Religious Society of Friends

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The Religious Society of Friends is a group of religious people, who have joined together because they have similar beliefs. People in the Society of Friends are called "Friends" or Quakers. The Society is very different from other religious groups. The first Quakers were Christians but the religion today includes some other people who are not Christian. They live all over the world, but the largest groups are in Bolivia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

[edit] History

The Society of Friends began in the 1600's in England. Today there are about 600,000 Quakers in the world. This number is very small compared to other religious groups. Even so, a lot of people have heard of the Quakers, because they are good at letting people know what they believe.

[edit] Worship

Quakers worship in meetings for worship, and these meetings also make decisions about what the quakers should do. Anyone can go to a Quaker meeting. To join the Society of Friends, you have to be allowed to join by a meeting. This happens when the people in the meeting agree that you believe the same things as other Quakers. These beliefs are not written down anywhere, so accepting someone can be a difficult decision. People often disagree about what it means to be a Quaker because they don't really have any beliefs.

A meeting for worship lasts about an hour. It starts with everybody sitting quietly. This is because they are trying to listen to God. Sometimes, a Quaker will think that God wants him or her to say something. When that happens, the person stands up to tell everyone. Then they all sit quietly again. At some meetings, a large number of people will speak. At other meetings, nobody speaks. Quakers believe that a meeting for worship helps them to understand what God wants.

Some Quakers in North America, South America, and Africa have a different kind of meeting. They often sing songs, or ask a pastor to talk about something interesting. They also have quiet times, but they do not last as long. These Quakers often have strong Christian beliefs.

[edit] Beliefs

Almost all Quakers share these beliefs:

  • Everybody has an inner light that tells them what they should do. The inner light comes from God.
  • Everybody should try to do what God wants.
  • You should not hurt other people.
  • You should listen to what other people say, even if you disagree with them.
  • You should tell the truth all the time.
  • You should not spend a lot of money on yourself, or wear clothes that make you look rich.

Quakers think that the truth is very important. They believe that it is wrong to make an oath or promise. This is because they think people should tell the truth all the time. Making a promise shows that you are trying to be more truthful than normal. Instead, Quakers believe that you should simply say what you are going to do. This is another idea that has caused problems. Governments often want people to promise that they will be loyal to the country. In a court, people have to promise that they will tell the truth. Quakers refuse to do these things. Several countries now say that Quakers do not have to make oaths. Instead, they must make an "affirmation". This means that they have to say out loud what they are going to do. For example, in court they might say "I affirm that I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth". Other people would have to say "I swear" instead of "I affirm". Many courts ask those testifying if they "swear or affirm to tell the truth," this covers Quakers as well as non-Quakers.