Tag: quakers

Recently the Daily Quaker Message website shared an inspiring thought from the editors of The Quaker Quill, the student newspaper of the Friends School of Baltimore. It said:

“While there is that of God in every person, there is not that of God in every idea. Practices that dehumanize people do not have a place in our Quaker community. They have no light.

We can still stand against them. And in that, there’s hope. Many of us may also need time to process our grief and anger. We need to check in with ourselves, and ask: ‘When will I be ready to see the light in others? What level of confrontation with different views is healthy for my well-being and relationships?’

Those questions are challenging. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t attempt them—even if we don’t always feel like we have the right answers.”

The Daily Quaker concluded with this advice:

“See that of God in every person, but stand against ideas that have no light.”

Writer and editor Julie Odland wrote a great article titled “Being a Quaker is Right for Me” that was published last month in the Frederick News-Post.

Odland’s father was a Lutheran pastor, and she grew up in the Christian church. Although she liked those communities, she said she had “serious doubts about the creed.”

It was through grammar (she is a writer after all) that she became interested in Quakerism. Friends’ use of the terms thee, thou, and thy to express equality caught her attention.

She started attending meetings for worship regularly in 2002 in Pennsylvania. After she moved to Maryland in 2009, she became a member at the Frederick Friends Meeting.

Odland has a wonderful view of Quakerism.

She writes “the modern Religious Society of Friends embraces a wide range of spiritual beliefs. Membership does not require adherence to any particular doctrine… What unites us is a shared commitment to Quaker values and practices, rather than a fixed creed.”

She says that the unprogrammed meeting for worship “feels like the most sincere way to experience God. Each person is responsible to be present, listen and serve. The unstructured worship experience is rich and pure.”

In her article, she also writes about the SPICES testimonies and Friends’ reputation for activism.

You can find Odland’s full article here on the Frederick News-Post website.

Many religious groups have wrestled with the question of alcohol consumption. Quakers are no exception.

Certainly Friends do not support excessive drinking or drunkenness. 

And as the Temperance Movement gained adherents in the late 1800s, eventually leading to Prohibition in the US in 1920, many Quakers were against any alcohol consumption.  

Charles Elmer Hires was one of those Quakers.

Hires was introduced to a drink called “root tea” on his honeymoon. A friend suggested that “root beer” might be a more appealing name.

Initially, Hires, who was a pharmacist, sold a dry mixture from his store for his customers to make their own root beer.

But then Hires presented his drink at the 1876 U.S. Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. He called it “the temperance drink” and “the greatest health-giving beverage in the world.”

Sales took off and Hires opened a factory in Philadelphia. The rest is history.

Although Hires root beer is no longer sold, its place in history is secure.

Root beer by itself is a delicious drink – and a root beer float is one of the world’s tastiest treats.

Thanks Charles!

The William Penn Charter School was founded in Philadelphia in 1689 by William Penn. It is the oldest Quaker school in the world and the fifth oldest school of any kind in America. The school is still in operation today.

Penn set up his school to provide an education based on Quaker values. That legacy of basing the education on Friends’ values continues today in all Quaker schools.

Friends Academy in New York highlights these traits of Quaker education on their website:

“Students at Quaker schools explore curiosities, share ideas, and build upon their peers’ ideas.
Through thoughtful reflection, inquiry and a mutual respect for others’ views and experiences students gain a deeper understanding of each other and the course material.

“The curriculum at Quaker schools is largely inquiry-based.
Students are encouraged to wonder, investigate, ask questions, work collaboratively and seek out new ideas.

“Quaker schools help students connect the dots between what they learn and why it matters.
When students walk out the school doors each day, real-world learning helps them solve real-world problems and become an asset to their community as they move through each stage of life.

“Diversity in education is crucial to a Quaker school experience.
Students at Quaker schools are exposed to different ideas and ways of thinking, while also building respect for other people’s voices and opinions.”

In Georgia, the Friends School of Atlanta carries on those traditions of Quaker education.

FSA has been operating for 34 years. Located in Decatur, it was founded in 1991 by members of the Atlanta Friends Meeting. Currently it has 135 students in classes ranging from Pre K through the 8th grade.

