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'Quakers' started as a nickname - their real name is the Religious
Society of Friends - but they are quite happy to be called
either Friends or Quakers.
The religious Society of Friends is a small group with a special view of
what religion means, and of Christianity in particular.
Anybody can attend the local Quaker Meeting for Worship. After a while,
if they find they share Friends' outlook, they can become a
member and take a bigger part in the Society's life.
Quakerism started in England in the 1650s, the time of the Commonwealth,
when George Fox gathered groups of 'seekers' or dissidents
together. They felt that the Churches over the centuries had led
people away from the real aims of Christianity, and got bogged
down with traditions and ritual and power politics.
Quakers were trying to lead a renewal - to see how they could live life
more simply and truthfully, following Jesus' example more
closely. So there's no doubt that Quakerism is rooted in
Christianity, and many Quakers centre their faith on Jesus.
On the other hand, some Quakers find that traditional religious language
doesn't describe their inner experiences, and they look both
within Christianity and beyond. The Society appears very
different from any other Christian group, without the usual
priests, services or creeds.
It is the job of religion to help us find meaning in our lives, to reach
the underlying reality, the inexpressible truth, and to bring
people together into community. Throughout time, churches and
faiths have struggled to help people recognise the extraordinary
in the ordinary, or as Quakers would put it, to find something
of God in their daily lives.
So Quakers recognise all the great faiths as ways to spiritual
fulfilment, and they are willing to learn from and work with
other faiths and churches. But for Quakers, there is something
uniquely helpful and inspiring about the Quaker approach to
religion.
Friends have always questioned anything they were
told to believe!
This is part of their 'seeking for truth', in the old phrase. It is based
on the experience that there is a real and direct relationship
between each person and God - though Quakers will use a variety
of words and ways to try to do the impossible in describing
'God'. Ultimately, though, all individuals have to find their
own way to religious truth, being aware of God in their own
lives, learning from the wisdom of the past as expressed in a
variety of religious writings, and comparing their experiences
with others in their Meeting.
You may be thinking, 'Where does Jesus come in?' Quakers don't spend much
time discussing theology - for instance, whether or in what
sense Jesus was the 'son of God'. They would say the important
thing is to learn from Jesus' teaching and way of life - and to
get on with it.
In Britain, most Friends regard the Bible as by far the greatest source
of inspiration, but not the only one. They read it along with
all the other books, old and new, which can guide us in life.
But they are not among those who take any 'holy' book as being
literally the 'Word of God' - they see too many puzzling
contradictions. They find modern scholarship very useful in
getting to grips with the Bible and other great books.
Quakers have many beliefs and attitudes in common, but you can't list
them in a formula, or use them as a test of membership. Friends
like to talk of an 'inward light' within every human being. Some
would call this 'conscience' or 'moral sense', but Friends feel
it is something more: part of spiritual and religious
experience, which gives you a sense of direction in your search
for the right way to live.
If there is something of God in every person - and every time and place
and thing - then there is no need for special feast days,
ceremonies and sacraments such as baptism and holy communion. In
the same way, the Meeting House is not a consecrated building:
it can just as well be used for music, eating, discussion or fun
as for worship. Everything, including joy and suffering and the
good and bad things that we do, are part of living and growing
and learning. But the effect of Quaker worship was described by
an early Friend: 'I felt the evil weakening in me and the good
raised up'.
Perhaps this is why Quakers are generally very tolerant and hopeful.
Because they feel there is 'something of God' in every one, Quakers aim
to find that 'something' in all their dealings - with nice
people and not-so-nice, with old and young, with black and
white, with rich and poor, with men and women, gay and straight.
They take this to be the meaning of 'love God and love one
another'. They try to live a fairly simple life: not to get too
involved with money, or possessions, or status, not to lose
sight of what is really important. Quakers get a lot of fun and
enjoyment out of life, but don't expect to find them gambling,
drinking a lot or trying drugs. They're not into exploitation or
power games.
It's hard being a 'seeker' on your own. In the Meeting for Worship,
Friends share with each other what they have found out for
themselves, and gain from each other in this way. If everyone
can have a direct relationship or 'communion' with God, then no
priest is needed to act as a go-between, and so Friends have no
priests or ministers (though members share out the practical
tasks that need doing in any group).
Friends find that this 'communion' can best be experienced if they meet
in silence, with nothing pre-planned. Meeting for Worship
couldn't be simpler: you go in and sit down in a room and settle
in silence, a silence which can become very deep and powerful, a
direct relationship between each person and God.
After a time, someone may feel inspired to stand up and speak briefly in
their own words, or pray, or read from the Bible or some other
book. But silent waiting is the framework of the Meeting for
Worship - and the regular Meetings are something no Quaker would
want to miss.
Quakers feel that unless you have experienced a belief inwardly, as true
and valuable, you won't let it rule your life: and if it doesn't
do that, what use is a belief? It's no good having a faith if
you don't put it into practice. Quakers have always tried to be
honest at work (which for many Quaker businesses has proved to
be the best policy). They aim at truthfulness at all times,
which is why, for example, a Quaker won't swear an oath in court
- it would suggest that the rest of the time you can have
different standards of truth.
From the start, Quakers have felt strong concerns to improve social
conditions and the environment. Help for slaves, prisoners,
mental patients, refugees, old people, war casualties - quite a
few charities and campaigns for reform have started as the
concern of a Quaker.
Above all, Quakers say that if you follow the teaching and life of Jesus,
you must rule out war and violence as a way for solving
problems. They try never to give up on getting in touch with
that of God in every person. So Friends have always worked for
peace, refusing to contribute to war and military action. There
are Quaker Centres bringing diplomats into contact in various
cities around the world, and international projects that bring
young people together.
William Penn, the founder of a state that lasted for 75 years without a
military force, said that true godliness shouldn't turn people
out of this world, but should make them more able to live in it.
Is this an impossible aim? Quakers believe it is possible
- and in today's situation, vital.
You would be welcome at Meeting for Worship.
Talk with Friends there and feel free to ask them about further
activities.
The above text is taken from a leaflet published by:
Outreach Committee, Quaker
Life,
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain,
Friends House, 173 Euston Road,
London NW1 2BJ,
December 2000.
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