Local Quakers gather to protest, lament war

The Daily Tar Heel; 4/11/03; Kirsten Valle, staff writer

Inside a small building just off Raleigh Road and nearly hidden behind blooming trees, a steady stream of people passes tables full of anti-war pamphlets and bulletin boards covered with photographs and fliers.

Some come dressed in their best clothes ? old women in thick, knit skirts and pantyhose, clinging to their suit-and-tie-clad husbands; some appear in T-shirts and tennis shoes.

At promptly 11:15 a.m., the people, members of the Religious Society of Friends, take their spots in wooden pews.

The Chapel Hill meeting, or congregation, was established in the mid-1960s and is typical of the Quaker religion.

Called unprogrammed meetings, Sunday services exhibit the Quaker belief that everyone is equal. Instead of being led through discussion by a leader, members sit in silence and anyone who feels enlightened may stand up and speak.

Carolyn Stuart, clerk of the Chapel Hill meeting, said that the messages differ but that they typically are about spiritual insights or political opinion.

"It's what a person feels the whole group can benefit from," Stuart said.

Lately, Quakers across the country have been seeking comfort in the insight, struggling with another major Quaker belief ? pacifism.

"War is wrong, but (that view) isn't based on partisan politics," said Joe Volk, a member of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a national organization of Quakers located in Washington, D.C.

The FCNL, created in 1943 in response to World War II, was the nation's first religious lobby group.

Quakers' strong religious opposition to war recently has led many of them to the national spotlight through numerous anti-war demonstrations.

Stuart said members of the Society of Friends have been active in the anti-war effort, writing letters to congressmen and editors of local newspapers.

Additionally, members gather every Wednesday evening for a prayer service and a candlelight vigil outdoors, supporting soldiers and expressing a hope for peace.

While Stuart said such efforts give the Quaker community a larger voice, other protests around North Carolina have been drawing more attention.

Fedelma McKenna a freshman at Guilford College, a Quaker university in Greensboro, recently was arrested for a protest she attended in Washington.

"Since September, I have basically devoted my life to trying to stop (the war), " she said.

McKenna also has been organizing and participating in protests around Guilford, such as a walk to downtown Greensboro that included more than 70 protesters.

Since it was established, the Quaker religion has been known for deviating from society's norms.

"We are considered a peculiar people," Volk said, " But we're very engaged in the world."

Ainsley Morse, a Carrboro resident who attends the Chapel Hill meeting regularly, said a major misconception about Quakerism is that Friends do not support U.S. troops.

"We keep in mind the people who are over there," Morse said, " Violence to an American soldier is the same as violence toward an Iraqi soldier or citizen."

Max Carter, campus ministry coordinator at Guilford College, said there are some students at the school who support the war. " All voices are expressed here," he said.

Additionally, Carter said, many Quakers in the community have friends or family members who have been called to serve.

"It's really very hard," Stuart said. " We recognize that the regime in Iraq is unjust. Also, people are worried about their fmaily members."

Stuart said that because of the difficulty of war, many people are finding peace within the meetings.

"They want to come to a place where the conversation is about peace," Stuart said.

Peace seemed to be the theme of Chapel Hill's Sunday meeting.

As the service ends and members turn to one another with a handshake and a smile, one can't help but get the sense that some inner turmoil has been lifted, at least for now.