DOWNINGTOWN

We are members of the Religious Society of Friends, a community of over 300,000 people from all over the world. We refer to ourselves as Friends. You may find many Quaker Meetings along the East Coast of the U.S., as this is where many Quakers settled after fleeing religious persecution in England. Some well-known Quakers include William Penn, Judi Dench, Bonnie Raitt, James Dean and Captain Bildad from “Moby-Dick,” and if you’ve watched the show, “Fleabag,” you might remember the scene where the main character attends Meeting for Worship.

The Religious Society of Friends dates back to England in 1652 when a young itinerant preacher named George Fox converted a group known as the Westmoreland Seekers. Over the next several years, the new movement grew and attracted the attention of authorities who persecuted and imprisoned Quakers in large numbers, with hundreds dying in harsh prison conditions. Their public witness was crucial in the eventual passage of the Toleration Act of 1689 which guaranteed religious minorities the right to worship in public.

From the earliest years of Quakerism in England, we have referred to ourselves as Friends of Truth, or more commonly, just Friends. The word “Quaker” was originally a derogatory nickname. According to George Fox, the name first applied to the group when he advised a magistrate to "tremble at the word of the Lord." Also, early Friends were often said to tremble or quake in the fervor of their religious worship. Nevertheless, the name stuck, and nowadays, we use Quakers and Friends interchangeably.

No. Quakers were once known for dressing plainly, similar to the style of clothing worn by the Amish today; however, the image of the Quaker Oats mascot is not reflective of our modern fashion choices. Some of us continue to dress in simple, more conservative or ethically produced fashion, while others dress however they want to express themselves. The Amish live separately from society and technology, and the roots of their religion differ from Quaker origin.

To put things simply, we believe that there is “that of God in everyone.” We think all humans, without exception, have the ability to connect directly with God, and each one of us is a being of unique worth. This is why we value all people equally. We refer to God by many names, including the Divine Spirit, Spirit, The Light, the Still Small Voice and the love we find in everyday life, human relationships and Meeting for Worship.

Today, the majority of us identify as Christians, firmly rooted in the Bible and the wider Christian tradition. However, there are many Friends who describe themselves as other than Christian, out of a conviction that the essence of Quakerism is something universal, transcending the specifics of any one religion.

We see the Bible as a precious record that has been left to us by writers who were inspired by their encounters with God. However, we believe that the same encounter and inspiration are available to us today. Quakers have always maintained that only those who are themselves inspired by the same Spirit that inspired the scriptures can understand the meaning of the Bible. So it’s the experience of the Light in our hearts, and not the Bible, that’s our primary source of truth.

Today, Friends generally look and sound just like everyone else. Historically, though, the Quakers were linguistically unique in their determination to use “thee, thou, and thine” when addressing their fellow people, as these singular pronouns had begun to denote a level of informality that was often considered rude in the hierarchical monarchy of England. While the then-plural pronoun “you” had come to imply respect and deference to “superiors” (in association with the royal “we”), the Quakers’ steadfast refusal to use “you” in their day-to-day interactions represented a larger dedication to equality and the belief that each person held similar value—regardless of title and socioeconomic ties. These days, “you” doesn’t hold the same implications it did back then, so you’ll hear Friends using it without reservation!