61 pages 2 hours read

JoAnne Tompkins

What Comes After

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Background

Ideological Context: Quakerism

Quakers, or the Society of Friends, originated as a spiritual group or religion in the 17th century in England. Like other Protestant sects, the Society of Friends found Catholicism, the dominant form of Christianity at the time, a less direct approach to worshipping God. However, unlike many other Christian denominations, the Society of Friends believes that God is present in all human beings, regardless of their actions, and that every human can, given sufficient time and silence, feel and hear God’s voice within themselves. As a result, the Society of Friends is committed to nonviolence and equality in both their spiritual practice and their daily lives.

Most religions have a hierarchy of spiritual leadership, and pastors, priests, rabbis, or imams hold positions of spiritual and moral authority in the religious community. Although the Society of Friends has a system of leadership to support the community and maintain organization, and some Friends meetings have pastors who guide meetings and Quaker activities (Stanton-Henry, Andy. “Three Common Fallacies of Quaker Leadership.” Friends Journal, 1 June 2023), it has no defined hierarchy. Instead, it considers moral authority the provenance of the Divine, which is within each individual.

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 61 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools