Question: What do you know about the 'Friends/Quakers'?

GENERAL
 History
      The Religious Society of Friends was started in England around 1650, with  George Fox being  the most influential leader. In 1652, Fox went atop a  mountain in England, and had a vision of the great work of God in the earth, and of the way that he was to go forth to begin it. He saw 'people as thick as motes in the sun, that should in time be brought home to the Lord, that  there might be but one Shepherd and one sheepfold in all the earth.'

Question: Anything strike you about this statement? (hints of unviersalism)

  Friends were active in New England almost from the beginning of the Quaker movement, as early as 1654. The Puritans of  Massachusetts, found Quaker ideas unacceptable and viewed them as  dangerous heretics in many of the colonies. They were deported as Witches, imprisoned, hung  and exiled with the threat of death if they came back into the colony. Between 1659 and 1661 one woman and three men were hanged by the church/government for returning after such banishment.

      The Quaker population increased greatly after 1682 when William Penn (who was a Friend)    founded Pennsylvania and developed  the city of Philadelphia as well as West Jersey. During the Revival movement in the later 1800's many Friends Meetings were influenced by     Revival preachers. Many of these later hired preachers and now hold more "conventional"     services, with a preacher, choir, etc.  These meetings often call themselves "Quaker Churches" or  "Friend's Churches" rather than "Quaker Meetings" or "Friends Meetings."  Some such branches of Quakerism refer to themselves as "Evangelical Friends", and  some have gone so far as to hold baptisms and communion, which many consider an extreme departure from early Quakerism.

Question: What was the Underground Railroad during the Civil War in the US?

  Quakers played a major role in organizing and running the "Underground Railroad" - a system  which aided runaway slaves to escape to freedom in the northern states and Canada.

  By the early 20th century, the Quaker movement was divided into four groups:
    -Hicksites: a liberal wing concentrated in the eastern US, who emphasized social reform
    -Taught the primacy of the "Christ within" and the relative unimportance of the virgin birth, the crucifixion, resurrection and
        other fundamental Biblical beliefs.

Question: Would this group be considered 'Evangelical'?

   -Gurneyites: the more progressive and evangelical Quakers who followed Joseph John Gurney, retained pastors, and were
        bible centered

   -Wilburites: the traditionalists who were more devoted to individual spiritual inspiration,  who followed John Wilbur.
        They were mostly from rural areas, and retained the  traditional Quaker speech and dress

   -Orthodox: the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, stayed true to Fox's teachings.

 Missions
      There is very little on current missions. They were strong in the 1600-1800 but not much of a  national movement since then.No data found on # of missionaries or # of mission plants.

       In 1927, there was an important step forward in the amalgamation of the Council for     International Service with the Friends Foreign Mission Association (FFMA) to form the Friends Service Council (FSC).  Much of the 'missionary' work had developed into 'service' work and it was deemed  sensible to have one body to be responsible for all types of overseas work, relief, mission, service.

  -Strong social activists
       -Prisons, hospitals, schools, 'Peace Corps like volunteer agencies.

 Membership
  -There are about 300,000 members worldwide, including a large group in Kenya.
  -There are 125,000 in North America.
  -In the United States, they are concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest.
  -Inclusive

Question: What does it mean to be 'inclusive'?

  'Friends For Lesbian and Gay Concerns'. Is an association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and non-gay Friends (Quakers) who seek spiritual community within the Religious Society of Friends. From this fellowship, we seek to know that of God within ourselves and others, and to express God's Truth in the Quaker and lesbian/gay/bisexual communities as it is made clear to us.

  Quaker Lesbian Conference 1998 "How Can We Keep From Singing?"
       -Save the dates July 16-19, 1998 and join us at Westtown School near West Chester, PA for the 22nd Annual Quaker Lesbian Conference.  A Conference for Quaker women and women familiar with Quakerism, who are lesbian,  bisexual, or moving toward those lifestyles. Worship, worship sharing, workshops, dancing, singing, fun and fellowship.

Distinctives
  Terms of Royality
   -Friends have also traditionally refused to use terms of royalty, or of office, like "Your  Highness" or "Your Honor".

