The Amish link, I assume, comes from the guy on the oats box. He’s just a cartoon, after all. Although Quakers utilize electricity, we are expected to live simple lives. I have seven cameras and an iPod, so I kind of blew it there, but I can tell you about how wonderful Quakers are.
What are Quakers prohibited from doing?
- Religious Society of Friends (full name)
- Quakers; Friends are other names for Quakers.
- George Fox (16241691) founded the society in the mid-seventeenth century in England.
- William Edmondson, Richard Hubberthorn, James Nayler, and William Penn were among the other notable founders.
- There are around 300,000 members worldwide.
- Quaker Beliefs: Quakers believe in the “inner light,” which is a guiding illumination provided by the Holy Spirit. They don’t have clergy and don’t participate in sacraments. They oppose oaths, military service, and warfare.
Is it true that Quakers listen to music?
Quakers (officially known as the Religious Society of Friends) are a tiny religious group founded in England in the 17th century by George Fox. Friends place a special focus on the continual direct access to God that they think everyone possesses within their hearts. Friends have evolved some distinctive ways of attention to this divine voice in worship and communal decision-making during the past 350 years. Quakers are also noted for their strong social “testimonies” of peace, equality, simplicity, integrity, and environmental stewardship.
Friends, like the Puritans, were first hostile to instrumental music. They were also against singing psalms and hymns during worship because they saw it as an empty form that came in the way of God’s spontaneous direction of worship. These historic beliefs (reflected in the film Friendly Persuasion, in which a group of elders visits a Quaker family after hearing rumors that they have acquired an organ) have almost entirely vanished now, with the exception of many Friends’ opposition to choral singing during worship.
Gary Cooper chafes at this early Quaker attitude toward musical instruments in the 1956 film Friendly Persuasion (based on the novel by Jessamyn West), and obtains an organ, which he hides in his attic. When several elders from his local Quaker congregation come to visit and one of his children begins playing the organ, he gets a huge fear. The elders, to to his relief, believe that the sounds they hear during silent prayer are truly strains of music from paradise!
During the nineteenth century, this hostility to musical instruments and choral singing progressively faded.
Quakers no longer condemn group singing or the use of musical instruments in any way.
Any singing done during actual worship services is usually done individually and a capella in Quaker meetings that perform “unprogrammed” worship (where those present wait upon the Spirit in silence). (Note: other branches of Friends use a form of worship that is more akin to Protestant worship services, including hymn singing pre-planned as part of the service.)
In 2002, Peter published a piece in Friends Journal about the history of “Music Among FGC Quakers.”
The article focuses on group singing at FGC gatherings and among “unprogrammed” Quaker meetings (those without pastors and hold worship when people gather in silence and speak spontaneously under the guidance of Spirit) (week-long gatherings of about 1500 Friends mainly from this branch of Friends held on a college campus in the US each summer).
The fact that Quaker aversion to music has all but vanished is mirrored in today’s diverse group of Quaker musicians.
We’ve compiled a list of Quaker musicians. (In the future, this Directory will be relocated to this site.)
What were the Quakers’ sources of income?
George Fox died in 1691. As a result, the Quaker movement did not have one of its most significant early leaders in the 18th century. People in Great Britain were no longer considered criminals simply because they were friends, thanks to the Toleration Act of 1689.
Other people began to notice Quakers for their social and economic purity around this period. Because Quakers were not allowed to receive academic degrees at the time, many of them moved into industry or trade. People trusted these Quaker businesspeople, which contributed to their success. Customers were aware that Quakers were firm believers in setting a fair price for items and not haggling over them. They also knew that Quakers were dedicated to producing high-quality work that would be worth the money.
Iron and steel by Abraham Darby II and Abraham Darby III, as well as pharmaceuticals by William Allen, were some of the important and popular products created by Quaker firms at the time. The Darbys established an early meeting house in Broseley, Shropshire.
Quakers, like other religious groups, were part of the movement to the frontier in North America. Initially, this entailed moving south via the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Historic meeting houses such as Frederick County, Virginia’s 1759 Hopewell Friends Meeting House and Lynchburg, Virginia’s 1798 South River Friends Meetinghouse are testaments to American Quakerism’s growing bounds. Quakers went to the Carolinas and Georgia from Maryland and Virginia. They eventually relocated to the Northwest Territories and further west.
