the gay/disabled part is spot on, but Quaker women have in fact possessed more religious/spiritual authority than....women in pretty much any Western religious tradition - since the advent of their religion. Back in the 1600s Quaker women delivered sermons in their own congregations - so amazing! Incidentally Quaker women were related to the pop culture depiction of witches! Those outspoken women...🙃
100 years is an interesting time choice, since it's the era when women were first permitted to vote in the US. 300 years ago, many of the women accused of witchcraft were connected in some way to Quakers.
religion is not what you think sounds good, it’s like what you will adapt to and what is the right choice for you. If you just like it because of this video that might be a option but it’s YOUR choice not someone else’s.
Yeah, same. If it should ever hit me that a God must exist after all, all this trying to figure out together what is right and good with flexible guidelines sounds much better than living by ancient books or having one person decide everything.
The fact that you can't be an actual member until you are 16 and it's your personal choice after having life experience, learning and having an opinion....I love it. I wish I knew more about Quakerism before now.
you call being 16 as having life experience? HAH at 16 you still have little to no experience about life outside your family bubble which is almost Always of the same faith you just happen to want to subscribe too and have been taught for the entirety of your brief life
@@pink_alligator *laughs in abused* Anywho, your reply is shitty. I, by fourteen, understood life a few adults. Why? Because abuse does things. And adults are not the only ones with hard lives.
Keep in mind that doesn't matter so much if kids are being indoctrinated by their parents anyway. Some cults use that exact technique; you can't actually sign up to the religion until X age, so they get to pretend you have free will - but really, they're expecting your parents to RAISE you in the religion from birth. So there's no free will there at all, at the end of the day.
the fact that you have to be 16 and you have to choose to be a member is so lovely and wonderful and amazing. i remember an awful experience when i was 12 when i was forced into comfirmation and forced to be baptized and forced to become a member of the presbyterian church.
Same, or close enough. I've been confirmed into the Church of England. I was a member of the cathedral choir and possibly the only atheist in the room during practice, which I genuinely didn't think of at the time. I just really liked some of the music!
I was baptized as a baby so I didn't have much of a choice... I also went to a Christian school, Sunday school and church every week. I decided I was as a atheist when I was 12 and I stopped going to church and Sunday school and started going to public school, but in reality I'll always be a Christian because I was baptized.
I was baptized when I was 2, I received communion when I was 9 and I was confirmed into Catholicism when I was 15. I got my first tattoo several days later. Also they tried to convince me, that I wasn’t transgender or queer. That’s fun.
My grandfather always said "if you meet a Quaker, be kind and do anything you can for them, you owe them everything" never knew why he said that, he was an extreme atheist, with a hatred for religion in general, so it was out of character. Always wondered if the Quakers provided assistance to his family as a child during the troubles in Ireland.
Maybe because it sounds more like a philosophy that actually goes with the time, rather than against it and only evolve after an entire generation dies and the younger ones come to power. Those that were immersed in a culture that was a bit different Many atheists, well let's say anti-theists because that is what the definition is of what you were talking about. Have the biggest problem with the indoctrination, the hatred, the fact that you rely on ancient books, the rules, the shame if you dont, the ethernal punishment for ending sins and that it is (historically but still is) a way to control people. That is what it was for. For the leaders to have like full control. The only reason christianity doesn't now is because it was give up some power or the entire church destroyed
+Dutchik yeah I wouldn't know all that being brought up strictly atheist which, extended to being lectured about finding a four leaf clover lucky. He disliked any belief in anything other than what was scientific fact and anybody that believed in any higher power. I was brought up to believe anybody who believed anything other than science was the enemy, worthy of ridicule and contempt. That is why I said it is strange that Quakers were the only people exempt from that, there are many that don't do the damage of organised religion like pagans, the various beliefs of native peoples around the world, but he still hated them.
“At the height of the Famine in 1846, Quakers were instrumental in setting up soup kitchens, providing seeds for planting and promoting the fishing industry. Irish Friends set up a Central Relief Committee in Dublin, with members from Belfast, Waterford, and Limerick distributing clothing and over 36,000lbs of seeds to sow 10,000 acres along with tools for farming and fishing.” www.independent.ie/lifestyle/how-the-quakers-changed-ireland-for-good-29450045.html
“as quakers we don’t believe in advertising our religion or forcing it on to people” thanks you. i’m so tired of people at my door and friends trying to “convert” me because they think i should be part of their religion.
I was thinking that too. I always remember the point where jesus stands on the rock and says kind of rulings. and the main point above all is to love. The tough thing I was thinking is what does it mean to love.
Me, first clicking on this video: "Huh, I've never heard of someone being a Quaker before..." Also me, 20 minutes later: "Huh, *I might be a Quaker...* "
As a Black American my only knowledge of Quakers was that they were vocally anti-slavery and there were many Quakers involved in the Underground Railroad. I believe in school they were explained as 'an abolitionist group' or as 'Christians.' It never occurred to me to even look into it until Jessica mentioned it in another video. Very cool to finally learn something about it.
There's a historical fiction book on this topic called The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier you might like. I found it really interesting from a historical perspective and its a good story too about a young Quaker woman who leaves England and has to find a way to survive in America.
Am I the only one here to stop and notice how amazing it is that the comment section is full of educated nice people who express their opinions in very positive ways. I’ve never seen so many people of different religions getting along so well. I’ve seen catholics, muslims, pegans, wiccans, pantheists, atheists, agnostics and other quackers all getting along perfectly well in this comment section and it truly makes me feel happy. I’ve been heavily influenced by negative people and religion has always been a sensitive topic to me (being a panromantic in a family of strict christians, even if they’re all supportive of me, the weird looks at the dinner table and mom constantly trying to get me to like boys more is definitely a bit much for me to handle) so seeing all these positive people helps me a lot. Everyone’s just so nicely brought together and it’s just aaaaaaaaaaa I want to marry this comment section
TH-cam is pretty awesome about comments depending on the channel. Reddit too. I find LinkedIn and Facebook to be difficult to have different opinions without a fight breaking out. But I've had wonderful conversations about even controversial topics with strangers over TH-cam.
is because there are only people with an open mind and that respect gays are subscribed, imagine a closed-minded religious would not even look at this channel.
I am completely ignorant in this topic. I saw the field thumbnail and it processed in my mind as something to do with earthquakes. I am open minded I sat threw the whole thing and I would like to see her do more videos on this.
I identify as Muslim but this video was really interesting to me. I assumed Quakers were very strict, almost puritanical (no idea where I got this from). Your religion seems very pure, simple and honest.
I assumed the same. I think it's possible because of the portrayal of Quakers in the simple, old timey dress living in simple places. I assume people often confuse them as being like Amish people because of all of that.
We usually blame the Oatmeal Company for that misconception. Ha. Early American Quakers were actually persecuted and martyred by Puritans for unwillingness to practice the Puritan's brand of tyrannical "Christianity." In fact, that's why the state of Pennsylvania was founded by the Quaker William Penn as a haven for freedom of religion and brotherly love (hence the name Philidelphia).
Some Muslims also identify as Quaker, & the contributions of Muslim Quakers to Quakerism as a whole enrich it tremendously. th-cam.com/video/ppjCv5g3ThE/w-d-xo.html
I'm an atheist and I'm generally anti religious. But I've always had an incredible amount of respect for Quakers. I've dealt with them many times personally and I've learned quite a bit about them (I like in Pennsylvania which was founded by a Quaker). The more I learn about Quakers, the more I love them. On every social issue Quakers have literally been a century ahead of EVERYONE else. I truly believe that Quakerism, more than any other, fulfills all the promise of religion. I'm not suprised at all that you are member of this great tradition. Everything about your kind personality perfectly matches what I've learned about Quakers.
Vintage/Indie AL Not so much. I used to like Buddhism more, but learning more about the religion and hearing first hand experiences from practitioners changed my mind. I certainly believe in freedom of religion, but generally think the world would be better off without them. However I've also have had stellar experiences with the Hari Krishna religion, so there's that.
Elizabeth D Is that really true? Can you be an atheist and also be a Quaker? I'd imagine that you'd at least need to believe in some sort of higher power as a minimum requirement. Though, of course, you can live by their tenets either way.
stanj85 I think ‘God’ as a word used to describe the indescribable. Someone’s ‘God’ could be the chaos of the universe, or the things we haven’t discovered yet. We are all connected by these things (everyone is affected by them), and ‘communication with God’ could be reflection and acceptance of that
Most of the time communal "order" vs. individual nature/actions/freedoms etc. are the issues that plague society & people in general, whether with or w/o some sort of ethically ordained practice/affiliation - both are an attempt to solve the complication of behavior and it's outcome between people. It's a centuries old goal to try to prevent damage and essentially eliminate its ongoing continuation of causes/effects so far neither have succeeded__
I'm Roman Catholic myself and never heard of Quakerism before but I absolutely love how it sounds. I'm very religious while also being very critical of the way my church behaves often and it can be hard. It's always interesting seeing religious doctrines that seem so welcoming and "easy" so to say
You seem a lot like me -see above ! But I’m not ‘ very religious ‘ - I think about things and hope I’m spiritual . I once went on a ‘ catholic ‘ retreat at Worth Abbey in Sussex ( UK ) and met a Buddhist Quaker !
Yes, me too! I've been quite interested in the idea of Quakerism from Jessica talking about it, but I've always thought "No, I'm Catholic." But when she said you can be both a Quaker and another religion, I thought "Maybe I could be."
One of my favourite quotes about Quaker beliefs that I heard at Yearly Meeting once is 'We don't tell you what to believe, we give you the silence to figure it out for yourself' and I thought this summed Quakerism up pretty perfectly (I'm a Quaker by the way).
It's really refreshing to hear someone talk about their religion while not trying to preach or making you part of their religion. Thank you for the information and for sharing your experience Jessica.
I have been a Friend for more than 50 years. I love your description of Quakers. It is so accurate. Even though I live in California, Quakers here are very much like your description. By the way, the first wedding we ever brought our son to was two women from our Meeting. That was in 1996.
Quakers seem like they're honestly one of the only religions that actually get it. Work towards the greater good. Work towards peace. Don't judge. Be tolerant. I'm agnostic but you have me considering checking out a Quaker meeting!
Maja Marie There are non-theist Quakers as well. What’s important in Quakerism is behavior & ethics, not theological dogma or religious creeds. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheist_Quakers
I'm an agnostic who has in the past few year, become a Quaker. Going to Quaker meetings has allowed me to feel this overwhelming presence that I believe could be God, or perhaps just an awe for our universe and humanity. Either way, it calms and motivates me. I'd really recommend going.
This is so crazy, this is literally the opposite of everything I've ever been told about Quakers. This sounds alot like Buddhism with an Abrahamic base and I love it.
I've attended the largest friends church in the world for most my life and this video doesn't really seem to represent the beliefs too exactly, lol. (Read: at all) Definitely not "cool" with other religious beliefs. That doesn't even make sense. That's no longer a religion but some sort of club.
jed1nat which one did you attend? There are several different areas of Quakerism and America houses a lot of the evangelical Quakers who are more conservative and stuff. Not conservative like... conservative Quakers are considered liberal Quakers. A lot of the Programmed meetings you find in America just feels like going to church. So yeah idk different flavors of Quaker so if you found a gate keeping bunch they sound like the preaching, evangelical kind.
