What Quakers Believe

We see ourselves as seekers of truth and believe life is a continual spiritual journey. An idea central to Quakerism is that there is constant revelation of God to individuals. The truth about God and how to live a loving life is revealed over and over again to any who seek and listen for God's message. Quakers believe "there is that of God in everyone" and work toward spiritual growth, peace, equality, simplicity, and integrity. Our beliefs lead us to strive to live simply, by avoiding commercialism and trying to live in balance with nature, and to take action in areas of peace and justice such as pacifism and opposition to capital punishment.

The information in italics is from “A Guide to Our Faith and Our Practice,” which is produced by the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting (SAYMA; our regional Quaker organizing body).

Friends’ expression of their encounters with God have traditionally been grounded in religious experience rather than in doctrine. These experiences have led Friends to use traditional Christian language in fresh ways. “Christ,” then, may refer to the historical Jesus or to the Inward Teacher who enters their lives to lead them toward oneness with God; “the Holy Spirit” may become the loving activity of God within each person’s life and the life of the meeting; “the Word of God” can be heard through [scripture and other inspirational writings], and through the direct expression of the Spirit. Friends strive to listen to “that which is eternal,” seeking to come together “at a place deeper than words.”

…Friends of Truth were radical in insisting that true religion should be based, not on forms and ceremony, ritual and creeds, but on a living experience of the Divine.

Since Friends believe that the Spirit is actively present among them as teacher, they have always trusted in it to reveal the truth to individuals insofar as they are prepared to receive it. And while Friends do uphold certain principles and beliefs as a corporate body, they do not require adoption or adherence to these as a condition of membership; they do expect that each person be true to his or her own spiritual experience. Friends’ beliefs, traditions and teachings are meant to be testimonies to help individuals discern the leadings of the Inward Teacher in the midst of worldly voices that vie for allegiance.

TESTIMONIES

Quakers strive to live their lives as testimonies to their beliefs.

Seeking to live centered lives in the Spirit, Friends hold to ideals of simplicity and honesty in all their doings.

Violence stands as the ultimate denial of love; peace remains its cherished affirmation. Friends aim toward the transformation of a flawed world into one that would make possible equality, justice and peace for all peoples.

The following is a brief overview of some Quaker Testimonies.

Simplicity

To the earliest Friends, simplicity meant freeing oneself of all that was unnecessary and worldly. Just as all ritual, program, and clerical functions were seen as a hindrance to worship, so elaborate and insincere speech, as well as ornamentation of dress, were seen as distractions to the right ordering of life. …In use of time, habits of consumption, sharing of world resources, and indeed every aspect of daily life, simplicity is central for us because it both mirrors and deepens spiritual centeredness.

Peace

Early Quakers believed they were led by the Christ within and by the Christ of the New Testament to love those people who considered them enemies and to refrain from all wars and fighting. … Though individual Quakers have participated in wars since then, Friends still affirm that the best way to relate to people is to appeal to that of God within them. …In attending to this divine leading, we try to live in ways that promote justice and avoid the causes of war… …We work to gain wider support for nonviolent solutions.

Integrity

Friends believe that direct and truthful discourse, tempered always by tenderness, facilitates full communication and understanding. Friends, therefore, strive to tell the truth at all times. Commitment to a single standard of truth has traditionally led Friends to refrain from judicial oaths. By swearing to the truth, one insinuates that they are only telling the truth when under oath which is contrary to Quakers’ belief in telling the truth at all times.

Community

Friends are bound together in community by a continual process of common seeking and experience of the Light within. The community provides spiritual and emotional nurture. …Open recognition of and respect for differences, forthright sharing, and sincere reflection can lead individuals to new insight and strengthen the meeting as a whole. …Unity emerges not only from agreement but also from a common search for the truth conducted in a spirit of loving concern.

Equality

Equality, the earliest social testimony of Friends, led early Friends to eliminate any behaviors that implied one person was superior to another. … In seeking to apply this testimony, Friends have often been in the forefront of social change. …We seek a world where laws and customs foster human dignity. We encourage all people to realize their full potential as human beings bearing the light of God.

Membership

Membership in the Religious Society of Friends identifies a person who seeks, in worship after the manner of Friends, the living reality, discipline, and guidance of the spirit of God. No prescribed or set formula of words and phrases distinguishes a member from a nonmember; instead, the lives of Friends express their faith in accordance with their experiences with Truth and with the meeting community.