Friends were becoming more concerned about social concerns and becoming more involved in society at the same time that they were thriving in manufacturing and trade and traveling to new territory.
Slavery was one of these issues. The Germantown (Pennsylvania) Monthly Meeting declared their opposition to slavery in 1688, but it was not until the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting established consensus on the topic in 1754 that abolitionism became widespread among Quakers. It took a long time and a lot of effort to achieve unity (spiritual consensus). Slaves were owned by William Penn himself. Some Quaker businesspeople made their fortunes in Barbados or owned ships that operated in the British/West Indian/American triangle. But, over time, the reality of slavery became apparent, and proponents such as John Woolman in the early 18th century helped to improve things. Woolman was a New Jersey farmer, retailer, and tailor who became convinced that slavery was wrong and published “John Woolman’s Journal,” which was extensively read. He expressed himself as follows: “…This continent’s slaves are mistreated, and their cries have reached the Most High’s ears. He cannot be predisposed to our favor because his judgments are so pure and definite.” Slavery was generally condemned by Quakers, who advocated for the teaching of Christianity and the reading of books to slaves. In principle, Woolman claimed, the process of buying, selling, and owning human beings was wrong. Other Quakers began to concur and got heavily involved in the anti-slavery fight. Other anti-slavery Quakers were not so tolerant. Benjamin Lay was a passionate and personal clergyman who once sprayed fake blood on the crowd, causing him to be disowned. Following initially agreeing that no slaves would be purchased from the ships, the entire community reached spiritual unanimity on the subject in 1755, after which no Quaker may acquire a slave. An request by the Quakers (delivered through Benjamin Franklin) to abolish slavery in the United States was one of the first documents received by the new Congress in 1790.
Another issue that Quakers felt concerned about was the treatment of mentally ill people. William Tuke, a tea merchant, founded the Retreat in York in 1796. It was a place where mentally ill people were treated with the respect that Friends believe all people possess. Most asylums at the time put such persons into horrible conditions and offered little assistance.
During the American Revolution, the Quakers’ dedication to nonviolence was questioned, as many people in the thirteen colonies wrestled with competing notions of patriotism for the new United States and their rejection of violence. Despite this difficulty, a sizable number of Quakers took part in the American Revolution in some way, and there were many Quakers participating in the American Revolution.
Quakers had gained enough recognition and acceptance by the late 18th century that the United States Constitution included language especially intended at Quaker citizens, including the explicit allowance of “affirming,” rather than “swearing,” several oaths.
Is it permissible for Quakers to utilize technology?
Although Quakers utilize electricity, we are expected to live simple lives. I have seven cameras and an iPod, so I kind of blew it there, but I can tell you about how wonderful Quakers are.
Can Quakers use alcoholic beverages?
Although Quakers are not prohibited from using alcohol or cigarettes (though they are prohibited in Quaker Meeting Houses), most Quakers avoid or consume them in moderation.
Is there a dress code for Quakers?
Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) typically wore plain clothing as part of their testimony of simplicity; “Ruffles, lace, and other types of decoration, as well as needless cuffs, collars, lapels, and buttons, were disallowed.” George Fox urged his fellow Quakers to dress simply:
Friends, stay away from the world’s vain fashions; do not let your eyes, minds, or spirits follow every fashion (in attire) of the nations; for this will lead you from the solid life into unity with that spirit that leads to follow the fashions of the nations, after every fashion of apparel that arises: but mind what is sober and modest, and keep to your plain fashions, that you may judge the world’s vanity and spirit, in its vain fashions, and show a constant chas
Conservative Friends, as well as the Holiness Friends, preserve this traditional Quaker belief practice. Plain dress for males comprises “a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, suspenders instead of a belt, and muted colors in the fabrics: blacks, whites, greys, browns,” occasionally with “broad-fall trouser styles,” according to Conservative Friends. Quaker men have historically kept their beards shaved. Conservative Quaker women wear a “scarf, bonnet, or cap” and “wear long-sleeved, long gowns” to practice Christian headcovering.
