Archive-name: Quaker-faq
Last-update: Wed May  4 15:24:31 CDT 1994
Version: 1.11

 In response to various requests in soc.religion.quaker
 I have compiled the following FAQ answers posting.  The
 history in particular is rather sketchy.  This is an
 evolving document, and corrections are welcomed.

 This posting is now being automatically sent monthly, and is
 in Internet Digest FAQ format.

 Marc

-----

0)Overview
    1 Names 
 1.1 Quakers 
 1.2 Shakers 
    2 History
 2.1 Origins
 2.2 American Friends
 2.3 "Programmed" and "Unprogrammed" Meetings
 2.4 Worldwide Friends
    3 Meetings for Worship
 3.1 Traditional/Unprogrammed/Silent Meetings
 3.2 Programmed Meetings
 3.3 Children at Meeting for Worship
    4 Meetings for Business
 4.1 Monthly Meetings
 4.2 Committees
 4.3 Quarterly/Regional Meetings
 4.4 Yearly Meetings
    5 Beliefs of Friends
 5.1 Christianity
 5.2 Authority
 5.3 Marriage
 5.4 War
 5.5 Oaths 
 5.6 The Death Penalty, the Prison System, etc.
 5.7 Rituals, sacraments, etc.
    6 Terms, Acronyms etc.
    7 Speech mannerisms
 7.1 Thee and Thou (archaic)
 7.2 I have a Concern...
 7.3 Days of the Week
 7.4 Speaking Truth to Power
    8 Where can I find...
 8.1 a local Quaker meeting
 8.2 Quaker publications
 8.3 Quaker email, lists, etc.
    9 Bibliography
----

Subject: (1) Names

Subject: (1.1) Quakers

 The term "Quaker" refers to the Religious Society of
 Friends, which is the proper name of the religion.
 There are two reputed origins of the term, the first 
 refers to people "quaking" or trembling when feeling
 moved by the Holy Spirit to speak in Meetings for
 Worship, the second (and more derogatory) referring to
 Friends as being cowardly and "quaking" in fear by
 way of their traditional refusal to participate in
 wars.

Subject: (1.2) Shakers

 The "Quakers" are occasionally confused with the "Shakers";
 the Shakers were actually a "spin-off" of the Quakers, a
 group who formed a "celibate order" and started communities
 throughout the United States.  The Shakers are quite interesting
 in their own right, adding speaking in tongues and free-form
 dancing to the end of a Quaker-style silent meeting.  Celibacy, 
 alas, is not hereditary, and there are fewer than 10 Shakers left 
 today.

Subject: (2) History

Subject: (2.1) Origins

 The Religious Society of Friends was started in England around 
 1650, by many people, the most famous being George Fox.  They
 in fact intended to start a movement to unify the splintered 
 Christian churches, rather than to start a separate sect.
 Many radical groups were formed in England about this time as a 
 result of the turmoil caused by the English Revolution and Civil 
 War, and the repeated changes between Catholicism and Anglicism 
 in England; however most of these disappeared soon after the
 restoration of the monarchy.

Subject: (2.2) American Friends

 Friends were active in New England almost from the beginning
 of the Quaker movement.  The Puritans of Massachusetts,
        found Quaker ideas unacceptable and exiled Friends on pain
        of death. Between 1659 and 1661 one woman and three men were 
        hanged for returning after such banishment. George Fox spent 
 over a year in America in  1672. The Quaker population increased 
 greatly after 1682 when William Penn (who was a Friend) set 
 about the foundation of Pennsylvania and started the city of
 Philadelphia.  Friends in general showed an enlightened attitude 
 to Native Americans, and were also active in the movement
 against the slave trade. Later, they helped escaped slaves and
 worked for the abolition of slavery, due in part to the work and 
 ministry of John Woolman (See "Bibliography").