@@jed1nat there is quaker churches and quaker meetings. The churches are the ortodoxle quaker group that are more like evangelical missionaries, so they have someone in power as an authority figure (bishop?), they are really based in the bible, they went to other countries to teach about their religion (even to indigenous ppl), they can be very conservative like thinking being gay its a sin, they can think their religion its the only one to rendeption. They organize in the room in a different way and it's not a silence meeting, they go to churches to worship. And there's conservative quaker group, which is the ones that she is part of it. They get together in meetings in silence. There's no authority figure. They think it's wrong to try to make ppl convert to their believs, they are more compromise with social ativism. But even in this group type, there's a lot of them around the world, and each meeting group has their own beliefs, there's no unify rules. The only thing that unify them all its the principles she listed, and work with them in your everyday life, your world perspective, your relationships. But you see, those values have different interpretations from person to person, from meeting to meetings, from group to group. You can see in there history. Like in U.S, If I remember correctly in 1680, 70% of quakers had slaves and though it was ok, because they did good. But others quakers were the first ones to be compromise to end slavery and to show how cruel it was. And after abolitionism they even went to other countries (like Brazil) to meet the king and farms to check if they were working with no slaves following the abolitionism law. They are a more fluid religion, with individuality and groups freedom. So some of them are really the opposite.
@@katherinetutschek4757 Buddhism can be very different based on locations and communities, so their Buddhism can be different from your knowledge of Buddhism. This video do remind me of the fairly early Buddhism philosophies too! ^^
I think it sounds like a lovely religion. And it's very interesting what you said that the idea of God can divide a lot. I'm a Catholic. I was raised Catholic and when I turned 15 I decided to stay with this religion. The thing is, I don't believe that Catholicism is the only answer. I believe that if you are doing good things, God's in your heart, weather you call it Jehova, God, Pachamama, Ra or Allah. 💕 I also love the way Quakers call everyone "friends". 🙊
I'm afraid you've bought into the lie of all false religion. Man is without goodness and his heart is full of evil. Only by repenting of your sins and placing your faith in Christ Jesus can you be saved! All other gods are dead and are false creations of mans imagination. Good works are filthy rags before the glory of God, due to our sinful and evil nature. I implore you, do not continue to believe the lie of many ways into Heaven, for Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins so that we may be saved by placing our faith in Him and repenting of our sins. I pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal this truth to you that you too may be saved! God bless you!
I’m literally crying right now. You described the exact things I believe and how I have been trying to live my life for a long time and I had no idea that the Society of Friends believed those things too! I gave up Christianity at age 8 because it didn’t make sense to me. I’ve been searching for something religion-ish ever since and I had resigned myself to being an Atheist a while back, but I’ve still had a secret hope/desire for something more. I’m buying your recommended book right now and I’m going to visit my local Friends Meeting as soon as I can. THANK YOU!!!!!
I've always thought of myself as a Christian, but never felt comfortable with all the negativity towards those who don't believe or haven't been "saved". Quakerism as described here sounds like what I've been searching for as well. I'd be interested in knowing how you feel/felt after attending a meeting.
Charlotte DeKoning Wow that sounds absolutely wonderful. I hope it goes well. I’ve had the same views as a child but found a Japanese practice called Sukyo Mahikari which has similar core values we call them divine principles however 😂😂😂. It’s so wonderful to have something caring to believe in so I hope you find what you are looking for.
I'm agnostic, just gonna get that out of the way. One thing I especially love that you mentioned is how the document/guidelines of quakerism is always updating. The reason why I haven't been keen on a lot of other religions is how it's quite old fashioned and doesn't reflect modern society. The fact that quakerism has this is just so amazing to me! :D
Religion is about people, not "the Truth" - nobody knows the Truth, but we all have feelings, understandings and wisdom to share. If people evolve, their religions should evolve at the same pace.
A wonderful faith more should learn about, and learn from! In my life I am of Cherokee descent, a Native American tribe in the United States, and I believe and have followed the maxim of, “Ga-Du-Gi,” for decades. Gadu means bread and Ga-Du-Gi literally means to make or do something with bread, however, Ga-Du-Gi also means- Make your community stronger without expecting anything in return. Whether you are with one person or a thousand, they are your community.
I’m a Wiccan and I have been one for about 7 years. For the longest time, even now, I love learning of ALL religions. It fuels me. And knowing that Quakerism is similar in that you can do what you wish to as long as no one is harmed along the way xxx
Hi!! I’m another Wiccan. Still a baby in it lol. I can’t practice which I feel keeps me from learning as much as I could and should. But I made a v long comment oops
I am an atheist and consider most religions to be harmful to society and the world. That being said, if I were in the market for a religion, Quakerism would be in my top 3 based on how it is described this video.
Honestly, I feel like most people leave out many religions and focus on the primary ones, such as, Christianity, Judaism or Islam. People tend to never mention Buddhism even though there are over 700million Buddhists in the world. But I understand if people talk about it as a philosophy because one of many things of Buddha's teachings was karma, and karma is known primarily as a Buddhist teaching. I personally was raised as a Vietnamese Buddhist and our teachings are similar to Quakerism, we are peaceful and kind, as well as helpful. Well, time to stop this comment because I have got to the point of me not knowing what else to write. Well, I hope people see this and maybe have a more positive and more understanding of my religion and why I would consider it as a religion and why people should list it more as a religion. One time I had a negative experience when I told my friends that I was Buddhist while they all were Catholic, they made me feel like an outsider and I felt that their thoughts toward me have changed. Just a little something I wanted to share wittlh the internet. Okay, bye and take care everyone!
Sorry to hear your friends reacted that way. I can imagine though that they just don't know what Busshism actually means or have some weird ideas about it because noone ever taught them about it. I am from Germany an can only speak for my education but honestly, what I learned about Buddhism in school did not make any sense to me and I am quite convinced it didn't make sense to our teachers or even the people writing the school books. Which is extremely sad because today after having learned more about it, it is the one "religion" I can accept as actually benefiting. I put religion into quotation marks because I do see Buddhism as a philosophy and not a religion, too -but that's something positive! Religion for me has to do with institutions and restrictions and irrational beliefs (a being somewhere "up there" whom you cannot begin to understand but who will judge you??). From what I know about some forms of Buddhism, it is actually very much along the lines of what this video says about Quakerism.
I'm agnostic athiest now. Grew up mormon. I'm researching Quakerism because I'm writing a book and one of the characters is a Quaker. But honestly, Quakerism sounds like the best religion ever. I want to find a meeting.
The best explanation of Quakerism I’ve ever heard. You are a splendid ambassador. Being relatively new to your channel I have only listened to a few of videos where you describe your disabilities and experiences. Your resilience is remarkable and I was struck by the way you glow with an inner light. Now it all makes sense! Heartfelt thanks - you are a true inspiration. ❤️
Hello friends, thank you for watching! I hope I've managed to explain a bit about Quakerism in this video. Please do know these are my own thoughts, experiences and ramblings. I mean absolutely no offence to anyone (ever) and hopefully that comes across! I would love to know all about your stories of growing up with a religion- or without- and how you feel that's affected your life so please do share! Much love, Jessica x Edit: So glad that you have been enjoying my video about Quakerism! It's been great reading the comments and finding out all about your past and religions. Since there was so many questions in the comments and things you still want to know I'm going to have a livestream in place of next Mondays video (July 23rd at 5pm UK) where I shall answer all of your questions t.co/zLSHDNz9Kl
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard I didn't even know that such a wonderful religion came out of Christianity! Kinda makes me want to join that community (and I'm an atheist lol).
I've been exploring my spirituality for quite a long time and I've never come across Quakers and I'll be looking into this as a lot of the things you said I really connected with.
Someone I know actually touched on this subject! While they are obviously meant to be re-usable, easy to wash and last a lot longer, they don't offer the same flexibility as plastic ones do. They don't bend! Someone may have trouble moving their head, neck, or other problems that would stop them from positioning themselves to the straw rather than making the straw work for them! Hope that makes sense. :)
Quakerism sounds like Canada as a religion Edit: nvm I learned about all the genocide Canada has done over the last year. Quakerism doesn’t sound like Canada :(
I always answered 'yes, but I don't know what in exactly do I believe' when people asked me if I am a believer. Now it turns out I have been a very faithful quaker for 25 years without being aware of it. Well, what do you know.
I randomly did research on Quakerism today and. Literally everything aligned with my personal beliefs about religion. I’ve been really confused on what my faith was for a while but I feel like I really identify with Quakerism!!
I was never taught about Quakerism and was fed wrong information from my dad - but it sounds like a really nice religion. This also seems a lot like how I live as an athiest
that's what I was thinking. I'm an Atheist as well but I love their Values. only I would include being a Concious Consumer and Animals in there too. ❤🌎👣🐾
@@RaeDole wow! that's so cool. makes me wish this was a thing in the states. there are probably some here, just rare. because I've never come across quakers here.
I'm incredibly sad that there's no Quaker community in Brazil where I live, but I will do my best to follow this, because I've honestly never felt so embraced by a religion. It is truly beautiful.
@@lauren8627 I know it was, for me, I thought they didn't integrate technology in their life, that even in business that does take place they'll have like a landline telephone attached to a pole outside the window to allow a certain distance from technology and their life, and that the awesome Jessica is a youtuber, how does that work? A quick google later and it's like, "Ah, she's a Quaker, I'm thinking of the Amish, and those are completely different things."
@@Super_Pandas its a religion that started in england, a sect of Christianity. I don't think they around anymore. They did not let anyone, even spouses, have sex.
Quakerism sounds a lot like Hinduism! As a hindu watching this video, I was amazed to see the multiple similarities. It's so interesting to learn about different belief systems and how they operate.
@@oaadnvs8616 it is actually more like ancient Hinduism, in particular reminds me of Advaita philosophy, that believes that God and "souls" are one and the same. And Hinduism has deeply spiritual practices without doctrine or holy books or commandments, it is just a way of life very similar to how Jessica describes Quakerism. Over time, Hinduism in India has suffered from multiple invasions by Muslim rulers (the Mughals and Nizams), European invaders and finally the British, trying to squeeze Hindu values into the template that Abrahamic religions have. The Bhagavad Gita was named the holy book when in reality, most people have never read it in totality! Even the word Hindu (denoting the religion of the people on land in between the Himalayas and the Indus River) was made up for the confusing religion that Indians seemed to follow, with millions of unique Gods people made up and created for themselves. Hinduism today has eroded a lot and lost a lot of ancient wisdom, and systemic internal racism and self hatred that Indians and Hindus feel because of centuries of oppression mean most of us are ashamed of our religion and culture and don't bother exploring what the original teachings were!
are you crazy or something. Like no offence but these days all Hinduism is about is idol worship and unnecessary rituals and being forced into religion
Even though I am more close to being agnostic, Quakerism sounds like one of the best beliefs in the modern world and I wouldn’t mind exploring it (once I can get away from my parents). The fact that you don’t have to be apart of the religion but still attend meetings makes me happy, since I feel with lots of religions out there you can be shunned for attending when you aren’t actually within it. It might also be your lovely soft voice coaxing me into it, XD. I do take on the peace aspect already, since one of my idols was killed in violence and they also believed in peace for the whole world during the Vietnam War and advocated for people to give peace a chance (**ba dum tsssss*) And another one of my idols that I hold very close to my heart was attacked in violence while battling cancer, luckily they survived but it still angers me to no end. Basically all of my idols that I hold near to me believe and believed in peace for the whole world, a motto that is still used today of “Peace and Love.”
