The Still Silent Voice of The Religious Society of Friends- Diane Rhoades

The Still Silent Voice of The Religious Society of Friends

Setting: Oliver Cromwell’s England; 1652 – 56

Evolution of worship:

Catholicism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Congregationalism, the Baptists, the Quakers, and the Ranters.

From the days of Henry VIII, as people were becoming literate and the Bible was become increasingly known in England, it was also becoming clear that many aspects of the religious practices and beliefs had been added on.  There was a movement to purify Christianity to its earlier New Testament days by many sects at the time.

The Puritans rejected the Catholic Pope, the Mass, images and 5 of the 7 sacraments to become the Church of England

Presbyterianism subtracted the rule of Bishops and substituted the authority of presbyters or elders. 

The Independents or Congregationalists subtracted the centralized church government, which had not existed in New Testament times, substituting a decentralized, more democratic procedure. 

Baptists substituted infant baptism and made church membership dependent on conversion and the gift of the Spirit as described in the New Testament.

The Quakers subtracted all ritual, all programmed arrangement in worship and the professional ministry, allowing for no outward expression except the prophetic voice, which had been heard in the New Testament Church at the beginning.  They endowed no officials with religious or administrative duties.  Worship and administration were considered the responsibility of the local group or meeting as a whole.  Elders exercised an advisory function, not over the meeting, but under it as the instruments of its will. 

The Conventical Act of 1664 forbade groups of more than five to worship outside a church.  Quakers had no use for this limitation.  The book of Matthew stated, “where 2 or 3 are gathered….”

Historic and Present Day Quaker Nutshell:

Delivered first century Christianity to present day with

DIVINE JUSTICE and the Living Light of Christ

CONTINUED REVELATION - Spiritual authority and leadership over human leadership. Still, Small Voice of Spirit

Challenges the Status Quo – Not invested in personal salvation, status, wealth, growth; only loving, equitable, just community

Peace Testimony - “Take away the occasion for war” with justice, equity and non-violent means.  Take away the reasons that people engage in conflict to begin with.

Quakers were/are God's shock troops; challenging and speaking TRUTH TO POWER; advocating and transforming prison, mental, and educational institutions.  George Fox spoke Truth to Power when he spoke directly to Oliver Cromwell.

Well-lit Quaker Hall of Humble Fame

George Fox was born in Drayton-in-the-Clay, Leicestershire, England. Eldest of four children of Christopher Fox (a successful weaver) and his wife, Mary née Lago, George had religious leanings. "When I was a child, the Lord taught me to be faithful, in all things, and to act faithfully inwardly to God, and outwardly to man.”  Fox pursued "simplicity" in life and thoroughly studied the Bible,

George Fox knew people who were "professors" (followers of the standard religion), but at 19, had begun to look down on their behavior, in particular their alcohol consumption.

Driven by his "inner voice", Fox left home and travelled around the country looking for faith communities that he could relate to.  He was advised to take tobacco and sing psalms In Coventry. A priest lost his temper when Fox accidentally stood on a flowerbed in his garden.  A third religious leader suggested bloodletting for his struggling soul. He fell out with one group because he maintained that women had souls.

I had forsaken the priests and preachers, and those esteemed the most experienced people; for I saw there was none among them all that could speak to my condition. And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, then, oh, then, I heard a voice which said, "There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition"; and when I heard it my heart did leap for joy. Then the Lord let me see why there was none upon the earth that could speak to my condition, namely, that I might give Him all the glory; for all are concluded under sin, and shut up in unbelief as I had been, that Jesus Christ might have the pre-eminence who enlightens, and gives grace, and faith, and power. And this I knew.

He drew strength from this conviction. In prayer and meditation he came to a greater understanding of his own beliefs.