  Bowing to Another
    -It is not lawful for Christians to kneel before or prostrate themselves to any man, or to bow the body or uncover the head.

  Marriage
       -Officially, two Friends marry each other under the care of the meeting, but no one person  "marries" them, God does.
       -Most  meetings reserve the right to refuse to take a marriage under  their care if they feel  the couple is not "clear" about their intention to marry.
     -Generally all present at the ceremony sign the wedding certificate.
     -In the USA there have been a few meetings which have performed same-gender  marriages
     -This does not mean that all Friends meetings condone this practice.

Question: What do you think about their way of marrying people?

  War
   -Friends have generally refused to fight in wars, in particular refused the draft, since the mid to late 1600's. Friends organizations like the Friends Ambulance Unit in both World Wars have  attempted to reduce the suffering of wars, and Quaker House near the United Nations is active in various diplomatic efforts, allowing "off the record"  discussions between parties who don't officially recognize one another, etc.

  Oaths
   -Friends traditionally refuse to take oaths of any kind, including pledges of allegiance,

  The Death Penalty, the Prison System
   -"Judge not, lest ye be judged," "Let that person among you who is without sin cast the first stone," Most modern Friends organizations are very active in anti-death-penalty and prison reform/abolition groups.

  Days and Months
   -Early Friends made a big deal out of removing names of Mythology figures (Greek, Roman, and Norse Gods) and such from their speech.  Thus the days of the week are referred to as "First Day" through "Seventh Day" instead of Sunday through Saturday, and "First Month" through "Twelfth Month" instead of January through December.

   -Modern Friends are often not so picky, but Minutes of business meetings, etc. often still refer to the days numerically.

   -They call  Sunday School = "First Day School"  at Quaker meetings in the US.

Question: How about this? Is this going a bit too far? Is their basis right? What other areas can we go too far?

  Times of Services
   -5:00 PM Saturday Evening
   -6:45 PM Saturday Evening
   -8:30 AM Sunday Morning
   -10:00 AM Sunday Morning
   -11:30 AM Sunday Morning.

 Education
  -The purpose of a Friends school should be to educate the children of Friends and others with     similar sentiment, and to meet a wider community need for the kind of spiritually based education    Friends desire for their own children. It is the responsibility of a Friends school to teach spiritual, religious and human values cherished    by the Society of Friends, using methods designed to make these values become the directing     forces in the lives of its community members..
    -The program of a Friends school should go beyond the teaching of skills and information and  should emphasize such qualities of the mind and spirit as intellectual integrity, curiosity, perception and creativity.

Question: What do you think about this? Do you know of any Friends schools?

  •Bryn Mawr College - Bryn Mawr, Pa,  •Friends University - Wichita, Kansas,
  •Haverford College - Haverford, Pa, •Swarthmore College - Swarthmore, Pa.

Name
  -The term "Quaker" refers to a member of the Religious  Society of Friends, which is the proper     name of the sect. There are two reputed origins of the term, The first refers to people "quaking" or trembling when feeling moved by the Holy Spirit      to speak in Meetings for Worship.

   -The other is: George Fox was arrested in Derby in October 1650 and charged with  blasphemy.  George Fox was questioned intermittently over an eight hour period, during  which at one point George Fox told the magistrates "Tremble at the word of the Lord".  It was Justice Bennett who coined the name "Quakers" for the followers of George Fox.

  -They thought of themselves as friends of Jesus and referred to themselves as "Friends of Truth"     (from John 15:15). Later, they became known simply as "Friends".

 Terms
  -Birthright/Convinced:
       -Friends who are born to Quaker families and decide to stay with it are called "birthright"  Friends, those who join later are "convinced"; the term "converted" is rarely if ever used.

  -Clearness:
       -When it is clear to you that something is right.

  -Clearness Committee:
       -A group formed to help someone decide if something is right.  Often formed to interview  a couple contemplating marriage for example.

  -Light:
       -Friends often speak of the Light Within, which is a term for that of God in each of us.

  -Query:
       -Good question to ask yourself, like  "Do you seek to find that of God in those around  you, especially those  you disagree with?" These are printed out.

