Quakers

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

The Quakers are a community of seekers. They do not share a dogma, but a way of living their lives. They seek the experience of the divine within themselves, in their relationships with other people and their surroundings. Silent prayer is the center of the community. They wait, open, gathered, together, in silence, listening.

Quakers are united in the experience that all people have direct access to the divine, regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, sexual orientation, religious and cultural background, and that revelation is not limited to the past but is open to all as continuing revelation in the present.

Decision-making is a central Quaker practice: each and every individual must find out - without following a theological authority - what he/she should do and can say. Scribes organize, lead meetings, inform and represent externally, but do not make decisions themselves. Quakers in Germany do not have paid and ordained clergy, rather the "priesthood of all believers" is practiced and there are no hierarchical structures.

At the heart of the Quaker faith is the idea of the "Inner Light". It states that something of God's spirit can be found in every human soul. To live as a Quaker is to claim (and delight) in seeing the Inner Light in every person, and to respond to "that of God" in others. Quakers feel called to let their lives speak, to preach with their lives.

The Quakers are among the so-called historic peace churches.

Festivals: members and groups decide for themselves which traditions are important to them