I attended a Quaker College. It was an amazing experience. Most students were not Quakers, only about 2%, but the core principles were very much in practice and most students really embraced them. Consensus... oh consensus. Side note: one of my coworkers who is a Quaker always said that when he was little he really wanted plastic toy soldiers. Finally his mom let him have them, but cut all the guns off.
My moms not a quaker but she wouldnt let me play with toy guns and I think that was smart of her because i always knew that guns were dangerous and hurting people wasnt a game. Ive been thinking of going to a Quaker college! Which did you go to if you dont mind saying?
I'm an INFP too and I've been pretty anti religion since being forced into Catholicism as I was growing up, amongst other things, but .... Quakerism is worrying me because I really agree with it and I didn't plan on being religious...
@@hollaitskimsta A lot of things in life tend to be unplanned. I think it's important to understand the difference between religion and spirituality. A lot of people who are spiritual aren't necessarily tied down to organized religion, which means that they may not be the type to force their beliefs..They usually just believe in a higher being/existence and might practice some rituals or whatever. If you feel like Quakerism is something you're interested in, then consider pursuing it. Your not-so-good experience with Catholicism can help you look for red flags, but I think you should go for it if you think it connects with you.
I went to a Quaker school and went to Young Friends week long events etc. 99% of Quakers would be hufflepuff but there are a few Ravenclaws knocking around. 😉
I'm from Pennsylvania, which was founded by Quakers. Thus, I've always felt a connection to Quakers. I've been looking into the Society of Friends for years and had a self uniting marriage (which is completely legal in Pennsylvania due to us being founded by Quakers). I've tried to go to meeting a few times, but my anxiety makes me freak out before I can even make it out the door. I'll feel cold, nauseous, panicky, etc. I even cried the one time. So...there's that. I don't like being a stranger in a large group of people. Anyway, I had to do a genealogy project for school. Discovered I've had ancestors in Pennsylvania since the 1600's, and they were Quakers. I was very excited by this. Apparently, meetings back then were very good about keep records.
With everything online right now, have you tried going to Meeting via Zoom? Our Meeting and many others plan to continue hosting Zoom even when we can meet back in person, just in case you’re worried about when the pandemic is over
Being from a country where there are no Quakers (I think, at least) I don´t really know anything about Quakerism so this video is definately very interesting and educational. It definately sounds like a rather nice and friendly religion. Much more than Christianity and Catholicism on which I am kinda burned.
+Elizabeth D what really? either it's different where i'm from or i just happen to know the wrong people because the catholic ppl i know/met were all either traumatised as children by threats of going to hell for minor things like swearing or dickheads/corrupt. the evangelical ones are mostly close-minded but at least not corrupt and offered to help and take in refugees. also women can be pastors too, i don't think women can be priest in the catholic church? but i'm an atheist who grew up around on-paper evangelical christians that believe in god but don't actually attend church, so it's not like i got that much of an insight. still very strange to think of catholicism as more accepting to me but most christians are close-minded anyway, no matter their specific chruch
I think there is no inherently "religious" aspect in Quakerism. In the video she said what you believe in is your personal decision and since there are also agnostic and atheist Quakers...well, I'd say we can postulate Quaker values as a great set of values without any restrictions ;) If I got it all correctly (I lacked almost any knowledge before the vid), Quakerism in short is "Be a decent human being".
This doesn’t seem so much a religion as just “how to be a decent human being”! Definitely a very interesting perspective to learn about, and actually surprisingly aligns with many of my feelings as an atheist.
Your point about God being the goodness in people is extremely interesting to me. God has always confused me, since childhood I had no idea how to picture him, pray to him, etc.--this video has sort of given me the peace of mind that there is no right way to do or think about anything regarding God or religion. I think of myself more as spiritual than religious, I believe in souls and energies rather than in God but have felt self-conscious about sharing that view... so thanks for making this video, it's put me at ease about a lot of my doubts. :)
I'm a gay Christian and becoming a Christian has blessed me greatly. It's allowed me to have the confidence to embrace my sexual identity and equipped me with the strength and wisdom to fight for true inclusivity within Christian communities. I feel liberated in God, because who does the opinions matter of a mortal compared to a being who created existence itself? I identify as nondenominational. I haven't encountered a denomination I fully feel responsive to. But I seem to lean heavily to Quakerism, it seems.
Unitarianism may suit also. LGBTIQ,+ welcoming, not proselytising, noncreedal, all to find own spiritual path and to support others. Services are more noisy though. So Q may suit you better
This was incredibly eye opening for me. I was always under the impression that Quakers we're similar to Puritans, but I was clearly misinformed. I have tremendous respect for any branch or offshoot of Christianity that supports the lgbtq+ community, and from what you've outlined here Quakerism is definitely qualifies. I also appreciate the idea of the main doctrine being a continually evolving document that reflects the current issues instead of relying on 2000+ year old doctrine that often isn't applicable in today's world.
What a healthy religion 😊 support ❤️ I'm from the USA I'm a Jew everyone is a mainstream Christian I've never heard of this religion but I'm glad I did thank you 😊
Can any of you give me a run down of what Judaism is? I’ve never met someone who practices so all I’ve ever heard is that it’s like Christianity without Jesus and I’m not sure how true that is. I hope this isn’t offensive, I’m just a bit curious and uneducated. Have a good day.
Jessica, what a wonderful video. I didn't realize how much Quakerism runs parallel with my religion. I'm a Unitarian Universalist. We too believe in the inherent worth of all people, justice, truth and peace. Plus working with the community, serving others.
I’m agnostic totally. I see morality and treating others as I would want to be treated as the way I wish to be. It really makes no difference to me if a deity exists or not as I feel I will learn as much as I can and be as moral a being as I can be and what will be will be. As part of that morality I am a believer in treating everyone as an equal and with fairness, and to oppose violence and hatred. I oppose the militarisation of our youth and using people as weapons. I recognise that greed is one of the most violent forces on this planet.
Quakerism sounds a lot like Unitarian Universalism which also grew out of Christianity. Though UUs now allow people from all religions since the core values don't conflict between them. I personally identify as a Shinto-Buddhist UU but since I work at a UU Fellowship I meet people of all religion in the congregation; Atheists, Wiccan, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, etc. They follow 7 principles similar to what you listed and a big part of the congregation time is joys and concerns where you talk about what is going on in your life. Anyone can stand up to say something. There is a reverend but their are a lot of guest speakers from week to week. God isn't 100% the focus of UU either, so it's more about how to empower yourself and how to be a good person regardless of religion, which is why we have so many different religions in one place. 😄 💙
I’m also a UU. Quakers and UUs have a fair amount of overlap in the USA and sometimes have meetups and such because they have similar ideologies. They also both play wink.
I discovered Quakerism through you, Jessica, and I am so excited to say that I will be attending my first meeting this coming Sunday. I never thought I would find a religion that resonated with me, but Quakerism is so much more than that. It's given me a sense of belonging and connection to the light that has already become a powerful positive force in my life. Thank you.
This is the first time I have ever seen someone on yt talk about Quakerism. My mom is a Quaker and my dad is a Buddhist. I can relate to a lot of your personal experiences.
I have never known a Quaker, so this was very interesting! I grew up Catholic, but started hating it when old ladies in church would make comments to my mom, and later on me, like "She/You wouldn't be disabled if you pray hard enough!" or "There's this miracle place in blablabla, you should go you will definitely be healed!"... and then they spiced it up with homophobia, and I was like nah. I identify as agnostic now, I'm more leaning to the idea there is a "God" (I quite like the Quaker theory of little bit of God in all of us, now that I know it), but I don't believe we will ever know for sure and I can't attach a "face" to it...
xHeelsOnWheelsx I think you're right to follow your intuition there. I'm a Christ-follower and truly loathe when ppl say things like that. It's very ableism. God sees us all as equals, and has purpose for everyone no matter what body we live in. Next time, tell them God loves you exactly as you are! And if God wants you healed, then He can do it anytime He chooses. Don't let silly ppl change your heart for God ♡
@ Mary M - Hello, I'm the "silly people". I'm sure that you're intentions are not malicious, but when you tell anyone "if God wants you healed, he can do it anytime!" you are not helping, at all. It begs the question, why not now? Judging from her channel xHeelsOnWheelsx appears to be a talented designer and artist, far better than anyone I know. So the next time you tell someone "God loves you exactly as you are" followed by "He chooses", consider what someone in position would choose. My father is in a chair too, I know he doesn't thank God for "His Choice". Take care, be thoughtful.
I wish Quakers would come to my door honestly instead of Jehovah's witnesses....but the Quakers are probably in the homeless district of my city (or in general leading their lives) helping people, while Jehovah's only want to convert middle class 'nice' people (Sorry if this is over-generalized but that's the only place I've seen them). The faces I see when I ask them to go down there and help the homeless are telling 😔 Thank you for this informational video about Quakerism, I hope it helps people be inspired to get involved in their community.
That's actually not accurate, as Jehovah's Witnesses make an effort to visit and speak about bible's hope for the future with everyone, not only rich people. Even in refugees camps or very distant isolated groups or searching for the deaf, homeless people, anyone really. The bible principles they share help many overcome addictions, past violent behaviours and more. If you wanna learn more you can visit jw.org.
@@AnaPaula-wd6rd "Even in refugees camps or very distant isolated groups or searching for the deaf, homeless people" WOW, a full recognition of picking on the most vulnerable people!! JW, what a disgusting cult.
i always find it quite annoying when people at your door try to get you to join their religion. or when my friends try to “convert” me in my religion. like can you just let me be. i don’t try to talk you out of your religion.
Thank you so much for posting this video! I live in the US, in Pennsylvania (the Quaker state) and besides the history of abolition and pacifism, and some William Penn trivia, I never knew what the Quakers were about. When I watched this video, I realized that the testimonials already mirror the way I try to live my life. I wavered about going to meeting for a bit and had a moment where I truly believe the Light was shown to me, so I finally went. I've been going for a month now, and I'm about to ask to join a committee. I really appreciate all of your content, but I can't thank you enough for helping me find what a place where I think I belong.
@@xwhitneywrathx This was an acronym for Quakers so, if you haven't heard it, then you probably haven't been in close contact with Quakers who were describing their belief system.
