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- DictionaryQuaker/ˈkweɪkə/
noun
- 1. a member of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian movement founded by George Fox c. 1650 and devoted to peaceful principles. Central to the Quakers' belief is the doctrine of the ‘Inner Light’, or sense of Christ's direct working in the soul. This has led them to reject both formal ministry and all set forms of worship: "a Quaker burial ground"
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Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after John 15:14 in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers as the founder of the movement, George Fox, told a judge to quake "before the authority ...
Quaker, member of the Society of Friends, or Friends church, a Christian group that stresses the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that rejects outward rites and an ordained ministry, and that has a long tradition of actively working for peace and opposing war.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Quaker is a noun and an adjective that refers to a member of a Christian group, called the Society of Friends, that does not have formal ceremonies or a formal system of beliefs, and is strongly opposed to violence and war. Learn more about the history, beliefs, and practices of Quakers from the Cambridge Dictionary definitions and examples.
- George Fox
- Quaker Beliefs
- What Is A Quaker?
- Colonial Quakers
- William Penn
- Quakers and Human Rights
- Famous Quakers
- Quaker Religion Today
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In the 1640s, George Fox, then a young man and the son of a weaver, left his home in the English Midlands and traveled around the country on a spiritual quest. It was a time of religious turmoil in England, with people seeking reform in the Church of Englandor starting their own competing churches. Over the course of his journey, as Fox met others ...
Fox shared his religious beliefs and epiphanies with others, speaking to increasingly larger gatherings. Even though his views were viewed by some as a threat to society and he was jailed for blasphemy in 1650, Fox and other early Quakers continued to share their beliefs. In 1652, he met Margaret Fell, who went on to become another leader in the ea...
Quakerism continued to spread across Britain during the 1650s, and by 1660 there were around 50,000 Quakers, according to some estimates. A number of Quaker beliefs were considered radical, such as the idea that women and men were spiritual equals, and women could speak out during worship. Quakers didn’t have official ministers or religious rituals...
Quaker missionaries arrived in North America in the mid-1650s. The first was Elizabeth Harris, who visited Virginia and Maryland. By the early 1660s, more than 50 other Quakers had followed Harris. However, as they moved throughout the colonies, they continued to face persecution in certain places, particularly in Puritan-dominated Massachusetts, w...
In 1681, King Charles II gave William Penn, a wealthy English Quaker, a large land grant in America to pay off a debt owed to his family. Penn, who had been jailed multiple times for his Quaker beliefs, went on to found Pennsylvaniaas a sanctuary for religious freedom and tolerance. Within just a few years, several thousand Friends had moved to Pen...
The Quakers took up the cause of protecting Native Americans’ rights, creating schools and adoption centers. Relations between the two groups weren't always friendly, however, as many Quakers insisted upon Native American assimilation into Western culture. Quakers were also early abolitionists. In 1758, Quakers in Philadelphia were ordered to stop ...
To date, two U.S. presidents have been Quakers: Herbert Hoover and Richard M. Nixon. Other famous people who were raised as Quakers or participated in the religion include author James Michener; philanthropist Johns Hopkins; actors Judi Dench and James Dean; musicians Bonnie Raitt and Joan Baez; and John Cadbury, founder of the chocolate business b...
Today, there are approximately 400,000 Quakers around the world, by some estimates, with the highest percentage in Africa. There are different branches of Quakerism; some have “programmed” worship services that are led by pastors, while others practice “unprogrammed” worship, which is done in silence (those who are inspired can speak) without the g...
Quakers are a religious group founded by George Fox in 17th century England. They believe in the presence of God in every person, spiritual equality, pacifism and religious freedom. Learn more about their history, beliefs and famous followers.
a member of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian sect founded by George Fox about 1650, whose central belief is the doctrine of the Inner Light. Quakers reject sacraments, ritual, and formal ministry, hold meetings at which any member may speak, and have promoted many causes for social reform.
5 days ago · Society of Friends, also called Quakers, Christian group that arose in mid-17th-century England, dedicated to living in accordance with the ‘Inner Light,’ or direct inward apprehension of God, without creeds, clergy, or other ecclesiastical forms.
Learn the origin and usage of the word quaker, which can mean one that quakes or a member of a religious group. See examples, related phrases, and word history of quaker.
