More About Quakers
What Are Friends (Quakers)?
We are a faith community commonly known as a “peace church”, actively working to eliminate the causes of strife and violence in ourselves and between people, nations and the earth.
The concept of the Inner Light being present in every human soul lies at the center of the Quaker faith. Friends generally believe that first-hand knowledge of God/spirit/divine is only possible through that which is experienced, or inwardly revealed to the individual human being through the working of God’s quickening Spirit.
Quaker Meeting for Worship happens when two or more people feel the need to be still together and seek God’s presence. In attentive waiting together in silence, Friends can receive spiritual awakening, a renewed sense of purpose for living, the awe and joy of being fully alive and connected to all of creation. Our experience has been that the spiritual quality of our faith and practice has been enriched over these years by the full participation and leadership of everyone in the life of our Meeting.
Faith and Practice
Several yearly Meetings (regional organizations of Quakers) have published their own versions of “Faith and Practice.” Madison is part of Northern Yearly Meeting, and you can learn quite a bit about our process, our beliefs, and how we understand ourselves to live as Quakers in our Meeting and in our communities in the Northern Yearly Meeting Faith and Practice publication.
Friends’ Testimonies – Living Our Faith
Quakers have historically been involved in social and political movements in support of oppressed and disadvantaged people, including the abolition of slavery and reform of prison conditions. We continue our practice of living our lives guided by some basic testimonies, to help us practice our beliefs in all aspects of our lives: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship. Learn more about how we put our faith into action.
The Wider Quaker World
Quakers can be found on nearly every continent, with multiple perspectives on what it means to be a Quaker.
- The Friends World Committee for Consultation encourages fellowship and understanding among all the branches of the Religious Society of Friends.
- Friends Peace Teams publishes PeaceWays, an annual newsletter highlighting recent justice and peace work done with partners from their five regions.
Quakers Today Podcast
A Podcast Exploring Quaker Faith in Contemporary Life: Quakers Today features writers, musicians, and thinkers who are seeking wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world. We do not pretend to have all the answers. Instead we have a place where you can hear people speak from the heart, grapple with faith, and share the insights they have found along the way. It is also a place where you will have the opportunity to share your own insights, reflections, and questions. Hosted by Peterson Toscano, Quakers Today is a project of Friends Publishing Corporation.
QuakerSpeak Videos
QuakerSpeak videos feature interviews with Friends of all different backgrounds, asking them the core questions of our faith. Explore Quaker Basics: Videos for Newcomers (sponsored by Friends Journal)
For those who prefer reading to listening or watching, transcripts for these three videos and for the full QuakerSpeak video archive are available at https://quakerspeak.com/transcripts-and-closed-captioning/. For closed captioning, use the CC button at the lower right of each video.