On Tuesday four friends met at Jill’s house to discuss spirituality and in particular the testimony of peace. Given the present events in Iran we were saddened that war in its most violent tooth and claw was again in action. We decided to look to Quaker Faith and Practice to deeper understand our Society’s pacifist roots. We read passages from Chapter 24 which reflected, over some considerable time from the 1650s to the present, our Society’s thoughts and conscious feelings surrounding war. This led to purposeful discussion during which we deliberated the concerns of wars where some participants have shown morally abhorrent behaviour. No conclusions were reached but we all agreed that, given our individual helplessness in the face of so much violence, it’s good to meet and attempt to come to a greater understanding of these conflicts and what humanitarian actions can be taken.
