Quakers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Religious Society of Friends
George Fox, the principal early leader of the Quakers
Theology	Variable; depends on meeting
Polity	Congregational
Distinct fellowships	Friends World Committee for Consultation
Associations	Britain Yearly Meeting, Friends United Meeting, Evangelical Friends Church International, Central Yearly Meeting of Friends, Conservative Friends, Friends General Conference, Beanite Quakerism
Founder	George Fox Margaret Fell
Origin	Mid-17th century England
Separated from	Church of England
Separations	Shakers

Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends. This group is a type of Protestant Christian faith. Quakers believe that every person can feel "the light within" or "that of God in every one." This means they believe in a direct connection with God.

Some Quakers believe that all people can be like priests, inspired by the First Epistle of Peter. Quakers include different Christian views, like evangelical and liberal ideas. There are also Nontheist Quakers who do not believe in God but still follow Quaker practices. Quakers usually do not have strict creeds (statements of belief) or a leader system. In 2017, there were about 377,557 adult Quakers, with nearly half of them in Africa.

About 89% of Quakers worldwide have "programmed" services. These services include singing and a planned Bible message from a pastor. About 11% practice "waiting worship" or "unprogrammed worship." This is mostly silent and may include unplanned messages from people present. Some meetings have "Recorded Ministers," who are Friends known for their gift of speaking.

The Quaker movement started in England in the mid-1600s. It grew from groups that disagreed with the Church of England. Early Quakers, especially the Valiant Sixty, traveled to share their beliefs. They believed "Christ has come to teach his people himself." They stressed a direct connection with God through Jesus Christ. They also believed everyone could have a personal religious experience. Quakers focused on living pure lives, aiming for Christian perfection.

In the past, Quakers were known for using "thee" as a pronoun. They also refused to fight in wars and wore plain dress. They would not swear oaths and were against slavery. Many also avoided alcohol. Some Quakers started important businesses like Barclays and Cadbury. They also worked for good causes like ending slavery and prison reform. In 1947, Quakers received the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for peace.

Quaker History

Early Days in England

After the English Civil War (1642–1651), many Christian groups appeared. A young man named George Fox was not happy with the Church of England's teachings. He felt that he could connect directly with Christ without a priest. In 1652, he had a vision on Pendle Hill in England. He believed God showed him that many people would join his faith. He then traveled to preach and teach. His main message was that Christ teaches people directly. Fox believed he was bringing back a "pure" Christian church.

In 1650, Fox was accused of religious blasphemy. A judge named Gervase Bennet called Fox and his followers "Quakers." This was because Fox told them to "tremble at the word of the Lord." The name "Quaker" started as a joke but became widely used. Quakers also called themselves "Friends of the Truth."

Quakerism grew quickly in England and Wales. Many women became Quakers. By 1680, there were 60,000 Quakers in England and Wales. However, the government saw Quakers as a threat. They faced persecution under laws like the Quaker Act 1662. This persecution stopped after the Act of Toleration in 1689.

Quakers believed in a direct link with Christ. They saw themselves as a "holy tribe." Margaret Fell, a judge's wife, worked with Fox. They created new ideas about family and community. They focused on "holy conversation," which meant speaking and acting with faith and love. Quaker women played a new role in guiding their families and communities spiritually.

Moving to North America

The persecution of Quakers began in North America in 1656. English Quaker missionaries Mary Fisher and Ann Austin preached in Boston. They were seen as heretics because they believed in following their "Inner light." They were jailed, their books burned, and their property taken. They were then sent away.

In 1660, English Quaker Mary Dyer was hanged near Boston Common. She had kept returning to the colony despite a law banning Quakers. She was one of the four executed Quakers known as the Boston martyrs. In 1661, King Charles II said Massachusetts could not execute anyone for being a Quaker.

Some Friends moved to what is now the northeastern United States in the 1660s. They sought a safer place to live and practice their faith. In 1665, Quakers started a meeting in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. They built a meeting house there in 1672. They built strong communities in the Delaware Valley.

