Nontheistfriends.org

Presenting the work of Quaker atheists, agnostics, humanists, and others who practice Quakerism without supernatural beliefs


Publications on Quaker Nontheism

This first appeared in Quaker and Naturalist Too (Iowa City, IA: Morning Walk Press, 2014, pp. 135-145). The list is divided between earlier publications (1962-1995), and later publications (1996-2013). Unfortunately some publications have been missed and the list is not being kept up to date. Please send copies of material to be included, or their references, to us at www.nontheistfriends.org.

Earlier Publications (1962–1995)

Allott, Stephen. “Quaker Agnosticism.” The Friends Quarterly 25, no. 6 (1989): 252–58.

Allott, Stephen. “Is God Objective Fact?” The Friends Quarterly 28, no. 4 (1994): 158–66.

Banks, John. “Simply the Thing I Am.” The Friends Quarterly 27, no. 7 (1993): 317–22.

Barbour, Ian G. Science and Secularity: The Ethics of Technology. NY: Harper & Row, 1970.

Boland, James R. “An Agnostic’s Apology.” Poem. Friends Journal 15, no. 13 (July 1/15 1969): 391.

Boulding, Kenneth. “Machines, Men, and Religion.” Friends Journal 14, no. 24 (December 15, 1968): 643–44.

Brayshaw, Maude. “The Search for God.” In Friends Home Service Committee, In Search of God: Some Quaker Essays. London: printed by author, 1966, pp. 5–6.

Cadbury, Henry J. “A Quaker Honest to God.” Friends Journal 10, no. 13 (July 1, 1964): 298–99.

Creasey, Maurice A. Bearings or Friends and the New Reformation. Swarthmore Lecture. London: Friends Home Service Committee, 1969.

Crom, Scott. “Human Experience and Religious Faith.” Friends Journal 11, no. 17 (September 1, 1965): 429–31.

Crom, Scott. “Intellectual Bankruptcy and Religious Solvency (Part I)”. Friends Journal 13, no. 21 (November 1, 1967): 566–68.

Crom, Scott. “Intellectual Bankruptcy and Religious Solvency (Part II)”. Friends Journal 13, no. 22 (November 15, 1967): 599–600.

Crom, Scott. “The Trusting Agnostic.” Comments by Maurice H. Friedman and John H. McCandless, and response to comments by Scott Crom. Quaker Religious Thought 14, no. 2 (1972): 1–39.

Evans, Cadifor. “The Appeal of Quakerism to the Agnostic.” In Friends Home Service Committee, In Search of God: Some Quaker Essays. London: printed by author, 1966, pp. 7–13.

Fuchs, Peter. “A Quaker Wannabe – Maybe.” Friends Journal 41, no. 5 (May 1995): 10–11.

Friends Journal. “The New Atheism” and “The Turning Point.” Editorials. Friends Journal 8, no. 12 (June 15, 1962): 251.

Havens, Joseph. “Christian Roots and Post-Christian Horizons.” Friends Journal 10, no. 1 (January 1, 1964): 5–8.

Holmes, Jesse. “To the Scientifically-Minded.” Friends Intelligencer 85, no. 6 (1928): 103–104. Reprinted in Friends Journal 38, no. 6 (June 1992): 22–23.

Holmes, Margaret. “What Have Quakers to Say to the Agnostic?” In Friends Home Service Committee, In Search of God: Some Quaker Essays. London: printed by author, 1966, pp. 14–20.

Ives, Kenneth H. New Friends Speak: How and Why They Join Friends. Studies in Quakerism 6. Chicago: Progresiv Publishr, 1980.

Ives, Kenneth H. Recovering the Human Jesus. Chicago: Progresiv Publishr, 1990.

Johnson, Eric. “Why I Am an Atheist.” Friends Journal 37, no. 1 (January 1991): 17. Also in Quaker Universalist Fellowship. Variations on the Quaker Message. Pamphlet #201. Landenberg, PA: printed by author, 1991.

Johnson, Eric. “Atheism and Friends.” Letter to the editor. Friends Journal 37, no. 5 (May 1991): 6.

