Quakers have embraced a peace testimony and
refused to fight in wars since the seventeenth century. The peace testimony
arises from our belief that there is that of God in everyone. Our yearly
meeting, SAYMA, has published
the following explanation of the peace testimony in its Faith and Practices
document.
We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and
fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever.
And this is our testimony to the whole world. The Spirit of Christ,
by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as once to command us from
a thing as evil and again to move unto it; and we do certainly know, and
so testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all
Truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons,
neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world.
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Declaration from the Harmless
and Innocent People of God,
called Quakers (1661)
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Our peace testimony
is grounded in our faith and understanding of God's way. Early Quakers
believed they were led by the Christ within and by the Christ of the New
Testament to love those people who considered them enemies and to refrain
from all wars and fighting. Though individual Quakers have participated
in wars since then, Friends still affirm that the best way to relate to
people is to appeal to that of God within them. Trusting in the readings
of the Spirit and respecting the Inward Light in all others can avert violent
conflict.
In attending to this divine leading, we try to live
in ways that promote justice and avoid the causes of war; we deny its legitimacy
and seek creative alternatives; and we undertake, with impartiality, to
aid those who suffer from violence and war’s devastation.
Materialism, oppression, and narrow nationalism lead
to war. Friends oppose materialism by living simply and working to
re-order priorities toward global justice and well-being. We work
to remove oppression at home and abroad by trying to reach the common humanity
in both oppressor and oppressed, challenging the assertion of dominance
upon which oppression is based. We reject narrow nationalism and support
programs to increase our understanding of other cultures and to work for
more effective world government.
Denying the legitimacy of war, Friends support those
led by the Spirit into conscientious objection to military service, resistance
to conscription or a military draft, war tax resistance, or other acts of
civil disobedience that witness against warmaking. Friends do not
recognize “just” wars, since war represents a refusal to pursue other ways
of resolving conflict. We work to gain wider support for nonviolent
solutions.
Friends aid the victims of war and other violence
out of the belief that each person is uniquely valuable. Support for
refugees, programs for worldwide economic justice, and similar efforts serve
not only to remove the causes of war and to aid the victims of violence
and oppression, but also to encourage non-violent means of solving world
problems.
We recognize that violence can manifest itself in
words as well as deeds. As Friends, we endeavor to bring all aspects of
our lives into harmony with our testimony. The peace we seek starts
in the individual heart and its relation to God. It is expressed in
our relations to parents, spouses, children, friends, and indeed in all our
actions. In our daily lives - our employment, our recreation, our investments,
and our relations to institutions and governments - we commit ourselves
to follow God’s command to be peacemakers above the demands and enticements
of the secular society. In doing so, our aim is to live God’s truth.
The challenge of the peace testimony is to find ways
for all people to live nonviolently in a world where violence remains an
ever-present threat. Friends as individuals and as a Society continue
to struggle with this challenge.
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SAYMA's Faith and Practice is a living document (updated periodically)
that anyone can download from the SAYMA web site: http://www.sayma.org/online_documents.htm#F&P
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Members and attenders of the West Knoxville Friends meeting participate
in many peace-related activties. For example:
- We support the peaceful work of several Quaker and non-Quaker
organizations. Some of these are:
- The American Friends Service Committee (http://www.afsc.org) which carries on peaceful
work in many parts of the world
- The Friends Committe on National Legislation (http://www.fcnl.org) is a Washingon-based
Quaker lobbying organization that brings our message of peace to legislators
on Capitol Hill
- Some of us participate in vigils and non-violent protests
of U. S. military activities
- We write peace-related letters to the editors of local newspapers
- We periodically visit local offices of our U. S. legislators
with a message of peace
- We support the right to conscientious
objection. We educate draft-age people about this issue.
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