Quakers

Quakers are known under various names, such as Friends, Seekers, and even Children of the Light. In general, Quakerism (formally, the Religious Society of Friends) seems more universalist than Christian as both a set of beliefs and a set of practices. Early Quakers emerged in the civil war that raged in England in the mid-17th century. They rejected formal theology and placed scriptural learning firmly into the context of knowledge of God from within. The single central binding belief is that of God in each human being, and that turning to this source of spiritual renewal turns Quakers toward right action, based on integrity and equality, in their daily lives.

The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) represents the activist arm of Quakers in the United States, which is sometimes criticized for not being quietist enough. AFSC represents a long tradition of becoming involved in radical challenges to inequality and social injustice. Quietism may seem to contrast with activism, but within the history of the Religious Society of Friends, taking stock and spiritual renewal are most often the precursors of deeper and more committed engagement in what Quakers call a calling.

Many see this holism of faith and action as a key strength of the Religious Society of Friends; by the same token, this can also be Quakerism's weak point. It certainly makes for a very demanding set of beliefs and disallows adherents to shirk their social responsibilities with a clear conscience; being a Quaker implies a commitment to whatever forms of social engagement and action the individual feels called to, but not to a life of quiet contemplation and withdrawal. Because of how demanding Quaker beliefs and practices can be, it may come as no surprise to know that there are not many Quakers in the world. In Britain, where they first emerged, Friends number less than 20,000. In the United States, there are around half a million, with centers of concentration around Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. There are also around 1 million Quakers in Kenya today, representing a legacy of intensive missionary activity by evangelical U.S. Friends.

Another reason there are relatively few Quakers is the tendency not to proselytize. For the most part also, Quakers demand a great deal of themselves, eschew easy answers to difficult questions, and try to live according to moral principles that are both flexible and demanding. Being open to spiritual guidance from wherever it may come, including from one's own experience, is an often painful and fraught process as Quakers describe it, as well as a rewarding one. What say you (as opposed to some other authority or text) has been a key Quaker question from its origins with George Fox. Most people would find this a difficult question to answer.

The universalistic threads of spiritual openness that run through Quakerism run through all the other major world religions as well. Quakers have much in common with Ahmadis and Sufis, with Bahá'ís and Mennonites. They share goals of peace and reconciliation and a [Page 1186]preference for equality and relative simplicity of lifestyle, what Quakers call plainness.

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