Led by founder George Fox, Quakerism developed in England during a period of social upheaval in the mid-1600s that produced many new Christian religious sects.

Seekers, as Quakers were then called, were persecuted because they believed that people could directly relate to and communicate with God-- without the need for priests or preachers. Today, Friends are called the Religious Society of Friends, just Friends, or Quakers.

Beliefs

• Every person is known by God or Spirit and can know Spirit in a direct relationship.

• The Quaker faith has deep Christian roots. Many Quakers consider themselves Christians, and some do not. Many Quakers find meaning and value in the teachings of many faiths.

• Quakers strive to live lives that are guided by a direct encounter with the Divine, more than by
  teachings about the Divine. Quaker terms for the Holy include God, Spirit, the Seed, the Light Within, Listener, and the Inward Teacher, among others.

Testimonies express the Quaker experience of the Divine.  Testimonies are expressions of lives turned toward the Light, outward expressions that reflect the inward experience of divine guidance. Essential Quaker testimonies are:

integrity, equality, simplicity, peace, community, and stewardship

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