Who are the Quakers, and what does the Friends Church believe?
” Answer: The Quakers, or Friends Church, was started when people within the Church of England saw corruption and false doctrine rise in that body in the 1650s. With the rise of Puritanism also came a type of Phariseeism driven by personal pride and doctrinal divisiveness. Among the dissenters, a non-conformist movement was started which sought to distance itself from the excesses of Puritanism. The earliest dissenters went about seeking others of like mind and practice and were thus called Seekers. When they met together, it was not to formally pray or preach, but simply to wait together for God to speak to them. This practice led some to embrace extreme doctrines, and they became known as Ranters, for their extravagant practices. One of the excesses of the Ranters was the idea that whatever might have been sinful before faith in Christ was no longer sinful because of the grace of God (which contradicts the clear teaching of Romans 6:1-2). Seeing the problems arise among the Ranters,