Subject: (2.3) "Programmed" and "Unprogrammed" Meetings

 During the Revival movement in the 1800's many Friends Meetings 
 were influenced by Revival preachers. Many of these later hired 
 preachers and now hold more "conventional" services, with a 
 preacher, choir, etc.  These meetings often call themselves
 "Quaker Churches" or "Friend's Churches" rather than "Quaker 
 Meetings" or "Friends Meetings."  Some such branches of
 Quakerism refer to themselves as "Evangelical Friends."

Subject: (2.4) Worldwide Friends

 Many of the Friends elsewhere in the world (besides England
 and America) are more of the "Programmed" meeting variety.
 There are large numbers of Friends in various countries
 around the world, especially Kenya.

Subject: (3) Meetings for Worship

Subject: (3.1) Traditional/Unprogrammed/Silent Meetings

 Silent Meetings for Worship are quite a bit different from most
 organized religious services. Basically those attending the meeting
 sit silently, trying to listen to the (Holy) Spirit , until someone 
 is moved by the Spirit to speak.  The person so moved generally 
 stands, says what they have to say, and sits down.  Meetings like 
 this generally run for about an hour, and it is not out of the 
 ordinary for a meeting to be silent the whole hour.

 It is customary to wait a few minutes between speakers to allow
 time for consideration of what they have said.

 It is considered bad form to "debate" a topic or otherwise
 argue a point at Meeting for Worship.  More subtle forms of 
 disagreement, such as telling a related story and how it made 
 you feel bad, etc. are occasionally employed.

Subject: (3.2) Programmed Meetings

 A Quaker Church service is very similar in format to most
 Methodist or Baptist services, if a little more mellow.  
 However members of the congregation rising to speak, while 
 uncommon, is not unheard of, and there are often periods of silence.

Subject: (3.3) Children at Meeting for Worship

 Many visitors to meeting, especially those to unprogrammed/silent
 meetings, worry a lot about their children and whether the children
 are being quiet enough.  They should relax :-).  While it would be
 appropriate to take your child out of meeting if the child is
 screaming or being loud for long periods, the occasional noises
 of small children are generally welcomed.  Some paper and crayons,
 or a book to read for older children is often helpful, too.

 Most children, especially those of visitors, have a tough time
 sitting silently for a full hour.  Fortunately most Meetings have
 some sort of "First Day School" or "Sunday school" for children.
 If you see an adult rising after the start of Meeting and all the
 children filing out, they're probably headed for the First Day
 School.

 Friends are generally quite tolerant of babies and their noises.
 It is considered normal at most unprogrammed meetings to breast
 feed babies during meeting.

Subject: (4) Meetings for Business

 Groups of Friends that conduct business as a group are generally
 named by how often they meet, and the period between meetings is
 generally proportional to the size of the group.  (i.e. a group
 that meets monthly is a  "Monthly Meeting," a group that meets
 quarterly is a "Quarterly Meeting," etc.)

 Meetings for business (or more properly Meetings for Worship 
 with a Concern for Business) are held in the manner of a silent 
 meeting for worship, although there is a Clerk who attempts to 
 find and record the collectively acquired insight of the Meeting.  
 All decisions are made by finding the "Sense of the Meeting," 
 which is a statement that feels right to everyone in the meeting.

Subject: (4.1) Monthly Meetings

 Local meetings that hold services generally hold meetings for
 business once a month, and are called "Monthly Meetings."  The
 Monthly Meeting usually deals with membership, marriages, 
 paying rent, etc for the meeting facilities and/or real estate,
 etc.

Subject: (4.2) Committees

 Since most Unprogrammed Friends meetings don't have a paid 
 staff of any kind most activities are performed by various 
 Committees of the membership.  Most meetings have at least 
 10 committees of varying description to maintain the building, 
 make or organize food, watch the finances, send out a 
 newsletter, etc.

 Committees often recommend items to the Monthly meeting for
 action.

Subject: (4.3) Quarterly/Regional Meetings

 Larger regional groups of Friends are usually groups of Monthly
 Meetings, which meet quarterly, and are often referred to as
 Quarterly Meetings.  Representatives from the various Monthly
 Meetings generally attend such meetings.  Quarterly meetings are
 often places to discuss issues in preparation for Yearly Meetings.