Three colonies welcomed Quakers: West Jersey, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. In Rhode Island, 36 governors in the first 100 years were Quakers. William Penn, a wealthy Quaker, founded West Jersey (1676) and Pennsylvania (1682). Pennsylvania was set up based on Quaker ideas. William Penn made peace treaties with Native American leaders like Tammany. This peace lasted for almost a century.

Quakers introduced many ideas that are now common in America. These include democracy in Pennsylvania's government. They also brought ideas like the Bill of Rights (from Rhode Island Quakers), trial by jury, equal rights for men and women, and public education. The Liberty Bell was made by Quakers in Philadelphia.

Quietism Period

By 1700, Quakers became less loud and more focused inward. During the 1700s, Quakers entered a "Quietist" period. They became more focused on their inner spiritual lives. They were less active in trying to convert others. If a Quaker married someone outside the Society, they could lose their membership. Their numbers went down. The formal name "Religious Society of Friends" came from this time.

Quaker Splits

Around the time of the American Revolutionary War, some American Quakers left the main group. They disagreed on issues like supporting the war. Later, in the 1800s, different beliefs led to bigger splits within the movement.

Hicksite and Orthodox Split

The Hicksite–Orthodox split happened due to different ideas and money issues. Hicksites were often farmers and poorer. Orthodox Quakers were richer and lived in cities. Orthodox Quakers wanted to make the Society more like other Protestant churches. Hicksites believed the market economy was bad. They felt Orthodox Quakers cared more about money than their faith. Hicksites also believed the Bible was less important than the "light within" each person.

Elias Hicks's religious ideas were seen as too different from traditional Quaker beliefs. His preaching led to the "Great Separation" in 1827. This created two groups of Yearly Meetings in America. Quakers in Britain only recognized the Orthodox Quakers.

Gurneyite and Conservative Split

"Orthodox" Friends became more evangelical in the 1800s. This was led by British Quaker Joseph John Gurney. Christian Friends held Revival meetings in America. They became part of the Holiness movement. From the 1870s, British Friends often had "home mission meetings" with hymns and Bible sermons.

Quaker Yearly Meetings that followed Joseph John Gurney's ideas were called "Gurneyite." Many of these groups later formed the Friends United Meeting. This group makes up the largest number of Quakers today.

Some Orthodox Quakers in America did not like the move towards evangelical Christianity. They felt it weakened the traditional Quaker belief in being guided by the Holy Spirit. These Friends were led by John Wilbur. He and his supporters formed their own Conservative Friends Yearly Meeting. Similar splits happened in the UK and Canada.

Missions to Asia and Africa

After Christian revivals in the mid-1800s, British Friends started missionary work overseas. The first missionaries went to Benares, India, in 1866. The Friends Foreign Mission Association was formed in 1868. They sent missionaries to Madagascar, China, Sri Lanka, and Pemba Island.

The Friends Syrian Mission started in 1874. It ran the Ramallah Friends Schools, which are still open today. The Swiss missionary Theophilus Waldmeier founded Brummana High School in Lebanon in 1873. Missionaries from Ohio Yearly Meeting went to Mombasa, Kenya. This became a very successful Friends' mission. Quakerism spread from Kenya to Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda.

Quaker Renaissance

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the "Quaker Renaissance" began in London. Young Friends moved away from evangelicalism towards liberal Christianity. This movement was led by John Wilhelm Rowntree, Edward Grubb, and Rufus Jones. These Liberal Friends supported the theory of evolution and modern biblical criticism. They focused on the social meaning of Christ's teachings. They encouraged Friends to do good works, like in the New Testament.

Conscientious Objection

During World War I and World War II, Quakers' opposition to war was tested. Many Friends became conscientious objectors. Some formed the Friends Ambulance Unit. This group aimed to "build up a new world rather than fighting to destroy the old." The American Friends Service Committee did similar work. Many British Quakers were forced to join the Non-Combatant Corps during both world wars.

Role of Women

In the 1650s, Quaker women preached publicly. This was supported by the idea that men and women were spiritually equal. Quakerism also grew because its followers, especially women, broke social rules. By the 1660s, the movement became more organized. This led to separate women's meetings. Through these meetings, women managed home and community life, including marriages. From the start, Quaker women, like Margaret Fell, helped shape Quakerism. Other women like Mary Penington also preached. Quaker women published at least 220 texts in the 1600s. However, some Quakers did not like the power women had.