Jones, Robinson. “A Great People to be Gathered.” The Universalist 8 (July 1982): 27–34. Reprinted in Patricia A. Williams, ed. Universalism and Religions.Columbia MD: Quaker Universalist Fellowship, 2007, pp. 162–69.

Lacey, Paul. “The Death of ‘the Man Upstairs’: A Critical Appraisal of the New Theology.” Comments by Chris Downing, J. H. McCandless and Clinton L. Reynolds, and response to comments by Paul Lacey. Quaker Religious Thought VIII, no. 1, issue #15 (1966): 3–36.

Linton, John. “Quakerism as Forerunner.” Friends Journal 25, no. 17 (October 15, 1979): 4–9. Reprinted, Pamphlet #1. London: Quaker Universalist Group, 1979. Also reprinted in Quaker Universalist Fellowship. The Quaker Universalist Reader Number 1: A Collection of Essays, Addresses and Lectures. Landenberg, PA: printed by author, 1986, 1–13.

Linton, John. “Nothing Divides Us.” The Universalist 12 (July 1984): 16–20.

Loukes, Harold and H. J. Blackham. Humanists and Quakers: An Exchange of Letters. London: Friends Home Service Committee, 1969.

Macmurray, John. Search for Reality in Religion. Swarthmore Lecture. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1965. Also published in London by Friends Home Service Committee, 1965, 1969 & 1984.

Mayer, Philip. The Mature Spirit: Religion without Supernatural Hopes. Northampton MA: Pittenprauch Press, 1987.

Miles, Thomas R. Towards Universalism. Pamphlet #7. London: Quaker Universalist Group, 1985. Reprinted in 1994.

Miller, Jr., Lawrence McK. “The ‘Honest to God’ Debate and Friends.” Friends Journal 10, no. 6 (March 15, 1964): 124–26.

Morgan, Robert M. “Some Surprises For Us?” Friends Journal 22, no. 19 (November 15, 1976): 582–83.

Morgan, Robert M. and Claire Walker. “Toward New Concepts of God.” Friends Journal 22, no. 19 (November 15, 1976): pp. 582–87. This includes a brief introduction and the articles listed here as Morgan (1976), Walker (1976), and Workshop for Non-Theistic Friends (1976).

Murphy, Carol. “Friends and Unbelievers.” Friends Journal 11, no. 7 (April 1, 1965): 160–61.

Smith, Bradford. “Divine Law.” Friends Journal 10, no. 13 (July 1, 1964), p. 292.

Smith, Bradford. “The Doubters.” Poem. Friends Journal 11, no. 7 (April 1, 1965): 161.

Swayne, Kingdon W. “Confessions of a Post–Christian Agnostic.” Friends Journal 26, no. 3 (March 15, 1980): 6–9. Also in Quaker Universalist Fellowship. Variations on the Quaker Message. Landenberg, PA: printed by author, 1990, 1–6.

Swayne, Kingdon W. “Humanist Philosophy as a Religious Resource,” in Quaker Universalist Fellowship. Varieties of Religious Experience: An Adventure In Listening. Pamphlet #7. Landenberg PA: printed by author, 1990.

Swayne, Kingdon W. “Universalism and Me—3 Friends Respond.” Universalist Friends 23 (1994): 9–10.

Walker, Claire. “Must We Feel Comfortable?” Friends Journal 9, no. 15 (August 1, 1963): 334.

Walker, Claire. “The Anti-Anthros Speak Out.” Friends Journal 22, no. 19 (November 15, 1976): 583–85.

Williams, Jonathan. My Quaker-Atheist Friend. Poem about Basil Bunting. London: L. and R. Wallrich, 1973.

Recent Publications (1996–2013)

Alpern, Lincoln. “Testimony of a Nontheist Friend,” in Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices. Philadelphia, PA: Quaker Press of Friends General Conference, 2010, 219–21.

Alpern, Robin. “Why Not Join the Unitarians?” Universalist Friends, 28 (1997): 23–28. Reprinted in Patricia A. Williams, ed. Universalism and Religions.Columbia MD: Quaker Universalist Fellowship, 2007, pp. 157–62. Also in A Newsletter for Quakers of a Nontheistic Persuasion, Michael Cox, ed., issue 1 (Fall 1996).

