What is quietism?

Answer

Quietism is a system of religious mysticism rooted in Hinduism and Buddhism, also advocated at times by individuals within the Roman Catholic Church. It teaches that spiritual peace and even perfection can be attained through contemplating God and divine things. Practitioners of quietism aim to subdue the will and achieve total spiritual passivity. In the late 1600s, quietism was promoted as a Catholic form of worship in parts of Western Europe but was later condemned as heretical by Pope Innocent XI in 1687. Quietism directs one’s spirituality inward, emphasizing silent contemplation, stillness, and passivity over active measures like singing or praying aloud, making it particularly attractive to monks, hermits, and ascetics. The goal of quietism is to calm the soul so it can unite with God and eventually reach a sinless state.

Historically, influential quietists include Madame Guyon, Francois Fénelon, and Miguel de Molinos. Quietism has also influenced certain segments of the evangelical church through practices like soaking prayer and centering prayer, as well as the Charismatic focus on listening prayer and the rhema word. The practices associated with quietism and the underlying principles are considered entirely unscriptural.

While it is true that the Bible extols quietness and peace as virtues indicative of a healthy spiritual life, it also warns against practices that deviate from biblical teachings. David expressed, “I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother” «Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, As a child that is weaned of his mother: My soul is even as a weaned child. », (Psalm 131:2), and peace is identified as a fruit of the Spirit «envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shAll will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:21). Waiting on God and submitting to Him are also part of a godly life (Psalm 31:24; Psalm 33:20; Psalm 37:7). However, biblical authors never promote the idea of the human soul being “absorbed” into God, and the Bible in no way endorses quietism, as a philosophy or as a religious practice.

One problem with quietism is its exclusive focus on passivity, stillness, and inaction as it pursues a quiet spirituality. The Bible contains plenty of examples of the opposite attitude, telling God’s people to “shout for joy” over their salvation “We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: The LORD fulfil all thy petitions.” (Psalm 20:5), sing songs, play instruments, and shout loudly (Psalm 33:1-3). The response when a soul is near to God is often shouts and songs of joy “Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” (Isaiah 12:6). Furthermore, positive action is constantly shown in the Scriptures as a necessary part of a Christian’s life. Evangelism is very hard to do if one never speaks or interacts with others. Jesus told His disciples to “go” and “make disciples” and “teach” (Matthew 28:16-20). The apostles’ journeys were full of positive, decisive action and good works. Jesus Himself was a dynamic person—healing and speaking and taking action. Of course, Jesus also spent time in prayer, alone “And in the morning, rising up a great whiIn the morning, before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” (Mark 1:35). However, prayer to God is not what quietism teaches.

The other, greater problem with quietism is its claim that one can achieve a sinless state by inward contemplation and ridding the soul of all troubling desires. In this way, quietism resembles Buddhism more than Christianity. There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that quieting ourselves can result in a sinless state or union with God or that cultivating a lack of feeling or desire will bring special union with God. Quite the opposite: the Bible clearly says that a sinless state of perfection is not attainable in this world “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8). Biblical meditation is an active study and contemplation of God’s Word, not a passive, mantra-like giving up of the will. We are justified by faith in Christ, and we are sanctified by the Word of God (John 17:17; Romans 5:1; Hebrews 10:10,14), not through mystical experiences, asceticism, or having one’s soul united with the divine.