Quakers, who also use the name Religious Society of Friends or just Friends, number around 400,000 worldwide, with the majority in Africa and the Americas. Quakerism is rooted in Christianity but has always had a deep respect for other faiths from which Quakers have learned over the years. Quakers see spiritual experience as central to their faith, and believe that there is “that of God” in every person and that this Inner Light can speak directly to each person, without an intermediary.
Quaker practices may vary, but this summary outlines four practices common among Quakers worldwide:
Direct Encounter with God – Quakers believe that they do not need a mediator, a priest, a pastor, or physical elements like the Eucharist or Baptism to interact with God. For Friends, all people have the possibility of direct access to God.
Nurture the Life of the Spirit – Quakers believe that the meeting for worship is essential. We may all worship individually on our own, but for Friends, the gathered community worshipping together is a critical component of nurturing the life of the Spirit.
Practiced Discernment – As a community making decisions together, Quakers do not vote. Instead, we seek together in discussion and prayerful silence to understand the issues around a decision, explore the pros and cons, discern which way we wish to go, and come to what we call a “sense of the Meeting” – a nuanced understanding of the path to take, considering everyone’s thoughts. This practice of communal discernment is a long-standing practice among Friends everywhere and is the way communities discern the will of God for themselves. This is why there is not a top-down hierarchy for Friends. The goal is to support, nurture, and protect the discernment of the Meeting community.
Testimony – For Quakers, living out one’s faith in community is of utmost importance. Quakers’ lives are guided by six basic values that have arisen from a deep sense of responsibility to one another and the Earth, prompted by Spirit. We call these basic values Quaker testimonies. They are:
Simplicity
Peace
Integrity
Community
Equality
Stewardship
Some use an acronym to remember the six testimonies: SPICES.
Over time, these testimonies have led Friends to lead simple lives and to work against war, racism, poverty, and injustice.