Alpern, Robin. “Meeting for Worship: an Opportunity for Being.” Unpublished manuscript, 2006. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Alpern, Robin. “Reflections on a Decade of Nontheism Workshops.” Unpublished manuscript, 2007. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Alpern, Robin. “Atheology”, Spark: New York Yearly Meeting News 40, no. 4 (September 2009). Revised version of Robin Alpern, “What’s a Nice Nontheist Like You Doing Here?” in David Boulton, ed., Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism. Dent, Cumbria, UK: Dales Historical Monographs, 2006, pp. 17–26.

Amoss, Jr., George. “The Making of a Quaker Atheist.” Quaker Theology 1 (1999): 55–62. http://www.quest.quaker.org. Also see James and Amoss (2000), below.

Anderson, Paul. “Is ‘Nontheist Quakerism’ a Contradiction of Terms?” In an issue of QRT titled “Quakers and Theism/Nontheism.” Quaker Religious Thought 118 (2012): 5–24.

Arnold, Peter. “Keeping an open mind.” Unpublished manuscript, 2005. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Bates, Paul. “Quaker Diversity.” Talk given at the Frederick Street Meeting, Belfast, Ireland, November 24, 2013, http://www.nontheist-quakers.org.uk.

Boulton, David. A Reasonable Faith: Introducing the Sea of Faith Newtwork. Loughborough, England: Sea of Faith Network, 1996. http://www.sofn.org.uk.

Boulton, David. The Faith of a Quaker Humanist. Pamphlet #26. London: Quaker Universalist Group, 1997.

Boulton, David. Gerard Winstanley and the Republic of Heaven. Dent, Cumbria, UK: Dales Historical Monographs, 1999.

Boulton, David. Real Like the Daisies or Real Like I Love You?: Essays in Radical Quakerism. Dent, Cumbria, England: Dales Historical Monographs with Quaker Universalist Group, 2002.

Boulton, David. The Trouble with God: Building the Republic of Heaven, expanded edition. Winchester UK and Washington US: John Hunt Publishing, 2005.

Boulton, David, ed. Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism. Dent, Cumbria, UK: Dales Historical Monographs, 2006 (contributors: Bowen Alpern, Lincoln Alpern, Robin Alpern, David Boulton, Anita Bower, Miriam Branson, Os Cresson, Joanna Dales, David E. Drake, Anne Filiaci, Philip Gross, David B. Lawrence, Joan Lukas, Tim Miles, Gudde (Gudrun) Moller, Hubert J. Morel-Seytoux, Sandy Parker, James T Dooley Riemermann, Elaine Ruscetta, David Rush, Kitty Rush, Jo Schlesinger, Marian Kaplun Shapiro, Wilmer Stratton, Carolyn Nicholson Terrell, Jeanne Warren and Beth Wray).

Boulton, David. “Godless for God’s Sake: Demystifying Mysticism.” The Universalist 77 (June 2006) 14. Reprinted in Patricia A. Williams, ed. Universalism and Religions.Columbia MD: Quaker Universalist Fellowship, 2007, pp. 169–174.

Boulton, David. Who on Earth was Jesus? The Modern Quest for the Jesus of History. Winchester, UK and Blue Ridge Summit, PA: O Books / John Hunt Publishing, 2008.

Boulton, David. “Nontheism Among Friends: Its Emergence and Meaning.” In an issue of QRT titled “Quakers and Theism/Nontheism.” Quaker Religious Thought 118 (2012): 35–44.

Britton, David. “Knowing Experimentally.” Friends Journal 56, no. 10 (October 2010): 5.

Britton, Liberty. “Identity Creation: Nontheist Quaker.” Unpublished manuscript, 2011. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Cadbury, Henry J. “My Personal Religion.” Lecture given at Harvard Divinity School, 1936. Published in Universalist Friends 35(Fall–Winter 2000): 22–31, with corrections in Universalist Friends 36 (Spring–Summer 2001): 18.

