Quakers and the Society of Friends: Who Are They?
for guidance from a variety of the country’s spiritual leaders, but gradually became disillusioned with those leaders and the existing Christian denominations. He believed that an element of God’s spirit is implanted within every person’s soul. He decided that the following was logical based on that belief: – that every man and woman has direct access to God; no churches are needed – that every person – male or female, slave or free is of equal worth – that there is no need in one’s religious life for elaborate ceremonies, rituals, gowns, etc – following the inward light would lead to spiritual development and towards individual perfection. The first Quakers to arrive in America were viewed as heretics in many of the colonies. Many were imprisoned or hung. They found safety in the Rhode Island colony, which had been founded on the principle of religious tolerance. William Penn (1644-1718) and other Quakers played a major role in the creation of the colonies of West Jersey (1675) and Pe
