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We are but witnesses - notes and references

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Related pages: Same sex relationships, Committed relationships

 The title We are but witnesses is taken from the writings of George Fox – see note 8 below. 

  1. Quaker Meetings for Worship for Business are described in Quaker faith & Practice, 1995, chapter 3 (and chapter 2). A full treatment can be found in, e.g., Sheeran, Michael J. , 1983, Beyond majority rule: voteless decisions in the Religious Society of Friends, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. 
  2. Cf. 1 Cor. 2:10, 14-16; 14:29. See also: Palmer, Parker J. , 2007, The courage to teach guide for reflection and renewal, Parker J. Palmer with Megan Scribner, 10th anniversary ed., San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, p. 127. 
  3. Cf. Rom. 12:2, 1 Cor. 12:10, 1 John 4:1, Eph. 1:18. 
  4. Britain Yearly Meeting (Society of Friends), Meeting (2009: York, England), Minute 23, 31 July 2009.
  5. Towards a Quaker view of sex, by a group of Friends, 1963, p. 38-39.
  6. Quaker faith & practice, §22.15. 
  7. Loverance, Rowena, 2009, ‘Equality for same-sex marriage: how did we do it?’, The Friend, 7 August.  
  8.  Fox, George [1624-1691], 1698, A collection of select and Christian epistles, London: printed and sold by T. Sowle, p. 281. Quoted in Quaker faith & practice, 16.01.  
  9. Quaker faith & practice, §19.56.  
  10. Great Britain, Marriage Act, 1753.  
  11. Quaker faith & practice, §16.05.  
  12. Lisa Sowle Cahill, 1998, Sex, gender, and Christian ethics, Cambridge.   
  13. Further consideration of the biblical texts is available from: Heacock, Anthony, 2009, Jonathan loved David: manly love in the Bible and the hermeneutics of sex, Sheffield: Phoenix Press.  
  14. Cf. Isaiah 1, 3; Jer.; Ezekiel; Zeph.; Judges 19; Matt. 10  
  15. And cf. Peter’s recognition that all foods are made clean.  
  16. A fuller paper exploring the biblical material, British Quakers and same-sex marriage by Rachel Muers, is now available from QCCIR c/o Friends House (address below).  
  17. 1 Corinthians chapter 3 for example.  
  18. Quaker faith & practice, §19.07.  

A large print version of this resource is available on request from: Email: infoteam@quaker.org.uk Tel: 020 7866 9511 

Published by Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations (QCCIR) of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) 

Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ 

www.quaker.org.uk/qccir 

Registered charity number 1127633 September 2009 

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