Religious Society of Friends

The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. Quakers are counted among the historic peace churches, and have congregations scattered across the world. Since its origin in England, Quakerism has spread to other countries, chiefly the United States, Kenya and Bolivia. The number of Quakers in the world is relatively small (approximately 600,000), although there are places, such as Philadelphia, PA US, in which Quaker influence is concentrated.

Testimonies

Quaker testimonies are the traditional statements of Quaker belief. Testimonies are not formal static documents, but rather a shared collection or view of how Quakers relate to God and the world. Testimonies cannot easily be taken one at a time, as they are interrelated. As a philosophical system, they are coherent, even outside of Christian theology.

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From today's perspective, Friends have not always followed their own testimonies well. For example while Friends were some of the first to oppose slavery in the United States (Germantown Monthly Meeting minuted their opposition to slavery in 1733), a number of Friends continued to own slaves.

Related Topics:
Slavery - 1733

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While the list of testimonies is evolving (see Quaker Testimonies leaflet), like all aspects of Friends theology, the following is a generally accepted list.

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• The Peace Testimony
• The Testimony of Integrity
• The Testimony of Equality
• The Testimony of Simplicity

The Peace Testimony

See main article on the Peace Testimony.

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The Peace Testimony is the most static testimony; it is also the best known testimony of Friends. The belief that violence is always wrong has persisted to this day, and many conscientious objectors, advocates of non-violence and anti-war activists are Friends. Because of the peace testimony, Friends are often considered as one of the historic peace churches. In 1947 Quakerism was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the prize was accepted by the American Friends Service Committee and Friends Service Council.

Related Topics:
Conscientious objector - Non-violence - Anti-war - Peace church - 1947 - Nobel Peace Prize - American Friends Service Committee - Friends Service Council

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The Testimony of Integrity

See main article on the Testimony of Integrity.

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Also known as the Testimony of Truth, or Truth Testimony, the essence of the Testimony of Integrity is placing God at the center of one's life and refusing to place things other than God there—whether it be oneself, possessions, the regard of others, belief in principles or something else. To Friends integrity is in choosing to follow the leading of the Spirit despite the challenges and urges to do otherwise.

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This testimony has led to Friends having a reputation for being honest and fair in their dealings with others. It has led them to give proper credit to others for their contributions and to accept responsibility for their own actions.

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The Testimony of Equality

See main article on the Testimony of Equality.

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Friends believe that all people are created equal in the eyes of God. Since all people embody the same divine spark all people deserve equal treatment. Friends were some of the first to value women as important ministers and to campaign for women's rights, they became leaders in the anti-slavery movement, and were among the first to pioneer humane treatment for the mentally ill and for prisoners.

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The Testimony of Simplicity

See main article on Testimony of Simplicity.

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Simplicity to Friends has generally been a reference to material possessions and is often referred to as plainness. Friends traditionally limited their possessions to what they need to live their lives, rather than pursuing luxuries. Recently this testimony often is taken to have an ecological dimension: that Friends should not use more than their fair share of the Earth's resources.

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