Our efforts to translate our beliefs into everyday life can be expressed in the Quaker Testimonies.

Because we believe that each person contains the divine Light, we oppose war and physical violence.   This was expressed in the early years of Quakerism in a declaration presented to Charles II.   It is referred to as the Historical Peace Testimony:

We utterly deny all outward wars and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatever; this is our testimony to the whole world.   The Spirit of Christ by which we are guided is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil, and again to move unto it; and we certainly know, and testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, not for the kingdoms of the world.From: ‘  A Declaration from the Harmless and Innocent People of God, called Quakers’  presented to Charles II, 1660

Our Peace testimony expresses  opposition to war, to the death penalty and all forms of violence.   Friends are encouraged ( see the Query for month 10) to be active in peace-keeping  and conflict resolution.

The testimony of Equality, again affirming that which is divine in each person, expresses our efforts to grant each person dignity and respect, and to labor for justice, including economic justice, for all.   Within the Meeting, we recognize the ministry or shared insight of all, including the young.  Locally, this testimony informs our work for racial justice, LGBT rights, immigrant rights and PACEM.

Truthfulness has always been valued highly in the Religious Society of Friends, and early Quakers were sometimes called “Friends of the Truth”.  However, the testimony of Integrity is a broader concept than not telling lies.   Integrity is a condition in which a person’s response to a total situation can be trusted. This includes honest business dealings, kept promises, held confidences, refusal to condone injustice.  The word “integrity” is derived from the Latin word integer meaning “whole,complete, untainted”.    The testimony of Integrity expresses  our efforts, with the guidance of the Light, to “do the right thing”.

Throughout their history Quakers have refused to take oaths, because swearing implied that “sworn truth” was somehow more valid than the truth which we should always speak.   The refusal to take official oaths caused serious legal and social difficulties to Quakers over the years.   In our time making an affirmation is legally equivalent to swearing an oath.

Testimonies are expressions of the corporate leadings of Friends through the years.   There are other testimonies, all  interrelated.   These include Simplicity, Community, Stewardship.    The testimony of Simplicity encourages Friends to focus on spiritual values rather than the accumulation of material goods; that of Community speaks of the value of service to all those we live among; that of Stewardship reminds us to use material resources, especially environmental resources, wisely and justly.

THE QUERIES

The Queries are a device used within the Society of Friends for prompting both corporate and individual self-examination.   They have varied through time and fro Yearly Meeting to Yearly Meeting, reflection current regional insights as to the best way for Meetings and individual Friends to live their spiritual and temporal lives.  It is the practice in most Monthly Meetings to read and consider a query at each monthly meeting for business.

All the queries are not listed here, but as an example this is the query from Baltimore Yearly Meeting for the month of July on the topic of Caring for Others:

Do you respect that of God in every person?  Do you search yourself for and strive to eliminate prejudices such as those related to race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation and economic condition?  In what ways do you accept and appreciate differences among your friends and associates?  Do you avoid exploiting or manipulating other to accomplish ends, however worthy?

To see all the queries, click here.