Subject: (4.4) Yearly Meetings

 Even larger groups of Friends are also usually groups of Monthly
 Meetings representing several states, and are referred to as
 Yearly Meetings.  Representatives from the various Monthly
 Meetings generally attend such meetings.

 Some meetings are members of more than one Yearly Meeting.

 There is no overall central organization which claims all
 Friends as members that I'm aware of.

Subject: (5) Beliefs of Friends
 
 Friends' beliefs are a little hard to quantify, since Friends
 do not believe in having a fixed Creed or Dogma, but rather
 in seeking for the leadings of God within ourselves.  Some 
 generalizations are possible however:
 
Subject: (5.1) Christianity

 The Religious Society of Friends is a Christian organization,
 in the sense that it is originally based on the teachings of 
 Jesus in the New Testament.  You will in general find some 
 disagreement among Friends about whether there was a Virgin 
 Birth, whether various miracles were supernatural occurances 
 or religious embellishments, whether Jesus was The Son of God, 
 or just one of God's children etc.  You will in general find 
 agreement that those differences are not important :-).

 We *can* all agree that certain things "feel Right," that there
 is a part of us that knows what right and wrong are, and that
 that part of us is in some sense God.

 Many Friends are or have been involved in the Unitarian 
 Universalist movement, and people occasionally refer to the 
 _Tao Te Ching_, the _Koran_, etc. at Meetings as well as
 various translations of the _Bible_.  (and sometimes _Winnie 
 The Pooh_... :-))

Subject: (5.2) Authority

 Friends generally have held that people are people; no one is 
 more "holy" than anyone else, (except *maybe* Christ,
 (see "Christianity")) and that everyone has equal access to the
 part of God in all of us.  Thus Friends have traditionally
 refused to use honorifics like "Your Honor," "Your Eminence," 
 etc.

 The only authority a Meeting has is that its members all agree that
 its actions are "right."  This is of course the Highest Form of
 authority to a Friend.

 This has a lot to do with Friends' beliefs about Marriage, War,
 etc. (below) and the reason Friends do not have "priests" that
 perform blessings, marriages, etc.

 Barclay writes (from Dean Freiday's edition, on p. 391):

   2. It is not lawful for Christians to kneel before or
   prostrate themselves to any man, or to bow the body
   or uncover the head.

 The previous point also makes the same point as to "word 
 honor" in court, specifically the use of terms including
 "Your Honor."

 On p. 402 there is a more extensive discussion of Kneeling,
 Bowing, and Removing the Hat, with some Biblical references.
 A footnote quotes G. Fox's Journal, as follows:

   "When the Lord sent me forth into the world, he forbade me
    to put of my hat to any, high or low...neither might I 
    bow or scrape with my leg to any one."  G. Fox, Journal,
    Bi-Centenary Edition, London, Headley, 1902, v. 1, p. 38.

 Finally, p. 404 remarks,
   
   "Many of us have been badly beaten and buffeted about, and
    we have even been imprisoned for several months for no
    other reason except that we would not uncover our heads
    or bow our bodies to satisfy the proud and unreasonable
    whims of egotistical men. Certainly the innocent practice
    of standing still and erect without taking off our hats
    any more than our shoes does not show as much rudeness as
    the beatings and knocking about we have had because of 
    our practice."

Subject: (5.3) Marriage

 Officially, two Friends marry each other under the care of
 the meeting, but no person "marries" them, God does.  Most 
 meetings reserve the right to refuse to take a marriage under 
 their care if they feel the couple is not "clear" about their 
 intention to marry.  Generally all present at the ceremony
 sign the wedding certificate.

 There have been a *few* meetings who have performed same-gender
 marriages; and in one or two states for a while some of them
 were even legal.  This is a topic of much discussion in many
 meetings, and is not something you can assume any given meeting
 considers okay.  Also to my knowledge the states whose marriage 
 laws had "Quaker loopholes" allowing Meetings to perform same
 gender marriages have fixed them.  On the other hand, several
 states are now considering allowing same-gender marriages...

