My Childhood with Quakerism and God [CC]

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[fictionalhuman]

The more I hear of Quakerism the more I feel it resonates with me. I maybe need to find some Friends of my own. Thank you for sharing, Jessica!

[thecoolestgingerkid]

Wow a childhood where kids are listened to and valued? 😭💚 sounds like a dream. Minus the fact that they didn’t listen to you on medical issues

[supersaiyanswagger]

I’m an atheist and I absolutely want to pass on to my children that their kind acts should come from them really feeling they want to be kind and helpful and that for them it’s the right thing, and not to do kind acts because it is what a set of religious rules dictate they should do in order to gain a peaceful afterlife for themselves. Be kind because you feel it’s right, not for reward. I really love the Quaker viewpoints, especially respecting children and not speaking down to them

[adamphilip]

Only just started watching but I love the outfit, it looks like you're dressed for an afternoon of scoffing at misogyny and empowering the women of the land with scones at half past 2 😆

[CazAvery]

Fun Quaker history fact! Quakers were also involved in setting up Dispensaries as forms of medical care (started around the 1750s I think). At the time patients had to apply to hospitals, they were expensive (sometimes you needed a wealthy 'sponsor' to even be considered) and hospitals would pick the people they thought were most likely to live - because at the end of the year they could report how many of their patients they'd 'cured' and would likely get more money for having a high rate, so they picked patients more likely to live in the first place. Dispensaries, however, were completely free and placed a lot of emphasis on treating people who had terminal conditions (or 'likely terminal') and making sure that patients could be seen at home rather than being confined to a hospital. Many dispensaries stopped being solely Quaker run by about the 1820s, but the ethos stayed the same (lots of doctors who worked for dispensaries worked for free and had a private practice on the side to make a living) and because of being able to treat more people dispensaries were where a lot of medical advancements took place (like the first proper trials of using a stethoscope in the UK!)
I was raised in a Reform Jewish household. Our opinions were also considered as important as the adults (but I don't know if that was Judaism or my parents) and I went on really great camps and weekends away - made some of my absolute closest friends there! So one big things was the sense of community and belonging that I got from the religious community I was raised in (though sadly it's not guaranteed that someone would get that just from a community, it has to be something that is worked towards by the whole community).
There was always (at camp and at home) a really strong emphasis on 'informed decision making'. Your decision would be respected on the assumption that you had educated yourself and thought a lot about whatever choice you were making. I'd very much like to instil that in any future children, and let them know that their thoughts and opinions are important. We also have a principle called Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World), and that could be broad global things like working against Climate Change or it could be much more personal like 'repairing' your relationship to your body if you have a chronic disability, or 'repairing' (in some cases repairing could be 'losing') relationships between friends and family. There was the idea of concentric circles - yourself, your household, your local community, your country, other countries, the whole world. For me the emphasis on trying to make all of those things the best and kindest they could be through making informed decisions was something being raised with Judaism did for me, and I'd like to continue that with my children.

Gosh this got long... can you tell my PhD thesis is medical history and that I'm procrastinating from it :P

[petiteminipizza]

I am an atheist and I am really pleased to learn what Quakerism is. It sounds to me like what religion should be: faith for who wants/needs/feels it, openness and pacifism ^^

[manymuses]

I just want to say thank you.
After I watched your Quaker wedding video I started looking further into friends and such.
The next day I went to meeting, and I never looked back.

If it wasn’t for your video I would have never known about Quakers and I would have never gone to meeting and started along that journey.

[swimmyswim]

Quakerism is a really interesting approach to Christianity. I’m Catholic, I’ve grown up Catholic and feel like it’s the right path for me, but it’s incredibly interesting to see other people talk about their religious backgrounds.

[Andresfin]

When she is a parent i can't wait to see her videos!!!!

[tamaraperez]

I'm a Wiccan and many of your beliefs are similar to mine.

[RegstarRogstar]

quakerism as you present it is rly quacking (ha!) my lil conflicted catholic soul, mrs jessica. everything i hate about my own religion--awful history of past colonialism and imperialism, ongoing sexism, stuffy hierarchy, rigid conservatism, to name a few--not only seem to not be present in quakerism, but here people seem to genuinely believe in equality and justice for all, even before it was cool to do so! the way children are deemed equal with the adults! the sheer determination to always do good, and the actual history of quakers fighting for the good of the people! its amazing. sure, i have to study more about this, but everything ive heard about it from you is so... fascinating. especially for me, a citizen of indonesia where religion and conservatism are being used as justification for unjust practices and divide between people.
my view of religion hasnt been so good ever since i grew out from adolescence, learning about the sad truths about these religions, but learning there is a religion out there who has been this progressive since this long ago is really pleasantly surprising. sadly there are no quaker community in here as far as i know... i really want to see how the meeting goes. im kinda jealous of your upbringing, maam :"

[lifeonlowbatteries]

Y'all the Kellgren-Fozard club is SO WORTH the five-ish dollars/pounds per month. You get a lot of cool things, and you also get to support a fantastic YouTuber. Glad to be a supporter. Thanks for the video Jessica. The more you talk about Quakerism the more I feel like it matches with what I feel like I believe. I am inspired to learn more!

