How we act as Quakers goes together with what we believe. Friends' experience of the Divine impacts what we do in our personal lives and guides our work in the wider world. Testimonies are what Quakers call the ways we have found to live and act based on our beliefs. We don't have a fixed creed because we have found that the search for truth can lead us to new expressions of values as well as confirming existing ones.
Historically, Quakers have held a variety of testimonies. You may know the past Quaker practice of using the familiar pronouns thee and thou rather than you (you at that time was more formal and hierarchical). Most modern Quakers no longer practice this testimony, being guided through continuing revelation to our modern-day testimonies: simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship (sometimes called by the acronym “SPICES”).
Simplicity: Friends try to “live simply so that others can simply live,” living lives in which activities and possessions do not get in the way of open and unencumbered communication with others and with one’s own spirituality, enabling them to hear the “still small voice” within.
Peace: Friends seek justice and healing for all people as well as to end the occasion of all wars, embracing the transforming power of love and the power of non-violence, striving for peace in daily interactions with family, neighbors, fellow community members, and those from every corner of the world.
Integrity: Friends try to live according to the deepest truth we know, acting on what we believe, telling the truth, and doing what we say we will do. Sometimes this means speaking truth to power.
Community: We support one another in our faith journeys and in times of joy and sorrow; sharing with and caring for each other. Quaker faith is founded on the principle that every person can have a direct relationship with God, but equally believing that, in gathering together, we increase our strength, vision, wisdom, and creativity.
Equality: Friends hold that all people are equal in the eyes of God and have equal access to the “Inner Light.” This profound sense of equality leads Friends to treat each person with respect, looking for that of God in everyone and recognizing that everyone has gifts to share.
Stewardship: Friends strive to respect all creation, using only our fair share of resources and working for policies that protect the planet. Our goal is to care for things with love and respect, so they will last, and not be lost or wasted. Good stewardship means taking care of what has been given, not just for ourselves, but for the people around us and future generations.
These six testimonies are rooted in the historic testimonies of early Friends, and while important to us, we hold them lightly, open to new ways of engaging with the world and the guidance of the Spirit.
Our testimonies encourage us to work for a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. It's not always easy to live this way, and we each interpret the testimonies differently, but as Quakers we encourage each other to keep trying.