Craigo-Snell, Shannon. “Response to David Boulton and Jeffrey Dudiak.” In an issue of QRT titled “Quakers and Theism/Nontheism.” Quaker Religious Thought 118 (2012): 45–50.

Cresson, Os. “Sharing Meeting.” Friends Journal 47, no. 1 (January 2001): 5.

Cresson, Os. “Quaker in a Material World.” Quaker Theology 5, no. 1 (Spring–Summer 2003): 23–54. http://quest.quaker.org.

Cresson, Os. “Quakers and the Environment: Three Options. Unpublished manuscript, 2005. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Cresson, Os. “Quakers from the Viewpoint of a Naturalist.” Friends Journal 52, no. 3 (March 2006): 18–20.

Cresson, Os. “On Quaker Unity.” Friends Journal 55, no. 7 (July 2009): 5.

Cresson, Os. “Doctrinally Open Membership in the Religious Society of Friends.” Unpublished manuscript, 2010. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Cresson, Os. “Listening and Speaking from the Heart.” Friends Journal 59, no. 5 (May 2013): 5.

Drake, David E. “Confessions of a Nontheistic Friend.” Friends Journal 49, no. 6 (June 2003): 18–20.

Dudiak, Jeffrey. “Quakers and Theism/Nontheism: Questions and Prospects.” In an issue of QRT titled “Quakers and Theism/Nontheism.” Quaker Religious Thought 118 (2012): 25–34.

Earp, Charley. “In Search of Religious Radicalism.” Quaker Theology, no. 11 (2005). http://quest.quaker.org.

Fager, Chuck. Review of Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism, ed. by David Boulton. Quaker Theology 7, no. 2 (winter 2007). http://www.quest.quaker.org.

Friends at Twin Cities Friends Meeting. “Statement on Theological Diversity” Universalist Friends 43 (February 2006) 23. Reprinted as “Theological Diversity Within Twin Cities Meeting”in Patricia A. Williams, ed. Universalism and Religions.Columbia MD: Quaker Universalist Fellowship, 2007, pp. 174–76.

Furry, Susan. “Recognizing That of God in Each Other.” Friends Journal 53, no. 3 (March 2007): 5.

Gjelfriend, George. “Useful Fictions.” Friends Journal 53, no. 8 (August 2007): 19.

Grundy, Martha Paxson. Review of Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism, by 27 Quaker nontheists, ed. by David Boulton. Friends Journal 52 (November 2006): 25–26.

Hoare, Edward. “Time to Speak Out.” The Friend (October 16, 2009), http://www.thefriend.org.

Holmes, Jesse. “‘Our Christianity’?” Universalist Friends 39 (Fall & Winter, 2003): 15–22.

Hughes, Ian. “Is Quakerism a ‘Religion For Atheists’? Review of Alain De Botton (2012) Religion for Atheists. London: Hamish Hamilton.” Australian Friend 12, no. 6 (June 2012). http://australianfriend.org.

Ives, Kenneth H. Some Quaker Perspectives for the Years 2000+. Chicago: Progresiv Publishr, 1996.

James, Edward and George Amoss Jr. “An Exchange: Quaker Theology Without God?” Quaker Theology 2, no. 1 (Spring 2000). http://www.quest.quaker.org.

Kuenning, Larry. Review of Speaking of God: Theism, Atheism and the Magnus Image by T. R. Miles. Quaker Religious Thought 29(1) (1998): 42–43.

Lukas, Joan. “What Do I Do in Meeting? The Experience of a Nontheist Quaker.” Unpublished manuscript prepared for forum held at Friends Meeting at Cambridge, May 9, 2004.

Mason, Marcia L. “Journey of a Doubter.” Friends Journal 57, no. 9 (September 2011).

Miles, Thomas R. Speaking of God: Theism, Atheism and the Magnus Image. York, UK: William Sessions, 1998.

Morgan, Arthur. Should Quakers Receive the Good Samaritan Into Their Membership? Landenberg, PA: Quaker Universalist Fellowship, 1998.

Nugent, Patrick J. “Response to Papers on Theism (Just a Little) and Non-Theism (Much More).” In an issue of QRT titled “Quakers and Theism/Nontheism.” Quaker Religious Thought 118 (2012): 51–56.

