How to Make Quakerism Part of Your Life

Quakers are a group of religious people who are all members of the Religious Society of Friends. Their simplistic lifestyle can be difficult to understand, but can be appealing to many people. Quakers are a peaceful people, have no church hierarchy and no absolute creeds. Here are some steps to make Quakerism part of your life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Find a place to worship. This may prove difficult, as it is a smaller religion. They refer to their gatherings as Worship Meetings. This is an important step in your journey because it will provide you with a congregation of fellow believers who can help you.
2. Talk to fellow worshippers. Ask them what you need to do to become a member of the local Religious Society of Friends. There will likely be local and regional differences.
3. Quakerism is often referred to as a mystical religion. Quaker mysticism is known to be group-oriented and includes an emphasis on the outward direction of their witness.
4. Quakers believe that the Bible is authoritative and teach that if personal leanings are from God’s Spirit they will not contradict the Bible in any way.
5. Quakerism has no creed and believes that creeds can be obstacles to receiving insight from God.
6. Quakers don’t necessarily believe in the sacraments, but they do not prohibit rites or ceremonies. They caution that they do not want the sacraments to take the place of directly experiencing God.
7. Discuss your beliefs with other parishioners. From those discussions and personal insight, make a final decision. Then begin applying its teachings to your life and living as best as you can.

Tips & Warnings

• Quakerism differs from place to place, so be sure to talk to a representative from the local Religious Society of Friends and discover those differences.
• Quakers have two common types of worship, programmed and unprogrammed. Programmed worship consists of readings from scriptures, hymns and a sermon from the pastor. Unprogrammed worship is a more traditional style of worship and consists of groups gathering together to wait for divine leadings from God.
• Be comfortable. If you are not comfortable in the surroundings of the church you’ve chosen to go to, then it may not be for you.