Geoffrey Durham

I have not been going to church; as a Christian, that is not good and yet, it is probably worse to turn up as a conscript, rather than a willing volunteer. When I found an advert (in Private Eye!) For some information upon the Quaker movement, I thought that this was a good opportunity to see if this was a new start.

The book is well written and, for a religious work, pleasingly bereft of preaching. In fact, that is almost part of the problem (for me): Mr Durham paints a picture of an show more religion without prejudice - it does not matter if one is black or white, male or female (so far, so good) it also seems not to matter whether one believes in God or not. This seems to be just a little too liberal, for my tastes, and sadly, I do not envisage that I shall be taking this any further. This makes reviewing the book a little tricky - it is, as I said previously, well written and, I feel sure, an accurate picture. The Quakers come across as decent people and the knowledge of their belief system makes me feel more sympathetic towards them, it is simply that I do not feel it to be my path. It is a pity that the Church of England cannot be as open: I cringe each time I hear the powers that be telling me that they want to open the ranks of the clergy to women, but that we must allow those who want a male vicar to chose to be bigoted! I guess that I'm just hard to please. show less

Quakerism is a religion of doing, not thinking. They base their lives on equality and truth; they work for peace, justice, and reconciliation; they live adventurously. And underpinning their unique way of life is a spiritual practice they have sometimes been wary of talking about. The author answers the question clearly and without jargon.

Provides an excellent overview and introduction to Quaker faith and practice. Includes a helpful discussion of Quaker testimonies, long excerpts from the writings of George Fox, Mary Pennington, John Woolman, and Pierre Ceresole; and brief excerpts from a variety of other Quaker writers.

"So what do you believe?" It's the question Quakers are always asked first and the one they find hardest to answer, because they don't have an official list of beliefs. And Quakerism is a religion of doing, not thinking. They base their lives on equality and truth; they work for peace, justice and reconciliation; they live adventurously. And underpinning their unique way of life is a spiritual practice they have sometimes been wary of talking about. Until now. In What Do Quakers Believe? show more Geoffrey Durham answers the crucial question clearly, straightforwardly and without jargon. In the process he introduces a unique religious group whose impact and influence in the world is far greater than their numbers suggest. What Do Quakers Believe? is a friendly, direct and accessible toe-in-the-water book for readers who have often wondered who these Quakers are, but have never quite found out. show less