One of the challenges facing the Spiritual Naturalist Society is how to form local chapters that can be supportive in-person communities for our members. In this era of technological interconnection, the Spiritual Naturalist Society has arisen and exists largely as an online community. As much as I value the connections we share with each other this way, for me at least, it also just feels helpful to be in the same room with other people, physically, and to get to know them and interact with them in real life, not only via email, social media, and Zoom.
For the past year I have been attending the Quaker Meeting in my area. Imagine walking into a room with 8-15 other people. Momentary eye contact. Nods of welcome. Find a seat and settle into the silence together. After a while, not always, but sometimes, if someone feels led, they may offer some brief words of “vocal ministry.” Near the end of the meeting there is an opportunity for those who wish to voice “joys and sorrows” into the silence so that others present may “hold you in the light.” After about an hour, the meeting concludes, and attenders greet each other with a clasp of hands and a friendly, “good morning.”
After years of practicing meditation on my own, it feels really nice to sit together in the silence with other people. There is a different energy meditating with others. I once visited a Zendo in my area and very quickly realized that however much I might be attracted to Zen teachings and practices, there would be a steep cultural learning curve if I adopted formal Zen practice as my own tradition. While not possessing the same exotic cool factor as Zen Buddhism, the Quaker Meetings I have attended so far in three major US cities have all felt much more accessible to me as a person born in and conditioned by the sensibilities of Western culture. (1)
Who are the Quakers anyway? Where did they come from? Am I about to tell you something about motor oil or oatmeal?
Here is some background. The time was the 1640’s during the English Civil War when a variety of dissenting religious groups arose in protest against corruption in the Church of England. One such group became The Religious Society of Friends (a/k/a Quakers). A leading figure among them was George Fox. Fox had been looking to clergy and other people of influence in his day for answers to his personal spiritual and existential dilemmas. One day, in 1647, Fox had a mystical experience in which he heard a voice saying, “There is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition.” The insight Fox drew from this experience was that instead of seeking answers outside oneself, there is a “light within” each person that is the only teacher any of us ever need. Each person has access to the light within and can rely on its leading for guidance. (2)
To be clear, George Fox was a devout Christian and a supernaturalist. His understanding of the inner light he had discovered and pointed others toward was that it was the light of Christ, which he understood as, “the true light, which lighteth every man [sic].” (John 1:9.) But here’s the thing. Orienting as they do around the light within, from early-on through the present day, Quakers officially accept no external authority whatsoever: no dogma, no creed, no clergy, no hierarchy. Not even the Bible. The only authority for any person is the inner light. What the light may be and how it functions has since been open to a remarkably wide variety of interpretations among Friends across the materialist/supernaturalist spectrum. Recognizing the universality of this inner light within all people, George Fox often exhorted others, “to answer that of God in every one.” Quakers understand human nature as essentially good, and nobody is excluded from access to enlightenment. (3)
This is one reason I have felt welcome as a spiritual naturalist at the Quaker Meeting I have been attending. It turns out, I’m not the only one. I have met others at the Meeting who identify as nontheists or whose sense of the light as divine is rooted in Nature rather than in supernaturalism. It was encouraging for me to learn that the Friends General Conference openly welcomes members of non-Christian religions, including atheists and nontheists to Friends Meetings. (4)
Some other resources that have helped me feel welcome as a spiritual naturalist among Friends are, The Faith of a Quaker Humanist, by David Boulton; Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism, edited by David Boulton; Quaker and Naturalist Too, by Os Cresson; and the websites for Nontheist Friends (US) and Nontheist Quakers (UK). The Quaker periodical, Friends Journal likewise has numerous articles on the topic in its online archives. (See, links to these resources, below.) (5)
Something else I appreciate is that the Quakers emphasize direct experience more than beliefs. Asking, “What do Quakers believe?” is something of a non-starter among Friends. They might talk about Quaker Testimonies (read: values) such as simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship. But Quaker faith and practice basically boils down to “Shut up and listen deep within. Then act on what you hear to do no harm and spread love in the world.” Be quiet. Listen. Do good. I’m down with that. (6)
A spiritual naturalist reading the writings of George Fox or other early Quakers might understandably be put off by his overt supernaturalist language and metaphysics. My invitation to myself is to practice what my best friend has told me many times over the years: “Eat the fish and spit out the bones.”
Curiously, the Quakers also practice this way of being together as a diverse community. When someone rises in the Meeting to speak, listeners have a duty to listen to the spirit behind the words of the speaker’s message and translate it into terms that are meaningful for themselves. For example, a spiritual naturalist listening to a message offered by a theistic supernaturalist might discern themes of compassion and concern for fellow suffering people, or of finding hope in difficult times, and be able to resonate in solidarity with the speaker’s message while letting-be the speaker’s supernaturalist rationale or theistic terminology. This works the other way too. And, of course, it is easier said than done.
