r/Quakers

Anchorage Alaska, if any on here, nice.

Hi, I'm a young teen and about a year ago I joined Quakerism. I love the silence, it's where I feel God most and I highly resonate with many of Quakerism values. However, as a pretty strict Christian, there are many areas within Quakerism that I struggle with.

1. Sacraments- I've always critiqued the Churches way of ritualising and pressuring people into sacraments however I don't want to completely reject them, I still feel the spiritual value of communion and really want to get baptised some day.

2. Universalism- I hold a more liberal view than many Christians, believing that if one does not hear about the gospel/is unable to understand it, they will be able to be saved. However universalism feels too far. A friend at my meeting commented that all Quakers are universalist but I really don't think I am.

3. Lack of Christianity- I have nothing against atheists, different people have different views. But everyone in my meeting seems to reject what I consider to be the basis of Christianity: the trinity, Jesus as God, the resurrection etc. I'm fine with not everyone sharing my beliefs but it kinda feels like I'm the only more strict Christian here so talking about faith is always awkward.

Like I said, I love Quakerism and have no desire to leave it. However I've currently been dual attending with an anglican church. I've been too anxious to talk about this at my meeting, it somehow feels like cheating on a partner. Are there any branches of Quakerism in the UK that would better fit my values? I really just want to fully belong to a group, rather than feeling split.

I would love to attend a Quaker Meeting near me! Yhing is, I would need to be picked up, as I have no Driver's License

Hey

I just had a thought. What if we all dressed up in our best peace gear over the weekend, at all the celebrations.
You know, like wear lots of peace signs and things.

It’s easy for me, I already have several costumes in this theme over the years. I make the peace signs from pipe cleaners and attach them various places,

Once i was a “man o peace” jelly fish, by hanging a bunch from an umbrella with streamers

I have definitely seen some other people with peace costumes so I think there have got to be others..

Another idea I’ve used before is “power of love” superheroes.

I think I’m going to be a variation on that, with my captain america t-shirt and red superhero gloves. Maybe stick on a few pipe cleaner peace signs and hearts.

I also already have a sign from past protests that lists off a bunch of solutions.

I can update with more later, I’m outside touching grass and want to get off the phone. I just wanted to get it out and see what people thought of the idea. If you like it feel free to share! It would be so awesome if it caught on. And a ton of people did it everywhere

I’m a mid thirties adult and I’ve been like, church surfing lately. I plan on visiting a meeting later this week regardless because I’m very curious about Quakers, but before I do I’m just wondering how they feel about like, going out on the town for a drink and/or smoke. I grew up evangelical and that’s more or less a hard no for them I know, so I’m just wondering. I miss doing stuff with people but I know my “fun” is not fun for everyone.

Where I'm from people go to the church for all different reason. Some are not even believers but still love attending church. I honestly do too. Even though I don't receive the communion I love attending service.

Since I'm isolated and have no friend's meetings near me I don't mind this. Even if I did have accessibility to meetings I would probably still have this cultural dual thing.

Do you guys also have a dual attendance of some sort?

Hi everyone :) I am curious about Quakerism (idk if thats the correct term) and am leaning towards attending a Meeting, but I have heard/read things what seem to be a little paradoxical, from my understanding about Quaker beliefs and my own experience raised Christian. I would very much appreciate your wisdom!

1. Can you be Quaker and an atheist? If so, how does that work, don't quakers believe in God? Can you dabble in another religion and be a Quaker at the same time?
2. Do quakers have commonly recognizable symbols or clothing that they wear? (such as Catholics with a rosary) Is it blasphemous to assign religious meaning to something like a rosary or even a simple necklace, due to the rejection of programmed doctrine?
3. Is the Spirit the same as Christian Holy Spirit, or can it be slightly different based on preferences and personal connections? For example I've always felt extremely close to the sea and its mythologies/pagan deities associated with it, more than anything any pastor told me to feel 'spiritually' connected to.
4. How do Quakers reconcile justice and nonviolence? I live in a place where violence is not uncommon, what is the response if someone were to attack someone you care about?

Thank you so much friends :) I hope my questions made sense lol!

EDIT: Thank you so much everyone for your responses!!! You have all been so very patient and kind. I feel like I learned a lot, and I will be looking into Meetings near me :)

Currently dating someone who joined the national guard. I know it's not actively serving but I'm struggling with the service especially under the current administration. My family has never served and I take that very seriously. I'm just struggling with values and I'd just like to hear everyones thoughts who'd like to share.

ICE as immigration and customs enforcement. I've seen that most Quakers are anti ICE and was wondering why. What part of your religion if this opinion is based on your religion is dictating that belief? No disrespect just curious.

