Quaker Values
Quaker Values
By Marsha D. Holliday, Friends General Conference, 2000. (edited)
Like our style of worship, Quaker theology also differs from other religions. Because creeds could never fully represent all revelation and could limit or confine our perceptions of truth, Friends write no creeds. Instead, we write queries (probing questions) that help us reflect on our beliefs and actions; and yearly meetings, which are regional organizations of local congregations (known as monthly meetings), record our common values and experiences in manuals entitled Faith and Practice.
Without creeds, Friends have become diverse in our beliefs about God. Nonetheless, Friends common experience of God's presence within and among us has led us to realize that there is that of God, or something of the Divine, in everyone. This realization is central to Quakerism. It is confirmed in testimonies in the Bible and referred to by Friends with such terms as "the Christ Within," "the Inward Light," and "the Seed of Truth." As Friends have attempted to respond to that of God within, some common values have arisen that unite us.
Among them, Friends value life as sacred. Because we recognize that there is that of God in everyone, Friends try to avoid violence. We have found that when we hurt others, we also harm ourselves and deny that of God in us. With God's guidance, we try, instead, to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts and differences and to help others through service, the promotion of social and economic justice, kindness in daily living, and the support of each other's search for that of God within.
Similarly, Friends experience of that of God within has led us to understand that God's inward guiding presence is universal. Anyone anywhere can experience God directly. Quakerism is just one way to know God, and authentic expressions of God's leadings are also found in other religions.
Early Friends quickly realized that both men and women experience this presence and became the first religious group to recognize the equality of women and men before God.
Consequently, since our beginning in the mid-seventeenth century, Quaker men and women have shared equally in the work of Friends, and Quaker schools have educated both girls and boys.
Because Friends recognize that there is that of God in everyone, Friends appreciate that anyone at any time may express God's leadings. Therefore, revelation, or messages from God, is still inspiring us. Although we are not always receptive, God continues to reveal Divine guidance and unchanging truth to all of us today, just as in the past.
By Marsha D. Holliday, Friends General Conference, 2000. (edited)
Like our style of worship, Quaker theology also differs from other religions. Because creeds could never fully represent all revelation and could limit or confine our perceptions of truth, Friends write no creeds. Instead, we write queries (probing questions) that help us reflect on our beliefs and actions; and yearly meetings, which are regional organizations of local congregations (known as monthly meetings), record our common values and experiences in manuals entitled Faith and Practice.
Without creeds, Friends have become diverse in our beliefs about God. Nonetheless, Friends common experience of God's presence within and among us has led us to realize that there is that of God, or something of the Divine, in everyone. This realization is central to Quakerism. It is confirmed in testimonies in the Bible and referred to by Friends with such terms as "the Christ Within," "the Inward Light," and "the Seed of Truth." As Friends have attempted to respond to that of God within, some common values have arisen that unite us.
Among them, Friends value life as sacred. Because we recognize that there is that of God in everyone, Friends try to avoid violence. We have found that when we hurt others, we also harm ourselves and deny that of God in us. With God's guidance, we try, instead, to find nonviolent solutions to conflicts and differences and to help others through service, the promotion of social and economic justice, kindness in daily living, and the support of each other's search for that of God within.
Similarly, Friends experience of that of God within has led us to understand that God's inward guiding presence is universal. Anyone anywhere can experience God directly. Quakerism is just one way to know God, and authentic expressions of God's leadings are also found in other religions.
Early Friends quickly realized that both men and women experience this presence and became the first religious group to recognize the equality of women and men before God.
Consequently, since our beginning in the mid-seventeenth century, Quaker men and women have shared equally in the work of Friends, and Quaker schools have educated both girls and boys.
Because Friends recognize that there is that of God in everyone, Friends appreciate that anyone at any time may express God's leadings. Therefore, revelation, or messages from God, is still inspiring us. Although we are not always receptive, God continues to reveal Divine guidance and unchanging truth to all of us today, just as in the past.
