Both science and religion rest ultimately on our contemplation of the natural world. To survey any beautiful scene without distraction is to become aware of an incredible creative process that has raised all things up from the formless dust, that infuses everything with vitality and energy, that maintains balance and lawfulness, and that illuminates each order of living things with a degree of wisdom suitable to its estate. We become aware that human existence is a part of this great web, we are humbled, and we ask what response is called for from us so that we might play our role properly in this great unfolding drama. Some religionists disparage what they call nature mysticism as a counterfeit spirituality. In truth, it is not a counterfeit spirituality but the foundation, the essence, and the core of the religious sensibility." Daniel Seeger, past director of Pendell HIll 1 As Daniel Seeger so beautifully intimates in a recent Friends Journal article, Quakers should, and do, respond enthusiastically to the approach of the Journey of the Universe. A special edition of the Quaker Eco-Bulletin in 2006 was dedicated to showing how the current worldview that devalues people and creation is now being challenged by new scientific stories about the emergence of the Universe, the planet Earth, and its life forms, and the processes that have evolved to sustain life. In many ways these scientific stories reflect and support ancient Earth-centered wisdom about the human-earth relationship now being reclaimed and incorporated into some contemporary spiritual practice. 2 As Brian Swimme says in the film: we aren t living on the earth, we are participating in it. This awareness of the life force of all things that connects us is related to the central Quaker tenet, as much as there are tenets in the Society of Friends, our more formal name: there is that of God in everyone, for many this becomes, there is that of God in everything or there is that of 1 Daniel A. Seeger (2010) Why Do the Unbelievers Rage? The New Atheists and the Universality of the Light. Friends Journal, 56 (January): 6-11. Pendell Hill is a Quaker study center outside of Philadelphia. 2 Keith Helmuth, Judy Lumb, Sandra Lewis, and Barbara Day Changing World View and Friends Testimonies. Quaker Eco-Bulletin, Vol. 6, 4(July-August 2006), pg. 1. Accessed at http://www.judylumb.com/qeb-6-4-ecotheology.pdf, October 15, 2014.
God in all creation. If we become aware of that of God, then we must act in accordance with the recognition of relationship. Thomas Berry names this the In other places, Berry s language that the universe is a communion of subjects eloquently expresses the Quaker desire to recognize, and respond to, that of God in every thing. The Quaker Eco-Bulletin devoted to the telling the story of the universe puts it this way: Since Earth itself, and everything on it, is an expression of this essentially unnamable, yet pervasive, fecundity of the Universe, we can understand that of God as moving in all forms and creatures. The motion of Creation is in every animal, every plant, every rock, every form and process of Earth. In worship, we seek to find the inner light of the divine, to be open to that of God. 4 Or as the Friends General Conference (the organization that represents unprogrammed or silent Quakers) Quaker finder webpage states: We hold ourselves open to the Light and reach for the divine center of our being. We know the center to be a place of peace, love, and balance, where we are at one with the universe and with each other. 5 It is worth noting that this understanding of our faith and practice is a central communication on the webpage that is for seekers or those inquiring about the Society of Friends. It is that central. Thus, there is a deep openness to the revelation in 3 Thomas Berry, The Universe Story: Its Religious Significance. 4 Keith Helmuth, Judy Lumb, Sandra Lewis, and Barbara Day Changing World View and Friends Testimonies. Quaker Eco-Bulletin, Vol. 6, 4(July-August 2006), pg. 1. Accessed at http://www.judylumb.com/qeb-6-4-ecotheology.pdf, October 15, 2014. 5 http://www.fgcquaker.org/connect/quaker-finder. Accessed October 24, 2014.
