What is the Friends Peace Testimony?
"We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world." |
Quakers have no formal creed. There is no top clerical authority that can speak for all Friends. So there is never a single, absolute answer to any question that begins, "What is the Quaker position on . . . ?"
Nontheless, certain principles are marked by the vitality with which they return again and again, in different times and situations, to lead Friends in their efforts to live lives that are faithfully guided by the Light of the Holy Spirit.
Friends call these principles "testimonies." There is no definitive list of the testimonies, but under different names they have continued to reappear with both consistency and fresh variation in the lives of the Friends who adhere to them. "They are not optional extras, but fruits that grow from the very tree of faith" (Harvey Gillman, 1988).
The best known of these testimonies is the Peace Testimony. Yet since there is no single authoritative expression of it, perhaps the best way to understand it is to look at some of the different ways it has been expressed by individual Friends and Friends communities.
Below are only a few of the many ways that Friends have spoken on the subject of peace:
The peace testimony in the words of some early Friends:
- Historic expressions of the peace testimony
- Virginia Memorial and Petition (an 1810 argument for fair treatment of conscientious objectors)
Some general expressions of the peace testimony in the words of some contemporary Friends:
- Advices on Conscription and War (1948 "Richmond Declaration")
- Quaker Peace Testimony by Mary Lou Leavitt
- 1987 Statement on Peace by the Yearly Meeting of Aotearoa/New Zealand
- "What Can the Bible Teach Us About Peacemaking?" by Ron Mock
- "The Peace Testimony as Questing Beast" by Chel Avery
Some contemporary expressions of the peace testimony with reference to recent world events:
- "Can Love Really Overcome Violence and Hate?" by Mary Lord
- Joint statement by leaders of six Friends organizations following September 11 attacks
- Statement by Friends United Meeting following September 11 attacks
- Joint Statement in Response to Military Attacks on Afghanistan
- A Statement from Leaders of Friends Organizations in the U.S. Regarding the War in Iraq
- "A Second Moment of Hope" -- Address to the Fourth World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates by Mary Ellen McNish
- "The Christians' Responsibilities in the Midst of World Chaos" by Paul Lacey
- Healing from Slavery, War, and Genocide: Lessons from John Woolman and Friends in Rwanda and Burundi by David Zarembka. (2006 John Woolman Memorial Lecture. Especially recommended is the 10-point summary on page 10.)
- Epistle from Philadephia Yearly Meeting's November 06 called session on peace.
Some links to resources on peace issues:
- American Friends Service Committee
- Center on Conscience and War, an interfaith organization for conscientious objectors
- Friends Committee on National Legislation
- Resources for Peace, a website maintained by Bob Seeley
- Swarthmore College Peace Collection