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| | by Smudge | | posted on 14th February 2023 in Seeking Faith & Practice | | views 8531 | |
Without any set creed, Quakerism can seem loose and flimsy but it is as strong as Lego bricks.
One way of thinking about Quakerism is that it is a faith that can be built brick by brick. Lego bricks are incredibly hard to break and it is up to you to assemble them into whatever design you choose.
The bricks of Quakerism are based upon the SPICES:
The word ‘Lego’ comes from the Danish phrase leg godt meaning play well and it began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen (1891 – 1958), a carpenter from Denmark, who began making wooden toys in 1932. Christiansen’s company expanded to begin producing plastic toys in 1947 and two years later, in 1949, it produced an early version of the now familiar interlocking bricks, calling them ‘Automatic Binding Bricks’.
The Lego Principle, created by the Christian pastor and writer Joey Bonifacio, is the belief that elements of faith have the capacity to connect together like Lego bricks. Each Lego brick comes with studs that give it the ability to join with another.
Joey Bonifacio“Regardless of the shape, size, or colour of a Lego piece, each one is designed to do one thing: connect. Lego pieces are designed to connect at the top and at the bottom. Like Lego if you can connect to the top with God and to the bottom with others, you can pretty much shape the world you live in. And like Lego, when the connections happen the possibilities are endless.”
Like Lego bricks, Quakerism connects people and shared beliefs together in an unlimited number of ways. Lego bricks are also also designed to connect between generations. This means that a first generation brick of the 1950s can still connect with a brick made in the 21st century.
The same generational connectivity is true of Quakerism. The original opening and leading of light from the original Seekers of the 1600s shines through the centuries and visibly illuminates Quakers today.
Having been in existence for over 70 years, Lego has built a reputation for honesty, quality and reliability. Every stud of a Lego brick has the Lego trademark engraved on it – a symbol of trust. Quakerism has been around for about 350 years, and trust in it has been built through the centuries by Friends living out their lives through the testimonies.
No two people will have the same identical faith and, according to the Lego Principal, every person’s design-build will be different. But what remains the same is that every Friend uses the same strong and recognisable bricks.
Play well as you build your faith.
Image(s) from thediplomaticenvoy.com
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