By Laurence Barber

Quakers and Belief Quakers and Worship Quakers and the World Around Quakers as Persons The Structure of The Religious Society of Friends Further Reading

You have probably heard of the Quakers. Perhaps you have met some, or read about them, or even attended a Quaker meeting. But you may still have a number of questions, such as: Who or what are these Quakers? What do they believe? How do they worship? How do they act?

These pages will try to answer some of the most common of those questions. You should realize that because Quakers are individualistic and have no authoritative creed or standard of action, no statement can be true of all Quakers, in all meetings, in all parts of the world. Yet there are, naturally, some common norms which are reflected in many of the answers given here.

Obviously this brief document may not answer all of your questions. The better way of learning about Quakers is to seek them out, talk with them, worship with them. I hope you will feel moved to do so, for only in that way can you really come to “Know the Quakers”.

Who (or what) are the Quakers?

Quakers are actually the persons who are “The Religious Society of Friends”. This group developed in England as part of the religious ferment of the mid-17th century, and its name came from John 15, verse 14: “… for I call you Friends who do my commandments.” Hence the Society of Friends has a Christian basis, but stems from protest against religious establishment and authority.

Then why are they called “Quakers”?

In its earliest days the Society of Friends was subject to persecution because of its dissent from the established church. During one court trial George Fox, the movement’s leader, told the judge that he feared no temporal punishments but did quake and tremble lest he failed to obey God’s commands. The judge’s terming of Fox and his followers as “Quakers” was taken up by the group and has been willingly used ever since. Thus the names “Quakers” and “Friends” have become interchangeable, and I have so used them throughout these pages.

How numerous are they?

There are not very many Quakers when compared to the size of most other religious groups. In the United States there are about 125,000 of them; in Great Britain about 25,000, around 30,000 in East Africa, and another 15,000 in all the rest of the world.

Are they the same as Shakers?

Definitely not. The Shakers were a small American sect who lived in celibate colonies. Their beliefs and practices were completely different from those of the Quakers, although initially somewhat influenced by them. The Shakers, withdrawn from the world, have now virtually disappeared. The Quakers, as we shall see, are a flourishing part of the active world.

Does one have to be a member of the Society of Friends to attend a Quaker meeting?

Of course not. Any one is welcome. While Friends are not known for missionary efforts or proselytizing, they are eager to have any one who is interested come to join in worship. Friends have always regarded themselves as “seekers” rather than guardians of some revealed truth. Very many persons who are now practicing Quakers started out in other religious faiths or with no religion at all. They came to Friends meetings seeking to find a body of beliefs and practices which would be satisfying to their needs, as well as to meet persons whose attitudes were sympathetic or stimulating. Obviously these inquirers were not Quakers when they first attended a Friends meeting. Equally obviously, some of them found what they sought.

As we shall see, Quaker beliefs assume an equality of all persons regardless of age, sex, color, or social habits. And by and large Friends have been able to act according to that standard, trying to be truly friendly to all.

Do all Quakers believe and act alike?

As you no doubt realize, in almost all religious denominations there are shadings of belief and worship from church to church or person to person. This may be especially true of the Quakers, since they have no authoritative creed or hierarchy.

Thomas Bodine, a prominent New England Quaker, has written: The Society of Friends around the world is divided into two major groupings, on the surface totally different in both faith and practice. About one quarter of the Quakers in the world worship on the basis of silence, without paid pastors or a fixed statement of belief. This quarter of the Quaker world population is primarily English-speaking and service-oriented. Some … may be Christ-centered and Bible-based, but primary emphasis as a group is on the social gospel and the peace testimony. High on (the) list of priorities are equality and justice and social action. The other three-quarters of the world population of Quakers, including the very large number of Friends in East Africa and Latin America, are pastoral, programmed “born-again” Christians with a fixed order of worship, paid pastors, and little or no appreciation of silent waiting upon the Lord. This far larger body of Friends may support a social gospel and may try to follow the teachings of the human Jesus, but their primary emphasis is on personal salvation, the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the Bible as the Word of God. Both groups can cite the words and practices of early Friends in the 17th century to support their type of Quakerism as the only valid form of Quakerism. Both … have an equal claim to be called Quakers or the Religious Society of Friends or the Friends Church.” Over the years diversity among Quakers has led to discomforts, disagreements, and internal groupings and regrouping. Yet there has always been some recognition of that underlying identity, and today in many ways and in many institutions all Quakers try to achieve unity in working together.

Then are You describing ALL Friends or only SOME of them?

As you can see, the pastoral Friends, in many meetings of the central and western United States, have much similarity to many of the so-called “main line” protestant denominations, and thus you probably would not find their worship or practices very unfamiliar.

The material on the following pages tries to portray the attitudes and practices of the Quakers in Thomas Bodine’s first grouping. These are the ones who usually follow a traditional style of worship and whose theological beliefs and social attitudes might be characterized as liberal. In general it describes Friends in England, the eastern United States, and the newer meetings in urban and academic communities. They are the Quakers among whom I have lived and whom you, the reader, are most likely to meet.

You will notice, however, that frequently I must say “many Quakers” or “most Friends” do or believe such and such. This reflects individualism and variety even among that non-pastoral stream of Quakerism. At the same time, you must accept that when I say “Quakers believe this” or “Friends do that” we have to recognize that those beliefs or acts are not necessarily shared by every member of the Society of Friends, especially by many pastoral or evangelical Friends. Hence all I can attempt is to help you to know some but not all Quakers.