  -Sense of the Meeting:
       -A statement of what the group agrees with or is in unity with, or more correctly the idea   that such a statement expresses.

  -Weighty Friends:
       -Folks who can be counted on to say something deep that really makes you think.  Especially someone good at finding the Sense of a Meeting and expressing it.

  -I have a Concern...
       -Is the traditional method of bringing up an issue to a Meeting for business.

  -Holding in the Light
  -Thinking of someone or something while worshipping, in effect praying for them silently.

Question: In and of themselves, are these terms 'unchristian' or wrong?

 Misc.
      -Fox promoted simple living, and the prohibition of alcohol.
      -He spoke against holidays, sports,  theater, wigs, jewelry, etc.

DOCTRINE
  -Few are evangelical most are not.Few believe the Bible to be the final authority but most others value it highly but rely more on the 'inner light' (personal experience with God) for how to live and for what to believe.

  -Salvation, in the Quaker sense, lies in our power to 'become' children of God

Question: What kind of salvation does this sound like?

      -They also believed in the contemporary revelation of God's will, parallel to what was described in the Bible. Divine revelation is not confined to the past. The same Holy Spirit which has inspired the scriptures in the past can inspire living believers centuries later
   -Friends believe that, by the Inner Light, God provides everyone with access to spiritual  truth for today.

Question: Is there a problem with current, contemporary revelation by the HS?

 Inner Light, Seed
  -At the age of 23, Fox heard a voice, saying "there is one, even Christ Jesus, who can speak to thy    condition". He felt a direct call from God to become an itinerant preacher and promote the  concept of the Inward Light, or Inner Voice.
   -He believed that an element of God's spirit is implanted within every person's soul. He  called this "the seed of Christ", or "the seed of Light". Thus, everyone has an innate inner  capacity to comprehend the Word of God & express opinions on spiritual matters.

Question: What does he mean by 'an element of God's Spirit'? What kind of religion does this sound like?
      Do you believe this?

  -They endeavor to bring people from self-performance and turning to the light of Christ within them. To encouraging them to wait in patience to feel the power of it to stir in their hearts.  'Life     in the Word, light in men, as the light is obeyed; the children of the light living by the life of the  Word, by which the Word begets them again to God, which is the regeneration and new birth,     without which there is no coming unto the kingdom of God.'

Question: What is necessary for salvation to Fox and to the Friends?
      Does this paragraph make any kind of sense to you?

  - Logical consequences of this belief are:
   -Every man and woman has direct access to God
   -No priests, clergy
   -Every person - male or female, slave or free is of equal worth
   -There is no need in one's religious life for elaborate ceremonies, rituals, gowns, creeds, dogma,  or other "empty forms."
   -Following the inward light would lead to spiritual development and towards individual  perfection.

 Beliefs
  -Friends do not believe in having a fixed Creed or Dogma, but rather in seeking for the leadings of  God within themselves.

  -Some issues are still evolving, and you will find that current  issues like same-gender relationships, abortion, etc. are topics on which it is very difficult to achieve unity.  At present, I suspect you can find Friends Meetings with nearly any viewpoint in the spectrum of possibilities on these issues, and that any official position is very carefully worded.

Question: How might they come to make a decision on these issues? Is their way of making decisions Biblical?

     Christianity
  -The Religious Society of Friends is a Christian organization. In that it was based originally on the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament.  But there is great disagreement in this group about the Virgin Birth, Jesus as the Son of God or just a man, supernatural miracles or just additions by the biblical writers to make Jesus look  divine.
    -Almost all will say these are not important issues.
    -They say they can all agree that certain things "feel Right," and we sense that from that part of us which is the "Inner Light". Which is like god in us.

Question: Is The Society of Friends a Christian denomination? Why or why not?
     What is the basis of their religion?  (Existentialism)

 Statement of Faith
  -Friends believe that there exists an element of God's spirit in every human soul.
   -Thus all persons have inherent worth, independent of their gender, race, age, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation.
  -Simplicity, pacifism, and inner revelation are long standing Quaker beliefs. Their religion does  not consist of accepting specific beliefs or of engaging in certain practices; it involves each person's direct experience of God.

