September 10,1992
Who are those Peculiar People?
By Ryan Page
Since
Quakerism's beginnings
in the left wing of seven
teenth- century English
Puritanism, the Quakers
have become a highly di
verse religious society.
Quaker thought
runs gamut from Quaker
fundamentalists to Quaker
Buddhists. The anchors
which connect the easrly
Society of Friends to the
modern Society are its tes
timonies of simplicity,
intergrity, equality, and
peace along with their
theological testimonies.
The four main
theological principles of
Quakers are direct imme
diate accessibility to God;
the ability and responsi
bility to act on God's re
vealed will; the gathered
meetings worship is in
spirit and in truth and is
shown in expectant holy
obedience and the use of
consensus.
In modern Quak
erism, different groups
emphasize different testi
monies. The Hicksite
branch emphasizes the so
cial testimonies (integrity,
simplicity, equality, and
peace) more than the theological
principles. Gurneyites and
Updegraffites, on the other hand,
emphasize theological testimonies.
Each section has produced its own
share of prominent Quakers.
"Modern-day
Quakerism is
somewhat akin to
tofu. It does have
substance, but it
picks up its flavor
from the culture
around it."
-Max Carter
The surroundings of
Quakers have served to influence
their thought significantly. Max
Carter, Guilford's campus minis
ter, says, "Modem-day Quakerism
is somewhat akin to tofu. It does
have substance, but it picks up its
flavor from the culture around it
Paul Lacey, former clerk of the
The leopard with the harmless kid laid down
Ami not one savage beast was seen to frown
Hp 43
Tlit' wolf did with the lambkin dwell in peace i
His '4rim carnivorous nature there did cease j
When the sreat PENN his famous treaty made
With indian chiefs beneath the Elnvtree's shade.
Edward Hicks, a prominent Quaker, rendered this version of The Peacable Kingdom in 1826.
faculty meeting at Ealrham Col
lege, once said, "Trying to clerk a
gathering of Friends is like taking
a herd of kangaroo for a walk."
George Fox founded the
Society of Friends in the mid
1600's in the midst of the turmoil
of the Puritan revolution. The ba
sic message early Quakers held
was that Christ is present within
each person guiding and directing
and that, by opening up to that
Light within, each person can have
a personal experience of Christ's
presence. (Quakers used Christ,
Light, and Spirit interchangeably
to describe the presence within.)
Early Quakers grew rap
idly in numbers and quickly spread
across Great Britain and beyond.
They called for a revival of "primi
tive Christianity," appealing to
those who were dissatisfied with
the institutional church.
Quakers were not neces
sarily a welcome development.
John Nayler, one of the founding
Quakers.received two public whip
pings with over 300 lashes each,
was branded on the forehead with
a "B" for blasphemer, and had his
tongue bored through with a hot
iron after an incident in the British
Features
Religion
"Trying to clerk
a gathering of
Friends is like tak
ing a herd of kan
garoo for a walk."
-Paul Lacey
city of Bristol. Four Quakers were
hung on Boston Commons in the
early days of the Society.
Other colonies, however,
had a strong Quaker presence, in
cluding North Carolina, Maryland,
New Jersey, Rhode Island, and, of
course, Pennsylvania, which was
founded by the famous British
Friend, William Penn. Robert Jer
sey, an early Quaker theologian,
became governor of East Jersey.
The Quakers constituted
a significant thread in the fabric of
American history. At one point
there were Quaker governors in
half the original thirteen colonies.
Many leaders of the women's suf
frage movement were Quakers.
Quakers freed their slaves sixty
years before the Emancipation
Proclamation, and many stops on
the Underground Railroad, includ
ing one in the Guilford College
woods, were operated by Quakers.
The four theological prin
ciples are the basis of the Quaker
meeting (the Quaker equivalent of
church). In the unprogrammed tra
dition, which is that style of wor
ship the early Quakers used, there
is no liturgy of plan for the meet
ing. The members are silent until
they feel moved or led by the Spirit
to speak. Through this worship of
silence , Quakers feel that it is
Christ himself who leads the ser
vice.
Even in the programmed
meetings, which include hymns,
scripture meeting, and a message
Computer Services Training Schedule
Thur*., Sept. ID 2-3:00 VAX Mail/VMS 8201
Pri., Sept. 119-li:00 WPDot 8101
Mon.Sept.l4 10-11:30 VAX Mail/VMS 8201
Moo., Sept. 14 2-4:00 WPDos 8201
Tu.,Sepc.ls 11-12:30 PC Mail/Dot 8201
Wed., Sept. 16 9-10:30 WP VAX B2DI
Wed., Sept 16 2-4:00 , WPDos 8201
Thurs.. Sept 17 1-2 JO VAX Mail/VMS 8201
Mon., Sept 21 10:30-12 WPVAX 8201
TUea.,Sept22 9-10:30 PC Mail/ Dos 8101
Wed., Sept 23 9:30-11:30 WPDos 8101
Wed., Sepc23 7-9.-00pm WP VAX 8201
TUea., Sept 29 10-12:00 WPDos 8101
Thurs.,Oct 1 2-3:30 WPVAX 8201
Please call Sandy Pearman, ext. 2110, to sign up for any of these ifiiinni
Zbt &uiltorfcan
from the pastor, the ad
vance plan for the service
can be altered if the speak
ers feel led to change their
topics or to remain silent
and let others speak. The
leading of the Spirit re
mains the central element
of Quaker Worship re
gardless of the particular
style of the meeting.
When Quakers meet for
business, decisions are
made on the basis of con
sensus. Since Quakers
view everyone as equal,
the few dissenters are not
forced into the majority's
notions. If the sense of the
meeting is not unanimous,
the decision is postponed
until the differences can
be settled.
The peace testimony of
the Quakers is perhaps
their most will known.
The Society of Friends has
from its inception denied
"the carrying or drawing
of a carnal sword against
any." Quakers are famous
for their pacifism, which
led Voltaire to write that
the Quakers were the only
Christians who actually
acted like Christians. The
Society is still highly ac
tive in many peace and
The lion with thetatlina on did move
A little child wasleadingtneni in love:
social justice activities and
organizations, such as the Ameri
can Friends' Service Commitee.
Max Carter offers insight
into how the Quakers find com
mon ground among their diversity
of belief: "The response [to God's
will] is more improtant than belief.
One'sactions in harmonizingone's
life to the central principles [of that
will] is more important than 'right
belief of 'dogmatic correctness*."
Or, in the words of
religiion professor Mel Keiser,
"The measure of Light we have
may vary from time to time; per
fection lies not in completeness
but in the fittingness of our re
sponse to it."
7