Diversity

There’s been a lot of chatter on the Quaker blogmass recently about things like classism, racism, heterosexism, etc. What it boils down to, ultimately, is that American Quakers seem to have a problem with diversity.

I asked the question in one of my earlier posts about this topic whether it’s our theology or our practice of worship that could just not appeal to certain classes. Jeanne rightly pointed out that the question I was posing itself was biased. Looking at it now, she’s absolutely right. The core assumption of that question was that an entire group of people would find the same things appealing or not appealing. That’s prejudice, pure and simple.

When she pointed this out to me, I denied it at first, saying that wasn’t really what I meant. I had to go out immediately after; during that car ride I felt extreme discomfort because I realized that what she was saying was true. I don’t know if I’m still prejudiced against working class people or not; I’d like to think not. But her shining that Light on me, making me see something I didn’t want to see, was helpful.

As Quakers, I offer us a challenge: when you meet someone new, don’t make any judgments about that person. Don’t assume you know anything about that person’s race, class, sexual orientation, level of education, even sex… The only assumption we are, in fact, called to make about each and every person is that they, like us, are in possession of part of the Light. They, like us, have that of God in them. They, like us, can communicate directly with the Divine.

If we as Quakers could live up to that challenge, I think we’d have fewer problems with diversity.