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North Wales Quakers
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Your Guide to Quakers
Who are the Quakers?
'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 (about 28,000 members
and attenders in Britain, much larger numbers in the Americas and
Africa) 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.
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Quakers and Christianity
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.
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Is Quakerism a religion, or an approach to religion?
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.
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What do Friends believe?
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.
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Jesus and the Bible?
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.
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No communion, no service?
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.
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The things Friends aim at - and often miss
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.
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Meeting for Worship
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.
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The things Friends actually do
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.
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Don't stop here, find out for yourself
Your public library may have books about the Quakers - or they can get
them for you - and they will be able to tell you how to find your
nearest Quaker meeting.
You would be welcome at Meeting for Worship. Talk with Friends there and
ask them about further activities.
Or, if you write to Quaker Life (YGNW), Friends House, Euston Road,
London NW1 2BJ, or phone the answerphone 020 7663 1025, they will send
you free booklets and tell you about Quakers in your area. There is also
a Quaker website:
www.quaker.org.uk.
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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