Quaker Sacraments

The Essence of the Quakers

Quakers believe that there is something of God in everybody and that each human being is of unique worth. This is why Quakers value all people equally, and oppose anything that may harm or threaten them.

Quakers seek religious truth in inner experience, and place great reliance on conscience as the basis of morality.

They emphasise direct experience of God rather than ritual and ceremony. They believe that priests and rituals are an unnecessary obstruction between the believer and God.

Quakers integrate religion and everyday life. They believe God can be found in the middle of everyday life and human relationships, as much as during a meeting for worship.

What Quakers believe

Among key Quaker beliefs are:

God is love
the light of God is in every single person
a person who lets their life be guided by that light will achieve a full relationship with God
everyone can have a direct, personal relationship with God without involving a priest or minister
redemption and the Kingdom of Heaven are to be experienced now, in this world

Quakers want to make this a better world

Quakers work actively to make this a better world. They are particularly concerned with:

human rights, based on their belief in equality of all human beings
social justice
peace
freedom of conscience
environmental issues – Quakers seek to live simply to reduce the burden on the world
community life

Holy Books

Most Quakers regard the Bible as The Spirit of God talking to us. We also believe other books can inspire our lives.

Holy Days

Many Quakers celebrate Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter.

Worship

Quaker communal worship consists of silent waiting, with participants contributing as the spirit moves them. This is known as “Unprogrammed Worship.” Many Quaker Meeting Houses (Churches) have a minister, typically with a Master of Divinity or Theology. These “Programmed Meetings” also set aside time for “Unprogrammed Worship.”

Are Quakers Christian?

Although outsiders usually regard the movement as a Christian denomination, not all Quakers see themselves as Christians; some regard themselves as members of a universal religion that (for historical reasons) has many Christian elements.

Tolerance is part of the Quaker approach to life, so Quakers are willing to learn from all other faiths and churches.

Where do the names come from

One story says that the founder, George Fox, once told a magistrate to tremble (quake) in the name of God, and the name ‘Quakers’ was stuck.

Other people suggest that the name derives from the physical shaking that sometimes went with Quaker religious experiences.

The name ‘Friends’ comes from Jesus’ remark, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14).

You must hold no creed or formal beliefs to be a Quaker. This is because:

Quakers think that adopting a creed is taking on belief second hand – they think that faith should be more personal than that and based on a person’s inner conviction and on taking part in a shared search for the truth with other Quakers.

Quakers believe that faith is always developing and not frozen at a particular moment in history and cannot be captured in a fixed code of belief.

However, it is possible to list many ideas and beliefs that Quakers generally accept.

Distinguishing Quaker ideas

Quakers believe that there is a direct relationship between God and each believer; every human being contains something of God – this is often called “the light of God.” So:

Quakers regard all human beings as equal and equally worthy of respect
Quakers accept that all human beings contain goodness and truth
Quakers do not accept value judgments based on race or gender
Quakers welcome diversity

A written list of beliefs is considered inappropriate. Quakers feel people should follow their ‘inner light’ rather than external rules.

They believe that God grows and changes with his creation and that God continues to tell human beings what they should do.

They don’t believe in sacraments (either as realities or symbols) or formal liturgies or ceremonies and also refuse to take oaths.

Quakers don’t believe that clergy are necessary; they feel that all believers can minister to one another. They emphasize the importance of leading your own life and being an example to others (what a person does can be much clearer than what they say). They also practice worship in silence.

They actively participate in social and political issues and believe in pacifism and non-violence.

Beliefs

Each person has an inner light (part of God’s spirit) inside them – so there is a unity between all human beings
Spiritual truth can only be known through direct revelation from God
God continues to “talk” to people today
Conscience gives a guide to conduct
The Bible is not regarded as the only guide for conduct and belief
Doubt and questioning are valuable tools for spiritual growth
All human beings can have a direct experience of God – they don’t need priests to help them
There is good and evil inside all human beings, and all human beings can choose between them – everyone has the power to choose good over evil if they want to
Christ’s life demonstrates the full truth of God

Customs

Quakers do not follow a creed; they acknowledge that words are not up to the job of precisely defining beliefs for a whole group of people.

They believe that individuals should take personal responsibility for their understanding of faith rather than just buying a package and that each individual should try to develop themselves spiritually.

Quakers do not separate religious life from secular life and feel that all life should be ‘lived in the spirit’.

They also feel that religious belief must influence a believer’s actions, and everything in life can inspire religious insights.

Quakers do not have elaborate religious ceremonies and rituals. They regard these as unnecessary; they sometimes call them empty forms. They do not have clergy.

Quakers believe that political and other action to improve this world is vitally important.

Quakers and sacraments

Quakers neither practice baptism nor celebrate the Eucharist.

They don’t regard some activities as more sacred than others, nor do they believe that any particular ritual is needed to connect with God, so they do not believe in the sacraments practiced in mainstream Christian churches.

Instead of using ‘holy’ rituals, Quakers attempt to incorporate the sacred into every part of their lives. For example, they say that baptism should not be “a single act of initiation but a continuing growth in the Holy Spirit and a commitment which must be continually renewed.”

The Gospel of John is centered on the Quaker stance on sacraments. It does not speak of the Last Supper; Baptism is by the Spirit, not the ritual.

Every time we eat a meal with family or friends, it should be A Communion in the Spirit.