No, I'm NOT Amish. I am a QUAKER!!!

I cannot even begin to tell you how many people confuse being a Quaker with the Amish. Obviously, I use electricity so one would think this question should already be answered. Oh, but come to think of it, that IS what they say. "oh, you're Quaker, but you use electricity." I drive a car, not a horse and buggy. Perhaps it is that both the Quaker and Amish traditions are based in Pennsylvania that this confusion persists. I'm not sure. I have even had people say to me that I didn't think you were Quaker because you don't dress like one. Hm mm.... I wonder what a Quaker dresses like? Again, I think it may be the Amish thing again. Oh I think I know what it is now.. it's that Quaker Oats dude on the cereal boxes. He does look a bit Amish in his attire. He is dressed in black and white... wears a hat...

So, for those of you who are wondering still I will explain Quakerism as best I can. A good number of our founding fathers were Quakers including Benjamin Franklin and William Penn. Quakers arrived from Britain and were despised by the Anglican church due to what were then considered their strange and heretical beliefs. Quakers have a very long history supporting social causes and the under represented including the colonists in America seeking their independence, slaves seeking freedom from their owners, women's rights, those experiencing poverty and lack of political power and the civil rights movement. This support and concern continues even today with fighting causes such as gay and lesbian equal rights, minorities seeking empowerment, and those who do not believe in war as an alternative.

Quakers generally believe that the Bible is not the final word from God and that the Bible must not be taken so literally and in it's historical context. Quakers are Christian in that they believe in Jesus Christ being the savior of all mankind. We believe in what we call the Inner light which many other Christian groups would call the Holy Spirit believing that there is a part of God in all human beings. Strong emphasis is on silence and silent meditation believing that we can hear the "voice" of God when we are quiet and receptive. Quakers believe that one's faith and beliefs mean nothing if it is not put into action by the way one deals with others with love, compassion and dignity.

Quakers follow what we call the Peace Testimony. We are opposed to war as an option and are convinced of the uselessness of the exertion of physical power over another. Quakers are dramatically demonstrative in their belief in the equality of ALL human beings and are willing to fight for these causes. Honesty and integrity are central to our convictions.

I became a Quaker while I was in undergraduate school in Pennsylvania. I was, and still am, inspired by the Quaker ideas of acceptance of all others, their non-dogmatic approach to one's beliefs, their radical support of equal rights, and the core understanding that each one of us finds our own way to truth. I truly love and appreciate silent worship and meditation and have felt the urgings from God as I am receptive to His promptings. I dedicate myself to honesty in all my dealings with others knowing that my word is really all I have.

I'm proud to be a Quaker. While much of what I believe also is of Buddhist origin I find these two frameworks completely complimentary and compatible to the way I see the world.

Now, if you will excuse me I have a barn raising to attend. Where did I leave my big brimmed hat?