[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by rainmaker

Just a very minor, nit-picking correction here, since the entire basketball world (except those pesky professional women) is taking an afternoon nap this month...

The correct spelling of "consencous" is actually c-o-n-s-e-n-s-u-s, although c-o-n-c-e-n-s-u-s is also accepted by many non-Quakers. It is based on the root consent, not census.

Parenthetically, I would just like to hop up on the soap box here for a moment, and point out that the origin of the concept of consensus is in Quaker polity where the goal is to agree about what is the will of God. It was never intended to mean "unanimity" which is how it is usually used today, even among many Quakers. I have seen it attempted both ways, and I feel safe in asserting that the "unanimity" thing is virtually impossible in any group larger than about three people. But agreeing ahead of time to discern and submit to the will of God is an incredible experience when it happens. This is not a sermon or a prescription, just a description of some Quaker history.

Interesting, but I never saw concensus used to mean unanimous....maybe we need an official ruling or case book play for this!