In my experience, Quaker faith and practice, with its emphasis on direct experience of the light within, is able to transcend the Christian stories and the historic dogmas that have arisen around them. This means there is room to include the forms of Christianity (or another religious tradition) for people who find it meaningful, but there is no obligation to impose them on people who don’t. What a welcome relief!
Those with experience in 12 Step spirituality may also find that the Quaker way resonates with them. Setting aside the ego agenda. Open to guidance from a power greater than the ego (whatever that may mean to each person). Putting it into practice. (7)
As a side note, the Quakers do not utilize altars, candles, incense, other elements, or physical objects in their practice. For spiritual naturalists who value more elaborate rites and rituals, the Quakers may not be a good fit.
I have experienced the Quakers as a safe community within which to enter the silence, which, of course, can be entered anywhere and at any time. I have met materialist Quakers, supernaturalist Quakers, and Quakers of all kinds in between. All Quakers sit together inviting all seekers to sit with them in the silence beyond words. Open. Listening. Acting. For the light is both nowhere and also now. Here.
If you decide to check out a Friends Meeting in your area, I would love to hear, “What do you say?” (8)
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Learn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society
The Spiritual Naturalist Society works to spread awareness of spiritual naturalism as a way of life, develop its thought and practice, and help bring together like-minded practitioners in fellowship.
SNS strives to include diverse voices within the spectrum of naturalistic spirituality. Authors will vary in their opinions, terms, and outlook. The views of no single author therefore necessarily reflect those of all Spiritual Naturalists or of SNS.
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Notes:
1. Fox’s key insight and Quaker practice is remarkably similar to Zen Buddhism.
| Quakers | Zen |
| The Light Within (“That of God in every one”) | Accessible Enlightenment (Inherent Buddha nature in every one) |
| Sit in silence (Meeting for Worship) | Sit in silence (Zazen) |
| Direct Experience > Thoughts/Beliefs | Direct Experience > Thoughts/Analysis |
| Openness to Leading | Beginner Mind |
| “But what do you say?” | Original Face |
2. If so desired, particular leadings can be tested out in a discernment practice with others in the Quaker community similar to the “group conscience” practice among 12 Step groups based on Tradition 2 of the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
3. For an excellent treatment of light from a spiritual naturalist perspective, see Thomas Schenk’s August 7, 2025 article, Divine Light?, online at: https://www.snsociety.org/divine-light/.
4. See, Nontheism Among Friends, online at: https://www.fgcquaker.org/quakerism/atheism-nontheism/.
5. Boulton, David, The Faith of a Quaker Humanist, online at: https://nontheist-quakers.org.uk/articles/the-faith-of-a-quaker-humanist/; Boulton, David, Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism, available at: https://a.co/d/h5RtUtf; Cresson, Os, Quaker and Naturalist Too, available at: https://a.co/d/1MMeVQO; and https://nontheistquakers.org/ (US) https://nontheist-quakers.org.uk/ (UK). The search term, “nontheist” at Friends Journal results in pages of links to articles on the topic: https://www.friendsjournal.org/search/Nontheist.
6. As loving people of conscience, Quakers have a long history working for social justice around the world, including for the abolition of slavery, prison reform, education, women’s suffrage, civil rights, and peace activism.
7. See, The 12 Steps as Myth-transcending Technology, which I wrote as an introduction to 12 Step spirituality for spiritual naturalists, online at: https://www.snsociety.org/embracing-reality-a-parable-2/.
8. An oft-quoted saying of George Fox inviting a person to speak from their own experience of the inner light is, “You will say, Christ saith this, and the apostles say this, but what canst thou say?
James, very nice article. I had to smile when I saw that you noted my article because my immediate inspiration for “Divine Light?” was my attempt to give a naturalistic interpretation to the following quote from George Fox: “(that) Every Man was enlightened by the Divine Light of Christ.”
Also, I really like your friend’s advice: “Eat the fish and spit out the bones.” The various traditions have much of value to say about spirituality, but often you have to separate the wisdom from the dogma, which is a little like picking meat of the bones.
As a Quaker Naturalist, I appreciate your article so much.
Thank you, Nancy!
I’ve only recently begun attending a local Friends Meeting, and I’ve been moved by how diverse and welcoming the community feels—people of many beliefs sitting together in the same silence. Reading your reflections gave language to so much of what I’ve been experiencing but hadn’t yet put into words. I’m grateful for your thoughtful piece and for the excellent reading recommendations; they’ll be wonderful companions as I continue to explore this way of being.
Thank you for your comment, Liz. I hope you have continued to find a place for yourself among Friends. As with anything, there is a gap between what makes sense in one’s own head (or in an article such as I have written here) and the real work done in actual relationships with real people in community. This requires much humility, wisdom, and compassion. It is not always easy; may be met with resistance from Quakers who are more traditionally Christian; and is still worth doing, because each of us matters and our unique journeys into life, love, freedom, and happiness are important and worthy of honor. May peace be with you.