quakers or presbyterians?

what a great question! i didn't have a clue as to how to answer that, so immediately dived into the Net to get some more info on both presbyterians and quakers.

from the presbyterian church (usa) i found out that presbys originated from the protestant reformation, deriving much of their theology and praxis from the writings of john calvin on reformed theology. what i read, i liked!

reformed theology:

" Reformed theology evolved during the 16th century religious movement known as the Protestant Reformation. It emphasizes God's supremacy over everything and humanity's chief purpose as being to glorify and enjoy God forever."

worship:

"Song is a response which engages the whole self in prayer. Song unites the faithful in common prayer wherever they gather for worship whether in church, home, or other special place . . . In worship music is not to be for entertainment or artistic display. Care should be taken that it not be used merely as a cover for silence."

predestination:

Calvin argued from Scripture that God has "predestined" or "elected" some people to be saved in Jesus Christ and others not to be. He insisted, nonetheless, that we could be sure only of our own salvation; we were never in a position to judge whether or not another person was saved. As the Second Helvetic Confession says,

We must hope well of all, and not rashly judge any man to be a reprobate. (5.055)

For Calvin, the point of the doctrine of predestination was to remind us that God is free and gracious."

from a quaker site i was reminded of the vineyard's origins - wimber attended a quaker church in yorba linda before founding the vineyard. i also liked what i read there:

"[George Fox] was genuinely shocked by the failure of the 'professors', the professing Christians, to live their beliefs."

"The rediscovery by ordinary men and women of a sense of the immediacy of God is one of the most distinctive aspects of Quakerism. The writings of early Friends are full of stories of "meetings with God" and of "being led by the Holy Spirit". Sometimes these experiences helped their understanding. Sometimes it was an awareness of something that had to be done as part of God's purpose on this earth. Friends began to use the term 'concern' to describe the experience of Friends who believe that God might be saying to them: "this is what needs to be done - and you are to help do it"."

"Quaker worship happens when two or more people feel the need to be still together and seek God's presence. This can happen anywhere and anytime, but Friends usually refer to a 'meeting for worship' to indicate the meeting which takes place regularly at a meeting house or another fixed place.

Silence is greatly valued by Friends. In removing pressure and hurry, it helps them to be aware of the inner and deeper meaning of their individual and corporate lives. It enables them to begin to accept themselves as they are and to find some release from fear, anxiety, emotional confusion and selfishness. This silence is more than an absence of sound. . .

The seating for a meeting for worship is usually arranged in a circle or a square to help people to be aware of one another, to be conscious of the fact that they are worshipping together."

go on nomes - are we more quaker, or presbyterian?