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The oatmeal jokes are what did it. Sick of them, I kept my Quakerism on the down-low as a kid. But then a Sunday birthday party invite that I’d have to turn down would force me to explain that, no, most of us don’t quake. And yes, Meeting is basically church, but also not. With a sigh, I’d hit the salient points: “There’s this quote about ‘that of God in every one,’ and if you believe it, you can’t play with water guns.” I lived in the tangible, as children do, and would explain our commitment to Peace as: “If you’ve got a little chunk of God in you, I can’t hurt you, ’cause I’d be hurting God.” Then Equality was: “If we both have a little bit of God, how can one o

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