George Fox faced resistance when he tried to set up women's meetings. Despite this, women's spiritual role was encouraged by Fox and Margaret Fell. In the eastern United States, Quaker women had unusual community power. This was because they focused on children and "holy conversation." However, they were mostly kept out of the market economy. After the Hicksite–Orthodox split in 1827–1828, Orthodox women had less spiritual influence. Hicksite women kept more power.

Quakers in Business and Education

Many Quakers were successful in business. They were called "natural capitalists" by the BBC. Two examples are Abraham Darby I and Edward Pease. Darby and his family were important in the British Industrial Revolution for their ironmaking ideas. Pease helped create the Stockton and Darlington Railway. This was the world's first public railway to use steam trains. Other Quaker businesses included banks like Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays PLC. They also ran companies making chocolate (Cadbury), shoes (Clarks), and biscuits (Huntley & Palmers).

Quakers have a long history of starting schools. Early Quakers did not have priests, so they did not need special training schools. In England, Quaker schools started soon after the movement began. Friends School Saffron Walden is a well-known example. In Australia, Friends' School, Hobart, founded in 1887, is the largest Quaker school in the world. In Kenya, Quakers founded many schools before the country became independent in 1963.

Quakers and Slavery

Quakers in America and Britain were known for their work to end slavery. In early Colonial America, some Friends owned slaves. But in the early to mid-1700s, Quakers like Benjamin Lay and John Woolman spoke out against this. This led to an abolition movement among Friends.

Nine of the twelve founders of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade were Quakers. Quakers could not be Members of Parliament. So, they worked with Anglican men like William Wilberforce to help pass laws against slavery.

By the end of the American Revolutionary War, few Friends owned slaves. In 1790, the Society of Friends asked the United States Congress to end slavery.

Moses Brown, a Quaker, became an abolitionist. He had been involved in the slave trade earlier. During the 1800s, Quakers like Levi Coffin helped enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad. Black Quaker Paul Cuffe worked to end slavery. Quaker Laura Smith Haviland also helped with the Underground Railroad in Michigan.

However, in the 1830s, the Grimké sisters left the Quakers. This was because Black Quakers were separated in meeting houses in Philadelphia.

Quaker Beliefs

Quakers' beliefs can be quite different. Most Friends believe in "continuing revelation." This means God keeps showing truth directly to people. George Fox said, "Christ has come to teach His people Himself." Friends try to feel God's presence. As Isaac Penington wrote, "It is not enough to hear of Christ, or read of Christ, but this is the thing – to feel him to be my root, my life, and my foundation..."

Quakers do not have priests. They believe that everyone can connect with God directly. Some describe their idea of God as "the inner light" or "Holy Spirit."

Quaker beliefs have not always been written down as strict statements of faith. However, some important texts exist. These include George Fox's Letter to the Governor of Barbados (1671). Most Yearly Meetings have their own "Book of Discipline." This book explains what it means to be a Friend in that group.

Conservative Quakers

Conservative Friends (also called "Wilburites") share some beliefs with early Quakers. Many believe their beliefs are closest to the original Quaker ideas. Conservative Friends trust in God's direct guidance. They do not use religious symbols or outward ceremonies like the Eucharist or water baptism. They believe holiness can be found in all parts of daily life. They feel that all of life is sacred. A meal shared with others can become a form of communion with God.

Conservative Friends in the United States are part of three small Yearly Meetings. These are in Ohio, North Carolina, and Iowa. Ohio Yearly Meeting is seen as the most focused on the Bible. Its members often use plain language and wear plain dress. They tend to live in rural areas.

In 2007, there were about 1,642 Conservative Quakers. This was about 0.4% of all Quakers worldwide.

Evangelical Quakers

Evangelical Friends see Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Their beliefs are similar to other evangelical Christians. They believe in Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross for sins. They also believe the Bible is God's perfect Word. They feel everyone needs a personal relationship with God. They believe the Evangelical Friends Church should share God's love and help others.

