Friends’ Beliefs

The core belief most commonly held among Friends is that “there is that of God/Spirit/Light in everyone”. This can mean something a little different for each person, but the essence is that each of us in the gathered meeting for worship, in our own spiritual practices, and in our daily lives can experience direct contact with the Divine without a human intermediary, doctrine or creed.

We strive to be instruments of God by allowing ourselves to seek and follow the leadings of Spirit. Each of us discerns how we live our lives and share our individual gifts for ministering to others by “answering to that of God in everyone.” We embody our faith in action, not merely by proclaiming it. Being of service is one of our most commonly held values. Rufus M. Jones, an influential Quaker of the 20th century, expressed this well, “Our mission of service is (the means) by which we express ourselves in the world.”

Historical Background of the Quaker Faith

The Religious Society of Friends emerged in seventeenth century England in a time of great political and religious turmoil. It began as a loosely organized religious movement with many different expressions, each of which had as its core a rejection of clerical authority in favor of direct access and interpretation of the Bible leading to the novel belief that God speaks to us directly.

This idea is best captured in a life changing spiritual experience of “George Fox, one of the early co-founders of the Society of Friends. As a youth he suffered great anguish as he sought an answer to his spiritual quest. His answer came after much reading of the Scriptures and visits to many ministers and counselors when he heard a voice within him which said: ‘There is One, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.’ ‘And when I heard it’, he later reported, ‘my heart did leap for joy.’” (Faith and Practice of New England Yearly Meeting, 1988\5 p.53)

As the movement grew, there were many strong independent ministers/preachers and thousands of followers. This popularity led to persecution and deep suffering at the hands of authorities-imprisonment, torture and execution. These circumstances created the need for more organization and structure. A number of followers contributed to organizing this movement into a coherent whole which ultimately became the Religious Society of Friends. First among them, along with Fox, was Margaret Fell (later married to George Fox after her husband’s death). Margaret Fell was convinced of the rightness of Fox’s vision. She is credited as a co-founder and is sometimes referred to as the “mother of Quakerism”. Early Friends developed a self-governance structure based on unity with all voices being heard. Most importantly, she and others advocated for equal participation of women in leading worship and in a Meeting’s decision-making—a very radical idea at the time.

Persecuted in England for their “heretical beliefs”, many Friends migrated to the American colonies. They were welcomed in some and persecuted in others. The most extreme case was that of Mary Dyer who was banished from Massachusetts and told she’d be hanged if she return. She returned and was hanged on the Boston Common on June 1, 1660.

Quakerism Today

—Adapted from Faith and Practice of New England Yearly Meeting, 1985 p.53.

Since those early beginnings, we Friends have continued to hold that our faith is one of first-hand experience of God in our lives. Spiritual life does not depend upon the acceptance of certain doctrines, nor the observance of certain rites, but comes as persons are obedient to the Light within them.

This has not been a solitary faith. From the beginning, the Quaker faith has flourished in a group, in a society, in a beloved fellowship. While God may be found in one’s inmost life, one is always conscious of being part of a larger group of persons who are likewise joyously following the inward way and seeking to be obedient to the Light/Christ within.

We seek to be obedient not only in the quiet gathering for worship together, or in our meeting for settling practical affairs, but also as we are led as a group to be concerned for those about us, particularly those suffering injustices or inequities. While Friends have great respect for the individual person, the real unit in the Society of Friends has always been the Meeting.