Are there different types of Quakers?
Yes, the Society of Friends went through several splits over the years, although most of the meetings in the Philadelphia area have reunited. Most of the meetings in this area have “unprogrammed” silent meetings for worship. Other Quakers, especially in the Midwest, have liturgical ceremonies and preaching as well as periods of silent worship. All Friends meetings have the same type of Meeting for Business, however. The Society of Friends began among Christians and the Bible is an important channel for God’s communication. There is no historical controversy (even among non-Christians) over whether Jesus of Nazareth actually existed. The life of Jesus and his earliest disciples is the model for the radical Christianity the earliest Quakers sought to restore.