Starting in the 1880s, some Evangelical Friends began using outward ceremonies in their services. In places where Evangelical Friends do missionary work, like Africa, people may be baptized by immersion in water. This is different from most other Quaker groups. In 2014, Evangelical Friends International said it had over 140,000 members. This was about 39% of all Quakers worldwide.

Gurneyite Quakers

Gurneyite Friends follow the evangelical Quaker ideas of Joseph John Gurney. They make up 49% of all Quakers worldwide. They see Jesus Christ as their Teacher and Lord. They like to work closely with other Protestant Christian churches. Gurneyite Friends balance the Bible's authority with their own direct experience of God. Children and adults learn about Christian teachings from the Bible. They also learn about Quaker history and beliefs. Gurneyite Friends follow Christian beliefs like those in the Richmond Declaration of faith.

Many Gurneyite Friends combine "waiting" (unprogrammed) worship with practices common in other Protestant churches. These include Bible readings and singing hymns. A small number of Gurneyite Friends only practice unprogrammed worship.

Liberal Quakers

Liberal Quakerism takes ideas from liberal Christianity. They often focus on the "social gospel." The ideas of "that of God in everyone" and the "inner light" became popular through American Friend Rufus Jones in the early 1900s. Liberal Friends were common in Britain in the 1900s. They are also found in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

These ideas are important for Liberal Friends' understanding of God. They stress the importance of good actions. They focus on living a life that follows Jesus' teachings. They often emphasize pacifism, treating others equally, living simply, and telling the truth.

Like Conservative Friends, Liberal Friends do not use religious symbols or ceremonies like water baptism. They believe these outward forms are not needed for a true Christian spiritual life.

The Bible is still important to most Liberal Friends. It is often placed in the center of the meeting room. However, Liberal Friends believe that God's guidance can be more important than the Bible. Many are also influenced by modern ways of studying the Bible. They believe the Bible is a collection of human authors' thoughts about God. They also believe different interpretations of the Bible are fine.

Liberal Friends believe that a strict statement of faith would stop them from truly listening to God. As a non-creed form of Christianity, Liberal Quakerism accepts many different religious understandings. Most Liberal Quaker Yearly Meetings publish a "Faith and Practice" book. This book shares different religious experiences of being a Friend in that group.

Non-theist Quakers

A small number of Friends have views similar to non-theists in other churches. They are mostly atheists, agnostics, and humanists. But they still value being part of a religious group. The first group for non-theist Friends was started in Los Angeles in 1939. More recently, interest in non-theism grew, especially in Britain.

Non-theism is a debated topic among Quakers. Some Christian Quakers believe non-theists should not be members. One study in Britain found that about 30% of Quakers had non-theistic, agnostic, or atheist views. Another study found that 75.1% of Quakers saw themselves as Christian. About 17.6% did not.

Quaker Practices

Quakers show their beliefs in their daily lives. This is called "bearing witness" or "testifying." They believe that faith must be shown through actions. This comes from their direct experience of God and the Bible. They act in ways they believe God is guiding them. Quakers feel personally moved by God, rather than just following a set of rules.

Some people group Quaker practices into "Testimonies." These principles show God's truth. There is no single list that all Quakers agree on.

In the United Kingdom, the acronym STEPS is sometimes used: Simplicity, Truth, Equality, Peace, and Sustainability. British Friends have historically shown these Testimonies by opposing gambling, the death penalty, and war. They promote honesty, peace, and helping those who suffer.

In East Africa, Friends teach peace, non-violence, simplicity, honesty, equality, and humility. They also teach about marriage (between one man and one woman) and the importance of life.

In the United States, the acronym SPICES is often used: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. Stewardship is not always seen as a Testimony by all groups.

Calendar and Holidays

Quakers traditionally use numbers for months and days of the week. They call this the "plain calendar." This avoids names from pagan gods. The week starts with First Day (Sunday) and ends with Seventh Day (Saturday). Months go from First (January) to Twelfth (December). This comes from the Bible. The plain calendar became common among Friends in the 1600s. It was used into the 1900s but is less common today. "First Day School" is what other churches call "Sunday School."