·        Qualification for ministry is given by the Holy Spirit; not by ecclesiastical study. Anyone has the right to minister, assuming the Spirit guides them, including women and children

·        God "dwells in the hearts of his obedient people": religious experience is not confined to a church building. Fox refused to apply the word "church" to a building, using instead the name "steeple-house". Fox would just as soon worship in fields and orchards, believing that God's presence could be felt anywhere.

·        Though Fox used the Bible to support his views, Fox reasoned that, because God was within the faithful, believers could follow their own inner guide rather than rely on a strict reading of Scripture or the word of clerics.  

·        Fox made no distinction between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In 1647 Fox began to preach in market places, fields, appointed meetings or in "steeple-houses" after the service. His powerful preaching attracted a following. Fox had no desire to found a sect but only to proclaim what he saw as the pure and genuine principles of Christianity in their original simplicity.  As his followers began to travel together, they referred to themselves as Children of the Light, Followers of Truth and Friends (from John in the New Testament).  A judge who was making fun of their “trembling Spirit” called the following Quakers.

An uncompromising preacher, Fox hurled disputation and contradiction to the faces of his opponents. When people did not welcome Fox’s words, he was sometimes beaten or driven away.

He campaigned against the paying of tithes, which funded the established church and often went into the pockets of absentee landlords or religious colleges far away from the paying parishioners. In his view, as God was everywhere and anyone could preach, the established church was unnecessary.

Fox was imprisoned many times for this “blasphemy”.  A judge mocked Fox's exhortation to "tremble at the word of the Lord", calling him and his followers "Quakers". His refusal to swear oaths or take up arms came to be a much more important part of his public statements. While imprisoned at Launceston Fox wrote, "Christ our Lord and master says, 'Swear not at all, but let your communications be yea, yea, and nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.' ... the Apostle James saith, 'My brethren, above all things swear not, neither by heaven, nor by earth, nor by any other oath.'

Refusal to take oaths meant that Quakers could be prosecuted under laws compelling subjects to pledge allegiance, as well as making testifying in court problematic.

In June 1652, God led Fox to Pendle Hill where he had a vision of many souls coming to Christ; speaking directly to Spirit. Margaret Fell and her barrister husband, Thomas fell, welcomed George to live with them during this time in Cumbria, the north west part of England.  Margaret was stirred by Fox’ ministry, convinced, and eventually became one of the most important Quaker people from the early years.

Quakers were held in contempt for holding unauthorized worship (Conventical Act) and for refusing to use or acknowledge titles, take hats off in court or bow to those who considered themselves socially superior, were seen as disrespectful. Fox was once again imprisoned.

In prison George Fox continued writing and preaching.  Prison brought him in contact with the jailers as well as his fellow prisoners. In his journal, he told his magistrate, "God dwells not in temples made with hands." He sought to set an example by his actions, turning the other cheek when being beaten.

Parliamentarians grew suspicious and fearful that the group travelling with Fox aimed to overthrow the government: by this time his meetings were regularly attracting crowds of over a thousand. In early 1655 he was arrested and taken to London under armed guard. He was brought before the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. After affirming that he had no intention of taking up arms Fox was able to speak with Cromwell for most of the morning about the Friends and advised him to listen to God's voice and obey it so that, as Fox left, Cromwell "with tears in his eyes said, 'Come again to my house; for if thou and I were but an hour of a day together, we should be nearer one to the other'; adding that he wished [Fox] no more ill than he did to his own soul. Cromwell was sympathetic to Fox and almost agreed to follow his teaching—but persecution of Quakers continued.

This is an example of "speaking truth to power", a way for Quakers to influence the powerful.  

Margaret Fell was born in Lancashire, a small town in the north of England and married Thomas Fell, a barrister, in 1632.  She became the lady of Swarthmore Hall.

In late June 1652, George Fox visited Swarthmoor Hall. Margaret heard the ministry of George Fox and she was so stirred by the beginning of his speech, she stood up in her pew and questioned his doctrine. Over the next weeks she and many of her household became convinced.  Swarthmoor Hall became a center of Quaker activity. She wrote many epistles herself and collected and disbursed funds for those on missions. After her husband's death in 1658, she retained control of Swarthmore Hall, which remained a meeting place and haven from persecution.  In the 1660s, government forces raided Swarthmoor Hall.

