ADVICES AND QUERIES ON: SOCIAL JUSTICE
For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me. Matthew 25:35-36.
The pioneering quality of Quaker social work is largely due to the character of the meeting for worship. Silent waiting worship permits a fresh and direct facing of facts under conditions in which the conscience becomes sensitized. … The worshiper is seeking God's guidance for his actions. … A concern develops and with it a sense of uneasiness over a situation about which something needs to be done. Howard Brinton, Friends for 350 Years, 2002, p. 177.
Be not content to accept things as they are, but keep an alert, sensitive, and questioning mind. Understand and maintain Friends’ witness for truth, simplicity, and non-violence, holding up your personal life to these testimonies. Encourage inclusiveness and discourage discrimination. Cherish diversity.
Do we seek to transform the world with our actions in the spirit of love? How can we balance our desire for independence with our need for interdependence with all creation? Are we reaching out to others, providing hope and aid to the homeless and the hungry?
Have we objectively considered the causes of discrimination and are we ready to abandon old prejudices and think anew? Do we, as individuals and as a Meeting, do all in our power to end governmental, social, economic, environmental, and educational injustices in our community, acting to alleviate suffering and pain?
What can we do to address the excessive rates of incarceration of certain segments of our society? How are we acting to improve the conditions in our correctional institutions and to promote the health and well-being of those confined there?
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The advices and queries for October are taken from the new advices and queries document adopted at the July 2012 annual sessions of LEYM. The document is in 16 sections; we publish one section each month. Friends can find the entire document online at http://leymquaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/aq3f2.pdf
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