Subject: (5.4) War

 Friends have generally refused to participate in wars, in
 particular refused the draft, since the mid to late 1600s.
 As the "George Fox Song" says:

  "If we give you a rifle 
   will you fight for the Lord?
   But you can't kill the Devil 
   with a gun or a sword."
 
 Friends groups like the FCNL lobby heavily against military 
 involvement and military spending along with their other
 priorities.

 Friends are also concerned about finding causes of war in our
 daily lives -- do you own something that someone in a foreign
 country would kill to have?

Subject: (5.5) Oaths 

 Friends traditionally refuse to take oaths of any kind, including
 oaths of fealty, pledges of allegiance, etc. (Read the book of
 Matthew if you wonder why :-))

Subject: (5.6) The Death Penalty, the Prison System, etc.

 "Judge not, lest ye be judged," "Let that person among you
 who is without sin cast the first stone," ...

 Need I say more?  Okay, while early Friends (as in early 
 Pennsylvania law) had a death penalty for some crimes,
 most modern Friends organizations are very active in anti-
 death-penalty and prison reform/abolition groups, as much
 for pragmatic reasons as for moral ones.


Subject: (5.7) Rituals, sacraments, etc.

        Friends generally conduct very simple weddings and memorial
        services and do not outwardly observe baptism or the Lord's
        Supper.  Friends seek to experience the sacraments in an inward
        and continuing manner without symbols.  The general feeling is
        that rituals tend to become more important than the meaning they
        are intended to convey.

Subject: (6) Terms, Acronyms etc.

 AFSC:
  American Friends Service Committee -- a national
  organization which works on projects and programs
  reflecting traditional Friends' issues.
 Birthright/Convinced:
  Friends who are born to Quaker families and decide
  to stay with it are called "birthright" Friends,
  those who join later are "convinced"; the term
  "converted" is rarely if ever used.
 Clearness: 
  When it is clear to you that something is right.  
 Clearness Committee:
  A group formed to help someone decide if something
  is right.  Often formed to interview a couple 
  contemplating marriage for example.
 Faith and Practice:
  Title of a book published by several Yearly Meetings
  which describes "standard" practices for accepting
  new members, holding business meetings, etc. as well
  as a lot of the philosophy behind them.  A good
  source of Queries, and good Quakerly form letters.
  (See "Bibliography") There are many versions, most notably
  the London Yearly Meeting and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
  versions. (London Yearly Meeting also has a separate
  "Church Government" volume).
 FCNL:
  Friends Committee on National Legislation -- a 
  Lobbying group that works for legislation reflecting
  traditional Friends' issues.
 FGC/FUM: 
  Friends General Conference/Friends United Meeting, are
  national organizations of Friends that provides support 
  services for Monthly and Yearly Meetings and which organize 
  yearly national gatherings.  FGC's membership is predomin-
  ately unprogrammed meetings, while FUM's membership is
  predominately programmed meetings.
 FWCC:
  Friends World Committee on Consultation is sort of
  like FGC or FUM, but on a worldwide scale.
 Light:
  Friends often speak of the Light Within, which is
  a term for that of God in each of us.  
 Query:
  A good question to ask yourself, often from some
  published source, often a leading question; like
  "Do you seek to find that of God in those around
  you, especially those you disagree with?"
 Sense of the Meeting:
  A statement of what the group agrees with or is in
  unity with, or more correctly the idea that such a
  statment expresses.
 Weighty Friends:
  Folks who can be counted on to say something deep
  that really makes you think.  Especially someone
  good at finding the Sense of a Meeting and expressing 
  it.

Subject: (7) Speech mannerisms

Subject: (7.1) Thee and Thou (archaic)
 
 Among early Quakers it was traditional to call everyone and
 anyone thee and thou, including royalty and church officials,
 who were to be referred to in the plural in deference to their
 official Holier than Thou position.  This practice continued
 for some time after English speakers started calling *everyone*
 "you" rather than "thou."