A member of the Religious Society of Friends and an established member of the gentry, she was frequently called upon to intercede in cases of persecution or arrest.  Margaret Fell traveled from Lancashire to London to petition King Charles II and his parliament in 1660 and 1662 for freedom of conscience in religious matters. A submission signed by George Fox and other prominent (male) Quakers was only made subsequently in November 1660. Although the structure and phraseology of these submissions were quite different, the import was similar, arguing that, although Friends wished to see the world changed, they would use persuasion rather than violence towards what they regarded as a "heavenly" end.

In 1664 Margaret Fell was arrested for failing to take an oath and for allowing Quaker Meetings to be held in her home. She was sentenced to life imprisonment and forfeiture of her property. She remained in prison until 1668, during which time she wrote religious pamphlets and epistles. Perhaps her most famous work is "Women's Speaking Justified", a scripture-based argument for women's ministry, and one of the major texts on women's religious leadership in the 17th century. While in prison, she taught the children to read and ministered to those around her.

Having been released by order of the King and council, she married George Fox in 1669. For much of their married life, they were imprisoned or advocating for the other to be released from prison.

William Penn (14 October 1644 – 30 July 1718) was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, early Quaker and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Indians. Under his direction, the city of Philadelphia was planned and developed.

In 1681, King Charles II handed over a large piece of his American land holdings to William Penn to satisfy a debt the king owed to Penn's father. This land included present-day Pennsylvania and Delaware. Penn immediately sailed to America and his first step on American soil took place in New Castle in 1682. The colonists pledged allegiance to Penn as their new proprietor, and the first general assembly was held in the colony. Afterwards, Penn journeyed up river and founded Philadelphia.

However, Penn's Quaker government was not viewed favorably by the Dutch, Swedish, and English settlers in what is now Delaware. They had no "historical" allegiance to Pennsylvania, so they almost immediately began petitioning for their own assembly. In 1704 they achieved their goal when the three southernmost counties of Pennsylvania were permitted to split off and become the new semi-autonomous colony of Lower Delaware. As the most prominent, prosperous and influential "city" in the new colony, New Castle became the capital.

As one of the earlier supporters of colonial unification, Penn wrote and urged for a union of all the English colonies in what was to become the United States of America. The democratic principles that he set forth in the Pennsylvania Frame of Government served as an inspiration for the United States Constitution. As a pacifist Quaker, Penn considered the problems of war and peace deeply. He developed a forward-looking project for a United States of Europe through the creation of a European Assembly made of deputies that could discuss and adjudicate controversies peacefully. He is therefore considered the very first thinker to suggest the creation of a European Parliament ^[2]

A man of profound religious convictions, Penn wrote numerous writings in which he exhorted believers to adhere to the spirit of Primitive Christianity.  He was imprisoned several times in the Tower of London due to his faith, and his book No Cross, No Crown (1669), which he wrote while in prison, has become a Christian classic.^[

Lucretia Coffin was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, into a Quaker family.  She was the second child of eight by Anna and Thomas Coffin. Her interest in women's rights began when she discovered that male teachers at the school where she taught were paid three times as much as the female staff.

On April 10, 1811, Lucretia Coffin married James Mott at Pine Street Meeting in Philadelphia. Their children all became active in the anti-slavery and other reform movements.

Like many Quakers, Mott considered slavery to be evil. She and other Quakers refused to use cotton cloth, cane sugar, and other slavery-produced goods. In 1821 Mott became a Quaker minister; a Public Friend. With her husband's support, she traveled extensively; her sermons emphasized the Quaker inward light, the presence of the Divine within every individual, and anti-slavery sentiment. Lucretia Mott tested the language of the Constitution and bolstered support when many delegates were precarious. Days after the conclusion of the convention, Mott and other women founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Integrated from its founding, the organization opposed both slavery and racism, and developed close ties to Philadelphia's Black community. Mott herself often preached at Black parishes.

