Questions From the Peacemakers
By: Laura Silverstein
Tags: Quakerism, Mindfulness, Spirituality, Meditation, Religion

Who Are the Religious Society of Friends?

I am humbled by my good fortune to be a part of The Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. If you met me, you might be surprised to find out I’m a Quaker. I’m a very fast-moving suburban Mom who hates yoga and meditating even though I know they’re good for me. I’m the one who’s sitting there listening to my meditation app and then kicking myself every single time the instructor points out that it’s perfectly natural when your mind starts to wander.

Hey, you sexy Australian voice on my mediation app; “Get out of my head!”

I’m not one of those people who exudes an aura of calm wisdom, but I’m not giving up. Indeed, I am not a typical Quaker, but, by definition, there is no such thing. Most Quakers believe that there is “that of God” in each person. There is no creed or formal statement about what to believe or how to live our lives. Founder, George Fox, referred to this inner wisdom as “an infinite ocean of light and love”.

What It Means to Be Guided by the Inner Light

Not all Quakers believe in God. Many will hesitate if you ask them. You’ll likely hear language such as the Divine, the Seed, the Inner Light, or the Living Christ.

Each of us can have direct contact with the Divine Presence without clergy through a process of deep listening and discernment. Prayer occurs by turning inward to notice what we hear. While the connection to this Light is warm and beautiful and connecting, it also often comes with an invitation for action.

Quaker Commitment to Equality, Non-Violence and Social Justice

I have found my Quaker Friends to be the most accepting, non-judgmental people I have ever met in my life. It’s not their calm groundedness that inspires me most, it’s the tenacious commitment to action that I strive to emulate. A belief that God is in each of us naturally expands to a commitment to equality, non-violence, and social justice.

I don’t have the luxury to think I’m better than you no matter what you believe, what mistakes you have made, or how you choose to live your life.

Since God is in each of us, we don’t recognize any kind of hierarchy. The non-violent testimony comes from the concept that killing another human would be equivalent to extinguishing the Holy Spirit.

There is Nothing Passive about Pacifism

Quaker non-violence has been consistent in our history. Friends refused to take up arms against Native Americans after fleeing from persecution in England. Our views have been punishable by death at worst and seen as idealistic and unrealistic at best.

An extraordinary sociological mystery lies in this question:

How can a leaderless group of people change the course of history without the use of force?

Quaker influence on world history is undeniable, moving mountains such as the Underground Railroad, Women’s Suffrage (Susan B. Anthony), Conscientious Objection, marriage equality, immigration rights, anti-racism, and environmental activism all across the globe.

Regardless of one’s political beliefs, it is undeniably impressive that the Religious Society of Friends has impacted the timeline of history without formal leadership. To my knowledge, there is no other organization that has accomplished this. [Please respond in the comments if you know this statement to be inaccurate]

The Life-Changing Power of the Quaker Query

Because of our commitment to equality, we make decisions by waiting for consensus. One of the tools we use to provide structure is called a query, which is why I started this article with a series of queries.

A query is a series of questions used for reflection.

Queries can be written by individuals, committees, or larger organizations; Or they can be questions we silently ask ourselves as young Mr. Woolman demonstrated in the opening paragraph.

By asking questions of yourselves and others you are contributing to a world that is constantly growing and improving. There is much work to do, and thank goodness we don’t have to do it alone!

It is my hope for you that these queries might bring internal peace, happiness, or a new insight or perspective about something that has been on your mind.

Thank you for reading my article. I love talking about Quakerism so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you’d like to dialogue :)

Warm Regards,

Laura

*These queries have been collected from the following sources. New England Quakers, Friends General Conference, Lansdowne Friends Meeting, and Quaker Voluntary Service. I have edited them for structural consistency and added a few of my own.