[Emily E.]

What are Quakers?

User Detail :  

Name : Emily E., Gender : F, City : Woodstock, State : ME, Country : United States, 

[Steve27857]

Quaker is a slang term for someone who belongs to the Religious Society of Friends. This is a Christian religion started in England in the mid 1600s by a person named George Fox. The term ‘Quaker’ came about from the agitated movements the members exhibited upon enlightenment. ‘Quaker’ originally was considered a derogatory term by members of the church but has lost its negative connotation. Quakers are known for their institutional pacificism. They will not serve in armed forces. They came out early and forcefully against slavery. Their church services are done without ordained clergy in that their belief is that God can be expressed through anyone. They take many of the passages of the Bible literally. Quaker communities were known for their passion toward education. If you look at the history of areas where they settled in the United States, the first building always built was a meeting house that was used for religious services and as a school. Quaker communities were unusual in the 19th century in that they educated girls to the same grades as boys. William Penn was a Quaker. Many of the early suffragettes (Susan B. Anthony, Lucretta Mott) were Quakers. Richard Nixon was a Quaker.

User Detail :  

Name : Steve27857, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Corporate Slug, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Adrian Petyt]

For what it’s worth there was a bit of a split in tradition between the British and American wings of the Friends. Some American congregations have sermons and other ‘normal’ religious trappings whereas nearly all British meetings are of the Silent Friends tradition. Members sit silently until they feel moved to speak. Formerly this meant they believed the Holy Spirit was speaking through them, nowadays it’s more likely they’ve had an idea they’d like to share. The person stands, says their piece, then sits in silence again. Some weeks nobody says a thing all meeting, a very odd feeling. No hymns, no lesson, nothing. Just prayer and meditation until someone decides to address the house. It’s very restful and a good opportunity to think about life, even if you’re not a believer.

User Detail :  

Name : Adrian Petyt, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Hong Kong, State : NA, Country : China, Occupation : Drama/Writing teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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