I absolutely LOVED this video! I didn’t know much about modern Quakers or about the religion itself! I always loved hearing about them in history knowing they were pacifists and always fought for Justice. And while I am agnostic, I think I would absolutely love the Quaker community and religion! Really loved this video, thank you for sharing ♥️ makes me wish more people were Quakers, I just love that you really focus on doing good every day of your life, not just on Sunday! And I love that there is no hierarchy in how you view the world even between children and adults, and that everyone is equal, I wish the whole world viewed everyone like that ♥️ And I’m so many aspects, Justice, equality and sustainability three of my favorite passions.
I’ve never heard of Quakerism before now so this was really interesting!! I was raised as an atheist (by a Buddhist) but I’m now Wiccan, which seems to have quite a few similarities to things you were talking about! 💞
@@sarahjane8782 Cool! I'm Irish, and Samhain just means November in Irish 😂 But i always smile at Americans (in particular) trying to pronounce it. 'Mh' make a 'w' (sometimes 'v' too!) sound in Irish :)
I feel like this is a religion that I've been trying to find all my life. I literally correspond with all of this and never understood why I didn't feel complete going to a local church as a child to young adulthood. I'm so happy you posted this video 😊😊
Just discovered you yesterday, completely by accident, and I love you. And I'm not even gay! Although I am disabled, a natural redhead, and a Quaker. I grew up in a different church but it had many philosophical similarities to Quakerism. As an adult I tried many other churches not feeling at home until my first Quaker meeting. Very long story, sorry. Jump to 2020 and quarantine. Our group has opted to hold meetings on Zoom, an interesting idea for a largely silent meeting! Embarrassingly, last week I was very tired and fell asleep in front of my laptop lol. I wonder if it was noticeable? Oh well....
I have been a Wiccan for the last 13 years of my life. What I love about Wicca is that it's not an organized religion at all, so each Wiccan you meet might believe something different - aside from our core principals, of course. It's interesting to me how much my personal beliefs align with Quakerism. I wouldn't be surprised if other Wiccans agree with me! This video was very informative. Thank you.
I saw a lot of similarities as well in terms of how I practice and how I understand wicanism. I love the personal aspect really and that is what drew me to wicanism. The fact that you can worship as you see fit and that there is no set way to practice is an amazing thing that allows for growth as a person and a society.
I remember being raised on an Southern education that judged harshly the Quaker movement that was early in America, quite a lot of misinformation that I had to unlearn, so A+ for sharing ^-^ was very fun to watch
I was on a date with my girlfriend yesterday and I remembered that across the street from us was a church that had a sign that said “Friend Church (Quaker)” And I remember being like “what the hell is that?” So it’s so funny that I found this today
I was Amish, but I left about 6 years ago, and it has shaped me in so many ways, but also has given me some not so great things either. But I loved hearing your story!!
I'm very much an atheist but I always had an interest in different religious beliefs of other people from around the world. Even choose to take religion classes instead of the usual ethics classes in order to learn even more when I was in school. Me and my teacher were the only ones in that classroom who weren't even remotely religious but that was never a problem as it was a general religion class and not a Christian one which are more usual in other parts of my home country. Quakerism was one of my favorite things to learn about when we got to different religions that have their base in Christian. I always liked the Quaker view of God very much. I believe in the humans around me so this is something I can actually get behind.
We have chatted about Quakerism before, and I really enjoyed learning about it. I absolutely love the religion. I love that its quite laid back. I really LOVE how that everyone is an equal, and I love the way you talked to DB as an equal, I know as a child I always wanted to be treated as an equal to an adult, and I talk to DB and her friends equally. Interestingly I did a video last week called "Can I Pray For You?" I discussed when and where, and if its appropriate to pray for disabled people. The comments are very interesting. The only problem is its not CC. But I'm hoping mumma wheels will help me out with captions soon. xxx
I grew up Catholic but much of my family from generations past were Quaker. I’ve always wondered what that meant. Thank you so much for such a beautiful and thoughtful explanation of my Ancestors religion and belief system. I believe we are parts and pieces of our ancestors passed down through the generations and it is interesting that despite not being raised as a Quaker I share many ideals, thoughts and habits of the Quaker religion. You really are a sweet, wonderful and amazing person, thank you.
Ive always been an atheist and raised an atheist but as I’ve grown up I’ve seen more of my wider families religion (Catholicism) and whilst I don’t think of myself as religious I definitely feel more open than I used to
Wow that sounds very similar to my religion. I am a Unitarian universalist. We also don’t have a book or bible but we have 7 principals that are like everyone has importance and stuff like that. It’s super open and we don’t have to believe in a god if we don’t want or believe in an afterlife. We can choose to believe in anything also we are super accepting towards everyone. It was cool watching this and learning about Quakerism and how it has similar values to my religion.
*** Me taking notes for my essay about quakerism for all the length of the video, stopping sever times to be sure to get the concept, then write again, feeling pretty satisfied,and then minute 20.46 happened.*** Oh.
I've always described Quakerism as the choose your own adventure book of religion. We all read the same first page (integrity, equality, simplicity, community, stewardship of the Earth, peace) but from there it's up to you.
I am an animist and panentheist, Druid. For me, everything has spirit on an individual and collective level. I was raised in a Pentecostal household, however, at 16 I left the church and went through a series of Faith's before finally finding where I fit. Thank you for sharing your faith and experiences with us.
I believe in “God” but I don’t think of that as a man in the sky. I have no idea what God is besides a level of Consciousness. I think we’re just a physical manifestation of that Consciousness so we are all God in a way.
I actually like the idea of a perfect Being watching out for me. I know that when people hurt and when I hurt me, I have a God that loves me and wants me to be the best possible. Christianity really isn’t just my “religion”, it is the only real hope I have to cling to.
@ Alexandra - I don't understand, God is a level of Consciousness? Is consciousness being able to juggle and solve math equations at the same time? Is it helping someone in need while considering how I could have needed that same type of help? What's the level? Also, where's the God part play in because that's a loaded term. I'm curious, not being facetious.
![I do... but does God? // Quaker Weddings [CC]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yAtQf-60Lhs/mqdefault.jpg)
![I do... but does God? // Quaker Weddings [CC]](/img/tr.png)
God. I love the internet. A gay, disabled Quaker woman having a voice? Amazing. Imagine that a hundred years ago!
Imagine that 20 years ago.
the gay/disabled part is spot on, but Quaker women have in fact possessed more religious/spiritual authority than....women in pretty much any Western religious tradition - since the advent of their religion. Back in the 1600s Quaker women delivered sermons in their own congregations - so amazing! Incidentally Quaker women were related to the pop culture depiction of witches! Those outspoken women...🙃
100 years is an interesting time choice, since it's the era when women were first permitted to vote in the US.
300 years ago, many of the women accused of witchcraft were connected in some way to Quakers.
imagine that in the caveman days where nobody gave a shit
Interesting, a lot that attracted me to druidry also exists in Quakerism, Quakery?
I'm an atheist, but if I ever decide to have a spiritual awakening quakerism sounds a lot better than most religions I know of
Except, religion is not about what sounds good, but what we know to be a verity.
@@matthewlallinger9603 I mean I know thats why I'm an atheist
religion is not what you think sounds good, it’s like what you will adapt to and what is the right choice for you. If you just like it because of this video that might be a option but it’s YOUR choice not someone else’s.
Yeah, same. If it should ever hit me that a God must exist after all, all this trying to figure out together what is right and good with flexible guidelines sounds much better than living by ancient books or having one person decide everything.
Same
The fact that you can't be an actual member until you are 16 and it's your personal choice after having life experience, learning and having an opinion....I love it.
I wish I knew more about Quakerism before now.
Thats not true but also membership means very little in quakerism
you call being 16 as having life experience? HAH
at 16 you still have little to no experience about life outside your family bubble which is almost Always of the same faith you just happen to want to subscribe too and have been taught for the entirety of your brief life
@@pink_alligator
*laughs in abused*
Anywho, your reply is shitty. I, by fourteen, understood life a few adults. Why? Because abuse does things. And adults are not the only ones with hard lives.
Keep in mind that doesn't matter so much if kids are being indoctrinated by their parents anyway. Some cults use that exact technique; you can't actually sign up to the religion until X age, so they get to pretend you have free will - but really, they're expecting your parents to RAISE you in the religion from birth. So there's no free will there at all, at the end of the day.
@@pink_alligator you have more life experience to make that choice at 16 than people who are born into a religion
the fact that you have to be 16 and you have to choose to be a member is so lovely and wonderful and amazing. i remember an awful experience when i was 12 when i was forced into comfirmation and forced to be baptized and forced to become a member of the presbyterian church.
i know a lot of people who were forced into religion by their parents and they feel so restricted by their choices.
Same, or close enough. I've been confirmed into the Church of England. I was a member of the cathedral choir and possibly the only atheist in the room during practice, which I genuinely didn't think of at the time. I just really liked some of the music!
I like that too.
I was baptized as a baby so I didn't have much of a choice... I also went to a Christian school, Sunday school and church every week. I decided I was as a atheist when I was 12 and I stopped going to church and Sunday school and started going to public school, but in reality I'll always be a Christian because I was baptized.
I was baptized when I was 2, I received communion when I was 9 and I was confirmed into Catholicism when I was 15. I got my first tattoo several days later. Also they tried to convince me, that I wasn’t transgender or queer. That’s fun.
My grandfather always said "if you meet a Quaker, be kind and do anything you can for them, you owe them everything" never knew why he said that, he was an extreme atheist, with a hatred for religion in general, so it was out of character. Always wondered if the Quakers provided assistance to his family as a child during the troubles in Ireland.
Éire ❤️❤️
Maybe because it sounds more like a philosophy that actually goes with the time, rather than against it and only evolve after an entire generation dies and the younger ones come to power. Those that were immersed in a culture that was a bit different
Many atheists, well let's say anti-theists because that is what the definition is of what you were talking about.
Have the biggest problem with the indoctrination, the hatred, the fact that you rely on ancient books, the rules, the shame if you dont, the ethernal punishment for ending sins and that it is (historically but still is) a way to control people. That is what it was for. For the leaders to have like full control. The only reason christianity doesn't now is because it was give up some power or the entire church destroyed
+Dutchik yeah I wouldn't know all that being brought up strictly atheist which, extended to being lectured about finding a four leaf clover lucky. He disliked any belief in anything other than what was scientific fact and anybody that believed in any higher power. I was brought up to believe anybody who believed anything other than science was the enemy, worthy of ridicule and contempt. That is why I said it is strange that Quakers were the only people exempt from that, there are many that don't do the damage of organised religion like pagans, the various beliefs of native peoples around the world, but he still hated them.
Cool
“At the height of the Famine in 1846, Quakers were instrumental in setting up soup kitchens, providing seeds for planting and promoting the fishing industry. Irish Friends set up a Central Relief Committee in Dublin, with members from Belfast, Waterford, and Limerick distributing clothing and over 36,000lbs of seeds to sow 10,000 acres along with tools for farming and fishing.”
www.independent.ie/lifestyle/how-the-quakers-changed-ireland-for-good-29450045.html
“as quakers we don’t believe in advertising our religion or forcing it on to people”
thanks you. i’m so tired of people at my door and friends trying to “convert” me because they think i should be part of their religion.
