Could any Quakers/RSOF give me some guidance? :)?

Question

I was in Manchester on Monday when everything just fell into place for me. Never before have I felt such an affinity with a 'religion'.

I've always believed in pacifism, anti-violence, equality for all and basically the theory that "That of God is in us", always looking for the good in people rather than that of the bad. I've heard of Quakers' before, but have never really known what they are; now whilst in Manchester at a lifestyle expo I saw a Quaker tent. Now the curious side in me went over and had a look at it and lo and behold everything just fell into place. I had such a fascinating and intriguing talk with the two 'friends' upon the stall and they explained more about the RSOF and oh my gosh, I never knew/thought that my beliefs belonged to a religion, I just thought it was me basically. But to know that my beliefs weren't just me, but to know that they were part of a religion is pretty overwhelming really :)

Now the thing is; where do I go from here?

Just a bit of advice/support from Quakers wouldn't go amiss :)

Answer 1

I believe that:-

I've always believed in pacifism, anti-violence, equality for all and basically the theory that "That of God is in us", always looking for the good in people rather than that of the bad.

I quake in Christian meetings... and I've never been sure what a Quaker is...

So what do I need to be a Quaker - anything else?

Errm, yes, they say that 'Quakers also find meaning and value in the teachings of other faiths; we acknowledge that ours is not the only way.'

Whereas I believe that 'All ways lead to Christ, the Son of God, the Light of the world, the Light that enlightens every man. And everyone comes into fellowship with God the Father through Christ.'

So I must be a Christian Quaker then.

Answer 2

Hooray! When newcomers find Quakers they often say how they've come to realize they've always been "Friends" but didn't know what to call or or where to find others. The best way to get started is to get involved with Friends: start visiting local meetings and churches, find some good introductory books, and check out all of the many websites.

The Friends in the tent probably gave you a list of nearby Quaker meetings, but if not, then you can usually find them online. In the U.K., start by going to the Britain Yearly Meeting website. In the U.S. and Canada, a group called the Friends World Committee on Consultation/Americas keeps the most comprehensive list of congregations. FWCC is an international organization and they can help you find meetings elsewhere.

Try to visit as many meetings as you can, because they all have their own unique character. They sometimes have very different ideas about what it means to be a Quaker.

Quakers organize themselves into regional groups called "yearly meetings." Most of these publish a book called "Faith and Practice," which is their best definitive guide to what they believe and how they act out those beliefs with one another and with the wider world. If you like reading then there's a million Quaker books to read after that (we spend a lot of time talking about ourselves), but don't forget to actually get out and meet as many real live Friends as you can :)

On the Internet, I think the Quaker Information Center does the best job of explaining Quaker beliefs and differences for newcomers. I publish something called QuakerQuaker, which is a kind of water cooler for Quaker bloggers--it's usually pretty lively.

Feel free to email me for more specific questions. I have Quaker Friends in lots of different places so I can probably hook you up with the right person or organization if you need that. God bless, Martin