What are the basic beliefs of Quakers?
Friends have found that our experience of the Divine cannot be fully captured in words, doctrines, and dogmas, so we have no formal creed or statement of belief. Consequently, there can be a wide range of beliefs among Friends, and a diversity of language in how those beliefs are expressed. Most Friends, however, would agree to the following three points as central to who we are and what we believe. Our most basic affirmation is that God can and must be experienced inwardly by each of us as individuals, and not just through the mediation of priest, sacrament, or creed. We have many names for this inward experience of God: the Light, Spirit, the Inward Teacher, the Seed, the Light of Christ, the Word written in our hearts, and most simply, Truth. It is this immediate, direct relationship with the divine which ultimately gives our lives meaning, purpose, and wholeness. Second, we believe that such an experience should have an effect on the way we live our lives in the world. This gives F
