Article by Lena Froese, edited by Robert Rayner
Who are the Quakers anyway?
This website gets visitors from all over the world from all walks of life. Maybe you got here and you do not know yet who Quakers are? Then this page is for you.
A quick disclaimer: As you will be able to learn from this article, Quakerism has many different branches and facets and each Quaker’s beliefs are unique. There is very big diversity amongst us and if you ask three of us what we believe, you might get four answers. 😉 This article is going to be influenced by my own “flavour” of Quakerism and if someone else would write it, they would probably write this a bit (or very) differently.
Quakers or Friends
Quakers are also known as “Friends” because the Quaker community officially calls itself the “Religious Society of Friends”. This comes from a Bible reference which early Quakers found spoke to them: Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you (John 15:14).
George Fox and early Quakers
Quakerism has its roots in Lancashire, England. In 1652, George Fox had a vision on Pendle Hill which had a big impact on him. His revelation told him that “there is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy condition”. He became convinced that it was possible to have a direct experience of Christ without the aid of ordained clergy.
Fox and the early Friends (one of whom was William Penn, whose name was the inspiration for our EMEYF blog: Willy and Penn) were Christians and did not like the hierarchical structures of churches at the time. Priests would interpret the Bible for the churchgoers and a direct connection between the people and God was not encouraged. Due to his experience on Pendle Hill, Fox believed that everyone, no matter which age or gender, could listen to the Holy Spirit directly without a priest. This was a “hot take” at the time and the group around Fox got a lot of negative attention for their unusual views. Many of them ended up fined, in prison, or even executed. They would gather in modest homes and sit in silence for hours on end, listening for the small still voice of the Spirit, just like many Quakers still do today – and thus, Quakerism was born.
The name “Quakers” comes from the fact that George Fox and early Friends would “tremble before God” – the term was used to mock Friends but they adopted the term and made it their own.
Branches of Quakerism
As you can tell, Quakerism has its roots in Christianity. Today, many Quakers do consider themselves Christian, however, not all of them do. These days, we have several branches of Quakers, which can be categorized in two main branches: programmed and unprogrammed. Programmed Friends gather for services that might involve singing and prepared ministry and possibly have a pastor leading it. They do not sit in silence as much and might sing and read from the Bible in their services. Unprogrammed Quakers usually meet to sit in silent expectant waiting. A Friend or two might stand to give unprepared vocal ministry out of the silence.
There are approximately 400,000 Quakers worldwide, in 87 different countries. About 49% of Quakers live in Africa (most of them in Kenya), 36% in the Americas, 9% in Europe and the Middle East and 6% in the Asia West Pacific region. 89% of all Friends belong to evangelical and programmed branches.
Evangelical and Conservative Quakers usually describe themselves as Christian and Jesus and the Bible play important roles in their practices. In Europe, Liberal Quakerism is the most common form of Quakerism. Some Liberal Friends do not consider themselves Christian, but many do. There are Friends who feel a sense of dual belonging to another faith tradition as well – such as Buddhism, Paganism, or something else. Within Liberal Quakers, there are also Friends who consider themselves non-theist. If you are interested in the various historical splits and branches within Quakerism, this article has more information.
With such huge diversity among Friends, it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint, what exactly connects us all and makes us all Quakers. Especially because Quakers do not have a creed or dogma that they must subscribe to! I would say that the thing that connects almost all of us is the belief that there is that of God (or whatever you may want to call it – Spirit, Light, Love, …) in every person. And that this belief is reflected in the Quaker testimonies we share. Feel free to ask other Friends and see what their answer to this question would be!
Quaker testimonies
Quakers may be best known for their peace testimony, which, for most Quakers, manifests itself in a worldview of radical pacifism, conscientious objection to military service and our commitment to peacebuilding. Our testimonies are outward expressions of our inward faith. In living according to our testimonies, we collectively witness the Truth that we have discerned corporately (as a Society). Testimonies are not a checklist to live by or secular values we hold, but rather the way we live in unity, as we follow the promptings of love and truth in our hearts. These also include (among others!) living with integrity, treating everyone equally and living simply, trying not to squander Earth’s resources.
Spiritual life of Quakers (Liberal Quakers)
Our spiritual life can take many forms. A cornerstone for many is Meeting for Worship. This usually happens on a Sunday in a Meeting House or in someone’s private home. Meetings for Worship usually mean that Friends sit in a circle and settle into the silence. We then collectively listen to the small still voice inside us. Some people would call this meditation, but many do not think that this term fits. It is also not exactly a prayer but something else, somehow. It is difficult to describe. Sometimes, a Friend is moved to speak and cannot contain the words in their body. Then they might give oral ministry to the group. Other Friends will sit with this ministry and not answer it directly. The Meeting concludes after about an hour, with the timekeeper, Clerk or Elder getting up and everyone shaking and/or holding hands.
It can happen that a Friend receives a Leading through Meeting for Worship. This means that they feel like the Spirit/the small still voice is urging them to a specific action. The Meeting supports the Friend to discern if that voice is actually from God or not. Meetings for Clearness are Meetings specifically for finding clarity in such cases. They can also be held for difficult life situations a Friend may go through.
Important Quaker books
For Christian Quakers, the Bible is obviously usually the most important book to reference. For others, it might be other spiritual texts. Most Yearly Meetings (Quaker bodies which meet once a year) have their own “books of discipline” which are books containing ministry from Quakers over many decades and centuries. The most well-known and the oldest one is the British book called Quaker Faith and Practice. It can be read online and is a recognizable red book. It contains ministry, experiences, queries, and more from a very diverse group of Quakers. The text is revised once per generation. Sometimes, the contributions contradict each other or paint different pictures of a topic, which makes it very interesting and open to experiences of a rich diversity of Friends.
Quaker activism and important bodies
Many Quakers are activists in their private life and it is important to them to “live their Quaker values” or “let their lives speak”. In liberal Quaker circles, this often means that Friends are involved in activism against the climate emergency, ecojustice, abolition and prison reform, social justice, antiracism, liberal theology, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, human and animal rights, quiet diplomacy, and much more.
Quaker organisations such as the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) in Brussels, the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) in Geneva and New York, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in the US, and many more support Friends to have their voices heard in the political arenas all around the world.
The Friends World Council for Consultation (FWCC), based in London, is the global Quaker body which connects Quakers and Quaker bodies from all over the world. There are also sections under FWCC for different continents: Africa Section, Section of the Americas, Asia West Pacific Section and the Europe and Middle East Section (EMES). This website is created by Europe and Middle East Young Friends (EMEYF), which is the organisation of Young Friends within EMES.
Some fun facts
- Liberal Quakers usually do not proselytise – because why would we? If we believe that all people are equal, they are also equally “saved” and do not need to be convinced by Quakerism to go to heaven (of we even believe that heaven exists…)
- Historically, Quakers didn’t…
- drink, swear oaths, serve in the military, celebrate holidays (every day was seen as equally holy)
- (and many still don’t today!)
- Early Quakers dressed plainly – and some still do today
- Quakers were known to use thee as an ordinary pronoun.