Quakers do not require adherence to a creed or statement of belief. However, there is an
underlying theme in Quaker faith and practice: There is that of God in every person. The
Religious Society of Friends is rooted in Christianity, and many Quakers take inspiration from
the Bible. However, Friends also believe in the continuing revelations of the Spirit to seekers of
truth. In Napa Friends Meeting, we have had attenders who consider themselves Buddhist,
Episcopalian, Catholic, agnostic, and atheistic, but they have all found meaning and community in Quaker ways.
Friends adhere to “Testimonies” on community, equality, simplicity, integrity, unity, and peace.
Below is a summation of these principles from Faith and Practice (Pacific Yearly Meeting, 2001).
SIMPLICITY
This is the right ordering of our lives, placing God at the center. When we shed possessions,
activities, and behaviors that distract us from that center, we can focus on what is important.
Friends seek to take no more than our share, to be sensitive to the needs of others and future
generations.
Early Friends believed that the rituals and elaborate ceremony of the church were distractions
from true religious experience. Hence, they gathered for simple, quiet worship, eschewing
outward sacraments and clergy, and seeking a direct personal connection with God.
EQUALITY
Friends’ testimony on equality is rooted in the holy expectation that there is that of God in
everyone, including adversaries and people of different backgrounds. All must be treated with
respect and integrity. This testimony opened the way for women to be leaders in the Religious
Society of Friends from its earliest days.
PEACE
Based on love and concern for the wellbeing of all, Friends work for active nonviolent resolution of conflict and for reconciliation. Friends have traditionally supported conscientious objectors to military service, while holding in love, but disagreeing with, those who feel that they must enter the armed forces. Friends oppose all war and work to correct the social injustices that typically underlie armed conflict. They testify against the structural violence implicit in disparities of wealth and in discrimination.
INTEGRITY
Integrity calls for a life of wholeness, truth, and congruence between beliefs and actions. It
requires a life of reflection and responsibility to a single standard of truth. This testimony has
often put Quakers at odds with mainstream culture.
COMMUNITY
This testimony calls on us to maintain caring relations with all. We must nurture our relationships with each other, society, and the environment as a whole.