understanding the story of the universe that Thomas Berry has so eloquently pronounced: Each Quaker seeks to center down, to find their own inner light, that is one manifestation of the light of Christ, of the divine, of God or however it is named. Because Quakers consider that each person finds the inner Light in their own path and perception, it has long meant that Quakers are open to different spiritual paths. Although their origins are Christian, and a majority worldwide would still see themselves as Christian, Quakers are open to the spiritual insights of all religious traditions. There is no conflict with seeing the story of the universe, as so eloquently told in the Journey Of the Universe, as a sacred story capable of illuminating all aspects of our lives. What Journey does, is help us to see the need for earth literacy, for understanding the intricate relationality and balance woven into the story of life s existence on our planet earth. Indeed, the movement for Earth Literacy, closely association with the work of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, has been very influential among Friends. One popular Quaker presenter Brad Stocker, describes his work in ways that are directly related to the Berry s telling of the new story: My simplest definition for Earth Literacy, the elevator one I use is this: Earth Literacy begins with knowing and understanding the implications of the science 6 Thomas Berry, The Universe Story: Its Religious Significance. Pg 569
story of the creation and the evolution of our Universe and Earth told with an infusion of spirituality. 7 The special edition of the Quaker Eco-Bulletin, after laying out the story of the evolution of the universe, goes on to discuss cultural evolution and economics and the new consciousness before explicitly connecting it with the guiding testimonies of Quaker life: simplicity, peace, integrity, equality, community. Since this special edition explicitly makes the connection, I will quote in its entirety the outline of Keith Helmuth; his interpretation of each testimony follows in italics. Simplicity Functional approach to the arrangements of life and work; non-acquisitive; frugal; unadorned; spiritually centered; attentive to direct experiences and relationships. Subsidiarity Direct decision making at the most immediate level of participation on matters of local and regional concern; anchoring life and livelihood in local and regional communities; production, use, and recycling of goods and services within local and regional economies. Peace Nonviolent living; conflict prevention; conflict resolution; relationship building; reduction and elimination of the causes of conflict, violence and war. Human-Earth Relationship Ways of life and means of livelihood that do not violate ecosystem resilience and integrity, or depend on violent and exploitative control of resources; mutually enhancing human- Earth relationship within a context of right sharing of resources. Equality Recognition and practice of dignity and respect; human solidarity; equitable access to the means of life and life development resources. Ecological Footprint Shared life space and life development resources; habitat preservation; biodiversity preservation; cultural preservation. Integrity Truthfulness; ethical consistency; devotion to right 7 Earth Literacy in Befriending Creation, vol.27 no 3 2014
relationship; valuing direct experience and accurate information. Ecological Adaptation Ways of life and means of livelihood that are congruent with the resilience and functional integrity of the biotic environment; active enhancement of ecosystem resilience and integrity. Community Mutual support relationships; cooperative reciprocity; sharing of spiritual and physical commons; ceremonial representation of social life. Social Ecology Mutually enhancing human-earth relationship; fully responsive to environmental processes; mindful participation in the dynamics of interdependence and ecosystem reciprocity. Service Life and work orientation around contribution to human betterment; e.g., human service work, education, provision of useful goods and services, public policy and civic engagement, social justice, economic security. Stewardship Life and work orientation around contribution to mutually enhancing human-earth relationship; e.g., ecosystem restoration; energy use conservation; transition from nonrenewable to renewable energy and materials; local production for local use; green building; environmental education; ecological footprint reduction; overall ecologically sound economic adaptation. As you can see, this Quaker vision of the fleshing out of the universe story mirrors Thomas Berry s The Great Work. Indeed, The Great Work, The Dream of the Earth and Berry and Swimme s The Universe Story are all recommended sources. Quakers trace their commitment to sustainability to the commitment to simplicity and integrity as testimonies that have been central to their faith from their beginnings the mid 1600s in England. The testimony to simplicity meant plainness in dress, speech, buildings and lifestyle. Plainness, as one aspect of simplicity, was seen as a tool of personal discipline and spiritual practice to cultivate an inner connection to the light of Christ in one s heart, and as a path of personal virtue to avoid the distractions of worldly things and the accumulation of
wealth. Thus, there has been an anti-consumption, anti-consumerism bias built in from the beginning; George Fox, perhaps the most influential founder of the group, argued that the accumulation of wealth contributed to war and was a form of violence and advocated the right sharing of economic resources in the interests of social justice. The commitment to simplicity not only allows the individual to be less distracted and therefore closer to God, but also to sense the presence of God in nature. For more contemporary Friends simplicity is valued as an approach to a sustainable lifestyle that is more connected to nature and economic justice and less focused on consumption. This environmental side to the commitment to the simplicity testimony reaches across the Quaker world, connecting theologically liberal and evangelical organizations of Friends. In addition to this clear linking of the core Quaker testimonies, and the resonance with the Quaker theology that there is that of the divine in everything, examining the roots of the Society of Friends also illustrates the attraction to the universe story. From their earliest beginnings, Quakers saw science as compatible, complementary to their faith. Indeed, George Fox, a key founder, sought unity with the creation and a contemporary, Jacob Bauthumley, pronounced that I see God is in all Creatures and every green thing (Bauthumley later became a Quaker, having visited Fox during one of his many imprisonments). 8 William Penn, the noted 17 th C Quaker behind the founding of Pennsylvania, expressed a similar interpretation in his admonition for studying nature For how could Man find the Confidence to abuse it, while they should see the Great Creator stare them in the Face, in all and every part 8 As quoted in the article QEW: A Nature Walk for All Friends by Os Cresson on the Quaker Earthcare Witness website (http://www.quakerearthcare.org/article/qew-nature-walk-all-friends), where it is referenced from Nigel Smith (1983) A Collection of Ranter Writings from the 17th Century. London: Junction Books, p. 232.
