The Quakers, a Christian group, are also known as the Society of Friends, thus members are called Friends. George Fox (1624–1691), a nonconformist religious reformer, founded the movement in England. The name “Quakers” likely derives from their trembling at the discovery of God during meetings. They held that the trembling would lead to the purification of all Christendom.

Fox had a vision and heard a voice that told him, “There is one, even Jesus Christ, who can speak to thy condition,” which motivated him to become a preacher. He believed in an “Inner Light” — the presence of God's spirit within each individual. The existence of the Inner Light means that everyone has direct access to God. Fox reasoned that there was no need to have a church or a priest to act as a go between. Nor did people need elaborate formal structures of creed and sacraments or liturgy or clergy. Rituals, creeds, and dogmas were also superfluous, and there was no need to dress up in church garments.

None of this sat well with the infamous Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan government. As a result, Fox and his followers faced persecution. By 1660, there were more than 20,000 Quakers in Scotland, Wales, and the American colonies. They continued to grow in number, despite severe punishments from 1662 to 1689 for refusing to take oaths, attend Anglican services, or pay tithes.

The philosophy of intense concern for others was developing; it has continued to the present day and is a bulwark of the movement. The early Quakers agitated for an end to slavery and improvement in the treatment and conditions in mental health institutions and penitentiaries. Their philanthropic tendencies and pacifism are well known. Quaker pacifists make an absolute personal stand against war. They refuse to register for selective service and thus forfeit conscientious objectors' status.

When the Quakers came to the United States, they didn't fare any better than they had at home. They were looked at as witches, and many were hanged. They eventually settled in Rhode Island, known for its religious tolerance. As time went by, they became accepted as a denomination. Nevertheless, they distanced themselves from society in general, which was evidenced by their simple clothing and their way of speaking — they used “thee” and “thou” instead of “you.”

The Revolutionary War sparked resentment against the Quakers again because they refused to pay military taxes or to join in the fighting. Some of them were even exiled. After the war, their attitudes toward helping improve society and the people in it gained ground. Quaker organizations sprang up in opposition to slavery and poverty, and they formed the Underground Railroad, which was specifically set up to help runaway slaves escape to the northern states and Canada.

Disagreements developed and two schisms eventually resulted in the formation of four groups: the Hicksites, a liberal group mainly in the eastern states; Gurneyites, an evangelical group that had pastors; Wilburites, a more traditional sect; and Orthodox, a Christ-centered group.

Central Beliefs

Quakers are one of the least ritualized religions. Spiritual soul searching is a common element, culminating in a closeness with God. Much stress is made on the Inner Light, which has mystical aspects to it in that members receive an immediate sense of God's presence.

Meetings are held to worship God and wait for his word. Generally, members will sit in a circle or a square, facing each other. In some American meetings, there may be a pastor to lead it. Sometimes the meetings are silent; at others, members express a new understanding that has come to them. Men and women are equal in the faith. Whenever a “message” comes out of these meditations that might require action, it is put to the group, considered, and if there is consensus, acted on. The action to be taken generally has a strong social bias to it; something has to be put right irrespective of the consequences to the group or individual members. Thus, courage and conviction are paramount.

Quakers have no stated creed or ritual, but they do have an agreement, regarding the philosophy and beliefs of the faith. These include: worship is an act of seeking, not asking; the virtues of moral purity, integrity, honesty, simplicity, and humility are to be sought after; there shall be concern for the suffering and unfortunate; and true religion is a personal encounter with God. Quakers refuse to take oaths, believing that since one should tell the truth at all times an oath is irrelevant. They feel that taking an oath implies that there are two types of truthfulness: one for ordinary life and another for special occasions.

The individuality of the Quakers is seen in their belief, or lack of one, in life after death. Very few believe there is eternal punishment in hell. They see all life as sacramental with no difference between the secular and the religious. No one thing or activity is any more spiritual than any other. Baptism, in the accepted sense, is not a practiced sacrament; Quakers believe in the “inward baptism of the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 4: 4–5).

Quakerism in Today's World

Meetings are held all year in North America. These include the Friends United Meeting, (about fourteen meetings each year); Friends General Conference (some 500 meetings); and Evangelical Friends International and the Friends World Committee for Consultation, which is an international group in London, England. Today, Quakerism has spread to Africa and Europe.

Quakers have practically and visually contributed to the promotion of tolerance, peace, and justice more than most Christian denominations. In 1947, the Society of Friends was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It was awarded to the American Friends Service Committee and the (British) Friends Service Council for their active work in ministering to refugees and victims of famine.