Beliefs, Perspectives, and Testimonies

Everyone experiences God differently. Quakers believe there is that of God in every person. Worship is one way we try to connect with that inward light. We focus on revelation rather than ritual. Simplicity, peace, integrity, community and equality help us connect with each other. We invite you to listen for the Holy Spirit with us.

Seeking

Quakers use various metaphors to describe the Divine; terms include “the Inner Light” and “that of God in everyone.” It is through the inward experience of seeking guidance from this Divine presence in silent worship that we, as Quakers, believe we find a sense of wholeness in our lives. This in turn calls us to outward actions that work for compassion, understanding, peace, and justice in the world.

Worship

We invite seekers of this Inner Light to worship with us, to visit our library to learn more about our practices and history, and to attend our monthly Meeting for Worship With Attention to Business. Because we don’t have paid clergy, this is a time we spend conducting the business of the meeting and is a good way to learn more about how Friends’ gifts are used to minister to each other and provide outreach to our community. Meeting for Business takes place after Meeting for Worship on the second Sunday of each month. 

Sustainability

Quakers’ simplicity testimony has evolved over time from one discouraging worldly distractions from the life of the Spirit to one that encourages moderation in our daily lives that reduces our impact on our environment. In tandem with our equality testimony, we understand how our habits and lifestyle may impact humans in other parts of the world who are no less children of God than we are. We strive to care for the Earth individually and as a faith community.

Peace

Because Friends believe that all human beings are children of God, we are called to love and respect all persons and to overcome evil with good. Friends’ peace testimony arises from the power of the light of Christ working in our hearts. Our words and lives should testify to this power and should stand as a positive witness in a world still torn by strife and violence. Friends have suffered death, imprisonment, and confiscation of property for their refusal to support war. The peace testimony has driven Quakers’ relief work on battlefronts and in war-torn areas and was recognized by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the [British] Friends' Service Council and the American Friends Service Committee in 1947.

Equality

Friends’ belief that there is that of God in every person has led us to play key roles in the anti-slavery and suffrage movements and to work individually and collectively for civil rights within our faith communities and through organizations like American Friends Service Committee and Friends Committee on National Legislation. We are an LGBTQ+ affirming faith community supporting queer families within our meeting and our community. 

Moved by recent events, we are adding these Racial and Social Justice Queries to our monthly queries.

PIttsburgh Friends Meeting is a member of our regional body, Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, as well as Friends General Conference, whose members are yearly meetings from throughout North America. Pittsburgh Friends Meeting, LEYM and FGC are committed to being anti-racist faith organizations that consider how we can better serve Friends of color, how our decisions help us become an anti-racist faith organization and how we can grow spiritually through diversity.

Quaker Videos

26 Quakers explain their beliefs

What do Quakers believe about God?