Clearness committee
Encyclopedia
Within the Religious Society of Friends
, the clearness committee represents a process for discernment
. Clearness Committees are often used when a member of the meeting seeks to reach clarity on how to respond to a concern or dilemma. Because Friends believe that every person has within him or her that of God
, sometimes called the inner light
, the process is one of aiding the person seeking clearness in finding the answer within rather than seeking outside advice or guidance. A clearness committee can be requested by anyone for any reason and will usually be appointed by one of the standing committees of the meeting.
In addition to committees requested by individuals, clearness committees are appointed by most meetings when a person applies for membership and when a couple seeks marriage under the care of the meeting. In these cases, the committee serves the dual purpose of helping the person or couple find clearness that this is the proper step and ensuring that the meeting is ready to take the member or couple under their care.
A key rule for clearness committees is that committee members are forbidden to speak to the focus person in any way except to ask honest, open questions. No advice should be given nor amateur psychoanalysis.
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
, the clearness committee represents a process for discernment
Discernment
Discernment is a term used to describe the activity of determining the value and quality of a certain subject or event. Typically, it is used to describe the activity of going past the mere perception of something, to making detailed judgments about that thing...
. Clearness Committees are often used when a member of the meeting seeks to reach clarity on how to respond to a concern or dilemma. Because Friends believe that every person has within him or her that of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, sometimes called the inner light
Inner light
Inner Light is a concept which many Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends, use to express their conscience, faith and beliefs. Each Quaker has a different idea of what they mean by "inner light", and this also varies internationally between Yearly Meetings, but the idea is often...
, the process is one of aiding the person seeking clearness in finding the answer within rather than seeking outside advice or guidance. A clearness committee can be requested by anyone for any reason and will usually be appointed by one of the standing committees of the meeting.
In addition to committees requested by individuals, clearness committees are appointed by most meetings when a person applies for membership and when a couple seeks marriage under the care of the meeting. In these cases, the committee serves the dual purpose of helping the person or couple find clearness that this is the proper step and ensuring that the meeting is ready to take the member or couple under their care.
A key rule for clearness committees is that committee members are forbidden to speak to the focus person in any way except to ask honest, open questions. No advice should be given nor amateur psychoanalysis.
External links
- Clearness Committees and Their Use in Personal Discernment
- Meetings for Clearness in Britain Yearly MeetingBritain Yearly MeetingThe Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Britain, also known as Britain Yearly Meeting , is a religious organisation in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, often defined as a denomination of Christianity.It is a part of the international religious...
's Quaker Faith and PracticeQuaker Faith and PracticeA Book of Discipline may refer to one of the various books issued by a Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, setting out what it means to be a Quaker in that Yearly Meeting...
. - Parker Palmer's description of the Clearness Committee and its benefits