Amidst social persecution Mott continued her work. She extended hospitality to guests, including fugitive slaves. Mott was praised for her ability to maintain her household while contributing to the cause. In the words of one editor, "She is proof that it is possible for a woman to widen her sphere without deserting it." Mott and other female abolitionists also organized fairs to raise awareness and revenue, providing much of the funding for the anti-slavery movement.

Women's participation in the anti-slavery movement threatened societal norms. Many members of the abolitionist movement opposed public activities by women, especially public speaking. At the Congregational Church General Assembly, delegates agreed on a pastoral letter warning women that lecturing directly defied St. Paul's instruction for women to keep quiet in church.(1Timothy 2:12) Other people opposed women's speaking to mixed crowds of men and women, which they called "promiscuous." Others were uncertain about what was proper, as the rising popularity of the Grimké sisters and other women speakers attracted support for abolition.

During the 1838 convention in Philadelphia, a mob destroyed Pennsylvania Hall, a newly opened meeting place built by abolitionists. Mott and the white and black women delegates linked arms to exit the building safely through the crowd. Afterward, the mob targeted her home and Black institutions and neighborhoods in Philadelphia. As a friend redirected the mob, Mott waited in her parlor, willing to face her violent opponents.^[

Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts, into a Quaker family.   Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were pioneers in the women’s rights movement in 1852.  Ignoring opposition and abuse, Anthony traveled, lectured, and canvassed across the nation for the vote. She also campaigned for the abolition of slavery, the right for women to own their own property and retain their earnings, and she advocated for women's labor organizations. In 1900, Anthony persuaded the University of Rochester to admit women.  She moved to Rochester in 1845, where the Anthony family was active in the anti-slavery movement. Anti-slavery Quakers met at their farm almost every Sunday, where they were sometimes joined by Frederick Douglass.   

Anthony met with hostile mobs and armed threats. She was hung in effigy, her image dragged through the streets.  In 1863 Anthony and Stanton organized a Women's National Loyal League to support and petition for the Thirteenth Amendment outlawing slavery. They went on to campaign for full citizenship for women and people of any race, including the right to vote, in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. They were bitterly disappointed when women were excluded.   

At age 26, Susan B. Anthony took the position of head of the girls' department at Canajoharie Academy, her first paid position. She taught there for two years, earning $110 a year.  In 1853 at the state teachers' convention Anthony called for women to be admitted to the professions and for better pay for women teachers. Anthony spoke before the state teachers' convention at Troy, N.Y. and at the Massachusetts teachers' convention, arguing for coeducation (boys and girls together) and claiming there were no differences between the minds of men and women.

In the 1890s Anthony raised $50,000 in pledges to ensure the admittance of women to the University of Rochester. In a last-minute effort to meet the deadline she put up the cash value of her life insurance policy. The University was forced to make good its promise and women were admitted for the first time in 1900.

Susan B. Anthony's paper The Revolution, first published in 1868, advocated an eight-hour work day and equal pay for equal work. It promoted a policy of purchasing American-made goods and encouraging immigration to rebuild the South and settle the entire country. Publishing The Revolution in New York brought her in contact with women in the printing trades.

Anthony campaigned for women's property rights in New York State, speaking at meetings, collecting signatures for petitions, and lobbying the state legislature. In 1860, largely as the result of her efforts, the New York State Married Women's Property Bill became law, allowing married women to own property, keep their own wages, and have custody of their children. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton campaigned for more liberal divorce laws in New York.

In 1869 the suffrage movement split, with Anthony and Stanton's National Association continuing to campaign for a constitutional amendment, and the American Woman Suffrage Association adopting a strategy of getting the vote for women on a state-by-state basis. Wyoming became the first territory to give women the vote in 1869.

