Osler's Razor

Going back to Philadelphia, where I lived while clerking for Judge Dubois, was wonderful in many ways. One nice aspect of the trip was that it allowed me to remember a time of incredible spiritual growth.

At the time that I moved to Philadelphia, I had been worshipping as an attender with the Society of Friends (Quakers) for a few years. I first found them when my brother, Will, was enrolled at Earlham College, a Quaker school. I was very moved by their contemplative services, and found that the historical beliefs of the Quakers made sense to me. I had, before that point, come to believe in worship and prayer directly to God, without intercession, and had decided that the idea of the light of God being in everyone was a unifying theme that tied together some of my core beliefs. Though I tended to take the Bible much more seriously than some of the brothers and sisters at Meeting, I was challenged to think more deeply about issues of interpretation.

In other places, being a part of a Quaker meeting was viewed as weird. When I got to Philadelphia, though, I found more understanding, as one might expect in the "Quaker State." I attended the Cherry Street Meeting, which was filled with brilliant, insightful, and challenging people. In that year, I had many moments of inspiration, and the importance of prayer and reflection became clear to me in that time.

As some of you may know, Quakers have an unusual worship service. There is no priest, minister, or clergy, and people simply sit in the round, facing one another. Most American Quakers have silent meeting, in which people gather in prayer or thought until moved to speak. Sometimes, the hour passes, and nothing is said. I found that this spiritual silence was deeply moving and sometimes frightening. Some of the people I brought to meeting were kind of freaked out by it, frankly.

There is still a core of Quaker ethics in me today, though I am somewhat distanced from them by my view of the Gospels. In my best moments I am quiet, thankful, and kind, and for that I am grateful to Philadelphia and the many Friends I found there.