Social Activism Quakers have been so active in social causes that many people assume that they must number in the millions. The strong Quaker involvement in social action stems directly from the belief in that of God in everyone . If because of this Divine spark all humans are of infinite worth, then it is only fitting to treat them with respect and kindness. And it becomes difficult to go one's own way in peace and satisfaction while ignoring the well-being of others. We believe that religion at its best is not a retreat into otherworldliness, but rather putting principle into practice.
Quakers usually follow a two-fold strategy.
Quakers are active as individuals, through their local meetings, through larger groups of meetings called Yearly Meetings, and through such national-level organizations as Friends General Conference and Friends United Meeting. In 1947, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the American Friends Service Committee and the British Friends Service Council for their work on behalf of peace and their extensive relief work. Quakers were so often put in jail for their beliefs that they themselves experienced the miserable conditions in prisons both in England and in the American colonies. Thus began a constant Quaker concern for the causes of crime and the treatment of criminals which persists to the present day. Needless to say, our belief in that of God in everyone leads us to oppose the death penalty.