light. Jesus possessed the light to the highest degree and is "the Light" within.
Yes, that pretty much sums it up. We all have a little God in us - except for those that choose to remove themselves from God entirely (like, say, Satan).

Origins of universe/life: The most orthodox Quakers hold to authority of the Bible, and the Book of Genesis - that God created all in less than seven days and less that 10,000 years ago. But many would maintain that a Biblical "day" is not a literal 24 hours.

As has often been put: "God's time is not our time." God gave us reason. Reason led to science. Science sheds light on the universe God made. While I have met many who couldn't reconcile science and religion, I usually have very few problems with it.

After death: Most orthodox Quakers believe in direct reward and punishment, heaven and hell, the second coming of Christ and resurrection of the dead (similar to conservative Christian).

This was one of the questions I chafed at. See, I don't believe heaven or hell is something you get after all's said and done, all tied up in a bow. Life is a journey. And the important part is which direction you're going. As you travel towards heaven, life gets more heavenly all the time. As you travel towards hell, well, life gets more hellish. Then, when you die, you end up where you were going all the time. No sudden delivery.

Why evil? Some Orthodox Quakers adhere to similar beliefs as conservative Christians - belief in original sin and Satan. Many believe that lack of awareness of God's divine light within, or rebellion against it, is the cause of wrongdoing, and that alienation from God leaves one vulnerable to temptation, or Satan.

I believe that humans start out with a tendency towards evil. Let's face it: kids are not little angels. They squash ants for fun, tear the wings off of butterflies, and hit each other for no apparent reason. They have to be taught to share, to play without pushing, and to be nice to each other. Anybody who thinks that we're born wonderful needs to take a second look at childhood.

Salvation: Some Friends churches include rites of baptism and communion, but sacraments to God are most often considered to arise from inward experiences, a personal encounter with God, rather than church ritual. Salvation is found internally through union with Christ, the divine Light within all. Many Quaker churches, e.g. Evangelical, believe similarly to Conservative Protestant, that salvation is a free gift from God, with faith, independent of good works. Yet, moral behavior and good works are viewed as essential to showing faith and obedience to God. Good works, such as humanitarian service, social justice, and peace efforts are an expression of Christian love. Simplicity and humility are viewed as essential to living a Christian life.

Or, as I was taught in Confirmation Class; baptism and confirmation are important because they are public signs of one's inward intentions, promises, and covenants with God. If you lived alone in the desert, God would accept your worship. It doesn't matter how you're baptised or confirmed, just so that you make the promises and accept God's grace.

Likewise, you don't have to earn God's grace or love. It's free. Gratis. All you have to do is reach out and take it. Works are necesary to teach yourself how to act in this new path, but not for the salvation itself. It's like taking up jogging to keep one's mind off of nicotine while quitting smoking.

Lastly, self-esteem is overrated. A complex life just wears you out: keep things straightforward, simple, and acknowledge that there are greater things out there than you, and life will be a lot easier.

Undeserved suffering: The most orthodox Quakers maintain that Satan causes suffering. Suffering is allowed by God as part of His divine will and plan. Quakers focus on reducing human suffering, especially that caused by social injustice or violence.

We don't really need Satan to be evil or cause suffering, but there is evidence (to my eyes) that there are some folks out there whose evil is beyond what a normal human mind can casually dream up. Satan is the nasty little kid who lives to push people over that stand on the cliff edge.

Contemporary Issues: Contemporary Issues: Social betterment programs and nonviolence are fundamental to Quakerism. Some Orthodox Quaker churches are very accepting of homosexuality and others condemn it as contrary to God's will.

I have mixed feelings about a lot of social betterment programs. I don't mind 'em.. I just mind when it's a government doing 'em. I suppose the phrase put not your trust in princes fits me. One reason why I avoid the Democratic party when at all possible.

Homosexuality.. erg.. though I suspect this may get some rough comments, I do believe that two guys having sex is wrong. Of course, I also believe that premarital sex is wrong, along with adultery. I don't feel it to be a huge, you're going to hell, sort of issue, though. I put homosexual sex on exactly the same level as premarital sex. It's a sin, but I don't expect everybody to see things my way, especially the way our messed up society is.

Though it wasn't mentioned in the list, I support abortion and I don't. I don't approve, but I realize that there are times and situations where it's the best solution out of a real mess. People get themselves talked into things in spite of their better judgement and.. pregnancy. Though, I saw a recent article that noted that abortions are declining because fewer college-age women are getting pregnant (because of a fear of AIDS). They're just not having sex to start with. Smartest choice, I feel.