"Quakers -- aren't they like the Amish?" I've heard this and similar remarks a number of times when I say I was a Quaker for many years. Somehow it always surprises me how many people are unfamiliar with this wonderful religious group.
The Religious Society of Friends was founded in seventeenth-century England by a man named George Fox -- a seeker who underwent vivid spiritual experiences which became the foundation for the faith and practices of his followers. Friends believed (and still do) that divine Truth is continuously being revealed and is directly available to all. Thus the original Friends eschewed the sacraments and other churchly rituals, including the need for intercession by a minister or priest. Their worship services were silent as participants "waited upon the Lord," alert for direct experience of divine guidance.
The word "Quakers," though probably more familiar to the general public, is not used officially by the Society of Friends. It may well have been derived from the admonition by Geroge Fox to his followers to "tremble at the word of the Lord."
Friends desired to see all treated equally, as they believed there was an "Inner Light" in everyone or "that of God in every man." They refused to tip their hats or use the impersonal pronoun "you" to social superiors (thus the use of the familiar "thee," still occasionally found among Quakers today). And, they refused to be conscripted into the military and renounced all war.
Although the movement grew rapidly, Friends underwent considerable persecution for their beliefs and their tendency to "publish the Truth" far and wide. Being imprisoned or beaten for their convictions, the Friends' sensitivity to injustice and cruelty led them to work for the welfare of prisoners and the insane (as they still do now), and to protest vocally against slavery.
Several centuries later, this persuasion led to the formation of the American Friends Service Committee. As the outreach arm of Quakers in the U.S., the AFSC is widely recognized today for its effective work in promoting peace and social justice.
Despite persecution, the Society of Friends continued to expand in Britain, and, soon, in America. The group ultimately was instrumental in the development of religious tolerance in both countries. They also advocated fair dealings with American Indians, and Quaker John Woolman led the outcry among Friends and other Americans, beginning in the 18th century, against slavery.
In the mid-1800s, the Society of Friends experienced several schisms, the offshoot of which can still be seen today: some Friends meet under the care of a minister, while others retain the original format of meeting together without clergy in totally silent worship.
The Religious Society of Friends can now be found worldwide.
The above is (obviously) an extremely brief history, which I have based largely on a chapter in Faith and Practice, A Quaker Guide to Christian Discipline. This particular edition was issued in 1973 by the Pacific Yearly Meeting of Friends. A volume called Friends for Three Hundred Years, by Howard H. Brinton, gives a detailed and very readable history of the Society.
Brinton has referred to the Quakers' meetings for worship as "group mysticism," noting that meeting together in unity can deepen spiritual experiences beyond those which a person might have when alone. I love the phrase "gathered meeting," which refers to a meeting for worship in which all members become aware of Divine Presence.
It was this sort of experience, along with the Quakers' pacifism, which gathered me in and led me to an association with the Society of Friends that lasted for almost two decades.
NOTE: Please expect to see my posts published each Sunday.
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