Anthony, three of her sisters, and other women were arrested in Rochester in 1872 for voting. Anthony refused to pay her streetcar fare to the police station. She was arraigned and the election inspectors who had allowed her to vote in Rochester Common Council chambers. She refused to pay bail and applied for habeas corpus, but her lawyer paid the bail, keeping the case from the Supreme Court. She was indicted in Albany, and the Rochester District Attorney asked for a change of venue because a jury might be prejudiced in her favor. At her trial in Canandaigua in 1873, the judge instructed the jury to find her guilty without discussion. (The jury didn't get to discuss the verdict!) He fined her $100 and made her pay courtroom fees, but did not imprison her when she refused to pay, therefore denying her the chance to appeal.

In 1877, she gathered petitions from 26 states with 10,000 signatures, but Congress laughed at them. She appeared before every congress from 1869 to 1906 to ask for passage of a suffrage amendment. Between 1881 and 1885 Anthony, Stanton and Matilda Joslin Gage collaborated on and published the History of Woman Suffrage. The last volume, edited by Anthony and Ida Husted Harper, was published in 1902.

In 1887 the two women's suffrage organizations merged as the National American Woman Suffrage Association with Stanton as president and Anthony as vice-president. Anthony became president in 1892 when Stanton retired. Anthony campaigned in the West in the 1890s to make sure that territories where women had the vote were not blocked from admission to the Union. She attended the International Council of Women at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Susan B. Anthony died in 1906 at her home on Madison Street in Rochester. American women finally got the vote with the Nineteenth Amendment, also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, in 1920.

John Woolman (1720 – 1772) was a North American merchant, tailor, journalist, and itinerant Quaker preacher, and an early abolitionist in the colonial era. Based in Mount Holly, New Jersey, near Philadelphia, PA, he traveled through frontier areas of British North America to preach Quaker beliefs, and advocate against slavery and the slave trade, cruelty to animals, economic injustices and oppression, and conscription; from 1755 during the French and Indian War, he urged tax resistance to deny support to the military. In 1772, Woolman traveled to England, where he urged Quakers to support abolition of slavery.

The Grimke Sisters 1792/1796

Angelina Grimke and her sister Sarah Grimke were legends in their own lifetimes. These South Carolina sisters made history: daring to speak before “promiscuous” or mixed crowds of men and women, publishing some of the most powerful anti-slavery tracts of the antebellum era, and stretching the boundaries of women’s public role as the first women to testify before a state legislature on the question of African American rights. Their crusade, which was not only to free the enslaved but to end racial discrimination throughout the United States, made them more radical than many of the reformers who advocated an end to slavery but who could not envision true social and political equality for the freedmen and women. The Grimke sisters were among the first abolitionists to recognize the importance of women’s rights and to speak and write about the cause of female equality.

What made them exceptional was their first-hand experience with the institution of slavery and with its daily horrors and injustices. Abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison, the editor of The Liberator, and Theodore Weld, who Angelina married in 1838, could give stirring speeches about the need to abolish slavery, but they could not testify to its impact on African Americans or on their masters from personal knowledge.

William Tuke was born in York on 24 March 1732, into a leading Quaker family. He entered the family tea and coffee merchant business at an early age. Alongside his commercial responsibilities, he was able to devote much time to the pursuit of philanthropy.

When a Quaker died in the squalid and inhumane conditions of the York Asylum, William was invited to visit and was appalled by what he saw there. In the spring of 1792, he appealed to the Society of Friends to revolutionize the treatment of the insane. He collected sufficient funds to open the York Retreat for the care of the insane in 1796. This was the first of its kind in England, and pioneered new, more humane methods of treatment for the mentally ill. These included removing inmates' chains, housing them in a pleasant environment, with decent food and adopting a program involving the therapeutic use of occupational tasks.

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