About Quakers
The Religious Society of
Friends, more often known as
Quakers, are the only religion to have won the Nobel Peace Prize
(1947).
Quakers go
back over 350 years and are found all over the world. Quakers believe
that God
is to be experienced not just read about and therefore they take
responsibility
for themselves and the world around them. Quakers have no creed, no
ministers,
no prayer book and no rituals. Most of us, but not all, are pacifists.
Quakers
have always believed that all people are equal and were regarded as
highly
radical because they treated men and women as equal right from the
middle of
the 17th century onwards. They were instrumental in working
for the
abolition of slavery alongside William Wilberforce. In South Africa
Quakers worked
consistently against apartheid and it’s effects.
Quakers do
have beliefs as individuals but they do not believe in forcing their
ideas on
others. Within the Quaker movement there are many different
philosophies to be
found. Whilst the society has Christian roots we welcome people of all
beliefs
to worship with us. As a result meeting houses have copies of the
teachings of
many faiths available to read.
Our services
(meeting for worship) are simple and held in silence. We sit in the
quiet for
an hour or so and turn our minds to God. Anyone may be inspired to
speak and
words that are offered in meeting are called spoken ministry. Friends
listen to
the sprit behind the words. We are drawn together in the silence and
there is a
coming together of body mind and soul that is something more than the
sum total
of the individuals present.
Quakers believe
in letting their lives speak. We do what we say and honesty, integrity,
simplicity and respect are of the utmost importance. We look for the
good in
everyone. Many Quakers are active in the in local community as we
believe that
it is important to be of service so we try to make a difference for the
better
wherever we are in the world.