We believe in obedience to the same spirit of God that inspired the writers of the Bible and that we feel can speak directly to people today. We remember that the writers of the New Testament accepted the institution of slavery but Christians no longer keep slaves. Parts of the New Testament seem to support the argument against the ordination of women but several churches now ordain women. How the Christian Church decides which of the teachings in the Bible are eternal and which were 'of their time' is an important issue. Within Quakerism we feel it is very important for ideas to be treated by careful and prayerful consideration by the larger Quaker community - which may take a long time.
Quakers tend to be an accepting group, celebrating diversity.
Quite a number of Quakers are openly lesbian, gay or bisexual. In some meetings in the United States, same-sex relationships are blessed by the meeting. In others, however, the subject is still not discussed or it is condemned. There have been a few blessings of same-sex relationships among British Quakers though our marriage regulations still assume that marriage is heterosexual. Each of us is unique.