About Quakers
What is the Quaker way?
The Religious Society of Friends encompasses a wide variety of beliefs and perspectives, but perhaps the most distinctively Quaker religious concept is that of the Light Within. Also frequently called the “Spirit” or “that of God in everyone,” the Light is a Divine Presence within each of us: a manifestation of God in all people. Identified by early Friends as the living Spirit of Christ, the Light serves as a moral guide, a comfort in times of need, a spur to action, and the Seed from which inward spiritual transformation can grow.
Light is that which makes visible, and the first function of the Light Within is to make clear to us our true spiritual nature, laying bare what we may have hidden from ourselves, whether good or bad, and showing us ourselves as we really are. For some, this may mean seeing one’s true worth after years of imagined worthlessness; for others, it may mean recognizing for the first time one’s own capacity for evil. For all, gaining a more honest and complete understanding of oneself is a crucial step in spiritual growth.
The Light not only clarifies our own inward nature, but also helps us discern how to live our lives. The Light informs and excites the conscience, turning us away from what we know is wrong, and toward what is right and true and just. The Light is the source of authentic “concerns”—the persistent, growing sense we sometimes feel that some moral or spiritual issue requires our attention and discernment; and of authentic “leadings”—the sense that one is impelled by Divine will toward a particular course of action.
Friends hold that the Light Within is present in all people, regardless of religious affiliation. Quakers claim no monopoly on religious truth, and we welcome the insights we may gain from other religious traditions.
- excerpted from the text of Faith and Practice: Illinois Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, approved by the Yearly Meeting in Sixth Month, 2019
- - Photo caption: A female Quaker preaches at a meeting in London in the 18th century
Early Quakers
Early Quakers had a vivid sense of the Holy Spirit as an active presence, transforming themselves, their dealings with each other, and the entire world. They honored each person’s direct access to the…
Quakers Today
To varying degrees in our different meetings, many of us draw as heavily from other spiritual traditions as from Christianity, or understand the Light Within and other Quaker religious concepts in ways which are largely…
Evanston Quakers
Evanston Friends Meeting grew out of the old Chicago Monthly Meeting, first called in 1864 and established in 1867, located on Indiana Avenue. The Chicago Monthly Meeting later divided into…
Further Viewing
These videos—produced by our Friends at QuakerSpeak—offer additional perspectives on important topics related to the Religious Society of Friends.