Question: What does this say about the need for doctrinal purity? Is this Biblical?

Action: Read 1 Cor. 15:1-8; 1 Tim. 1:3-7; 5:21; 6:2-5,  20-21;  2 Tim. 1:12-14; 3:16-17; 4:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:13-18

  -True religion is a personal encounter with God, rather than ritual and ceremony
  -Christian love and goodness
  -Concern for the suffering and unfortunate
  -Continuing revelation through the Holy Spirit
  -They do not regard the Bible as the only source of belief and conduct.
       -They rely upon their Inner Light to resolve its many contradictions.
       -They also feel free to take advantage of scientific and philosophical findings.

Question: In a church or society that has no absolutes, who decides what is right and what is wrong?
     What is the inherent danger of 'group think and group acceptance indecision making?
    (the group might be all wrong and can condone anything if they all agree.)

   -Individual Quakers hold diverse views concerning life after death.
   -Few, if any, believe in the eternal punishment of individuals in a Hell.
   -Friends do not consider a life after death as a reward for virtue, or as a compensation for  the suffering in their lives on earth. Neither has the fear or threat of damnation been used  to induce Friends to live better lives.
   -There are Friends who are convinced that there is an after-life, and those who are  convinced that there is not.
   -But all Friends feel that it is more important to get on with living this life, and seek to  improve the conditions of humanity in this world, than to engage in speculations about the  next.

Question: Is there any hope in this belief?

Action: Read 1 Cor. 15:51-57 and matt. 25: 31ff

WORSHIP
   General
      -Meet weekly for worship and monthly for business.They usually arrange the congregation in a square or circle, so that each person is aware of  everyone else, yet no one person appears raised above another in status

     -No sacraments
       -Friends seek to experience the sacraments in an inward and continuing manner without  symbols.  The general feeling is that rituals tend to become more important than the  meaning they  are intended to convey.

Question: Does this make any sense to you?

   -Music and "The Arts"
   -The tradition of rejecting music, not only in worship but in entertainment and as an art form, dated from the l7th century and took a long time to die.
   -Quaker Schools were beginning to become more tolerant.  However, in the early 1900's  the objection had vanished completely.

 Free Meetings:
     Silence
  -Those attending the meeting sit silently, trying to listen to the Holy Spirit , until someone is  moved by the Spirit to speak.  The person so moved generally stands, says what they have to say, and sits down.
   -Many Friends are or have been involved in the Universalist movement, and people  occasionally refer to the _Tao Te Ching_, the _Koran_, etc. at Meetings.
  -Meetings like this generally run for about an hour, and it is not out of the ordinary for a meeting  to be silent the whole hour. It is customary to wait a few minutes between  speakers to allow time    for consideration of what they have said. It is considered bad form to  "debate" a topic or     otherwise argue a point at Meeting for Worship.
   -More subtle forms of  disagreement, such as telling a related story and how it made you   feel bad, etc. are occasionally  employed.

     Components
          - 'Free' worship does not include the following
            -choir, offering, singing, preaching.
            -Anything vocal is spontaneous.

      -Free service does include the following:
           -quite meditation, prayer, individuals speaking of the light in their lives.
           -Sacraments are unnecessary. No baptism but some do take communion.
            -Communion is eating of everyday food  'in remembrance of Him'

   Children at Meeting for Worship
      -While it would be appropriate to  take your child out of meeting if the child is screaming or being    noisy for long periods, the occasional noises of small children are generally welcomed. Some     paper and crayons, or a book  to read for older children is often helpful, too.

      -Most children have a tough time sitting silently for a full hour. Most Meetings have some sort of     "First Day School" or "Sunday school" for children. When an adult rises after the start of     Meeting and all the children file out, they're  probably headed for the First Day School.
 

 Programmed Meetings
      -A Quaker Church service is very similar in format to most Methodist or Baptist services, if a  little more mellow and they don't have sacraments, usually..  However, while it is uncommon for  members of the congregation to rise to speak, this is not unheard of, and there are often periods of silence.

