Quakers have as one of our core values the testimony of "Simplicity." This applies to everything from the way we spend our money to the kind of cars we drive. In particular though, this simplicity has been most manifested by the traditional form of dress associated with Quakers, i.e. "The Quaker Oats Man." Historically, Quakers…
Category: The Spirit
Second Life and the limits of religious tolerance
Doing my duty as event guy at New World Notes, I’ve been noticing that there are lots and lots of events being sponsored by a new Hare Krishna group in SL. Which has made me wonder, what are the limits of religious tolerance in Second Life?
The portable Quaker meeting
We had a beautiful Quaker meeting for worship in Second Life this morning with about 16 or attenders filling the benches . I had recently discovered that if you put your computer to sleep without logging out of SL, the program sort of freezes the last scene in place. When you re-open your computer, it appears…
James Turrell: Quaker artist who paints with light
I had the distinct pleasure of being at an inspiring lecture this evening by the artist James Turrell, speaking at a peace event put on by the Friends Seminary on 15th Street. Turrell is a Quaker who has spent his whole artistic career depicting light as physical entity with shape and texture and thickness. He…
Second Life Unitarians ask “What does it mean to be a church?” (video)
My friend Otenth tells me that the religious group the Unitarian Universalists have been building an enormously successful presence in Second Life, their regular gatherings now pushing the limits of the Modesta sim they are in (teleport SLURL). The UUs, as they are affectionately called, have a number of similarities to Quakers, both coming out…
Thoughts on the first Quaker Meeting for Worship in Second Life
Yesterday I attending the first Quaker meeting for worship in Second Life, organized by Otenth Paderborn, a real life Quaker from the Boston-area. It was an intimate gathering of a dozen or so avatars from all over, most of whom appeared to be members or attenders of Quaker meetings where they lived in the real…
Considering in-world violence as a Quaker pacifist
Catherine Linden posts on the official SL blog that the Linden Lab PR department is looking for "folks who are using Second Life in the pursuit of religious or spiritual ends." As some of you know, I’m a Quaker. Not a great Quaker, but still a member of the Religious Society of Friends. After the…
Seeking the Light in virtuality: Quakers in Second Life
Otenth Paderborn tells me that he has decided to start up a Quaker group in Second Life and is organizing the first Quaker service on Saturday February 10 at 9AM PST at (appropriately enough) Quaker (155, 22, 31) . I am very excited about an in-world Quaker service, although I have my doubts about how…
New Year’s Deep Thought: speaking truth to your loved ones
So I have been thinking about how important it is to surround yourself with good people. And not just because people are happier when they have more friends and family around them. That’s obviously an asset. I often wonder how people get by with just a small nuclear family instead of the army of cousins,…