Why QUG? (Why the Quaker Universalist Group exists)
Our name ‘Quaker Universalist Group’ suggests that QUG is both Quaker and universalist. Let us take each word in turn.
We are a Quaker group. Most, but not all, of us attend a Quaker meeting. Many of us are members of the Society of Friends.
We are officially Quaker, in that we are a ‘Quaker Recognised Body’, approved by Meeting for Sufferings. We are not another just church or group.
The second part of our title is ‘universalist’. We are not ‘exclusivist’. This is expressed clearly in the affirmation which was set out by our founders: Spiritual awareness is accessible to everyone of any religion or none, and no one person and no one faith has the final revelation or monopoly of truth. Such awareness may be expressed in many different ways. We delight in this diversity.
It is significant that the first word in our statement in ‘spiritual’. We cater for people who seek answers to spiritual questions – What is life for? What lies beyond the material world? How should we behave? What happens when we die? What/who is God? Who am I? – and so on.
Then we go a step further: universalists don’t see answers to these questions in one religion or world view. They believe that answers can be found in all religions and world views. QUG provides people with the opportunities to find out such answers.
The implication is that if we want to know the truth, if we want to know what is ultimately of value, the answer will lie in some way ‘behind’ or ‘beyond’ or ‘within’ all these different world views.
We provide a safe unifying space for people who are seeking a way to find meaning, belonging and purpose to sustain their individual and social lives. Diverse spiritual views and beliefs are welcome. People are encouraged to listen respectfully to others and to learn from them. Each person is thus enabled to build their own universalist views and contribute to an overall universalist vision.
We exist to support those Quakers who attend a meeting but who do not feel at home because the ethos of the meeting is predominantly Christian and there is opposition to universalist ideas. Indeed, some people who attend universalist events do not feel at home in any Quaker meeting, and do not attend one. Even those universalist Quakers who are comfortable in their own meeting need help in putting their views forward to their fellow Quakers.
A key aspect of Quakerism is that we should take our own responsibility for finding answers to spiritual questions: they are not handed down from ‘on high’ through a preacher, a sacred book, a guru, or whatever. So it is the task of QUG to present a range of possible answers, so that people can make up their own minds.
QUG in all its activities – e.g. its conferences, its literature, its meetings for worship and sharing – tries to present a variety of views, ideally presented by people from different faiths or no faith, as well as approaches trying to bring these different views together.
Quakerism has values which can be found across a wide range of beliefs. These include love and compassion for all, and our testimonies of equality, peace, simplicity and truth. When we explore spirituality in all faiths and none we are guided by these values.
The Quaker Universalist Group aims to
- provide a forum where we can explore and learn more about our own and other people’s spiritual awareness, with openness, tolerance and compassion, and without censure
- uphold and encourage one another in our Universalist approach to the spiritual life, including supporting those Quakers who may feel isolated in their Meetings because of their views on spiritual matters
- encourage people in their understanding of the wide range of beliefs and views in the world concerning spiritual awareness and practices
- be a resource in exploring and debating the different and sometimes contentious views about spiritual matters that exist
- reach out to join with other Universalists around the world so that together we may deepen our spiritual practice, in whatever form that takes.
To carry out our aims, we
- hold an annual conference
- hold a monthly online meeting for worship and sharing
- publish a journal, Universalist, twice a year
- publish books and pamphlets
- send out a regular newsletter
- advertise within the wider Quaker community so that those of a like approach know that we can offer support
- liaise with other groups with similar aims
- manage a website, https://qug.org.uk