The Belief-O-Matic Quiz, share your results!

[Porter Doran]

Well, I'll venture one truth: If we you are speaking of are attracted to the "primitive Christianity" so uniquely represented in Mr. Fox (and in such as his erst-Anabaptist friend, Mr. Nayler), then Evangelical Friends are too modern (think: Billy Sunday) and General Conference types too un-Christian (think: zen meditation) to attract us. My mother was convinced in college and for years I and my siblings dreamt of returning to the Friends but our love of Jesus seemed to prevent that.

In short, why is a Fox-esque, Christian Quakerism practically extinct? We'll live in "Belief-o-Matic" quizzes and history books, and attend Anabaptist, emergent, and house churches until you Friends can face that question in a way that affects the world.

The Friends of Truth are dead, but if you love them you should not be surprised to find throughout the world some vestiges of grieving.

[charley63]

Originally Posted by Porter Doran

The Friends of Truth are dead, but if you love them you should not be surprised to find throughout the world some vestiges of grieving.

I think you are wrong, and I speak as a post-Christian FGC Quaker. Martin Kelley is right to be hopeful that a new Christian form of Quakerism may emerge in the next decades. I have long believed that if a Christian Quakerism had been around in the early 80s, it might have drawn me in, and lots of peace and justice oriented Evangelicals.

Peace! Charley

[Porter Doran]

Are you objecting to my language's overlooking a few people you've admired, or are you objecting to something definite? I'd like to understand.

[charley63]

I am saying that there is potential for a new form of Christian Quakerism to actually emerge in the next decade. I took your comment as asserting it was a lost, though noble, cause.

[charley63]

And, FYI, my B-o-M results:

1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (94%)
3. Liberal Quakers (90%)
4. Orthodox Quaker (79%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (77%)
6. Neo-Pagan (76%)
7. Nontheist (73%)
8. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (72%)
9. Taoism (68%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (64%)
11. New Age (61%)
12. Jainism (59%)
13. Baha'i Faith (56%)
14. Sikhism (53%)
15. Reform Judaism (50%)
16. Hinduism (49%)
17. Seventh Day Adventist (46%)
18. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (44%)
19. Scientology (35%)
20. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (35%)
21. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (33%)
22. New Thought (32%)
23. Eastern Orthodox (32%)
24. Islam (32%)
25. Orthodox Judaism (32%)
26. Roman Catholic (32%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (23%)

[Porter Doran]

I eagerly await a resurrection. I am not standing over the grave, however ... George Fox is dead; Jesus is not.

[Martin Kelley]

Porter, who are you waiting for? There's not going to be any engraved invitation. Jesus never said this was easy. I agree that it's hard to find Christ-led Christians. That's why we have to find each other. There are some in Evangelical churches, some in liberal Friends meetings, some wandering in anabaptist or emergent circles, and some feeling alone on internet discussion boards. We don't have institutional backing but we don't need that. Jesus didn't need it. Fox didn't need it. Look how many people are checking Friends out because of that Beliefnet quiz. The world is hungry for the message that Friends have held. And with the internet, it's crazy easy to find each other. We're not battling lions or crossing choppy seas in twenty-foot-long boats.

At some point I realized that there were more people who would be Friends if Friends were really Friends than there are Friends today (got it? good). Who cares that a lot of the institutional Friends today are too embedded to "get it." We do, so let's start testifying. I don't care if you call yourself emergent, Anabaptist or neo-post-Orkian as long as you follow Christ's instructions on your heart. You've got a list of 45 Friends and seekers within two hours of you who have expressed some sort of interest in "primitive Christianity revived." I can personally testify that some of the people will knock your socks off.

I like reading old Quaker journals. They put things in perspective. One of the things that's constant in them is the palpable feeling that the church is in decline and will soon disappear into mediocrity. I laugh out loud when a 18th Century traveling minister visits Philadelphia yearly meeting and bemoans it's encrusted spiritlessness. Fox's opening was that we can't put our faith in men or in human institutions. There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to your condition. He's still here. He's still talking. There's nothing to grieve.

[Porter Doran]

I am not and have not been waiting on Friends (or anyone else). As I am not a Friend, I can do nothing for Quakerism. So: What Friend will?

Thank you very much for the link.

At some point I realized that there were more people who would be Friends if Friends were really Friends than there are Friends today

Exactly.

We don't have institutional backing but we don't need that. ... follow Christ's instructions on your heart. ... There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to your condition. He's still here. He's still talking.

Amen. Thank you for this.

[jursparks]

1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%) 2. Liberal Quakers (94%) 3. Unitarian Universalism (88%) 4. Orthodox Quaker (85%) 5. Reform Judaism (73%) 6. Theravada Buddhism (70%) 7. Mahayana Buddhism (69%) 8. Baha'i Faith (65%) 9. New Age (65%) 10. Taoism (64%) 11. Neo-Pagan (62%) 12. New Thought (61%) 13. Jainism (60%) 14. Secular Humanism (58%) 15. Hinduism (57%) 16. Sikhism (56%) 17. Seventh Day Adventist (55%) 18. Scientology (52%) 19. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (52%) 20. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (51%) 21. Orthodox Judaism (46%) 22. Eastern Orthodox (42%) 23. Roman Catholic (42%) 24. Islam (39%) 25. Nontheist (35%) 26. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (30%) 27. Jehovah's Witness (18%)

[Elpolloloco]

I just tested it, and it is actually very accurate. I put in what I believed about two years ago (solidly conservative christian), and I got conservative christian as the top answer. Orthodox Quaker was tenth, and liberal Quaker was very low. So yes, it is possible to not be a Quaker.

As for my actual results

1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (95%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (92%)
4. Reform Judaism (91%)
5. Mahayana Buddhism (88%)
6. Baha'i Faith (84%)
7. Jainism (82%)
8. Orthodox Quaker (81%)
9. Sikhism (78%)
10. Theravada Buddhism (78%)
11. Neo-Pagan (75%)
12. New Age (68%)
13. Orthodox Judaism (68%)
14. Taoism (65%)
15. Islam (64%)
16. Hinduism (62%)
17. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (57%)
18. New Thought (54%)
19. Secular Humanism (53%)
20. Seventh Day Adventist (50%)
21. Scientology (47%)
22. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (45%)
23. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (39%)
24. Eastern Orthodox (35%)
25. Jehovah's Witness (35%)
26. Roman Catholic (35%)
27. Nontheist (31%)