 Only a few (usually older) Friends use thee and thou anymore.

Subject: (7.2) I have a Concern...

 Is the traditional method of bringing up an issue to a Meeting
 for business.  A much stronger statement than it sounds like,
 since one unsettled concern about something will stop it from
 being done.  Usage: "I have a concern that replacing this
 mailbox will hurt the baby birds nesting in the current
 one..."  

Subject: (7.3) Days of the Week

 Early Friends made a big deal out of removing names of
 Mythology figures (Greek, Roman, and Norse Gods) and such from
 their speech.  Thus the days of the week are referred to as
 "First Day" through "Seventh Day" instead of Sunday through
 Saturday, and "First Month" through "Twelfth Month" instead of
 January through December.  This notation is common in writings
 like _The Journal of John Woolman_ and other classic Friends
 writings.

 Modern Friends are often not so picky, but Minutes of business
 meetings, etc. often still refer to the days numerically, and
 it is invariably called "First Day School" not "Sunday School"
 at Quaker meetings in the US.

 This can lead to some tricky phrasing when talking about the
 second Sunday of May, which is of course the second First Day
 of Fifth Month...

Subject: (7.4) Speaking Truth to Power

 Refers to the general concept of the child asking the Emperor 
 "why aren't you wearing any clothes?"  

Subject: (7.5) Holding in the Light

 Thinking of someone or something while worshiping, in effect 
 praying for them silently.

Subject: (8) Where can I find...


Subject: (8.1) a local Quaker meeting

 One of the best places to look is in your local telephone
 directory; look for:
  Localtown Fellowship of Friends
  Localtown Friends Meeting/Church
  Friends Fellowship of Localtown
  Friends House
  Friends Meeting/Church of Localtown 
  Friends, Religious Society of
  Quaker Meeting of Localtown
  Localtown Quaker Meeting
  Religious Society of Friends
  Society of Friends
 (with local town names) in your local white pages, or in
 the yellow pages under "Churches".

 If you're really stuck, try contacting:

  Peggy Morscheck, Director
  Quaker Information Center
  1501 Cherry Street
  Philadelphia, PA  19102
  (215) 241-7024

 or

  Friends Journal
  1501 Cherry Street, 
  Philadelphia PA 19102-1497 USA
  (215) 241 7155


 They probably have a meeting in your area on their
 mailing list.  They can also get you free introductory
 issues of Friends Journal. 

 In the UK, try:

  Quaker Home Service Committee
  Friends House
  Euston Road
  London NW1 2BJ
  (+44 71 387 3601)
 
 Or drop a note to 

  Friends World Committee
  1506 Race Street
  Philadelphia PA 19102 USA

 and ask them for a contact at your nearest Yearly 
 Meeting, who can probably point you to a nearby 
 Monthly Meeting.  

Subject: (8.2) Quaker publications

 Here are some bookstores that specialize in Quaker publications.
 
 Pendle Hill Bookstore
 Box J
 Wallingford PA 19086 USA
 (215) 566 4514
  800-742-3150

 Friends United Press
 101-A Quaker Hill Dr.
 Richmond IN 47374
 1-800-537-8838


 Friends General Conference Bookstore
 1216 Arch St., 2B,
 Philadelphia PA 19107
 1-800-966-4556

 Friends House,
 Euston Road,
 LONDON.  NW1 2BJ
 071 387 3601 (+44 71 387 3601 international)

Subject: (8.3) Quaker mailing lists, etc:

 Quaker-L or Quaker-P, subscribe by mailing a message with
 "subscribe Quaker-L <my-real name>"
 to listserv@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu (Quaker-P is mainly peace
 issues, Quaker-L is the general list).

 Read soc.religion.quaker on USENET news.

Subject: (9) Bibliography

/* Written  3:44 pm  Nov  9, 1992 by jsax@igc.apc.org in igc:gen.quaker */
/* ---------- "BIBLIOGRAPHY OF QUAKER READINGS" ---------- */
QUAKER BIBLIOGRAPHY:
A SHORT LIST FOR THE SEEKER
Revised November 1992 by Joel GAzis-SAx


* FRIENDS FOR 300 YEARS, Howard Brinton, Pendle Hill, 1952.   
Combines history and interpretation in an excellent single volume 
on the essentials of Quakerism. 