I’m a Christian and this sounds like what Christianity should be.
Victoria Mather so be a Quaker lol
Then convert. If it fits your beliefs and all better
I was thinking that too. I always remember the point where jesus stands on the rock and says kind of rulings. and the main point above all is to love. The tough thing I was thinking is what does it mean to love.
Exactly! I loved the way you put it : )
Right? I was thinking the same. But came from christianism, so make sense
Me, first clicking on this video: "Huh, I've never heard of someone being a Quaker before..."
Also me, 20 minutes later: "Huh, *I might be a Quaker...* "
Truth. 😅
just went through the same thought process!
This is me. I think I’m actually going to check out a meeting.
Me 😂
Hard same!
As a Black American my only knowledge of Quakers was that they were vocally anti-slavery and there were many Quakers involved in the Underground Railroad. I believe in school they were explained as 'an abolitionist group' or as 'Christians.' It never occurred to me to even look into it until Jessica mentioned it in another video. Very cool to finally learn something about it.
There's a historical fiction book on this topic called The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier you might like. I found it really interesting from a historical perspective and its a good story too about a young Quaker woman who leaves England and has to find a way to survive in America.
Am I the only one here to stop and notice how amazing it is that the comment section is full of educated nice people who express their opinions in very positive ways. I’ve never seen so many people of different religions getting along so well. I’ve seen catholics, muslims, pegans, wiccans, pantheists, atheists, agnostics and other quackers all getting along perfectly well in this comment section and it truly makes me feel happy. I’ve been heavily influenced by negative people and religion has always been a sensitive topic to me (being a panromantic in a family of strict christians, even if they’re all supportive of me, the weird looks at the dinner table and mom constantly trying to get me to like boys more is definitely a bit much for me to handle) so seeing all these positive people helps me a lot. Everyone’s just so nicely brought together and it’s just aaaaaaaaaaa I want to marry this comment section
TH-cam is pretty awesome about comments depending on the channel. Reddit too. I find LinkedIn and Facebook to be difficult to have different opinions without a fight breaking out. But I've had wonderful conversations about even controversial topics with strangers over TH-cam.
is because there are only people with an open mind and that respect gays are subscribed, imagine a closed-minded religious would not even look at this channel.
+
I am completely ignorant in this topic. I saw the field thumbnail and it processed in my mind as something to do with earthquakes. I am open minded I sat threw the whole thing and I would like to see her do more videos on this.
@@monick5110 just want to mention not everyone who is strong believing in their religion is a homophobe.
I identify as Muslim but this video was really interesting to me. I assumed Quakers were very strict, almost puritanical (no idea where I got this from). Your religion seems very pure, simple and honest.
I assumed the same. I think it's possible because of the portrayal of Quakers in the simple, old timey dress living in simple places. I assume people often confuse them as being like Amish people because of all of that.
We usually blame the Oatmeal Company for that misconception. Ha. Early American Quakers were actually persecuted and martyred by Puritans for unwillingness to practice the Puritan's brand of tyrannical "Christianity." In fact, that's why the state of Pennsylvania was founded by the Quaker William Penn as a haven for freedom of religion and brotherly love (hence the name Philidelphia).
Jessica Brintle That’s where I got it from! Thank you for explaining the history.
Some Muslims also identify as Quaker, & the contributions of Muslim Quakers to Quakerism as a whole enrich it tremendously.
th-cam.com/video/ppjCv5g3ThE/w-d-xo.html
You might’ve been thinking about puritans. Their beliefs are very strict and we often learn our quakers and puritans at the same time in school.
I'm an atheist and I'm generally anti religious. But I've always had an incredible amount of respect for Quakers. I've dealt with them many times personally and I've learned quite a bit about them (I like in Pennsylvania which was founded by a Quaker).
The more I learn about Quakers, the more I love them. On every social issue Quakers have literally been a century ahead of EVERYONE else. I truly believe that Quakerism, more than any other, fulfills all the promise of religion. I'm not suprised at all that you are member of this great tradition. Everything about your kind personality perfectly matches what I've learned about Quakers.
Vintage/Indie AL Not so much. I used to like Buddhism more, but learning more about the religion and hearing first hand experiences from practitioners changed my mind. I certainly believe in freedom of religion, but generally think the world would be better off without them.
However I've also have had stellar experiences with the Hari Krishna religion, so there's that.
Aero's Arcana I hadn't heard of that, but I'm not surprised at all. Quakers are great like that.
Elizabeth D Is that really true? Can you be an atheist and also be a Quaker? I'd imagine that you'd at least need to believe in some sort of higher power as a minimum requirement. Though, of course, you can live by their tenets either way.
stanj85 I think ‘God’ as a word used to describe the indescribable. Someone’s ‘God’ could be the chaos of the universe, or the things we haven’t discovered yet. We are all connected by these things (everyone is affected by them), and ‘communication with God’ could be reflection and acceptance of that
Most of the time communal "order" vs. individual nature/actions/freedoms etc. are the issues that plague society & people in general, whether with or w/o some sort of ethically ordained practice/affiliation - both are an attempt to solve the complication of behavior and it's outcome between people. It's a centuries old goal to try to prevent damage and essentially eliminate its ongoing continuation of causes/effects so far neither have succeeded__
This is one of the most respectful comment sections I’ve ever seen
especially about religion, though! y'know, there are so many people willing to just pick up a weapon over religion, but everyone is nice here. (:
It is respectful because everyone is equal in their opinion. As a young girl my words counted for as much as my 'elders'. One love to all xo
I'm Roman Catholic myself and never heard of Quakerism before but I absolutely love how it sounds. I'm very religious while also being very critical of the way my church behaves often and it can be hard. It's always interesting seeing religious doctrines that seem so welcoming and "easy" so to say
You seem a lot like me -see above ! But I’m not ‘ very religious ‘ - I think about things and hope I’m spiritual . I once went on a ‘ catholic ‘ retreat at Worth Abbey in Sussex ( UK ) and met a Buddhist Quaker !
Yes, me too! I've been quite interested in the idea of Quakerism from Jessica talking about it, but I've always thought "No, I'm Catholic." But when she said you can be both a Quaker and another religion, I thought "Maybe I could be."
One of my favourite quotes about Quaker beliefs that I heard at Yearly Meeting once is 'We don't tell you what to believe, we give you the silence to figure it out for yourself' and I thought this summed Quakerism up pretty perfectly (I'm a Quaker by the way).
It's really refreshing to hear someone talk about their religion while not trying to preach or making you part of their religion. Thank you for the information and for sharing your experience Jessica.
I have been a Friend for more than 50 years. I love your description of Quakers. It is so accurate. Even though I live in California, Quakers here are very much like your description.
By the way, the first wedding we ever brought our son to was two women from our Meeting. That was in 1996.
I honestly am very interested in Quakerism now. I feel called by this to learn.
me too!!!
I am researched about it and I want to go to a meeting !!
@@carlaowens2006 in my experience, you are more than welcome to come and join us at a meeting and see if it speaks to you.
I came to her channel as it was recommended on the Quaker Speak youtube channel. If you're interested they show a wide variety of Quaker views.
@@desertdogscalifornia yes! It's a really great channel!
Quakers seem like they're honestly one of the only religions that actually get it. Work towards the greater good. Work towards peace. Don't judge. Be tolerant. I'm agnostic but you have me considering checking out a Quaker meeting!
Maja Marie There are non-theist Quakers as well. What’s important in Quakerism is behavior & ethics, not theological dogma or religious creeds.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheist_Quakers
Same.
Same here
I'm an agnostic who has in the past few year, become a Quaker. Going to Quaker meetings has allowed me to feel this overwhelming presence that I believe could be God, or perhaps just an awe for our universe and humanity. Either way, it calms and motivates me. I'd really recommend going.
This is so crazy, this is literally the opposite of everything I've ever been told about Quakers. This sounds alot like Buddhism with an Abrahamic base and I love it.
I've attended the largest friends church in the world for most my life and this video doesn't really seem to represent the beliefs too exactly, lol. (Read: at all) Definitely not "cool" with other religious beliefs. That doesn't even make sense. That's no longer a religion but some sort of club.
jed1nat which one did you attend? There are several different areas of Quakerism and America houses a lot of the evangelical Quakers who are more conservative and stuff. Not conservative like... conservative Quakers are considered liberal Quakers. A lot of the Programmed meetings you find in America just feels like going to church. So yeah idk different flavors of Quaker so if you found a gate keeping bunch they sound like the preaching, evangelical kind.
@@jed1nat there is quaker churches and quaker meetings. The churches are the ortodoxle quaker group that are more like evangelical missionaries, so they have someone in power as an authority figure (bishop?), they are really based in the bible, they went to other countries to teach about their religion (even to indigenous ppl), they can be very conservative like thinking being gay its a sin, they can think their religion its the only one to rendeption. They organize in the room in a different way and it's not a silence meeting, they go to churches to worship.
And there's conservative quaker group, which is the ones that she is part of it. They get together in meetings in silence. There's no authority figure. They think it's wrong to try to make ppl convert to their believs, they are more compromise with social ativism. But even in this group type, there's a lot of them around the world, and each meeting group has their own beliefs, there's no unify rules.
The only thing that unify them all its the principles she listed, and work with them in your everyday life, your world perspective, your relationships. But you see, those values have different interpretations from person to person, from meeting to meetings, from group to group.
You can see in there history. Like in U.S, If I remember correctly in 1680, 70% of quakers had slaves and though it was ok, because they did good. But others quakers were the first ones to be compromise to end slavery and to show how cruel it was. And after abolitionism they even went to other countries (like Brazil) to meet the king and farms to check if they were working with no slaves following the abolitionism law.
They are a more fluid religion, with individuality and groups freedom. So some of them are really the opposite.
This doesn't remind me much of Buddhism tbh
@@katherinetutschek4757 Buddhism can be very different based on locations and communities, so their Buddhism can be different from your knowledge of Buddhism. This video do remind me of the fairly early Buddhism philosophies too! ^^
I think it sounds like a lovely religion. And it's very interesting what you said that the idea of God can divide a lot. I'm a Catholic. I was raised Catholic and when I turned 15 I decided to stay with this religion. The thing is, I don't believe that Catholicism is the only answer. I believe that if you are doing good things, God's in your heart, weather you call it Jehova, God, Pachamama, Ra or Allah. 💕
I also love the way Quakers call everyone "friends". 🙊
Thank you for this lovely message, Ana. I’m a convert to Islam and still currently dealing with a family that doesn’t believe Allah means God.
@@nightlydrugs6927 I hope you and your family find peace and many blessings. Change is difficult, but it's not impossible
My bf has the same mentality that it doesnt matter what you call "god", they are all connected and its wonderful :)
I'm afraid you've bought into the lie of all false religion. Man is without goodness and his heart is full of evil. Only by repenting of your sins and placing your faith in Christ Jesus can you be saved! All other gods are dead and are false creations of mans imagination. Good works are filthy rags before the glory of God, due to our sinful and evil nature. I implore you, do not continue to believe the lie of many ways into Heaven, for Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him. Jesus bore the punishment for our sins so that we may be saved by placing our faith in Him and repenting of our sins. I pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal this truth to you that you too may be saved! God bless you!
