The Quakers

Innerlight · #1 03-26-2008, 10:59 PM

Hello

I signed up as a member here a few days ago and as i'm sure you have noticed from my avatar that I am a Quaker. Since not everyone these days knows who the Quakers are I thought it would be nice to tell you all a bit about a group which has been around since the mid 17th century and are still going strong today. There is alot of history with the Quakers but don't worry I'm not going to type a whole essay just give you some facts

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) was founded by the English dissenter George Fox in 1652. Fox was a devout Christian who taught that the light of Jesus Christ is within each and every one of us regardless of race, gender, creed or culture. Fox taught that God does not reside in temples or churches built by men nor in Holy Scripture but in the human heart.

Quakers traditionally meet for worship once a week on Sunday mornings (although they can meet for worship anytime a small group of them come together in Jesus’ name) they enter the meeting room in silence, sit in a circle or a square all facing each other then relax into silence for an hour awaiting the spirit of Christ to come upon them. When the Holy Spirit does come upon a Quaker he or she may feel the desire to stand and give ministry. They can speak for a few seconds or a few minutes but their message must be inspired by the Holy Spirit. Apart from the few Quakers who may speak, the meeting will be held in complete silence. When the hour is over two elder Quakers shake hands signalling to all that the meeting is over.

There are no religious leaders, sermons, hymns or any other traditional church worship at Quaker meetings. They do not perform baptisms or offer/take communion. Quakers believe that divine guidance from God Himself will show them the best way to live and worship. Worshiping God is a way of life, not just a set of beliefs.

The name 'Quaker' was a reference to the physical trembling of the hands that members of the society were said to experience when the Holy Spirit was upon them.

Quakers do not follow any set creed but do have what they call their ‘testimonies’ which are peace, equality, simplicity and honesty.

Equality

Quakers feel that since the light of God is within us all (known in Quaker terms as the inner light) He loves us all equally and therefore one person should never take advantage or harm another person as all are loved by God. To treat another person as inferior to oneself is wrong. Because of this belief Quakers traditionally refuse to address people they encounter as 'sir' 'madam' 'your honour' or any other title that suggests the person you are addressing is superior to you. Quakers do not submit to any authority except that of God.

Peace

This belief is particularly important to Quakers. All Quakers are pacifists and do not approve of warfare or violence. For the same reasons as stated above God loves us all and would not wish one person to harm or kill another. Warfare is a terrible sin which has resulted in countless millions throughout history being killed. Jesus Christ himself was a pacifist and commanded us to ‘turn the other cheek’. Quakers feel very strongly about this view and have always refused to fight in wars. Both King Charles the second and Oliver Cromwell had many Quakers locked up for refusing to fight.

Simplicity

A simple life is a life free of clutter, vanity and unnecessary wealth or belongings. Quakers feel that such a lifestyle brings great benefits to health and state of mind. Jesus himself encouraged people to give up their belongings and ‘follow him’ and said a rich man cannot enter the gates of heaven. A person should be careful not to squander money on things they don’t need and always give generously to charities and the poor.

Honesty

Quakers do not swear oaths. Not even in court. It is written in the bible ‘do not swear an oath’ and so they stick to that teaching. Quakers put great stock in telling the truth and say that swearing an oath implies that a person does not always tell the truth which Quakers always do. Quakers have a reputation as being good people to do business with because of their honesty and integrity. The famous brand ‘Quaker Oats’ are not (and never have been) a Quaker company (despite what popular myth dictates) in fact the oat company deliberately chose the name because the word ‘Quaker’ was associated with trustworthiness and quality.

There are approximately 350,000 Quakers in the world including 25,000 in Britain. There are Quaker groups across the world in countries such as the United States, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Ireland, Kenya and Bolivia.

The above was only a very brief introduction. For more info please visit this link;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers#In_Great_Britain

Nyoka · #2 03-26-2008, 11:17 PM

Thank you for sharing this with us. It is always good to know how and why other people believe as they do. I am glad you have found a way of life that a) tries to glorify God and b) is a way that sits right with you. God bless you.