* GUIDE TO QUAKER PRACTICE, Howard Brinton, Pendle Hill pamphlet 
#20. 

* THE FAITH AND PRACTICE OF QUAKERS, Rufus M. Jones, Doran, N.Y., 
1938. 

* QUAKER SPIRITUALITY, ed. Douglas Steere, Paulist Press, 1984.

* BARCLAY'S APOLOGY IN MODERN ENGLISH, Dean Friday, editor, 1967.

* THE AMAZING FACT OF QUAKER WORSHIP, George H. Gorman, Swarthmore 
Lecture, 1973, Friends Home Service Committee, London. 

* BEYOND MAJORITY RULE (VOTELESS DECISIONS IN THE RELIGIOUS 
SOCIETY OF FRIENDS), Michael J. Sheeran, S.J., Philadelphia Yearly 
Meeting of Religious Society of Friends, 1983. 

* UNMASKING THE IDOLS:  A JOURNEY AMONG FRIENDS, Douglas Gwyn, 
Friends United Press, Richmond, Indiana, 1989. 

* WHAT IS QUAKERISM?: A PRIMER, George T. Peck, Pendle Hill 
Pamphlet #277. 

* THE QUAKERS OR OUR NEIGHBORS, THE FRIENDS, William J. Whalen, 
Friends General Conference, Philadelphia, 1984. 

* FAITH AND PRACTICE:  A QUAKER GUIDE TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE, 
Pacific Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. 

* FAITH AND PRACTICE:  A BOOK OF CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINE, 
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. 

* CHRISTIAN FAITH AND PRACTICE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SOCIETY OF 
FRIENDS, London Yearly Meeting. 
* THE BEGINNINGS OF QUAKERISM, William C. Braithwaite, Rowntree 
Series of Quaker Histories. 

* PORTRAIT IN GREY (A SHORT HISTORY OF THE QUAKERS), John Punshon, 
Quaker Home Service, London, 1984. 

* THE QUIET REBELS:  THE STORY OF THE QUAKERS IN AMERICA, Margaret 
Hope Bacon, New Society Publishers, Philadelphia, 1985.  includes 
an introduction "The Quaker Contribution to Nonviolent Action." 

* THE QUAKER PEACE TESTIMONY:  1660 TO 1914, Peter Brock, Sessions 
Book Trust, York, 1990.

* THE JOURNAL OF GEORGE FOX.

* THE JOURNAL OF JOHN WOOLMAN.

* APOCALYPSE OF THE WORD, Douglas Gwyn, Friends United Press 
(study guide available) 

* A TESTAMENT OF DEVOTION, Thomas R. Kelly, Harper and Bros., NY, 
1941. 

* THERE IS A SPIRIT (SONNETS INSPIRED BY JAMES NAYLER), Kenneth 
Boulding, Fellowship Publications, 1945. 

* FRIENDLY STORY CARAVAN, Anna P. Broomell, Pendle Hill 
Publications. 

* A GUIDE FOR FRIENDS ON CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION TO WAR, Ben 
Richmond,  Friends United Meeting 1991 

* NEW CALL FOR PEACEMAKERS (STUDY GUIDE), Faith and Life Press, 
Newton, Kansas, 1979. 

* BIBLICAL PACIFISM:  A PEACE CHURCH PERSPECTIVE, Dale W. Brown, 
Brethren Press, Elgin, Ill., 1986. 

* FIRST AMONG FRIENDS: GEORGE FOX AND THE CREATION OF QUAKERISM, H. Larry
Ingle,
Oxford University Press, 1994
<HR> <ADDRESS>
Marc Mengel / mengel@fnal.gov
<A HREF="http://dcdsv0.fnal.gov:8000/~mengel/resume/Resume.html">WWW</A>
</ADDRESS>