@@BloodInTheStrawberries I'll be praying for you my friend, God bless you!
I'm a redhead, love wearing red lips, a Friend, and disabled... Are we long lost sisters?
Jessica is actually blonde... She dyed her hair red
You found another sister!
@@katherinekinsey7907 woo! Welcome to the family!
@@howliea didn't know that. The genes responsible for red hair and blonde hair are very similar though, so close enough
@@VegQuaker13 hahaha yeah :D
Never knew about this and I have to say: This is the first time in 29 years on this earth that I resonate with a religion.
@91loveismyreligion I thought you'd resonate with the 91love religion.
I’m literally crying right now. You described the exact things I believe and how I have been trying to live my life for a long time and I had no idea that the Society of Friends believed those things too! I gave up Christianity at age 8 because it didn’t make sense to me. I’ve been searching for something religion-ish ever since and I had resigned myself to being an Atheist a while back, but I’ve still had a secret hope/desire for something more. I’m buying your recommended book right now and I’m going to visit my local Friends Meeting as soon as I can. THANK YOU!!!!!
Charlotte DeKoning same
How did it go?
Please update us!!!
I've always thought of myself as a Christian, but never felt comfortable with all the negativity towards those who don't believe or haven't been "saved". Quakerism as described here sounds like what I've been searching for as well. I'd be interested in knowing how you feel/felt after attending a meeting.
Charlotte DeKoning Wow that sounds absolutely wonderful. I hope it goes well. I’ve had the same views as a child but found a Japanese practice called Sukyo Mahikari which has similar core values we call them divine principles however 😂😂😂. It’s so wonderful to have something caring to believe in so I hope you find what you are looking for.
I'm agnostic, just gonna get that out of the way.
One thing I especially love that you mentioned is how the document/guidelines of quakerism is always updating. The reason why I haven't been keen on a lot of other religions is how it's quite old fashioned and doesn't reflect modern society. The fact that quakerism has this is just so amazing to me! :D
Religion is about people, not "the Truth" - nobody knows the Truth, but we all have feelings, understandings and wisdom to share.
If people evolve, their religions should evolve at the same pace.
@@frangershwing very well said ❤ :) many religions should adapt to this mentality
A wonderful faith more should learn about, and learn from! In my life I am of Cherokee descent, a Native American tribe in the United States, and I believe and have followed the maxim of, “Ga-Du-Gi,” for decades. Gadu means bread and Ga-Du-Gi literally means to make or do something with bread, however, Ga-Du-Gi also means- Make your community stronger without expecting anything in return. Whether you are with one person or a thousand, they are your community.
Thats so beautiful! Could you talk more about your principles?
I’m a Wiccan and I have been one for about 7 years. For the longest time, even now, I love learning of ALL religions. It fuels me. And knowing that Quakerism is similar in that you can do what you wish to as long as no one is harmed along the way xxx
I knew I’d find a Wiccan here! I’m just a witch and I agree with everything Wicca stands for and am also very interested in religion.
Hi!! I’m another Wiccan. Still a baby in it lol. I can’t practice which I feel keeps me from learning as much as I could and should. But I made a v long comment oops
Skull Dinosaur dx I'm a wiccan witch yah
Oh! I’m not Wiccan yet but I’m learning about it and I aspire to be a Wiccan in the future. It’s pretty cool to find comments of Wiccan people.
Hi, also a wiccan!
I am an atheist and consider most religions to be harmful to society and the world. That being said, if I were in the market for a religion, Quakerism would be in my top 3 based on how it is described this video.
I feel exactly the same
exactly the same for me
Honestly, I feel like most people leave out many religions and focus on the primary ones, such as, Christianity, Judaism or Islam. People tend to never mention Buddhism even though there are over 700million Buddhists in the world. But I understand if people talk about it as a philosophy because one of many things of Buddha's teachings was karma, and karma is known primarily as a Buddhist teaching. I personally was raised as a Vietnamese Buddhist and our teachings are similar to Quakerism, we are peaceful and kind, as well as helpful. Well, time to stop this comment because I have got to the point of me not knowing what else to write. Well, I hope people see this and maybe have a more positive and more understanding of my religion and why I would consider it as a religion and why people should list it more as a religion. One time I had a negative experience when I told my friends that I was Buddhist while they all were Catholic, they made me feel like an outsider and I felt that their thoughts toward me have changed. Just a little something I wanted to share wittlh the internet. Okay, bye and take care everyone!
Sorry to hear your friends reacted that way. I can imagine though that they just don't know what Busshism actually means or have some weird ideas about it because noone ever taught them about it.
I am from Germany an can only speak for my education but honestly, what I learned about Buddhism in school did not make any sense to me and I am quite convinced it didn't make sense to our teachers or even the people writing the school books. Which is extremely sad because today after having learned more about it, it is the one "religion" I can accept as actually benefiting. I put religion into quotation marks because I do see Buddhism as a philosophy and not a religion, too -but that's something positive! Religion for me has to do with institutions and restrictions and irrational beliefs (a being somewhere "up there" whom you cannot begin to understand but who will judge you??).
From what I know about some forms of Buddhism, it is actually very much along the lines of what this video says about Quakerism.
Stephanie Ann, I really am curious about which would the other two be?
I'm agnostic athiest now. Grew up mormon. I'm researching Quakerism because I'm writing a book and one of the characters is a Quaker.
But honestly, Quakerism sounds like the best religion ever. I want to find a meeting.
Just keep in mind that if a place calls itself a “Friends’ Church,” it’s gonna be programmed and possibly less affirming
The best explanation of Quakerism I’ve ever heard. You are a splendid ambassador. Being relatively new to your channel I have only listened to a few of videos where you describe your disabilities and experiences. Your resilience is remarkable and I was struck by the way you glow with an inner light. Now it all makes sense! Heartfelt thanks - you are a true inspiration. ❤️
Hello friends, thank you for watching!
I hope I've managed to explain a bit about Quakerism in this video. Please do know these are my own thoughts, experiences and ramblings. I mean absolutely no offence to anyone (ever) and hopefully that comes across! I would love to know all about your stories of growing up with a religion- or without- and how you feel that's affected your life so please do share!
Much love, Jessica x
Edit: So glad that you have been enjoying my video about Quakerism! It's been great reading the comments and finding out all about your past and religions. Since there was so many questions in the comments and things you still want to know I'm going to have a livestream in place of next Mondays video (July 23rd at 5pm UK) where I shall answer all of your questions t.co/zLSHDNz9Kl
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard I didn't even know that such a wonderful religion came out of Christianity! Kinda makes me want to join that community (and I'm an atheist lol).
I've been exploring my spirituality for quite a long time and I've never come across Quakers and I'll be looking into this as a lot of the things you said I really connected with.
Why would you knot use glass staws no disrespect ment
Would love to see/hear more about you and Claudias' Quaker bits of the wedding!
Someone I know actually touched on this subject! While they are obviously meant to be re-usable, easy to wash and last a lot longer, they don't offer the same flexibility as plastic ones do. They don't bend! Someone may have trouble moving their head, neck, or other problems that would stop them from positioning themselves to the straw rather than making the straw work for them! Hope that makes sense. :)
Quakerism sounds like Canada as a religion
Edit: nvm I learned about all the genocide Canada has done over the last year. Quakerism doesn’t sound like Canada :(
Lmao
Yeah pretty much
Lol I wish canada was like that.
😂 so true! It sounds lovely
have you never been to Canada, like damn have you never heard of residential schools, the Fords, or hell grassy narrows. We are not at all like that.
This seems like a very nice concept, seeing as I've been semi-ruined for Christianity it's a lovely change of pace.
I always answered 'yes, but I don't know what in exactly do I believe' when people asked me if I am a believer.
Now it turns out I have been a very faithful quaker for 25 years without being aware of it. Well, what do you know.
I randomly did research on Quakerism today and. Literally everything aligned with my personal beliefs about religion. I’ve been really confused on what my faith was for a while but I feel like I really identify with Quakerism!!
I was never taught about Quakerism and was fed wrong information from my dad - but it sounds like a really nice religion.
This also seems a lot like how I live as an athiest
Same for me!
Their are accually atheist and agnostic quakers who just really value community and fellowship
Exactly! I don't believe in any Godly sort of stuff but I absolutely stand for every value they have.
that's what I was thinking. I'm an Atheist as well but I love their Values. only I would include being a Concious Consumer and Animals in there too. ❤🌎👣🐾
@@RaeDole wow! that's so cool. makes me wish this was a thing in the states. there are probably some here, just rare. because I've never come across quakers here.
I'm incredibly sad that there's no Quaker community in Brazil where I live, but I will do my best to follow this, because I've honestly never felt so embraced by a religion. It is truly beautiful.
I wish there was one! 😢
Note to self: Do not confuse Quarkers with the Amish, oops, I'm sorry.
Or Mennonites. There are so many sects it's quite interesting.
@@lauren8627 I know it was, for me, I thought they didn't integrate technology in their life, that even in business that does take place they'll have like a landline telephone attached to a pole outside the window to allow a certain distance from technology and their life, and that the awesome Jessica is a youtuber, how does that work? A quick google later and it's like, "Ah, she's a Quaker, I'm thinking of the Amish, and those are completely different things."
Until just recently i thought Quakers were the same as Shakers and were extinct. Oopsies!
@@rachelrecycles369 please, someone tell me, WHAT IS A SHAKER?
@@Super_Pandas its a religion that started in england, a sect of Christianity. I don't think they around anymore. They did not let anyone, even spouses, have sex.
Quakerism sounds a lot like Hinduism! As a hindu watching this video, I was amazed to see the multiple similarities. It's so interesting to learn about different belief systems and how they operate.
Maybe modern hinduism. But in the past no. It is not like hinduism at all.
I actually don't identify with a specific religion, but if I did, it would probably be hinduism or quakerism
@@oaadnvs8616 it is actually more like ancient Hinduism, in particular reminds me of Advaita philosophy, that believes that God and "souls" are one and the same. And Hinduism has deeply spiritual practices without doctrine or holy books or commandments, it is just a way of life very similar to how Jessica describes Quakerism.
Over time, Hinduism in India has suffered from multiple invasions by Muslim rulers (the Mughals and Nizams), European invaders and finally the British, trying to squeeze Hindu values into the template that Abrahamic religions have. The Bhagavad Gita was named the holy book when in reality, most people have never read it in totality! Even the word Hindu (denoting the religion of the people on land in between the Himalayas and the Indus River) was made up for the confusing religion that Indians seemed to follow, with millions of unique Gods people made up and created for themselves.
Hinduism today has eroded a lot and lost a lot of ancient wisdom, and systemic internal racism and self hatred that Indians and Hindus feel because of centuries of oppression mean most of us are ashamed of our religion and culture and don't bother exploring what the original teachings were!
are you crazy or something. Like no offence but these days all Hinduism is about is idol worship and unnecessary rituals and being forced into religion
@@alekhya_mundada not everyone practices a religion the same way.