[dsalazarm]

Something you sort of said but didnt name as a Quaker thing is teaching by example when it comes to your children and having no double standards; which i think is very much the ‘let your life speak’ part of quakerism.

[greenelf]

....I just realised I may well have been a Quaker my whole at last a diagnosis ... makes so much sence as to why I just could not sit well with the religious religiosity of religion ...rather the black sheep than a blind sheep. Powerful stuff you're putting out into the ethers. Thank you Jessica....

[decadentnight]

You look beautiful in that outfit and hat! Also I'm an atheist because of the way Christianity was forced upon me as a child. Growing up in the deep southern US it was like there was no other way to be. But man if I'd met a Quaker family I probably would have become one. I feel the same way you do about peer pressure and morals etc, naturally. Its crazy talk to many Christians here when I try to tell them I don't need their beliefs to be a good person. Many love to exclaim that Atheism=bad and immoral so many Ive encountered won't open up to the idea that. I choose who I want to be and how I act, its not up to a preacher or outside source.

[nadavlocklear]

I was raised in a rather traditional Christian household. My mother believed that the woman tends to the children, cooks, cleans, does whatever she is supposed to to make her husband/family happy. My dad worked and played as head of the household. Since I was raised in such a way, homosexuality, tattoos, intercourse, and various other "sins" were heavily frowned upon. No one in my family supports any of the decisions I have made for myself. For me, religion is the most toxic thing I have ever encountered. I believe in The Most High but I feel like now I may have to choose Him or the life I want to live. It's sad, really, and so exhausting. I live with guilt every day for who I am and what I wanted for my future. I can only hope to be so at peace with myself as you are.

[Sentientmatter]

Now that the, "one day when you have a child " has come, I'd be fascinated hearing about how you work through the various challenges of child rearing from a Quaker perspective and approach. If that is something you both feel comfortable sharing of course. Best wishes!

[awesomechic]

I grew up with very religious parents, who while absolutely trying their best to connect and understand my situations were very limited by their religion in doing so. When I came out as queer my mother did support me the best she could, but in the end when I looked at her and asked her if she thought my queerness, which had brought me the best things in my life, was a sin and something that was wrong with me, she couldn't give me the answer I needed to hear. When I was young my father died, and the comfort for that was limited instead of facilitated by the religious community around me. I was told that in heaven humans loved everyone equally, which my contrarian mind immediately translated into: if you love everyone in the same way, it isn't really love, as I was sure that each person not only should be loved in different ways but if they weren't it would be denying their identity. My father would then no longer love me like his daughter but in the exact same way that he loved everyone. When I brought this concern forward, it was confirmed, and when I expressed doubt to the religious leader he told my mother who then lectured me. That was the beginning of the end I think. Soon I decided I couldn't reconcile the religion I had been raised in with who I was and what I believed to be true, so I became an atheist. It caused a huge rift in my family and is still something that we haven't fully repaired from. As I grew up I lost the atheistic certainty my teenage rebellion taught me, and have moved into a much more nebulous space. My faith lies in myself, and my instincts, and I trust that there is some order to how things are made, but I also know that it isn't my job to understand that order. I find a lot of religions align in part with that belief system, and am very casually dipping my toe into many of them, but I am not sure I could ever become a part of a religious group again. I try to learn lessons from the ones that exist, but at this point, I trust myself much more than I can trust any unified group. That may change, but it is what it is for now. I'm sure I am oversharing at this point, but yeah, I just thought I would share anyways. I hope when I have a child I can use my fluidity in faith to avoid the mistakes my own parents made, to give my child grace and space wherever they need it, but I worry about them connecting deeply to a religion that hates me because there are so many that do. I don't want to limit them, so I guess all I can do is teach love and embracing of differences the best I can, but I still worry. I suppose my desire to give my child freedom has to come with a cost just like my parent's desire to have me follow their path had.

[firewordsparkler]

I'd also love to see an episode about the history of activism in Quakerism

[johnmcdonald]

Yes, I was raised very religious. I have my own belief system now, but even as a small child I did not embrace my mother's belief system fully. Over the decades, my belief system has evolved and morphed dramatically.