- A Brief Guide to Using this Book of Faith and Practice
- Meeting for Worship
- The Light Within and its Religious Implications
- Testimonies
- Religious Education
- Friends’ Manner of Decision-Making
- Clearness and Support Committees
- Membership
- Marriage
- Recognizing Spiritual Gifts and Leadings
- Pastoral Care
- Preparing for and Responding to Injury, Illness, Death, and Bereavement
- Sexuality and Gender Identity
- Addiction, Substance Abuse, and Gambling
- Abuse and Exploitation in the Meeting Community
- Friends and the State
- Organization and Structure of Meetings
- History of Illinois Yearly Meeting
- Appendix 1: Sample Membership Record
- Appendix 2: Sample Certificate of Transfer and Acceptance of Transfer
- Appendix 3: Sample Traveling Minutes
- Appendix 4: Memorial Meeting Preparation Checklist
- Sources for Quotes
- Glossary
- Concerning this Book of Faith and Practice
- Faith and Practice
The mystery of sex continues to be greater than our capacity to comprehend it… [I]ts mystery relate(s) to the mystery of God’s relationship to us.
Mary S. Calderone, 1973
Quakers consider sexuality to be a gift. Like the gift of spirituality that we have also been given, it is intended to be developed and progressively understood as each of us proceeds through our life’s journey. Considering one without the other may mean that we do not fully grow in our understanding of the role of either in our lives.
Friends regard personal and corporate discernment about sexual behavior, as well as discernment regarding attitudes about matters of sexuality and gender identity, to be a reflection of the testimonies (see “Testimonies”). Sexual relations, like all human relations, should be marked by honesty, integrity, personal responsibility, and mutual respect. We are called to interact lovingly with each other, recognizing that all of us are equally beloved by God. For this reason, Illinois Yearly Meeting and affiliated component meetings and worship groups seek to be welcoming and affirming for all those who attend.
Illinois Yearly Meeting is aware that there is great diversity in the relationships that people develop with one another. The worth of these relationships must not be judged on the basis of conventionality but rather to the degree that the relationship contributes to the growth of love in those affected.
Illinois Yearly Meeting, 1974
Our cultural understanding of sexuality and gender identity is evolving quickly at present, perhaps more quickly than at any previous time in recorded history. This fact is reflected in changing views on matters such as sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and same-sex relationships, among many others. Friends’ perspectives regarding these matters can be expected to continue to evolve in the foreseeable future, and related issues will continue to emerge. Individual Friends may find that their sense of their own gender identity and sexuality is fluid or has changed over time, and this may lead them to express themselves in new ways.
Friends are encouraged to be tender with each other and with themselves as we engage with matters concerning sexuality and gender identity, recognizing that changes in perspective will occur for different people at different times. Friends are called to acknowledge the importance of seeking Divine guidance in these, as in all matters. While such discernment can be difficult and complex, Friends are reminded that we are called to act always in ways that embody Love.
Queries
- Is my sexual behavior consistent with Friends’ testimonies on honesty and integrity? Is it kind and compassionate? Does it reflect Friends’ belief that there is that of God in everyone?
- How spiritually open is our meeting to sharing and hearing the diversity of experiences and viewpoints of its members and attenders on matters of sexuality and gender identity and expression? Is our meeting committed to a unity that is deeper than this diversity?
