Quakers: Peculiar Peaceful Warriors Quiz

Answer: Zealous

Quakers use the word peculiar as used in the Bible, in Titus 2:11-15. In part: "...that He might...purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:11-15). Quakers say they are "peculiar" in that they base their Christian religion not on outside authorities, but on the Inner Light, the Divine believed to shine within each person.

A Quaker's lived faith is in the integrity, equality, simplicity and peacefulness of his or her everyday life.

Answer: Women had equal authority

For Quakers, the ministry is the right to speak at meetings. Meetings are held in silence, until any member feels inspired to speak. There is no one considered a leader or higher authority. Since the beginning, women could speak in the ministry, travel alone, publish, and go out into the community to minister. We're talking the 17th century! Women did not have complete equality, as men did not want their wives to "nay-say" or contradict them. To resolve this, sometimes women held their meeting separate from the men.

Answer: The right to vote

In August of 1920 women won the right to vote in the USA. This began with the first women's rights convention in 1848, where primary author Stanton presented the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, supported by Douglass, and signed overwhelmingly by Quakers. Of the five women who called for this convention, all but Stanton were Quakers. An piece of the Declaration read like this: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal..." A newspaper reported the convention to be "shocking and unnatural." Quaker women were involved in demonstrations, went to jail, chained themselves to administrative buildings, published, and used biting humor.

They were going against a strong tide, such as Samuel Johnson, who wrote that this active ministry by women was "like a dog walking on their hind legs." Only one of the participants in the 1848 convention lived to see the the right to vote come to be, and she was too ill to take advantage of it. Ironically, Quakers often do not vote at all.

They have stood for others' right to do so, however.

Answer: William Penn

William Penn and the Penn Mead trial: English law disallowed worship not "according to the practice of the Church of England". In 1664 2,100 Quakers were thrown into jail where they suffered terrible hardships. It is estimated about 15,000 were persecuted during the 1600s.

The authorities considered them dangerous fanatics with no respect for higher rank. For example, Quakers did not tip their hats to or call magistrates by names of respect. They refused to swear oaths in court, because to swear, "I will speak the truth" implied a habit of not doing so. Part of Quaker faith is to speak the truth, always. William Penn went to jail with other Quakers, appeared in court for the crime of meeting on the street to preach, and through his actions there, helped create religious freedom.

He later immigrated to an area in the USA now called Pennsylvania.

Answer: Lamb's war

Quakers do not believe in being passive, but to them the Bible is clear that Jesus instructed his followers to "Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Thus they follow the example of Jesus, the Lamb, and fight the Lamb's war. Quakers say that for two centuries after Christ, Christians refused to take up arms, since Jesus told Christians to put down the sword.

It was Roman emperor Constantine in 312 who began the notion of domination by the sword "in Christ's name". Quakers have been executed, imprisoned, fined, and scorned for their refusal to take up arms.

They do fight, against any form of torture, imprisonment, nuclear weapons or genocide, but never with the sword.

Answer: Aboriginals

Aboriginals struggling for a peaceful and happy existence then and now are friends of the Friends. In pioneer days, it is said that when angry Aboriginal parties approached a settlement, Quakers emerged from their homes and stood without weapons, a human non-violent buffer, and the Natives respected them. Quakers remain strongly involved in Aboriginal rights, health issues, education and housing, worldwide.

They share the Aboriginal view, and the directive from the Bible, that all of nature is filled with the Divine light of God, and must be honored and protected.

Answer: Potential terrorists

Human and animal rights groups were raided as potential terrorists, and eight personal homes were raided. After public protest the Inspector General determined there was "little or no basis for these investigations" but FBI documents said that nonviolent acts of civil disobedience (such as gathering to protest) placed groups and individuals under an "acts of terrorism" classification, which allows the FBI to watch, raid, detain and interrogate US civilians.

They also kept tabs on "anti-drilling" protesters. Quakers are notorious pacifist human rights protesters, so there they were, on the threat-to-authority list, similar to England in the 1600s, or the 1950s and 60s in the US.

The thing is, I thought the right to peaceful protest was the right of a free society? The FBI apparently says no, it's a terrorist act.

Answer: Yes, they did

Yes, the Quakers in both countries held slaves. Quakers observed early laws that punished those who would marry, free, educate or transport a slave. But by 1758 Quakers in Philadelphia barred from leadership anyone who owned slaves; and by 1774 they disowned Quaker slave owners.

They realized it was not only morally wrong to own another person, but the greed and worldliness of the trade went against Christianity. Quakers initially took quiet, nonviolent steps such as refusing to eat with those who owned slaves.

They later taught slaves to write. They freed slaves in their Wills. They moved freedmen to Ohio and Canada, where they provided housing and occupations (many slaves were excellent stonemasons, for example, and held other occupations before capture).

But many freed slaves were simply recaptured. So Quakers hired ships to take people to free soil. Some ships were captured. So Quakers accompanied the ships, creating an early Underground Railroad. In 1786 North Carolina Quakers petitioned the US House of Commons and the Senate to abolish slavery.

But they denied the petition, on the grounds that the emancipation of slaves would be "dangerous to the peace and good order of the state and community". Soon, Quakers were active in the foundations of the abolition movement. They continued nonviolent protest and social change activism through the civil rights movement.

Answer: Prisons

Elizabeth improved conditions in prisons. She was the first women asked to testify as a witness before the House of Commons. She had became a Quaker minister in 1811. In 1817 she organized an association to help women prisoners. Her program spread in Britain and Europe.

She also influenced Florence Nightingale's nurse training program, helped the poor in workhouses, and set up libraries. In 1827 she published a book about female prison conditions, receiving support from Queen Victoria and the King of Prussia.

The family banking business crashed in 1828, plunging them into poverty, but her brother-in-law saved the day. She died in 1845, with one thousand mourners present at the Quaker burial ground.

Answer: Conflict management

The AVP, Alternatives to Violence Project, eventually spread to 20 countries. Quakers gave training workshops to communities, schools and prisons, on managing conflict and anger, respecting others, community building, and trust. Anyone could take these workshops, or become a trainer. They were highly successful.

The Quakers were involved in early prison reform and design. They wanted prisoners to have clean, simple, and perhaps intimidating living areas which lent themselves to time alone to think. They believed that given isolation, and time to reflect, prisoners would become penitent, hence the new word, penitentiary.