For Early Quakers, this belief that all humanity is guided by an indwelling seed, the Inner Light, or that of God, became a joyous burden, because it required radical changes from the thinking of the times. Of course, this belief had to be put into action. From the beginning, women were accorded an equal place in Quaker meetings. Many accepted the challenge, speaking out boldly and taking action to right social wrongs. Some women became traveling ministers. Children could no longer be treated as the mere property of their parents or employers, but had to be seen as individuals who carried a spark of divine spirit. Blacks and the indentured poor could no longer in good conscience be held in bondage. The treatment of people confined in insane asylums and prisons needed to become humane. Royalty, political opponents, and even enemies had to be seen in a new way. Early on, many Quaker men and women were persecuted or even put to death for steadfastly speaking their beliefs.
Because the Light is revealed individually to each seeker, not all Quakers believe the same things. But there is common ground. One of the basic principles of Quaker faith is that beliefs need to be translated into action. As a result, Quakers today are still often found in the front lines of demonstrations. Many write letters to editors and government officials. Friends attend public meetings, serve on committees, volunteer their services and run for office. Friends have visited czars, kings, presidents and dictators in an effort to speak truth to power. Quakers believe that steadfast attention to the Light brings a strength that can reform the world. This belief in the Inner Light – the presence of God in everyone – leads the majority of friends to become conscientious objectors to war. While Friends are commonly called pacifists, it is clear from observing determined Quakers in action that the true pacifist is not passive, but constantly working to remove the occasions for war and conflict.
When a Friend feels strongly that a law is unjust and it cannot be changed by lawful means, he or she may decide not only to demonstrate against it but to disobey it. This decision is not made lightly and is usually sounded out before the whole Meeting to be sure it is the right thing to do. Such a breaking of the law is not done in secret or with the intent to escape detection or punishment. It is done openly, with a clear statement of intent and with a willingness to suffer the consequences with love and serenity. Sometimes, peacefully breaking laws leads to their change.
Friends do not take oaths. From the beginning, Friends have said, “Let your aye be aye and your nay be nay.” They believe that honesty is a daily habit and that the taking of an oath implies that one is not ordinarily truthful. Early Friends were jailed, fined and persecuted for this peculiar practice. Now all legal documents and courts of law allow Friends and other like-minded people to say I affirm instead of I swear.
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