The reason Quaker's call them testimonies and not creeds is because we believe in continuing revelation. We hold up our testimonies as the truth as we know it so far, with the idea that God can reveal the Truth anew to us or in a new way - that our understanding of the truth can evolve. So you would think that we would hold the testimonies lightly.
And yet - I moved to a city where Friends were in deep conflict about an issue before the Meeting. Increasingly sides were be taken and each side could point to certain testimonies and say how those should be carried out by certain actions the meeting should take. In short we had thoughts and feelings about the testimonies! And so did I. But my "idea" was to take a third way - to not get caught up in conflict - to find a bridge across the differences. (Thus making me unpopular with both groups.) The Meeting eventually split over this issue and at least a dozen people left...myself included. In the end I was not mad because one side or the other prevailed (In fact neither side prevailed - the issue sort of collapsed in exhaustion - aided by a pandemic imposed separation from personal contact on Sundays.) For me I left in despair of realizing that in all the side taking we had not asked: "What does God say? What are we hearing from Spirit". It was as if we held a big fight and did not invite the Divine.
I am sort of amazed at this slippery slope - how easily our thoughts about our beliefs can take us out of our belief - out of the continuous seeking Spirit and divine revelation. I am bemused that the Buddhist practice of mindfulness is to watch the "monkey mind" and all its tricks it plays on us.