Reed, Jessica. “Quakerism: Sharing Your Religion.” The Friend (January 20, 2010), http://www.thefriend.org.

Riemermann, James. “One God at Most, or Two Gods at Least?Unpublished manuscript, 2006. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Riemermann, James. “What is a Nontheist?” Unpublished manuscript, 2006. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Riemermann, James. Mystery: It’s What We Don’t Know. Quaker Universalist Fellowship Pamphlets, 2008. http://www.universalistfriends.org. Also in David Boulton, ed., Godless for God’s Sake: Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism. Dent, Cumbria, UK: Dales Historical Monographs, 2006, pp. 43–51.

Riemermann, James. “Revealing our True Selves.” Paper presented at conference of Nontheist Friends Network, Birmingham, UK, March 2012. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Rush, David. “They Too Are Quakers: A Survey of 199 Nontheist Friends.” The Woodbrooke Journal 11 (Winter 2002). Reprinted as “They Too Are Quakers: A Survey of 199 Nontheist Friends.” Millsboro, VA: Quaker Universalist Fellowship, 2003.

Seeger, Daniel A. “Why Do the Unbelievers Rage? The New Atheists and the Universality of the Light.” Friends Journal 56, no. 1 (January 2010): 6–11.

Seltman, Muriel. Bread and Roses: Nontheism and the Human Spirit. Kibworth Beauchamp, UK: Matador, 2013.

Smith, Steve. “‘Leadings’ For Nontheistic Friends?” Friends Journal 57, no. 1 (January 2011): 22–25.

Stern, T. Noel. “How I Became a Universalist Quaker.” Universalist Friends 37 (Fall & Winter 2002): 21–31.

Vura-Weis, Brian. “Quakers & Non-Theism.” Western Friend (July/August, 2009).

Wise, Julia. “No Religion. Always Practicing Quakerism.” Friends Journal 58, no. 4 (April 2012): 26.

Wright, Michael. “Disagreeing About God.” The Friend (October 18, 2013).

Yagud, Miriam. “The Wrong Silence.” The Friend 169, no. 5 (February 4, 2011): 14.

 Publications by Nontheist Friends Gatherings

 Boulton, David, David Rush, and Kitty Rush. “Minute.” Minute approved by the workshop, “Beyond Universalism: The Experience and Understanding of Nontheism in Contemporary Quakerism,” held at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham, UK, January 9–11, 2004. http://www.nontheist friends.org. Also in “Quaker Non-Theism,” by David Boulton, The Friend (February 20, 2004): 15, and described in “News” by David Boulton, David Rush, and Kitty Rush, Friends Journal 50, no.7 (July 2004): 39.

Conference of the Nontheist Friends Network, 2012. “Minute and Epistle.” Minute approved by “Nontheism Among Friends,” the inaugural conference of the Nontheist Friends Network held at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham, UK, March 9–11, 2012. http://www.nontheist-quakers.org.uk.

Conference of the Nontheist Friends Network, 2013. “Minute and Epistle.” Minute approved by “Nontheism Among Friends,” the 2nd annual conference of the Nontheist Friends Network held at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham, UK, March 1–3, 2013. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Gathering of Nontheist Friends at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. “Minute and Epistle.” Approved by the workshop, “What Next for Quaker Nontheism,” held at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Birmingham, UK, February 18–20, 2011. https://nontheistfriends.org.

Workshop for Non-Theistic Friends. “Seekers Beyond Tradition.” Friends Journal 22, no. 19 (November 15, 1976): 586–87. Slightly edited version of unpublished report by participants in the Workshop for Non-Theistic Friends held at the Friends General Conference Gathering, Ithaca NY, June 26–July 3, 1976. https://nontheistfriends.org. Workshop also described in Robert Morgan (1976), above.

Workshop on “Quaker Identity and the Heart of our Faith.” “Minute.” Approved by the workshop, “Quaker Identity and the Heart of our Faith,” held at the Friends General Conference Gathering, Blacksburg VA, June 26–July 4, 2009. https://nontheistfriends.org.

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