“Concierge to the Godless” — Niiiice.

— Amanda
April 28, 2009, 9:39 am

Hi, I saw you on c-span last night and your talk was incredibly interesting. If I had been in the audience, I would have asked you a question about being Quaker. I live in Philadelphia which is “the Quaker City” but only recently have begun to appreciate how fantastic are the Quakers. For example, the older neighborhoods here have been hard hit by poverty and urban blight but if you look closer you will often find Meeting Houses and other lasting imprints of the Quakers. Tucked away are beautiful, enclaves of trees and grass in very peaceful settings, hidden behind the ravaged urban landscape. I found two of those places last summer and was so surprised because I had never noticed them before. Also in the last few years there have been serious political controversies here in the city and of course nationally with the war and torture. I’ve gotten involved and have been discovering the Quakers because they sometimes lend their spaces for organizing events. And a group of Quakers in my neighborhood gather in public protest against the war and have been doing so ever since the start. Their consistency has impressed me, especially since the urgency of their protest has gained meaning over the years. So I think the Quakers are fantastic. It’s a rich faith tradition. In contrast with the Catholicism that I was raised in which valued conformity and strict obedience, the Quakers are all about speaking up. So my question, or observation, is that maybe you were more influenced by being raised Quaker than it seemed at the time. They’re not very pushy people. Good luck with your book.

— MB
May 10, 2009, 9:06 am