Who and what are Quakers?
There are about 210,000 Quakers across the world including a small community who practice the religion, formally known as the Religious Society of Friends, in Harrogate.
Gilly Charters has been one for 35 years after being brought up by atheist parents.
She and around 40 others worship once a week at the Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade.
Ms Charters explains what drew her to the Christian denomination:
“I came to the Quakers because I needed a place to explore my spiritual life where I wasn’t told how to think or made to sign up to rules or regulations. It provided a place for quiet discernment.
“The whole of life is sacred and we as human beings are sacred. I feel very strongly that true religion leads to respect for the earth and all life on it. These are the really important things for Quakers.”
Quakerism dates back centuries and has its origins in 17th century England. Many Quakers migrated to the USA and the religion is also practiced there.
But its sometimes old-fashioned image has been difficult to shake off.
Some people will have an image of the Quaker Porridge Oats man, with long hair, traditional clothing and hat. Ms Charters said that view of the religion belongs to the past.
“That image tends to mean Quakers are dead and gone or are a very old fashioned people, that we can’t exist anymore.
“But we do exist, there are not huge numbers of Quakers, but we are still active”.
The Friends Meeting House in Harrogate
At a Quaker meeting in Harrogate, Ms Charters says people worship together in silence before speaking messages to each other.
She explained:
“It can be about almost anything. Sometimes people will talk about what things are upsetting to them, for example, people who have experienced bereavement might talk about what that person meant to them in their life.
“Someone might talk about how important the environment is to them, or about what that person is doing to work for a better world. It’s all sort of things.”
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Quakers are not necessarily Christians and they don’t all worship the Bible.
Ms Charters added:
“A lot of Quakers would say they are Christians, it’s about having a sense of God’s presence. What people mean by God can be different. It’s a source of a lot of conservation between people. It’s finding a sense of what’s bigger than us.
“A lot of Quakers believe in Jesus as a historical figure, but their route to this deeper sense of being is not through the life of Jesus, it’s not through death and resurrection. There’s a big variety.”
This weekend the Quakers along with HUFUD (Humanity United for Universal Demilitarisation) are organising a peace conference at the Friends Meeting House.
Many wars have been fought in the name of religion but the peace movement is something that the Quakers strongly identify with.
“I can’t believe in the death penalty because if everyone is unique and precious then how can I be part of a state that sanctions that? The same with war, how can I go and fight against a presence of equal being?
“When people ask me, Why are you a Quaker, I say living on this is earth is hard work so when you’re working you need to be alongside a group of people who work in the same way. It helps keep me grounded.”
To find out more about the Harrogate Quakers, visit their website.
Harrogate to host peace conferenceA conference will take place in Harrogate on September 24 based around the themes of peace and demilitarisation.
It will happen from 10am to 6pm at Friends Meeting House on Queen Parade and has been organised by Harrogate Quakers and HUFUD (Humanity United for Universal Demilitarisation).
The wars in Ukraine and Yemen are expected to be touched upon and speakers will also discuss the environmental impact of war.
Speakers include Columbian human rights activist Angelo Cardona, Shan Oakes & Victoria Wild from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate, Martin Schweiger from Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign and artist and peace campaigner Shahina Jaffer.
It’s free to attend and for a full list of speakers click here.
The day will end at 6pm with a 30-minute peace concert by musicians from the Harrogate Philharmonic Orchestra and guests.
Paul Whitmore from Harrogate Quakers said:
“This will be a good conference to learn more about how the world and individuals are affected by militarism and what you can do to counteract it.”
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Searching for inner peace with Harrogate’s Buddhists
From the outside, it looks like a normal terraced house on a Harrogate backstreet, but inside its followers practice the ancient and mystical religion Buddhism.
Around 60 people in Harrogate are practicing Buddhists and visit Harrogate’s Dechen Buddhist Centre on Granville Road.
It has a shrine upstairs for meditation and a meeting room to discuss the teachings of the Buddha, a religious leader who lived more than 2,500 years ago in what is now Nepal.
Followers of Buddhism don’t worship a supreme god or deity. Instead, they focus on achieving their goal of enlightenment, or Nirvana, which they say is a state of inner peace and wisdom.
Buddhism has traditionally been most popular in East and Southeast Asia, but its influence is growing in the west.
David Bullock started following Buddhism 14 years ago after a local newspaper article tweaked his interest.
He said:
“I was looking for a religion and I knew Christianity wasn’t the one. I bought the Knaresborough Post one Friday evening and saw an article about a Buddhist Lama that had been to Harrogate. It gave a phone number, I rang that, and got to speak to someone.