thereof? 9 This was not an uncommon sentiment among dissenting groups. John Wesley, writing roughly a century later (1748) declared that God is in all things, and that we are to see the Creator in the face of every creature; that we should use and look upon nothing as separate from God, which indeed is a kind of practical atheism. 10 As John Brooke and Geoffrey Cantor point out in their chapter on A Taste for Philosophical Pursuits: Quakers in the Royal Society in London, Quakers were disproportionately present in the Royal Society (for Improving Natural Knowledge) from the early decades of Quakerism, as the two were founded around the same time-1660s). 11 Their numbers rose steadily so that by 1900, they made up 35% of the Royal Society, a preeminent association of scientists and mathematicians with a royal charter and an exclusive membership. Quakers saw no conflict in studying science, seeing it as one avenue to the truth they sought. Their distinctive approach was apparent in their embrace of Darwin s writings, a pivotal moment in science and religion, as exemplified in the writing and illustrious career of Silvanus Thompson. Brooke and Cantor describe an essay he wrote (1871) roughly a decade after the publication of Darwin s On the Origin of Species: he found nothing upsetting in Darwin s theory since it did not conflict with religion He welcomed evolution because, like other scientific theories, it displayed God s design and purpose in the physical world. 12 Perhaps Quakers were particularly drawn to 9 William Penn. Some Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims (1682) 10 John Wesley, Sermon 23, Upon Our Lord s Sermon on the Mount, III I.11 11 John Brooke and Geoffrey Cantor. Reconstructing Nature: The Engagement Of Science And Religion. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1998. 12 Brooke and Cantor, 1998. Pg 297.
Darwin s work because of the preponderance of Quaker naturalists and botanists, observers of the natural world around them. Both George Fox and William Penn, key early Quakers, emphasized that Quakers should be competent botanists with Fox admonishing that children be taught the nature of herbs, roots, plants and trees. 13 William Penn admonished that It were Happy if we studied Nature more in natural Things; and acted according to Nature; whose rules are few, plain and Reasonable. 14 Interestingly, Brooke and Cantor point out that there were very few Quaker physicists and mathematicians in the first 100+ years of the Society, although many did research on meteorology and astronomy. 15 The Quaker embrace of science was furthered, like that of many Protestant groups, by their approach to the Bible as a source of inspiration, but not a strict foundation and rule book for Christianity for which scientific knowledge might prove to be a challenge. Because of their commitment to the individual s responsibility to listen to their own inner light, form their own views, and from that, seek to live a life of moral responsibility, any doctrinal emphasis on biblical creationism frequently had no appeal. Further, the Quaker practice of discernment based on respectful listening, and seeking to hear all perspectives, meant that scientific truths were not perceived as threatening but rather as illuminating. A key organization of Friends work on sustainability, Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW), points out that the current concept of sustainability is already present in the Quaker 13 As quoted in Brooke and Cantor 302 14 William Penn. Some Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims (1682). This is the same passage that includes the statement: For how could Man find the Confidence to abuse it, while they should see the Great Creator stare them in the Face, in all and every part thereof? quoted above. 15 The lack of physicists and mathematicians, Brook and Cantor point out, may be due to the fact that for most of the 18th century, Cambridge, the primary educational institution for physicists and mathematicians, refused to grant degrees to dissenters. P. 302.
understanding of right relationship that can be traced back to John Woolman ( a key 18th C American Quaker), for if humans are not in right relationship with the more than human natural world, then the Quaker dedication to a world without war and with just social relations cannot be achieved. 16 Perhaps this larger Quaker vision is best summed up in a Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) statement: we are called to live in right relationship with all Creation, recognizing that the entire world is interconnected and is a manifestation of God the Truth that God's Creation is to be respected, protected, and held in reverence in its own right, and the Truth that human aspirations for peace and justice depend upon restoring the Earth's ecological integrity. 17 This notion of right relationship can be seen in the motto of: Seeking emerging insights into right relationship and unity with nature. Both the vision of that of God in every thing, in unity with nature, and the Quaker testimonies such as simplicity and right relations provide a religious cosmology, as Grim and Tucker state more generally, that locates the human in the larger contexts of the universe and Earth processes that provide a deep framework for valuing nature. 18 In the Universe Story, Quakers find their mystical insights, their testimonies as principles of living, and their centuries long commitment to understanding the world through science united in a vision for the 21 st century. It is a new understanding of being in right relations. The Journey of the Universe, in its rich portrayal in film, is a new vision, a new understanding of 16 QEW is an outgrowth of the Friends Committee on Unity with Nature that began in 1987 in response to the work of Quaker and environmental activist Marshall Massey. The name Unity in Nature stems from George Fox s concern to be in unity with the Creation. 17 www.quakerearthcare.org/qewpastandfuture/qew_future/qew_future.htm. Accessed October 27, 2014. 18 John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Ecology and Religion (Island Press, 2014) p.154.
what it means to be human, to be a creature of the universe. As the book version aptly states in it s beginning: every time we are drawn to look up into the night sky and reflect on the awesome beauty of the universe, we are actually the universe reflecting on itself. And this changes everything. 19 On that profound note, I want to end with a poem featured on the QEW website that reflects on what it means for us, through the astronauts, to be able to see ourselves, to not only look up into the night sky but to be able to look back at the place in the universe that we call home. And that vision of the planet earth as a fragile oasis, as astronauts have commented, is part of what changes everything. Epiphany 19 Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker. Journey of the Universe. (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014). P. 2.
Laurel KEARNS Drew Theological School and University