From 1155 to 1751, March 25 was the first day of the year in England. So, Quaker records from that time called March "First Month."

Like other Christian groups from the 1500s, many Friends do not celebrate religious festivals like Christmas or Easter. They believe Christ's birth, death, and resurrection should be remembered every day. For example, many Quakers feel that fasting only during Lent is not sincere. Instead, they try to live a simple life all year. This is called the "testimony against times and seasons."

Some Friends believe "every day is the Lord's day." They feel what should be done on Sunday should be done every day. However, Meeting for Worship is usually held on Sunday.

Quaker Worship

Most Quaker groups meet regularly for worship. There are two main types: programmed worship and waiting worship.

Programmed Worship

In "programmed worship," there is often a planned Bible message. This message might be given by someone trained at a Bible College. There may be hymns, a sermon, Bible readings, and shared prayers. There is also a time of silent worship. This worship is like services in other Protestant churches. However, it usually does not include the Eucharist. A paid pastor may lead the service. About 89% of Quakers worldwide have this type of worship. It is common in Africa, Asia, and parts of the US. This style started in the US in the 1800s. Many Quaker meetings in Africa and Latin America use programmed worship.

Some Friends have "Semi-Programmed Worship." This mixes planned elements like hymns and readings with an otherwise unprogrammed service.

Unprogrammed Worship

"Unprogrammed worship" (also called "waiting worship" or "silent worship") follows the practices of George Fox and early Friends. They believed in worshiping God by waiting quietly for His guidance. Friends gather in "expectant waiting upon God." They hope to hear His "still small voice" inside them. There is no plan for the meeting. Friends believe God plans what will happen, with His spirit guiding people to speak. If someone feels led to speak, they stand and share a message. Quakers believe God's spirit is speaking through them. After someone speaks, there is usually a few minutes of silence to think about what was said.

These meetings used to last for several hours. Modern meetings are often about an hour long. They end when two people (usually the elders) shake hands. This handshake is then shared by others. This style of worship is common in Britain, Ireland, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Southern Africa, Canada, and parts of the United States. This makes up about 11% of Quakers. Those who worship this way believe everyone is equal before God. They believe everyone can know God's light directly. Anyone present can speak if they feel led.

Quaker Organization

How Quakers Make Decisions

Quakers make decisions in a special meeting called a "meeting for worship with a concern for business." All members can attend. Quakers see this as a form of worship. They believe they are waiting for God's will to be revealed. They try to understand God's plan for their community.

In these meetings, each member listens to God. If they feel led, they stand and speak. People do not argue or debate. They try to find the truth together. A decision is made when everyone feels that the "way forward" is clear. This is called "coming to unity." There is no voting. Sometimes, a decision is delayed if people feel the meeting is not following God's will. Quakers believe that if everyone listens to God's spirit, the right path will become clear.

International Organization

The Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) is the international Quaker group. It connects different Quaker traditions. FWCC brings together the most diverse Quakers in the world. It is divided into four sections for different regions: Africa, Asia West Pacific, Europe and Middle East, and the Americas.

Many organizations are linked to Friends. These include the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), which works in Washington, D.C. Service groups like the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Quaker United Nations Office also exist.

Yearly Meetings

Quakers today are organized into independent regional or national groups called "Yearly Meetings." These groups have often split over different beliefs. Some Yearly Meetings bring together Quakers with similar beliefs. For example, Evangelical Friends Church International connects evangelical Christian Friends. Friends United Meeting connects Friends who know, love, and obey Jesus Christ. Friends General Conference links Quakers with liberal beliefs. Many Yearly Meetings also belong to the Friends World Committee for Consultation.

Membership

A Friend is a member of a Yearly Meeting. Membership usually starts in a local "monthly meeting." How one becomes a member varies. In many Kenyan Yearly Meetings, people must study for two years. They memorize Bible passages and learn about Christian and Quaker history. In Britain, people who want to join are visited by several members. These members report back before a decision is made.