 Evangelical Friends
     Statement of Faith
  -We believe that the Bible is verbally inspired and the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

  -We believe that every person is born a sinner and needs a personal Savior in order to have a     relationship with God which is the requirement to spend eternity in heaven. We believe in a real  heaven and a real hell and believe that it is not God's desire for anyone to go to hell. Those who  reject Christ condemn themselves.

  -We believe that God loves man and sent Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, to pay the price  for our sin that we are unable to pay. Salvation comes through a personal commitment to Christ.

  -We believe that the church consists of all believers and that each believer is equipped to minister. This equipping is done by the Holy Spirit as He gives spiritual gifts to each part of the body.

  -We believe it is our responsibility to discover and use our personal gifts in evangelism and for the  edification of the body of Christ. All gifts are for today and no gift should be lifted up above others. The purpose of spiritual gifts is to lift up Jesus Christ.

  -We believe in the second coming of Christ for His Church, the Tribulation period to come, and   the establishment ultimately of a new heaven and a new earth.

Question: Notice anything missing here?

GOVERNMENT
 General
  -Friends generally have held that people are people; no one is more "holy" than anyone else,  (except 'maybe' Christ,) and that everyone has equal access to the part of God in all of us.

  -The only authority a Meeting has is that its members all agree that its actions are in keeping with  that of God of each of its members.

  -Women obtained equal status to men early in the history of the movement. Centuries earlier than  in most other denominations.

  -There is no clergy, all members have a responsibility for the life of the meeting.
   -Most meetings will also have Elders, Overseers, a Treasurer and committees to help carry out specific responsibilities.

   -Elders have a special care for the spiritual life of the meeting and for the "right holding of  meeting for worship". The most visible role they have in meeting is for two of them to  shake hands to signal the end of a meeting for worship.

   -Overseers have, at an appropriate time, a pastoral responsibility for the individual      members, attenders or families of the meeting. They give advice and information about  application for membership and help with any personal difficulties that the worshippers      may be encountering. They also keep in touch with members who are unable to attend      meetings regularly

 Business Meeting
  -Frank inquiry into the lives of it's members
   -How they conduct business, treatment of others, use of tobacco/drugs/alcohol, reading  habits, recreation.

  -Meetings for business (or more properly Meetings for Worship with a Concern for Business) are  held in the manner of a silent  meeting for worship, although there is a Clerk who attempts to  find and record the collectively acquired insight of the Meeting.

  -All decisions are made by finding the "Sense of the Meeting,"  which is a statement that feels  right to everyone in the meeting at that time.

  -Business meetings seek to reach a consensus; no voting is used.

  -These are generally recorded in the minutes of the meeting, after being approved.

  -Local meetings that hold Meetings for Worship generally hold meetings for business once a  month, and are called "Monthly Meetings."
       -The Monthly Meeting usually deals with membership, marriages, paying rent, etc for the  meeting facilities and/or real estate, etc.

  -The Clerk is the servant of the meeting.
   -He or she is a Friend appointed to this task.
   -The Clerk is a recorder of the minute of the meeting,
   -The one who helps those present discern the will of God
   -The Clerk prepares the agenda and may also introduce an item on the agenda.
  -In these activities the clerks wield considerable power to influence the way issues are presented     to the meeting.

 Committees
  -Since most 'Free' Friends' meetings don't have a paid staff of any kind most activities are performed by various Committees of the membership.
   -Most larger meetings have at  least 10 committees of varying description to maintain the  building, make or organize food, watch the finances, send out a newsletter, etc.

 Quarterly/Regional Meetings
  -Larger regional groups of Friends are usually groups of Monthly Meetings, which meet quarterly, and are often referred to as Quarterly Meetings or General Meetings.

  -Representatives from the various Monthly Meetings generally attend such meetings.

 Yearly/General Meetings
  -Even larger groups of Friends are also usually groups of Monthly Meetings representing several  regions, and are referred to as  Yearly or General Meetings.

  -Representatives from the various Monthly Meetings generally attend such meetings.

  -There is no overall central organization which claims all Friends as members.