I'm an atheist, but quakerism sounds pretty dope.
Even though I am more close to being agnostic, Quakerism sounds like one of the best beliefs in the modern world and I wouldn’t mind exploring it (once I can get away from my parents). The fact that you don’t have to be apart of the religion but still attend meetings makes me happy, since I feel with lots of religions out there you can be shunned for attending when you aren’t actually within it. It might also be your lovely soft voice coaxing me into it, XD.
I do take on the peace aspect already, since one of my idols was killed in violence and they also believed in peace for the whole world during the Vietnam War and advocated for people to give peace a chance (**ba dum tsssss*) And another one of my idols that I hold very close to my heart was attacked in violence while battling cancer, luckily they survived but it still angers me to no end. Basically all of my idols that I hold near to me believe and believed in peace for the whole world, a motto that is still used today of “Peace and Love.”
*Wow! This was really informative! Thank you so much for sharing your beliefs.*
I attended a Quaker College. It was an amazing experience. Most students were not Quakers, only about 2%, but the core principles were very much in practice and most students really embraced them. Consensus... oh consensus. Side note: one of my coworkers who is a Quaker always said that when he was little he really wanted plastic toy soldiers. Finally his mom let him have them, but cut all the guns off.
My moms not a quaker but she wouldnt let me play with toy guns and I think that was smart of her because i always knew that guns were dangerous and hurting people wasnt a game. Ive been thinking of going to a Quaker college! Which did you go to if you dont mind saying?
Was it Whittier College?
I went to Earlham college in Richmond, IN! I went to a couple of meetings, it was a great space for cooperative learning.
Basically INFPs church-ing together
I'm an INFP, and yes.😂
Literally same
Hey y'all
I'm an INFP too and I've been pretty anti religion since being forced into Catholicism as I was growing up, amongst other things, but .... Quakerism is worrying me because I really agree with it and I didn't plan on being religious...
@@hollaitskimsta A lot of things in life tend to be unplanned. I think it's important to understand the difference between religion and spirituality. A lot of people who are spiritual aren't necessarily tied down to organized religion, which means that they may not be the type to force their beliefs..They usually just believe in a higher being/existence and might practice some rituals or whatever. If you feel like Quakerism is something you're interested in, then consider pursuing it. Your not-so-good experience with Catholicism can help you look for red flags, but I think you should go for it if you think it connects with you.
I’ve never heard of Quakerism ever before and suddenly I’ve found my hufflepuff home 😂
Quakerism really _does_ sound like the religion of Hufflepuffs! Lol thank you for saying that, that's amazing.
Their are quakers in all houses I know a lot of griffindor quakers like so many but if quakerism was 1 human they would be a hufflepuff
I went to a Quaker school and went to Young Friends week long events etc. 99% of Quakers would be hufflepuff but there are a few Ravenclaws knocking around. 😉
@@RaeDole I guess Richard Nixon was the one Slytherin Quaker (although I don't know which branch of SoF he was).
Love 😂
This is the first time I have ever heard of Quakerism. This is very interesting.
12:04
The dog really went 𝓲𝓷𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓲𝓫𝓵𝓮
I'm from Pennsylvania, which was founded by Quakers. Thus, I've always felt a connection to Quakers.
I've been looking into the Society of Friends for years and had a self uniting marriage (which is completely legal in Pennsylvania due to us being founded by Quakers).
I've tried to go to meeting a few times, but my anxiety makes me freak out before I can even make it out the door. I'll feel cold, nauseous, panicky, etc. I even cried the one time. So...there's that. I don't like being a stranger in a large group of people.
Anyway, I had to do a genealogy project for school. Discovered I've had ancestors in Pennsylvania since the 1600's, and they were Quakers. I was very excited by this. Apparently, meetings back then were very good about keep records.
I love marriage in the manner of Friends
With everything online right now, have you tried going to Meeting via Zoom? Our Meeting and many others plan to continue hosting Zoom even when we can meet back in person, just in case you’re worried about when the pandemic is over
Being from a country where there are no Quakers (I think, at least) I don´t really know anything about Quakerism so this video is definately very interesting and educational. It definately sounds like a rather nice and friendly religion. Much more than Christianity and Catholicism on which I am kinda burned.
quakerfinder.org will let you know! There're lots of Quakers around the globe!
Vijay Kaul it only shows north america
Yes, based on that there are none out of USA (and Canada).
Oh! It's been a while since I'd been to the site. Oops!
+Elizabeth D what really? either it's different where i'm from or i just happen to know the wrong people because the catholic ppl i know/met were all either traumatised as children by threats of going to hell for minor things like swearing or dickheads/corrupt. the evangelical ones are mostly close-minded but at least not corrupt and offered to help and take in refugees. also women can be pastors too, i don't think women can be priest in the catholic church? but i'm an atheist who grew up around on-paper evangelical christians that believe in god but don't actually attend church, so it's not like i got that much of an insight. still very strange to think of catholicism as more accepting to me but most christians are close-minded anyway, no matter their specific chruch
As Stephen Fry said "Who could ever quarrel with a Quaker?"
Historically? Church of England.
@@adorabell4253 historically, who hasn't church of England quarreled with?
As an atheist, this honestly seems like the most reasonable and uncorrupt religion. I agree with a lot of these values :)
Amélie Me too! Just wanted to give a friendly hello. I'm amazed seeing how many of us are in this comment section!
I think this is just a way people should strive to live. Religious or not.
Yes! Take the religion aspect out of it and it's a really great set of values everyone should live for
I think there is no inherently "religious" aspect in Quakerism. In the video she said what you believe in is your personal decision and since there are also agnostic and atheist Quakers...well, I'd say we can postulate Quaker values as a great set of values without any restrictions ;)
If I got it all correctly (I lacked almost any knowledge before the vid), Quakerism in short is "Be a decent human being".
This doesn’t seem so much a religion as just “how to be a decent human being”! Definitely a very interesting perspective to learn about, and actually surprisingly aligns with many of my feelings as an atheist.
Raised semi-conservative baptist christian and now agnostic... Quakerism sounds lovely and exactly what I seek in spiritual family!
Your point about God being the goodness in people is extremely interesting to me. God has always confused me, since childhood I had no idea how to picture him, pray to him, etc.--this video has sort of given me the peace of mind that there is no right way to do or think about anything regarding God or religion. I think of myself more as spiritual than religious, I believe in souls and energies rather than in God but have felt self-conscious about sharing that view... so thanks for making this video, it's put me at ease about a lot of my doubts. :)
Your videos are so calming...
Something about her voice is so soothing.
I'm a gay Christian and becoming a Christian has blessed me greatly. It's allowed me to have the confidence to embrace my sexual identity and equipped me with the strength and wisdom to fight for true inclusivity within Christian communities. I feel liberated in God, because who does the opinions matter of a mortal compared to a being who created existence itself?
I identify as nondenominational. I haven't encountered a denomination I fully feel responsive to.
But I seem to lean heavily to Quakerism, it seems.
Unitarianism may suit also. LGBTIQ,+ welcoming, not proselytising, noncreedal, all to find own spiritual path and to support others. Services are more noisy though. So Q may suit you better
As another Quaker, thank you so much for posting such a great video!
This was incredibly eye opening for me. I was always under the impression that Quakers we're similar to Puritans, but I was clearly misinformed. I have tremendous respect for any branch or offshoot of Christianity that supports the lgbtq+ community, and from what you've outlined here Quakerism is definitely qualifies. I also appreciate the idea of the main doctrine being a continually evolving document that reflects the current issues instead of relying on 2000+ year old doctrine that often isn't applicable in today's world.
Came for the explanation of Quakerism, stayed for the Zoombinis solidarity!
You and Claud are getting so good at editing 💯
Rondas Face Don’t forget Clara
What a healthy religion 😊 support ❤️ I'm from the USA I'm a Jew everyone is a mainstream Christian I've never heard of this religion but I'm glad I did thank you 😊
Found another Jew in the comments 🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️🙋🏽♀️
Aye another Jew!
eyy! I want to convert to Judaism
@@theforestsongz good luck if you do!! we'd welcome you
Can any of you give me a run down of what Judaism is? I’ve never met someone who practices so all I’ve ever heard is that it’s like Christianity without Jesus and I’m not sure how true that is.
I hope this isn’t offensive, I’m just a bit curious and uneducated. Have a good day.
Jessica, what a wonderful video. I didn't realize how much Quakerism runs parallel with my religion. I'm a Unitarian Universalist. We too believe in the inherent worth of all people, justice, truth and peace. Plus working with the community, serving others.
I’m agnostic totally. I see morality and treating others as I would want to be treated as the way I wish to be. It really makes no difference to me if a deity exists or not as I feel I will learn as much as I can and be as moral a being as I can be and what will be will be. As part of that morality I am a believer in treating everyone as an equal and with fairness, and to oppose violence and hatred. I oppose the militarisation of our youth and using people as weapons. I recognise that greed is one of the most violent forces on this planet.
Agnostic theist?
Quakerism sounds a lot like Unitarian Universalism which also grew out of Christianity. Though UUs now allow people from all religions since the core values don't conflict between them. I personally identify as a Shinto-Buddhist UU but since I work at a UU Fellowship I meet people of all religion in the congregation; Atheists, Wiccan, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, etc.
They follow 7 principles similar to what you listed and a big part of the congregation time is joys and concerns where you talk about what is going on in your life. Anyone can stand up to say something. There is a reverend but their are a lot of guest speakers from week to week. God isn't 100% the focus of UU either, so it's more about how to empower yourself and how to be a good person regardless of religion, which is why we have so many different religions in one place. 😄 💙
I’m also a UU. Quakers and UUs have a fair amount of overlap in the USA and sometimes have meetups and such because they have similar ideologies. They also both play wink.
oh i just made a similar comment! i should have scrolled down farther to see this. it’s nice to see fellow uus!
So great to see other UUs on the internet. I am SO lucky to have been raised as a UU.
The beliefs are very similar but the community and practice is structured really differently.
I discovered Quakerism through you, Jessica, and I am so excited to say that I will be attending my first meeting this coming Sunday. I never thought I would find a religion that resonated with me, but Quakerism is so much more than that. It's given me a sense of belonging and connection to the light that has already become a powerful positive force in my life. Thank you.
How did it go?
thats awesome!
Me too. I am finding Christians very dogmatic and superstitious.. I love them but this is for me
I'm interested in how things went, too, so how *did* it go?!
This is the first time I have ever seen someone on yt talk about Quakerism. My mom is a Quaker and my dad is a Buddhist. I can relate to a lot of your personal experiences.
She's perfect isn't she?😮😳😄
Madelyn Bonnie no she is not near perfect
Gorgeous in every way
@@LRJS1794 why
@@robenkhoury7079 As she, herself said, nobody's perfect.