In some Evangelical Friends Churches, adult baptism by water is an option. However, Liberal Friends, Conservative Friends, and Pastoral Friends Churches do not practice water baptism. They do not have ceremonies to admit new members or babies. Children are often welcomed into the meeting when they first attend. In the past, children born to Quaker parents automatically became members. This is called "birthright membership." But this is no longer common. Some parents apply for membership for their children. Others let their children decide when they are older.

Worship for Special Occasions

Memorial Services

Traditional Quaker memorial services are a form of worship. They are called "memorial meetings." Friends gather to worship and share memories of the person who died. In some Quaker traditions, the coffin or ashes are not present. Memorial meetings may be held weeks after the death. This allows more people to attend. It also helps people focus on spiritual reflection and celebrating the person's life. Memorial meetings can last over an hour. They give everyone a chance to remember the person in their own way. This comforts those present and strengthens the community's love.

Marriage

A Quaker wedding in an unprogrammed meeting is like any other unprogrammed worship meeting. The couple makes promises to each other before God and the people present. Then, the meeting returns to silent worship. At the end of the meeting, everyone, including children, is asked to sign the wedding certificate. This acts as a record.

In many Friends meetings, the couple meets with a "clearness committee" before the wedding. This committee talks with the couple about marriage and life together. If the couple seems ready, the marriage is recommended to the meeting.

Quakers have different views on same-sex marriage. Some Friends meetings around the world support and recognize same-sex marriages. In 1986, Hartford Friends Meeting in Connecticut decided to recognize committed unions for both homosexual and heterosexual couples. Since then, other liberal Friends meetings have recognized same-sex marriage. In places where the government does not recognize same-sex marriage, some meetings still oversee the union. However, some Evangelical and Pastoral Yearly Meetings do not support same-sex marriage. They have stated that homosexuality is a sin.

Quakers Around the World

The Religious Society of Friends has changed and split into different groups over time.

Quakerism began in England and Wales. It quickly spread to Ireland, the Netherlands, Barbados, and North America. In 2012, there were many Quakers in Kenya (146,300), the United States (76,360), Burundi (35,000), and Bolivia (22,300). Other countries with over 5,000 Quakers included Guatemala, the United Kingdom, Nepal, Taiwan, and Uganda. The total number of Quakers worldwide is about 377,000.

Africa

The largest number of Quakers is in Africa. The Friends of East Africa were once part of one large Yearly Meeting. Today, there are several different Yearly Meetings in the region. Most are part of the Friends United Meeting. They use programmed worship and have pastors. Friends meet in Rwanda and Burundi. New work is starting in North Africa. Small unprogrammed meetings also exist in Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

In 2012, there were 196,800 adult Quakers in Africa.

Australia and New Zealand

Friends in Australia and New Zealand follow the unprogrammed tradition. This is similar to the Britain Yearly Meeting.

Long distances meant Australian Friends relied on London until the 1900s. The Society in Australia is called Australia Yearly Meeting. It has local groups in seven regions. The Friends' School is in Hobart. They have an annual meeting each January.

Meetings for worship in New Zealand started in Nelson in 1842. The New Zealand Yearly Meeting has nine monthly meetings today.

Asia

Quaker meetings are found in India, Hong Kong, Korea, the Philippines, Japan, and Nepal.

India has four Yearly Meetings. These include the unprogrammed Mid-India Yearly Meeting and the programmed Bhopal Yearly Meeting. Bundelkhand Yearly Meeting is an evangelical Friends Church.

Evangelical Friends Churches are in the Philippines and Nepal.

Europe

In the United Kingdom, the Britain Yearly Meeting is mostly liberal and unprogrammed. It has 478 local meetings and 14,260 adult members. This number has been going down since the mid-1900s. Programmed meetings also happen in places like Wem and London. Small groups of Conservative Friends meet in England and Scotland.

Evangelical Friends Central Europe Yearly Meeting has 4,306 members in six countries. These include Albania, Hungary, and Romania.

Ireland Yearly Meeting is unprogrammed and more traditional than Britain Yearly Meeting. It has 1,591 members in 28 meetings.

German Yearly Meeting is unprogrammed and liberal. It has 340 members in Germany and Austria.

Small groups of Friends also attend meetings in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, and Ukraine.

