Quakers at a glance: A look at the faith’s beliefs and the tradition of activism and silent worship

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Do Quakers quake? Do Quakers eat Quaker Oats? Are Quakers still around today? These are some of the questions that visitors often ask at the Arch Street Meeting House in Old City Philadelphia.

Many visitors don’t know about the Quakers’ faith. But in recent years, attendance has been surging. The Arch Street Meeting House Preservation Trust has used exhibits, technology and social media to help teach others about Quakers and the meeting house that was built in the early 19th century. It is still one of the world’s largest and most important Quaker buildings.

Here’s a look at the faith’s beliefs and history – and some common misconceptions about it.

The Religious Society of Friends – best known as the Quakers – originated in 17th-century England. The Christian group was founded by George Fox, an Englishman who objected to Anglican emphasis on ceremony. In the 1640s, he said he heard a voice that led him to develop a personal relationship with Christ, described as the Inner Light. Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms. Brought to court for opposing the established church, Fox tangled with a judge who derided him as a “quaker” in reference to his agitation over religious matters.

Quakers follow values of simplicity and equality and believe that everyone can have a personal connection with God. The basic unit of Quaker organization is the weekly meeting, which corresponds to the congregation in other churches. There are no religious symbols or clergy, and no one sings or chants. Quakers simply gather for silent worship at meeting houses, and wait for a message from God to move through them until they speak. This form of worship focused in stillness has been around for more than 350 years.

Quakers marry in a self-uniting ceremony without an officiant. Couples observe silence that is only broken when they exchange their vows. At the end, guests sign, as witnesses, a marriage certificate.

Historically, Quakers have been involved in peaceful protests to end wars and slavery, and support women’s voting rights in line with their commitment to justice and peace. Earlier this year, Quakers marched from New York City to Washington to demonstrate against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants.

Penn was an English Quaker who founded Pennsylvania following the faith’s emphasis on religious tolerance. In the U.S., Quakers became highly influential in cities like Philadelphia and founded colleges in Pennsylvania, including Bryn Mawr, Haverford and Swarthmore. But members of the group also faced scorn for refusing to join wars due to their belief in pacifism and nonviolence. Some were persecuted and even killed for their religious beliefs.

Today, there are an estimated 400,000 Quakers worldwide. About half live in Africa; most are in Kenya, where in contrast to the silent services, they often use bands and choirs and evangelize.

Quakers say people often confuse them with Amish or Mennonites. Or say they knew about them through Quaker Oats, which is unrelated to the faith. The company uses “a figure of a man in “Quaker garb” with white hair and a tall black hat on its label that the owners picked along with the Quaker name more than 150 years ago “as a symbol of good quality and honest value.”