Hello Friends! Thee Quaker Podcast recently made two episodes on Quakers in Ireland, one general and one about the Troubles specifically. As an Irish Friend, I'm interested to hear the thoughts of anyone who listened to the episode! I've discovered that we're different in many ways from Friends elsewhere (for example, what we call 'Evangelical' Friends, most class 'Conservative' or 'Christ-centered') and I wonder what differences stand out to people not from here.

Hi Friends,

I am a new convert to Quakerism. With my new faith, I have several lifestyle elements I wish to change, such as my consumption of alcohol and nicotine. However, my career is established in the casino industry. I work on the financial side, which does not force me to encourage gambling to people.

However, is it still a conflict to keep working in this industry? It does hurt my heart to see how broken down some of these people are. How hopeless they seem lost in a terrible addiction. I have an opportunity to not be customer facing anymore, but working in a problematic business like this, does it make me a hypocrite?

Part of me wants to leave this industry, but another part of me realizes I need to survive in this turbulent economy. I’d really appreciate any advice.

A lot of things about quakerism I believed in before I started learning about quakerism.

This is the only thing that really bothers me about quakerism and I understand is not a like an "official" thing it's the Quaker private schools.

I know a few people who went to religious school and I have nothing against them. I feel like historically religious school has been used to cut all people of different beliefs and indoctrinate them. I also feel like interacting with people of different beliefs and income levels is an important part of a person's development and I do acknowledge that public schools aren't perfect but the ones in my area aren't bad or a safety issue. My local Quaker private school is referenced a lot in conversation in my meeting and it's not really something I could easily ignore. I do understand that it's not really " beliefs" that they're teaching rather history and a way of worship

I kind of want to know what the private school is for. it's obvious that the school means a lot to people of my meeting who I very much respect. I don't want to offend anybody by asking pretty much what is this for? So I'm asking this here what is the private Quaker school for ?

O Lord, in Your mysterious providence, You have seen fit to seat me each First Day directly in front of Your faithful servant, the elderly Friend whose devotion to silent worship is expressed through vigorous interaction with his iPhone.

Grant me the grace to accept the ceaseless clicking of his keyboard, whose irregular rhythm recalls for me the fleeting nature of all earthly things. As no man knows the hour of his death, neither can I predict whether the next tap shall come in one second or ten. Thus am I reminded of the uncertainty of life and the vanity of worldly expectations.

Each notification chime, sounding forth like a tiny electronic church bell, calls my attention to the vast web of human relationships. A Facebook message arrives; somewhere, another soul reaches out. A game notification appears; somewhere, another treasure has been harvested. Truly, Lord, all creation is interconnected in ways beyond my understanding.

Yet I confess, O Merciful Father, that when these sounds draw my attention away from You, irritation arises within me. The heat that kindles in my breast reveals not the shortcomings of my neighbor but my own spiritual poverty. For while he merely checks his phone, I inwardly compose speeches, draft complaints, and imagine corrective interventions. Thus do I break Your commandment to love my neighbor while simultaneously judging him for breaking my concentration.

Give me strength, O Lord, to endure another meeting without leaning over afterward and saying, "You know, you can turn that sound off." Preserve me from the temptation to send charitable but highly specific messages containing screenshots of the iOS keyboard settings menu. Deliver me from the evil one, who whispers that a carefully timed AirDrop of a PDF entitled How to Silence Keyboard Clicks in Three Easy Steps would constitute fraternal correction.

Instead, teach me to love these interruptions. Let every click become a prayer bell. Let every notification ding become a summons to humility. Let every surge of annoyance become an occasion for repentance. And if it be Your will, Lord, either remove the clicking from his phone or remove my ability to hear frequencies above 2,000 hertz.

May my patience bear witness to Your power. May my restraint glorify Your name. And may his battery finally reach 1% sometime before the closing handshake.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

I’ve had interest in going to a quaker meeting (please let me know if there is a better term) for years now. It started out with me learning that in South Carolina, where I have been born and raised, Quakers would buy slaves to free them. As I started looking more in to what Quakers practiced, I realized that after years of not going to Church after I stopped being a Mormon, I may have found a religion that could work for me.

I’ve done research online and found a meeting in the city where I’m going to college later this year, but I want to know from you all what I could expect, as while research online is good, I think individual insight can be just as helpful.

27m here from Wilmington, Delaware looking for a religion to fill a hole in my life. Most of my knowledge about The Friends comes from just being close to Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. I know much of the history but my knowledge ends in the 1850s with Quaker participation in the Underground Railroad.

Are meetinghouses still plain and unadorned?
Are men and women still separated to different sides?
Are hats and plain dress still worn during service?
Are services still silent and meditation focused?

I’ve felt called to begin using my financial resources in a way that better aligns with my Quaker values. What are some immediate changes I might consider? For example, canceling certain subscriptions, investing my money with specific companies, and so on?