Quakers

Quakers or Friends were members of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian movement founded by George Fox in the 17th century .It came into existence in 1640 when more and more people were dissatisfied with the established Church, the rule of kind and with the growth of Non conformist movements. It included English dissenters and they branched out into independent branches in the course of time. However, these members meet for regular worship which is mostly in the form of silent prayers, readings and hymns led by a pastor. They believed that Christ as their teacher and Lord. and had no faith religious symbolism and outward sacraments, such as baptism or celebrating the Eucharist In the 18th and 19^th centuries, these Quakers participated in social activities. They campaigned for social issues slave trade, and rights for women's right, prisoners and homosexuals .Quakers also funded institutions like Oxfam, Amnesty International and Greenpeace .The Quakers believed that individuals could have divine revelation without the aid of the clergy. They called themselves saints, Children of Light ,Friends of the Truth as they considered Christ to be an Inner light that can be experienced by each individual. However, when Quakers grew in number they were faced with stiff opposition in Great Britain and her colonies. Brutal punishments were inflicted on the followers. In Pennsylvania, the Quakers found their haven as religious tolerance was practiced due to the effort of William Penn. In 1827, there was a division with the Religious Society of Friends and formed a separate group called Hicksite (the followers of Ellis Hicks who had a different ideologies from the Friends ) and the other group was called Orthodox. This followed many more disagreements among the members of the Religious Society of Friends as the organization lacked specific tenants that could guide their life and behavior