QUAKER-ROOTS-L Archives

Archiver > QUAKER-ROOTS > 1998-03 > 0890236419


From: Thomas Hamm <>
Subject: Re: Some Burning Questions....
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 07:53:39 -0800


>#1
>This may be a stupid question, but it's been bugging me so I'm going to ask
>it: Who is that man on the Quaker Oats box, and what, if anything, do Quakers
>have to do with Oatmeal??? Is there some sort of history that connects
>Quakers to Oats, or what? Ever since I found out my ancestors were Quakers,
>my kids have been teasing me about being related to the Quaker Oats
>man....hehehe....so I just had to find out!! : )

At the turn of the century, several different companies began using
"Quaker" as a trademark--Quaker Oats, Quaker Lace, even "Old Quaker"
whiskey (the last of which vexed Friends considerably and led to efforts to
get federal legislation to ban the commercial use of denominational names).
The Quaker oats man is a generic figure, no one in particular.
>
!
>
>#3 Last question:
>My eldest daughter was saddened to learn that our ancestors were Quaker, and
>even said, "I wish they hadn't been Quakers, Mom; now they probably won't be
>in heaven with us when we die." She learned in school that the Quakers did
>not believe in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Is that true? I don't know
>what to tell her, because she takes this kind of thing pretty seriously, and
>she's feeling pretty sad thinking her ancestors weren't saved. I don't know
>anything about the Quakers' religious beliefs, so can anyone help me out with
>this?

In the last half century or so, some Friends, a minority, have taken a
universalist position that Christianity is not the only way of Truth. Most
Quakers today consider themselves Christian. They run the spectrum from
committed fundamentalists to mainline liberals who would be uncomfortable
with talk of being "saved."

Before 1950, virtually all Friends considered themselves Christian. The
various separations among Friends in the nineteenth century involved
questions about the nature of Christ, the authority of Scripture, and how
one achieves salvation. This involves some fairly abtruse theology. If
you want to pursue that, I can suggest some reading.

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