The following excerpt and others below are taken from “Faith and Practice,” published by the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (1998).
The Religious Society of Friends arose in England in the middle of the seventeenth century. ... In the established Church of England, a great deal of emphasis was placed on outward ceremony; there, and in such dissenting churches as the Baptists and Presbyterians, religious faith was also generally identified with the authority of the Bible or the acceptance of a formal creed. Many individuals, however, became increasingly dissatisfied with ceremonies and creeds, and broke away from these churches. Singly or in small groups, they turned inward in search of a religion of personal experience and direct communion with God.
George Fox (1624-1691) was one of these seekers. ... At age nineteen, ... he decided to leave home in order to seek spiritual direction. For four years he wandered through the English midlands and as far south as London. Though he consulted various ministers and professors (that is, professing Christians), none could give rest to his troubled soul. Finally, as he recorded in his journal,
... when ... I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do then, Oh! then, I heard a voice which said “There is one, even Jesus Christ, that can speak to thy condition,” and when I heard it, my heart did leap for joy. ...My desires after the Lord grew stronger, and zeal in the pure knowledge of God and of Christ alone, without the help of any man, book, or writing.
And so, at the age of twenty-three, George Fox began to preach.
His basic message was simple enough: first, that his own dramatic and life-changing experience of a direct, unmediated revelation from God confirmed the possibility of a religion of personal experience and direct communion with God, a religion of continuing revelation instead of a closed written canon; and second, that this same possibility was available to every person. Fox's message, combined with his charismatic personality, soon attracted a small group of women and men who joined him in spreading the “good news” that “Christ has come to teach his people himself.” These first “publishers of Truth” believed the good news to be a revival of primitive Christianity rather than a new gospel. Gradually, Fox and his associates began to enlist others in this revival; and in 1652, Fox persuaded many of the Westmorland Seekers, a numerous and already well-established religious movement, to become Friends (or Friends of Truth), as his followers called themselves, or Quakers, as they came to be called by others. [Faith and Practice, pp. 1-2]Friends believe that our Creator communicates directly with each of us, and this communication is the primary source of our faith.
The Light Within is the fundamental and immediate experience for Friends. It is that which guides each of us in our everyday lives and brings us together as a community of faith. It is, most importantly, our direct and unmediated experience of the Divine.
Friends have used many different terms or phrases to designate the source and inner certainty of our faith -- a faith which we have gained by direct experience. The Inward Light, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the Spirit of Truth, the Divine Principle, the Christ Within, the Seed, and the Inner Light are examples of such phrases. George Fox ... encouraged Friends to “walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone”. Many Friends interpret “that of God” as another designation for the Light Within. ...
Recognizing that God's light is in every person overcomes our separation and our differences from others and leads to a sympathetic awareness of their need and a sense of responsibility toward them. Friends believe that the more widely and clearly the Light is recognized and followed, the more will humanity come into accord. [Faith and Practice, pp. 16-17]
Friends avoid the formulation of fixed creeds to express their beliefs. Their faith is defined by witness and tradition more that by any central authority.
Quakers have traditonally been wary of creedal statements as limiting our understanding of God. ... The rejection of creeds does not imply the absence of doctrine or statements of belief. From the earliest times of our society, individual Friends as well as small groups of Friends and Friends' Meetings, have issued written statements of their beliefs to the world. Among the doctrines finding wide acceptance by Friends are a universal saving light and continuing revelation. [Faith and Practice, p. 86]
The early Quakers attempted to live as simply as possible, emulating the early Christian communities, inspired by the moral teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The Inner Light, however, remains the primary source of revelation, and the Society does not exclude those who find truth in other religious and scriptural traditions. Our faith is not threatened by scientific discovery; knowledge of the universe only enhances our knowledge of its Creator.
Friends' appreciation of the Bible and other scriptures springs from our faith that there is in everyone the capacity to be open and responsive to the experience of the Divine. The possibility of that experience has been present in every place and time, even before the Bible was written, whenever and wherever people have earnestly sought communication with God and an understanding of God's will. ...
Friends have at all times brought to their reading of these scriptures light from other sources. Through historical, cultural, and literary studies as well as sifted experience we have enriched the insights provided by our reading of the Bible. As a Society we have been generally freed from the so-called conflict between science and faith, finding instead therein a mutual illumination. ...
Given the Bible's importance in shaping the ways Friends have expressed their experience of the presence and leading of God and its power to illuminate our worship and our vocal ministry, we are encouraged to know it well.
We do not, however, consider scriptures, whether Hebrew or Christian or those of other religious faiths, to be the final revelation of God's nature and will. Rather, we believe in continuing revelation. This term emphasizes our ongoing communion with the living God, our expanding sensitivity in our relationships with one another, and our growing knowledge of the universe. [Faith and Practice, p. 30]
Friends believe that the inner light leads us to dedicate our everyday lives to the implementation of God's will for ourselves and all of humanity. Meetings for worhip are instrumental in leading us to bear witness to truth and respond to the needs of others.
Friends are sometimes called “practical mystics” because Quaker worship has been the wellspring for service in the community and world. ... The impetus for service is often a concern, which, as Friends use the word, is a quickening sense of the need to do something or to demonstrate sympathetic interest in an individual or group, as a result of what is felt to be a direct intimation of God's will. A concern as an impetus to action arises out of Friends' belief that the realm of God can be realized here and now, not just in another place or time. [Faith and Practice, p. 65]
Concerns may ultimately lead to action, again perceived to conform with God's will.
When it initially arises, a concern may not yet be linked to a proposed course of action, but may simply be a troubled sense that something is awry. Action, when it follows, is often the result of a leading, a sense of being drawn or called by God in a particular direction or toward a particular course of action. ... The leading may be short-term and specific in its fulfillment, or it may involve transformation of one's life and the life of the Meeting. [Faith and Practice, p. 65]
When leadings involve public witness, Friends are encouraged to consult with others in their Meeting before taking action.
Concerns and leadings commonly shared by Quakers through history are called testimonies. This body of testimonies defines and characterizes the Quaker way of life.
While the specifics of Friends' practice have varied as times have changed, Friends today continue to have concerns and underlying beliefs similar to those of past generations. The word testimonies is used to refer to this common set of deeply held, historically rooted attitudes and modes of living in the world.
Testimonies bear witness to the truth as Friends in community perceive it -- truth known through relationship with God. The testimonies are expressions of lives turned toward the Light, outward expressions reflective of the inward experience of divine leading, differently described by various Friends and in changing eras. ... Through the testimonies, with that measure of the Light that is granted, Friends strive for unity of inner and outer life, both in living with ourselves and others and living in the world. [Faith and Practice, p. 67]
The Quaker testimonies may be held to include the following: simplicity; integrity; equality; peace; stewardship and economic justice; social and criminal justice; and civic engagement.
For more information about Quakers in North America, visit the website of the Friends General Conference, an association of Quaker Yearly Meetings and regional organizations throughout the United States and Canada. Friends General Conference provides helpful information and resources for individual Friends, meetings, and people interested in the Quaker way.