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| - The Religous Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers) founded in 17th century England. Traditionally, George Fox is credited as its founder or most important early person. Since its beginnings in England, Quakerism has spread to other countries, chiefly Kenya, the United States, Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia. The number of Quakers in the world is relatively small (approximately 600,000 in the US and UK), although there are places, such as Pennsylvania, particularly Philadelphia, in which Quaker influence is concentrated. There are more than a million Quakers in Kenya, who have divided (like US Friends) into several Yearly Meetings. East African Friends tend to suffer from not being recognised as 'true Quakers', in part because their main connections are to the more evangelical branch o
- The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, was founded in Christian religious denomination by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity. Historians generally credit George Fox with being the principal co-founder or most important early leader. The Society of Friends is counted among the historic peace churches. Unlike many other groups that emerged within Christianity, the Religious Society of Friends has tended away from creeds, and in modern times away from hierarchical structure.
- The Religious Society of Friends, also known by the name Quakers or Friends Church, is a name used by a range of independent religious organizations which all trace their origins to a Christian movement in mid-17th century England and Wales. A central belief was that ordinary people could have a direct experience of the eternal Christ. The theological beliefs among the different organizations vary, but include broadly evangelical Christian, liberal Protestant, Christian universalist and non-Christian universalist beliefs.
- The Religious Society of Friends is a religious movement, whose members are known as Friends or Quakers. The roots of this movement are with 17th century Christian English dissenters, but today the movement has branched out into many independent national and regional organizations, called Yearly Meetings, which, while sharing the same historical origins, have a variety of names, beliefs and practices. It is therefore very difficult to accurately describe beliefs and practices of the Religious Society of Friends generally. Most groups of Friends meet for regular worship, ranging from silent meetings with no leader and no fixed plan of the proceedings, through to services led by a pastor with readings and hymns (similar to conventional church services). The theological beliefs of the differe
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| - The Religious Society of Friends is a religious movement, whose members are known as Friends or Quakers. The roots of this movement are with 17th century Christian English dissenters, but today the movement has branched out into many independent national and regional organizations, called Yearly Meetings, which, while sharing the same historical origins, have a variety of names, beliefs and practices. It is therefore very difficult to accurately describe beliefs and practices of the Religious Society of Friends generally. Most groups of Friends meet for regular worship, ranging from silent meetings with no leader and no fixed plan of the proceedings, through to services led by a pastor with readings and hymns (similar to conventional church services). The theological beliefs of the different Yearly Meetings also vary, from strong evangelical Christian beliefs through the spectrum to predominantly universalist or Christian universalist beliefs. In the public eye, Quakers are known for their social activism, having been instrumental in the campaign against the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as campaigning for the rights of groups such as women, prisoners and gay people. A number of leading charities today were founded with participation from Quakers, such as Oxfam and Amnesty International.
- The Religious Society of Friends, also known by the name Quakers or Friends Church, is a name used by a range of independent religious organizations which all trace their origins to a Christian movement in mid-17th century England and Wales. A central belief was that ordinary people could have a direct experience of the eternal Christ. The theological beliefs among the different organizations vary, but include broadly evangelical Christian, liberal Protestant, Christian universalist and non-Christian universalist beliefs. Troy Henry Cole, the father of Preston Cole, was a Quaker, but did not follow his religion with any particular zeal.
- The Religous Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers) founded in 17th century England. Traditionally, George Fox is credited as its founder or most important early person. Since its beginnings in England, Quakerism has spread to other countries, chiefly Kenya, the United States, Guatemala, Peru and Bolivia. The number of Quakers in the world is relatively small (approximately 600,000 in the US and UK), although there are places, such as Pennsylvania, particularly Philadelphia, in which Quaker influence is concentrated. There are more than a million Quakers in Kenya, who have divided (like US Friends) into several Yearly Meetings. East African Friends tend to suffer from not being recognised as 'true Quakers', in part because their main connections are to the more evangelical branch of US Quakerism, via the FWCC (Friends World Committee for Consultation). Unlike other groups that emerged from Christianity, the Religious Society of Friends has tended not to have a hierarchical structure, a creed, or paid clergy, though there are exceptions to this among evangelical Friends. Therefore, there are several branches of Friends, which can be roughly divided into two main groups — the unprogrammed tradition and the programmed tradition. The various branches have widely divergent beliefs and practices, but the central concept to many Friends may be the Inner Light or "that of God within" each of us. Some contemporary Friends speak of the Inner Light as a guiding force within each person, as part of the individual human personality, but early Friends beginning with George Fox identified the Light with Christ and emphasized that the Light comes from God and is given in order to show people how to live in harmony with God's will. Many Quakers feel their faith does not fall into the traditional categories of Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, but rather it is an expression of another way to experience God in their lives. Although Quakers throughout most of their history and in most parts of the world today have considered Quakerism to be a Christian movement, there are some Friends today (principally in the unprogrammed Meetings of the United States and the United Kingdom) who consider themselves universalist, agnostic, atheist, or pagan, or who do not accept any religious label. This phenomenon has become increasingly evident during the latter half of the 20th century and the opening years of the 21st century, it is still controversial and the subject of much discussion and debate among Friends.
- The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, was founded in Christian religious denomination by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity. Historians generally credit George Fox with being the principal co-founder or most important early leader. The Society of Friends is counted among the historic peace churches. Since its beginnings in England, Quakerism has spread to other countries, chiefly Philadelphia); Newberg, Oregon; Greenleaf, Idaho; Richmond, Indiana; Birmingham, England; and Greensboro, North Carolina in which Quaker influence is concentrated. Unlike many other groups that emerged within Christianity, the Religious Society of Friends has tended away from creeds, and in modern times away from hierarchical structure. The various branches have widely divergent beliefs and practices, but the central concept to many Friends is the "Inner Light". Accordingly, individual Quakers may develop individual religious beliefs arising from their personal conscience and revelation coming from "God within"; further, Quakers feel obliged to live by such individual religious beliefs and inner revelations. Many Quakers feel their faith does not fit within traditional Christian categories of Orthodox or Protestant, but is an expression of another way of experiencing God. Although Quakers throughout most of their history and in most parts of the world today consider Quakerism to be a Christian movement, some Friends (principally in some Meetings in the United States and the United Kingdom) now consider themselves universalist, agnostic, atheist, nonrealist, humanist, postchristian, or nontheist, or do not accept any religious label. Calls for Quakerism to include non-Christians go back at least as far as 1870, but this phenomenon has become increasingly evident during the latter half of the 20th century and the opening years of the 21st century, and is still controversial among Friends. An especially notable example of this is that of Friends who go beyond simply being non-christian, but actively identify as a member of another faith, such as Islam or Buddhism.
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