What do Friends believe?
The Quaker way of life is rooted in Christianity but differs in that we have always valued the individual's relationship to the Divine over any forms, structures or even the Bible.
Friends have traditionally rejected creeds, but today's Quakers generally agree on these tenets:
- There is That of God in all persons, which can guide and shape each life in accordance with the will of God.
- God is directly accessible to all persons without the need of either an intermediary priest or ritual.
- God speaks in a manner that is personal, direct and certain - a continuing revelation. This discernment is clarified through collective worship.
- The Scriptures can be understood only by entering into the Spirit which produced them. Divine revelation did not end with the publication of the Bible but has continued through history and remains available to the person or worshipping group open to receive it.
- True religion cannot be learned from books, set prayers or rituals alone, but comes from direct experience of God.
- The infinity of Divine Truth cannot be confined by a creed or dogma. To do so would trivialize it and deny the importance of experiencing it directly.
- Friends continually work to remove the causes of conflict and war, striving to trust in love rather than to react in fear.
- God's creation should be respected and preserved. Concern for the environment and right sharing of resources are evidence of this respect.
The power and love of God is over all, erasing the artificial division between the secular and religious. All of life, when lived in the Spirit, becomes sacramental. Quakerism is thus a way of life, putting faith into daily actions.
Quaker Faith and Practice(external link)