The FSA website says:

“The school manifests Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship. Quaker values, based on the worth of each person, are reaffirmed in the school by listening and negotiating in the spirit of unity.

“As students incorporate the value of human respect into their lives, we believe they will take their wisdom and turn it toward social issues that extend beyond the immediate community to the world at large.”

Currently in the U.S. there are 76 Quaker schools in 21 states with approximately 20,000 students and 5,000 teachers.

In their October 16 episode, the Thee Quaker podcast told the story of Jason Palmer, a Quaker who ran against – and defeated – Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primaries.

OK, Palmer only won one primary, the American Samoa primary on Super Tuesday. With a vote count of 51 to 40, Palmer got the six delegates that were up for grabs in the United States territory.

Palmer’s history, decision to run, platform, and future plans are an interesting story and the podcast episode does a great job of telling it.

He did not grow up as a Quaker. Palmer says “my father was a golfer and my mother was a Methodist.” But neither golfing or being a Methodist struck a chord with him.

A close childhood friend, David Kaiser, was a Quaker. Kaiser took Palmer to Quaker events and many unprogrammed meetings for worship. Quakerism spoke to Palmer and he joined the Religious Society of Friends.

While working to pay his way through college at the University of Virginia, Palmer became an entrepreneur. He continued that in his professional life after college. For years, his only foray into politics was to make campaign contributions.

But something changed when he watched the 2024 campaign. With input from some friends, he decided to run for President, because, as he said in the video announcing his candidacy, “America needs an upgrade”.

Palmer based his campaign on three main points: conscious capitalism, a way to turn capitalism into a driver for equity in society; the “new collar economy” where people can make a good living by getting certified in digital skills without a college degree; and modernizing government.

While there is no conflict with Quakerism in those three platform planks, Thee Quaker host Georgia Sparling asked Palmer if being Commander in Chief of the largest military in the world and an arms supplier to many countries would present a problem with his beliefs as a Friend.

Palmer supports the peace testimony and said he would work for peace in Palestine and Ukraine.

But he said, “you have to be realistic that when attacked you need a strong defense. But it should be always about defense, never about offensive warfare.”

The win in American Samoa was Palmer’s only primary victory and he ended his campaign for President soon after Super Tuesday.

He took the momentum that built up during the campaign to start a new organization called Together! which is working to try to get young “purple” candidates elected to Congress as well as getting a million young people registered to vote.

Palmer has not decided if he will run again in 2028. He said he’s going to wait two years and then make a decision. If he were to get elected, he would be following in the footsteps of Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, two Quakers who were elected President.

You can listen to the Thee Quaker podcast on most podcast apps and on their website at quakerpodcast.com. Jason Palmer’s campaign website is still up at palmerforpresident.us, That site also has links to the Together! website.

Author Anita Bushell has written a beautiful article recently published in Friends Journal about spiritual optimism. In it, Bushell calls for her fellow Quakers not only to remain optimistic and faithful, but also to take action.

At a time when many people are concerned about the direction the United States is headed in, Bushell reflects on her family’s history in eastern Europe, living through violence, starvation, and the regimes of Stalin and Hitler. She recalls her early childhood growing up in the 1960s with all the upheaval that decade brought to the country.

What Bushell and her family had been through helped her appreciate that each new day presents an opportunity to overcome adversity and difficulties.  

“Every morning,” she writes, “I am reminded that another day has been gifted me.”

Taking advantage of that opportunity requires us to demonstrate the strength and courage of her ancestors, but it also requires more.

It requires action. Action that has an impact.

She notes that there is an almost endless list of actions we can take to make things better, and points out three examples — fighting climate change, supporting children in vulnerable communities, and increasing voter understanding and participation. This last one is what Bushell has chosen to focus on.

Bushell feels that these actions “reflect our inner light, guiding us towards a future filled with spiritual optimism.”

She concludes with this encouragement:

“Let us dwell then not in our dark moments, but in the reflection of candles lit with relentless optimism.”

Click here to read the full article, titled “A Moment of Darkness, a Decision Made in Light”, on Friends Journal. 

You can learn more about Anita at her website anitabushell.com.