teesvoice.me.uk

This article which I wrote, was published in The Guardian newspaper on Saturday July 25 2009

A journey of faith is a pilgrimage. It is not standing still, but moving to new places with new perspectives. It involves making changes in believing, belonging, and behaving. As a teenager I made the transition from the unbelief of my parents to journey into faith.

I liked the sense of belonging not only to my own parish church community, but also the wider community of Anglicans. I was challenged in various ways about choices and behaviours for one who had made a Christian commitment. I sought to understand, in order to be able to explain to others, the doctrines I was taught.

During more than 40 years of believing, belonging and behaving in the Anglican tradition, it was the theology that I found the most difficult. I questioned, explored, doubted, and looked for explanations that satisfied me. In the end, it was my failure to find that satisfaction, and other people’s behaviour, that caused me to look elsewhere for the next stage of my journey in faith.

I moved to Quakers. The open accepting attitude which is typical of belonging to most Quakers meetings, is heart-warming, refreshing, and unusual among faith communities. Quakers are often prepared to accept known ex-offenders (with appropriate boundaries and safeguards) to their meetings, and help them rebuild their lives. Quakers are, for the most part, ready to accept and celebrate committed relationships – whether first or second-time marriages, or same sex relationships which so many church communities find difficult.

The novel “Notes from an Exhibition” by Patrick Gale illustrates ways in which the Quaker community supported the family whose mother had bi-polar disorder. Most Quaker communities have this gentle acceptance (and indeed sometimes cherishing) of difference.

Quakers are strong too on behaving. Quaker testimonies to peace, simplicity, equality, integrity, to the sustainable environment, and a concern for people who are poor, treated unjustly, or vulnerable, are daily lived out by Quakers.

Quakers are less clear about believing. We have a traditional refusal to have a creed that all members must subscribe to. The Quaker community coheres around a common tradition and way of doing things rather than a common way of describing beliefs: orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy.

While some British Quakers have a concept of the divine which is close to the classical orthodoxy of Christian tradition, many have difficulty in agreeing the words that adequately describe their experience of the numinous. Christ is the divine saviour for some, whereas perhaps the majority of British Quakers value Jesus as an inspiring teacher, an outstanding prophet, and source of the values that characterise the Quaker way. In this, many Quakers have an understanding of Jesus with which both Unitarians and Muslims would have a large measure of agreement.

Quakers deeply value the experience of inspiration, insight, discernment, and shared experience of “the divine” we find in regular sharing in largely silent worship, interspersed with ministry from any person who feels drawn to speak.

I have found the Quaker community one in which I have been able to continue my journey of faith without the burden experienced by many in other churches who search beyond the bounds of a narrow orthodoxy. So many such searchers have been criticised, ostracised, or forced to keep silent by those who feel threatened by their readiness to explore radical concepts.

Quakerism, which emerged as a Christian reform movement at the end of the Reformation, sought to shed the accretions of formal practice, abstract theology, and hierarchical abuse in the churches of 17th century England. Nowadays, British Quakerism has a considerable contribution to make in different forms of practical service, whether in the criminal justice system, international peace work, or creative spiritual exploration.

I am grateful to have found a community of faith that can accept that my journey may be different from others, but is supportive, accepting, and open to fresh ideas – from whatever source they may come. It is a community which nurtures creative thinking, accepts difference, and offers a healing peace to those who have been hurt by circumstances or by other people.

In my theology, my spirituality, and my attitudes and relationships, I am in a different place on my journey from where I was five or ten years ago. I expect to have moved on, in ways I cannot anticipate, in the next five or ten years. I am very glad to have a found the Quaker community in which that is understood, accepted, and indeed encouraged.

Just hot air?

Under the headline – “Steel Blast – Boro chief and mayor roast MPs over Corus (Gazette 14.12.09) Andy Passant reported Steve Gibson saying on behalf of himself and Ray Mallon ” We have got five Labour seats here. If the steelworkers lose their jobs, we are going to work our socks off to make sure the five MPs lose their jobs”.

I wonder what these two gentlemen propose to do now that the general election has been called, and we know that ministers will not intervene in Corus to save the 1600? The response from the government is one that the unions concerned have condemned.

Was it just hot air in December, or have Steve Gibson and Ray Mallon changed their minds? I think it is time to hear from them again about this assertion. I have written a letter to the Editor of the Gazette asking this very question. However they have not published it after two weeks. I wonder if this is due to an exaggerated respect for these two gentlemen, or a distinct bias by the Gazette towards the sitting MPs.

Can Middlesbrough have an M.P. who works for his constituents?

Stuart Bell, Middlesbrough’s Member of Parliament until the General Election was called, has a history of not replying to letters, phone calls, and e-mails from constituents.

I had tried for 10 months to get a meeting with him – but he ignored all my requests to do so.
So I wrote a letter to the Evening Gazette in June. He replied immediately – but still didn’t offer the chance to meet.

Many other people in Middlesbrough have a similar experience.

I wrote to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards – who said it was not part of his role to intervene in an M.P.’s work with constituents.

I tried the Parliamentary Freedom of Information Officer. I wanted to know –
During the period from July 1st 2007 to July 31st 2009

1. How many letters from constituents has Stuart Bell received?

2. How many of these letters have not been replied to within 28 days?

3. How many requests by phone, e-mail, text or letter, asking for a meeting has he:
a) Accepted, and talked to the constituent by phone?
b) Accepted and met with the constituent?
c) Disregarded?

4. How many meetings with constituents has he had
a) at Westminster?
b) In Middlesbrough?

5. The address of the office in Middlesbrough where constituents can have a meeting by appointment with him?

The Freedom of Information Act does not apply to the work of M.P.s! They pass laws to impose requirements on other people – but exempt themselves.

Middlesbrough needs an M.P. who will represent us – not one who avoids us as much as possible.

What can we do about it?