“I’ve never believed in God anyway. If there was a God and he’s as powerful as the Bible leads us to believe, then why can’t he stop all this violence in the world?”
Howard Quinn said Buddhism has helped him come to terms with a traumatic childhood.
He said:
“I gradually realised that was a set of experiences that stopped defining me, and that’s the thing of the teachings, they are about the rediscovery of the heart, it’s not an intellectual process.”
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Inner peace
The Buddha’s most important teachings, known as The Four Noble Truths, are essential to understanding the religion.
These teachings involve discarding negative emotions such as hatred, anger and jealousy.
The centre in Harrogate is visited by Lama Jampa Thaye twice a year. A Lama is a spiritual guide and has the authority to impart the Buddha’s teachings.
Greg Tunesi used to be a regular churchgoer but said joining Buddhism has been a life-changing experience.
“It’s brought a deep and profound inner peace and joy which is wonderful actually.
“Everybody is searching for true happiness and deep peace to avoid pain dissatisfaction and disappointment. That’s a glue that pulls everybody together, but we don’t always behave in a way that facilities joy. We get caught up in everyday stuff.”
In the shrine room.
Meditation is a key aspect of Buddhism and the path to enlightenment.
The centre offers meditation sessions every Wednesday at 10am and 7.15pm and on Saturdays at 11.15am.
Afterwards, they discuss a Buddhist teaching together and how it relates to their own lives and experiences.
Mr Tunesi said:
“Meditation gives us a real opportunity to observe and quieten that busy mind. Many of us think, ‘we are our thoughts’, but we’re much more. Our thoughts are random things that come and go.
“Once we’ve quietened the mind there’s an opportunity to really reflect on an aspect of the teachings and integrate it into our everyday existence.”
Goodness in life
Mr Quinn said many people come to Buddhism after facing trauma, illness or upheaval in their lives.
He said meditation and the teachings help soften the raw emotions that sometimes come with change.
Mr Quinn said:
“We appreciate what we have much more and see the goodness in life in a much clearer way. We spend much more time living in the moment and much less time reliving negative experiences and habits from the past or worrying what might happen in the future.”
Inside the Buddhist centre
Buddhists believe in karma, which is a philosophy that has transcended the religion and is something many of us are all familiar with.
Mr Tunesi added:
“Be kind and don’t be a cause of suffering, if the whole world was operating like that, goodness me, there wouldn’t be so many people tooting their horn if someone has held them up for a second!”
If you’re interested in learning more about the Dechen Buddhist Centre call 01423 881647 or email info@yorkshirebuddhistcommunity.com
Ripon soldiers join United Nations peacekeeping force in CyprusRipon-based soldiers in the 21 Engineer Regiment have begun a deployment in Cyprus as part of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping force.
The soldiers will spend the next six months carrying out patrols on the buffer zone that runs between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
The UN force was set up in 1964 to prevent further fighting between the two island communities.
Sappers from the regiment took up their duties on Monday in a ceremony in the country’s capital, Nicosia.
Lieutenant colonel Perry Bishop, commanding officer of 21 Engineer Regiment said:
“Peacekeeping poses some unique challenges that I have not experienced elsewhere in my career.”
“The Regiment’s soldiers understand the importance of this mission, and are eager to put the British Army’s world-leading training to good effect.”
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21 Engineer Regiment has three squadrons based in Ripon.
In recent years, it has seen a significant focus on support to UN peacekeeping operations.
This has included deployments to Cyprus, Somalia, and South Sudan.
Dancers share the joy of Diwali at Ripon LibraryRipon was given an insight into the festivities associated with Dawali at a special event in the city’s library this week.
The five-day Festival of Lights, whose principal day is today, is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world.
Its focus is on new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness.
Sarita McDermott, who owns Realitea, the Indian tea room and bistro on North Street, organised the event at the library with outreach librarian Claire Thompson.
She told the audience:
“Diwali is like Christmas in this country. People put on their best clothes, enjoy some lovely food, music and dancing.
“I wanted to show friends and other people in Ripon, the peaceful joy that this festival brings.”
Sarita McDermott leads the dancing.
Among those joining in the celebrations was a team of dancers from Jennyruth Workshops who wore traditional Indian dress.
They had been practicing for a month prior to their performance, which included dancing to music from the Punjab and the Gujarat region as well as Bollywood-style dance.
Following the display, there was an opportunity for the performers and members of the audience to enjoy some authentic Dawali dishes and treats.
Ms Thompson said:
“We had planned to stage an event of this nature for some time and I’m delighted that it has now happened and gone so well.”
Pictured: Claire Thompson (left) and Sarita McDermott, with Jennyruth dancers (from left) Matthew, Bethany and Ben Evason and Martin Grainger
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