About Quakers
“Walk cheerfully over the
earth answering to that of God in everyone”
Introduction to Quakerism
For members of the Religious Society of Friends, religion
is not something apart from life; it is the whole of life. It is something that
one is and does. Like breathing or digestion, it carries vital energy and power
into every pulse of thought and stroke of work. It does not have to do primarily
with another world, or with a state after death; it has to do essentially with
the here and now.
The story goes that Friends are sometimes called Quakers
because when they first gathered as seekers with George Fox in 17th Century
England, they were spoken of jeeringly as “quaking before the Lord.” Somehow
the nickname stayed alive and has become a cherished name.
History
The Religious Society of Friends grew out of the work of
George Fox in the late 1640’s in England. Fox was unsatisfied with what he
found in established religion. He had a vision and experienced what he called
the Christ Within. Out of this developed the concept of the Inner Light, the
Seed, or that of God in every one. Fox drew about him a large and impressive
following, among whom the most notable figure was William Penn, the founder of
Pennsylvania. The movement spread in England in the face of brutal persecution;
and from 1657 onward, Friends came to America, soon becoming an important factor
in both the religious and political life of the colonies. There have been
Friends Meetings in North Carolina since 1698.
Beliefs
Friends believe that God’s light, truth and love is
revealed in every human being directly, without the requirement of any
intermediary such as church, priest, or sacred book. Outward authorities, such
as the Bible and the traditions of the church, are important but secondary
sources of truth. We believe that since there is ‘that of God’ in every
person, each one can know God in his or her ongoing personal experience. The
Inner Light is not conscience, but it is that which enlightens conscience.
Friends have many different beliefs, ways of seeking, and
levels of awareness. We have no creed or statement of faith. We do not require
members to conform to a particular view about Jesus, although most Friends
consider themselves Christians. Quakerism affirms that life is good and
meaningful. Although recognizing the existence of evil on earth and opposing it
in many ways, Quakerism strongly upholds the inherent goodness of humankind. If
there is that of God in each person, then each one is sacred—each life, each
mind, each heart. Every day is a day of creation.
Works
Quakerism is both a mystical and a practical religion.
Friends believe that religious experience reveals itself in action: that the
Inner Light bears fruit in this world. The best-known witnesses of Friends have
been against war, capital punishment, and inhumane treatment of prisoners and
the oppression of minorities. When war breaks out, Friends are committed to the
people on both sides, recognizing that the tragedy of war falls on people on
both sides; suffering, death, separation and hunger occur without regard to
political persuasion nor the justice or injustice of the cause for which one
fights. Working quietly and constantly for peace, Friends are among the first on
the scene when peace efforts fail and war breaks out, hurrying to feed, clothe,
bind up and mend the broken remnants of human beings that war leaves in its
wake.
AFSC
This relief work is done primarily through the American
Friends Service Committee, which was organized in 1917 and fed over a million
German children a day in the early 1920’s. In Vietnam the A.F.S.C. opened a
Day Care Center for children and then a Rehabilitation Center, where artificial
limbs were made and crippled children taught to walk again. More important, the
South Vietnamese were taught how to make and fit the limbs themselves. Friends
consistently try to help persons manage for themselves. Quakers alone do not do
the work of the A.F.S.C. The ministry of love is open to anyone, and many
persons who are not Quakers give generously and work with the Service Committee.
A.F.S.C. currently has programs in various parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America,
the Middle East and the United States.
Conclusion
The Society of Friends numerically is a small body. It is composed in America of about 120,000 persons. Its work is quiet and non-ostentatious, but it is a spiritual seed, living and growing, and bearing within itself the hope and promise of larger possibilities of life and service.
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