Middle East

Middle East Yearly Meeting has meetings in Lebanon and Palestine.

A lively Palestinian Quaker community has been in Ramallah since the late 1800s. In 1910, they built the Ramallah Friends Meetinghouse. This building was also used for community activities. The Ramallah Friends Meeting has always been important to the community. In 1948, the buildings became home to many Palestinian refugees. Over the years, the Meeting organized programs for children and women.

By the early 1990s, the Meetinghouse was in bad shape due to time and conflict. It could not be used for worship. Many Friends and Palestinians left the area due to economic problems and military occupation.

In 2002, a committee started raising money to fix the buildings. By November 2004, the renovations were done. On March 6, 2005, the Meetinghouse was rededicated. Friends meet every Sunday morning for unprogrammed Meeting for Worship. Everyone is welcome.

North and South America

Quakers are found throughout the Americas. Friends in the United States have many different worship styles and beliefs.

A local group in the unprogrammed tradition is called a "meeting" or "monthly meeting." This is because they meet monthly for business. Most "monthly meetings" meet for worship at least once a week. In programmed traditions, local groups are often called "Friends Churches."

Monthly meetings are often part of a "quarterly meeting." This is usually part of an even larger group called a "yearly meeting." The names refer to how often they meet for business.

Some Yearly Meetings belong to larger organizations. The three main ones are Friends General Conference (FGC), Friends United Meeting (FUM), and Evangelical Friends Church International (EFCI). Most members of these groups are from the United States. FGC is the most liberal. EFCI is the most evangelical. FUM is the largest. Some monthly meetings belong to more than one group. Others are fully independent.

Service Organizations

Many Quaker service organizations work for peace and help people around the world. The first, the British Friends Service Council (FSC), was founded in 1927. It shared the 1947 Nobel Prize for Peace with the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

The Quaker star is used by many Quaker service groups. It was first used by British Quakers helping during the Franco-Prussian War. It helped them stand out from the Red Cross. Today, the star shows a shared commitment to service.

Relations with Other Religions

Christian Relations

Before the 1900s, Quakers saw themselves as a Christian movement. But many did not feel they fit into the Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant groups. Many Conservative Friends see themselves as orthodox Christians but choose to stay separate from other Christian groups.

Many Friends in Liberal Friends' meetings are involved in the ecumenical movement. They work closely with other liberal Christian churches. They share common ground on peace and social justice. Some Liberal Quaker Yearly Meetings are members of larger Christian organizations. For example, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is part of the National Council of Churches. The Britain Yearly Meeting is a member of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

Gurneyite Friends see themselves as part of an orthodox Christian movement. They work closely with other Christian groups. Friends United Meeting is a member of the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Evangelical Friends work closely with other evangelical churches. The North American branch of Evangelical Friends Church International is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals. Evangelical Friends tend to be less involved with non-evangelical churches.

Most other Christian groups recognize Friends as fellow Christians. However, some people who attend Quaker Meetings might not think Quakers are Christians. This is because they do not always hear clearly Christian language during worship.

Other Faiths

Relationships between Quakers and non-Christians vary. This depends on the Quaker group, location, and history.

Early Quakers avoided practices they saw as pagan. For example, they did not use the usual names for days of the week. These names came from pagan gods. They also did not celebrate Christmas. They believed it was based on pagan festivals.

Early Friends asked people of other religions to turn to the "Light of Christ within." They believed this light was in everyone. For example, George Fox wrote letters to Jews and Muslims. He told them to turn to Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. In his letters to Muslim readers, Fox used the Qur'an in a kind way. He believed its teachings matched Christian scripture.

Mary Fisher likely preached this same message. She appeared before the Muslim leader Mehmed IV in 1658.

Since the late 1900s, some people in Liberal Quaker Meetings have identified with other faiths. These include Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Paganism.

See also

In Spanish: Sociedad Religiosa de los Amigos para niños

• David Cooper and Anthony Benezet – Quakers who worked to end slavery
• List of Christian denominations
• Quaker Oats Company – an American food company
• Peace Testimony
• Testimony of equality
• Testimony of integrity
• Testimony of simplicity