What are the similarities and differences between Quakers and Mennonites?
The Quakers, Mennonites, and Amish, three Protestant pacifist sects, came together in colonial Pennsylvania to give it a character that still exists today. In the 16th and 17th centuries, they were all persecuted for dissenting from religious conformity, and they all had a common ancestor. However, the origins of the Mennonites and Amish differ significantly from those of the Quakers.
Do Quakers have a lot of money?
Philadelphia Quakers were affluent as a result of their hard labor and financial prudence. However, some Quakers did improve their level of living by building city residences, rural homes, and even plantations where they could entertain visitors with their newfound money.
What about the national anthem? Do Quakers stand for it?
“I’ve long believed that expressing the truth is both the simplest and one of the most difficult things to do in life.
Author Judith Atchison is a Quaker.
Terrence Crutcher was shot and killed by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Saturday morning. His car had broken down, and footage from a police helicopter video shows him standing next to it, hands in the air, with his back to the officers. Officers on the scene can be heard saying Terrence Crutcher is guilty in the video I saw “He’s a terrible person who’s probably high on something. Crutcher was then shot and killed by officer Betty Shelby. The officers in the chopper don’t seem concerned that he’s been shot; instead, they’re concerned on protecting the area.
Keith Lamont Scott, a Black disabled man, was shot and killed by police in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday. His family claims he was waiting for his son while reading a book. He was armed, according to the police, and threatened them with a gun. The cops were in the area to serve an arrest warrant on another man.
In response to the recent killings, Rev. Traci Blackmon said, “When my Blackness is the weapon you fear, it’s impossible to be unarmed. Another Black guy has been killed by police, a victim of white fear, before people have had time to mourn Terrence Crutcher.
The core of the shootings is white fear and disregard to the life of an unarmed father standing in the street, dead because his SUV broke down and he happens to be Black, or a Black man who is parked when police come looking for a suspect. When Colin Kaepernick, a 49ers football player, sits or kneels during the national anthem, he is protesting this pervasive, fatal indifference.
According to Kaepernick, “I’m not going to stand up to demonstrate my support for a flag that represents a country that oppresses black and brown people. This is greater than football to me, and it would be selfish of me to turn a blind eye. There are bodies strewn throughout the streets, and people are enjoying paid leave while committing murder.
He went on to say, “This was not the stand for me. This isn’t a protest because I believe I’m being marginalized in any way. This is because I’m seeing things happen to people who don’t have a voice, who don’t have a platform to speak up and have their voices heard, and who can’t affect change because they don’t have a voice. It now that I’m in a position to do so, I’m going to do it for those that can’t.
He’s opposing a government that claims to be one thing but acts very differently. He’s standing up for himself and refusing to stand for a national song that promotes the military and includes the following lines (which aren’t typically sung these days): “No safe haven could shield the hireling and slave from the dread of fleeing or the gloom of death.
His protest feels right and comfortable to me as a Quaker. Many Quakers refuse to stand for the national anthem or the pledge of allegiance because it offends them. We have refused to take oaths from the beginning, feeling that honesty and truth are essential religious testimonies, and that one should speak the truth all of the time, not just on particular occasions. We aim to be consistent in both speech and practice, and we refuse to express statements that we cannot confirm as true, whether in songs or promises. Quakers aim to live in accordance with the deepest truth we can comprehend, which we believe comes from God. We respect what we feel comes from God/Spirit/Light and are wary of state deference. We are separated from ourselves and from the Light inside when we lack integrity and communicate the truth.
As a Quaker and a woman committed to eradicating racism and shattering the white haze that kills far too many people, I support Kaepernick’s position. My sense of God’s leading compels me to speak out and take action against a system that indifferently abuses the lives and dreams of so many people, that refuses to hold a policing system accountable so that the killings stop, and that is founded on the lie that justice and freedom are only for some, not truly for all.
Any time soon, I’m not going to stand for the national anthem or the pledge of loyalty. Many NFL players are supporting Kaepernick’s protest. What if the stadiums were packed with people who didn’t want to stand? What if no one stood until our existing terrible policing system killed no more Black men or women? Will you refuse to take a stand?