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The Peace Within Obama's Prize
Date: 10/09/2009
The world is still buzzing with this morning's news that Barack Obama has won a Nobel Peace Prize. The first reactions, including the President's, were of surprise. Then, of course, opinions: "he deserves it," "he doesn't deserve it," "this cheapens the prize," "this is an enlightened decision," "this is the tolling of the apocalypse," and so on. In the midst of that o ...
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Fresh Morning: Silence
Date: 10/01/2009
Morning silence is its own thing. It's like fresh snow, footprintless, clean, still. Even in Brooklyn, amazingly, sometimes it's just... quiet. Which gets me thinking about silence--as someone who grew up in Quaker schools, I was taught the essential important of silence, sitting in it with others, with spirit. As a waiting, as a fullness, as a container in which I could spread--all of me and c ...
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A discussion forum for members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), or those interested.
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Quaker Basics
History:
Quakerism originated in mid-17th century England, originally as a break-away branch of Puritanism. George Fox (1624-1691), an English preacher, founded the Society of Friends, whose open structure reflects his aversion to church hierarchy and titles. Fox held that the “Inner Light,” the inspiring presence of God in each person, stands above Scripture and creed. This belief resonates through Quakerism despite a fairly wide variety of practices.
Main Tenets: Quaker beliefs include the emphasis on plain speech and dress; opposition to slavery and war; and the refusal to swear oaths, which Quakers believe undermine the daily mandate for truth-telling. Many early feminists and abolitionists were Quakers, and a strong social ethic continues to pervade the work of the American Friends Service Committee, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947.
Quakers, who often met persecution for their beliefs, have also been champions of religious freedom. English Quaker William Penn founded Pennsylvania as a "holy experiment," a refuge for Quakers and other religious minorities.
Organizations: Quaker congregations are called "meetings," which range from structured services led by ministers to open sessions where participants speak when inspired by their own Inner Light. Major Quaker umbrella organizations are the Friends General Conference of Philadelphia and Friends United Meeting, based in Richmond, Ind.
Membership: According to "Quakers in America," by Thomas D. Hamm, there are about 100,000 Quakers in the U.S. and about 350,000 worldwide. Kenya has the largest Quaker population in the world, with about 130,000 Friends.