She truly is
I have never known a Quaker, so this was very interesting! I grew up Catholic, but started hating it when old ladies in church would make comments to my mom, and later on me, like "She/You wouldn't be disabled if you pray hard enough!" or "There's this miracle place in blablabla, you should go you will definitely be healed!"... and then they spiced it up with homophobia, and I was like nah. I identify as agnostic now, I'm more leaning to the idea there is a "God" (I quite like the Quaker theory of little bit of God in all of us, now that I know it), but I don't believe we will ever know for sure and I can't attach a "face" to it...
xHeelsOnWheelsx I think you're right to follow your intuition there. I'm a Christ-follower and truly loathe when ppl say things like that. It's very ableism.
God sees us all as equals, and has purpose for everyone no matter what body we live in. Next time, tell them God loves you exactly as you are! And if God wants you healed, then He can do it anytime He chooses.
Don't let silly ppl change your heart for God ♡
Exactly how I feel I believe there could be a god or gods but don't know what
@ Mary M - Hello, I'm the "silly people". I'm sure that you're intentions are not malicious, but when you tell anyone "if God wants you healed, he can do it anytime!" you are not helping, at all. It begs the question, why not now?
Judging from her channel xHeelsOnWheelsx appears to be a talented designer and artist, far better than anyone I know. So the next time you tell someone "God loves you exactly as you are" followed by "He chooses", consider what someone in position would choose. My father is in a chair too, I know he doesn't thank God for "His Choice".
Take care, be thoughtful.
I’m personally an atheist but I really like the beliefs that you have described, Quakerism seems like a very positive way of life.
I wish Quakers would come to my door honestly instead of Jehovah's witnesses....but the Quakers are probably in the homeless district of my city (or in general leading their lives) helping people, while Jehovah's only want to convert middle class 'nice' people (Sorry if this is over-generalized but that's the only place I've seen them). The faces I see when I ask them to go down there and help the homeless are telling 😔 Thank you for this informational video about Quakerism, I hope it helps people be inspired to get involved in their community.
That's actually not accurate, as Jehovah's Witnesses make an effort to visit and speak about bible's hope for the future with everyone, not only rich people. Even in refugees camps or very distant isolated groups or searching for the deaf, homeless people, anyone really. The bible principles they share help many overcome addictions, past violent behaviours and more. If you wanna learn more you can visit jw.org.
@@AnaPaula-wd6rd real smooth lmao
@@AnaPaula-wd6rd "Even in refugees camps or very distant isolated groups or searching for the deaf, homeless people" WOW, a full recognition of picking on the most vulnerable people!! JW, what a disgusting cult.
@annapaula it’s a cult. But yeah...
i always find it quite annoying when people at your door try to get you to join their religion. or when my friends try to “convert” me in my religion. like can you just let me be. i don’t try to talk you out of your religion.
My son's high school was founded by Quakers. I think it's the best school for him. Thank you for sharing this.
Thank you so much for posting this video! I live in the US, in Pennsylvania (the Quaker state) and besides the history of abolition and pacifism, and some William Penn trivia, I never knew what the Quakers were about. When I watched this video, I realized that the testimonials already mirror the way I try to live my life. I wavered about going to meeting for a bit and had a moment where I truly believe the Light was shown to me, so I finally went. I've been going for a month now, and I'm about to ask to join a committee. I really appreciate all of your content, but I can't thank you enough for helping me find what a place where I think I belong.
I'm from the United States and we have use SPICES to describe our principles
Simplicity
Peace
Integrity
Community
Equality
Stewardship
Half of these don't exist in America in these times
Yeah...I'm I'm the U.S. and no one has EVER told me this. 😞
@@xwhitneywrathx This was an acronym for Quakers so, if you haven't heard it, then you probably haven't been in close contact with Quakers who were describing their belief system.
We do?
@@tavit1987 Quaker principles, yes.
I love your ideas on God being part of your soul, not necessarily a separate deity in the sky. Makes more sense!
I absolutely LOVED this video! I didn’t know much about modern Quakers or about the religion itself! I always loved hearing about them in history knowing they were pacifists and always fought for Justice. And while I am agnostic, I think I would absolutely love the Quaker community and religion! Really loved this video, thank you for sharing ♥️ makes me wish more people were Quakers, I just love that you really focus on doing good every day of your life, not just on Sunday! And I love that there is no hierarchy in how you view the world even between children and adults, and that everyone is equal, I wish the whole world viewed everyone like that ♥️ And I’m so many aspects, Justice, equality and sustainability three of my favorite passions.
I’ve never heard of Quakerism before now so this was really interesting!! I was raised as an atheist (by a Buddhist) but I’m now Wiccan, which seems to have quite a few similarities to things you were talking about! 💞
Very interesting!
There are in fact pagan Quakers as well :)
Are Wiccans the ones that celebrate Samhain and never cease to butcher the pronounciation? :P
Ailín Ó'S Yes! That’s us! Glad to see we made an impression :P
@@sarahjane8782 Cool! I'm Irish, and Samhain just means November in Irish 😂 But i always smile at Americans (in particular) trying to pronounce it. 'Mh' make a 'w' (sometimes 'v' too!) sound in Irish :)
I feel like this is a religion that I've been trying to find all my life. I literally correspond with all of this and never understood why I didn't feel complete going to a local church as a child to young adulthood. I'm so happy you posted this video 😊😊
Just discovered you yesterday, completely by accident, and I love you. And I'm not even gay! Although I am disabled, a natural redhead, and a Quaker. I grew up in a different church but it had many philosophical similarities to Quakerism. As an adult I tried many other churches not feeling at home until my first Quaker meeting. Very long story, sorry. Jump to 2020 and quarantine. Our group has opted to hold meetings on Zoom, an interesting idea for a largely silent meeting! Embarrassingly, last week I was very tired and fell asleep in front of my laptop lol. I wonder if it was noticeable? Oh well....
I'm a devout Catholic, quakerism is so interesting and I love learning about your religion Jessica! :3
Same same
I have been a Wiccan for the last 13 years of my life. What I love about Wicca is that it's not an organized religion at all, so each Wiccan you meet might believe something different - aside from our core principals, of course. It's interesting to me how much my personal beliefs align with Quakerism. I wouldn't be surprised if other Wiccans agree with me! This video was very informative. Thank you.
I saw a lot of similarities as well in terms of how I practice and how I understand wicanism.
I love the personal aspect really and that is what drew me to wicanism. The fact that you can worship as you see fit and that there is no set way to practice is an amazing thing that allows for growth as a person and a society.
I remember being raised on an Southern education that judged harshly the Quaker movement that was early in America, quite a lot of misinformation that I had to unlearn, so A+ for sharing ^-^ was very fun to watch
I was on a date with my girlfriend yesterday and I remembered that across the street from us was a church that had a sign that said “Friend Church (Quaker)” And I remember being like “what the hell is that?” So it’s so funny that I found this today
I have a Quaker meeting house right near my home. I may go sometime in the future
Lauren Targaryen I've been wanting to go to friends meeting regularly for years but my closest meeting house is an hour away :(
Go to the Orthodox Quakers. In a turn of events, they're more liberal than the reformed Quakers. 🤔🤣👍
I was Amish, but I left about 6 years ago, and it has shaped me in so many ways, but also has given me some not so great things either. But I loved hearing your story!!
I'm very much an atheist but I always had an interest in different religious beliefs of other people from around the world. Even choose to take religion classes instead of the usual ethics classes in order to learn even more when I was in school. Me and my teacher were the only ones in that classroom who weren't even remotely religious but that was never a problem as it was a general religion class and not a Christian one which are more usual in other parts of my home country. Quakerism was one of my favorite things to learn about when we got to different religions that have their base in Christian. I always liked the Quaker view of God very much. I believe in the humans around me so this is something I can actually get behind.
We have chatted about Quakerism before, and I really enjoyed learning about it. I absolutely love the religion. I love that its quite laid back. I really LOVE how that everyone is an equal, and I love the way you talked to DB as an equal, I know as a child I always wanted to be treated as an equal to an adult, and I talk to DB and her friends equally.
Interestingly I did a video last week called "Can I Pray For You?" I discussed when and where, and if its appropriate to pray for disabled people. The comments are very interesting. The only problem is its not CC. But I'm hoping mumma wheels will help me out with captions soon.
xxx
A Quaker meeting sounds a bit like group meditation, and a time of re-tuning yourself with others/resetting your balance. It sounds nice😊
I grew up Catholic but much of my family from generations past were Quaker. I’ve always wondered what that meant. Thank you so much for such a beautiful and thoughtful explanation of my Ancestors religion and belief system. I believe we are parts and pieces of our ancestors passed down through the generations and it is interesting that despite not being raised as a Quaker I share many ideals, thoughts and habits of the Quaker religion. You really are a sweet, wonderful and amazing person, thank you.
Ive always been an atheist and raised an atheist but as I’ve grown up I’ve seen more of my wider families religion (Catholicism) and whilst I don’t think of myself as religious I definitely feel more open than I used to
Thanks for educating me on Quakerism! I really resonate with it’s messages and I’m now contemplating becoming a Quaker myself💞
Wow that sounds very similar to my religion. I am a Unitarian universalist. We also don’t have a book or bible but we have 7 principals that are like everyone has importance and stuff like that. It’s super open and we don’t have to believe in a god if we don’t want or believe in an afterlife. We can choose to believe in anything also we are super accepting towards everyone. It was cool watching this and learning about Quakerism and how it has similar values to my religion.
*** Me taking notes for my essay about quakerism for all the length of the video, stopping sever times to be sure to get the concept, then write again, feeling pretty satisfied,and then minute 20.46 happened.***
Oh.
Confused why she said that...
u don’t really hear about Quakerism so it was so nice to learn a bit about it and ur perspective
When you just found this Queen and your QUAKING
Bruh 😂😂😂 underrated comment
The "internal light" concept reminds me a lot of the idea of spirits within all things found in Shintoism.
Sitting in silence and connecting with what’s around you is something I enjoy doing. Nice to hear that there’s a belief that values that.
I've always described Quakerism as the choose your own adventure book of religion. We all read the same first page (integrity, equality, simplicity, community, stewardship of the Earth, peace) but from there it's up to you.
Haha, cool! I've always thought of it as DIY religion! (I might have a piece missing...)
I am an animist and panentheist, Druid. For me, everything has spirit on an individual and collective level. I was raised in a Pentecostal household, however, at 16 I left the church and went through a series of Faith's before finally finding where I fit.
Thank you for sharing your faith and experiences with us.
Thank you for your description. This was very informative and Quakerism sounds lovely.
I believe in “God” but I don’t think of that as a man in the sky. I have no idea what God is besides a level of Consciousness. I think we’re just a physical manifestation of that Consciousness so we are all God in a way.
Alexandra I agree
I actually like the idea of a perfect Being watching out for me. I know that when people hurt and when I hurt me, I have a God that loves me and wants me to be the best possible. Christianity really isn’t just my “religion”, it is the only real hope I have to cling to.
Which I guess this belief sort of goes with your Quaker belief of everyone being equal
@ Alexandra - I don't understand, God is a level of Consciousness? Is consciousness being able to juggle and solve math equations at the same time? Is it helping someone in need while considering how I could have needed that same type of help? What's the level? Also, where's the God part play in because that's a loaded term. I'm curious, not being facetious.
Alexandra That's really beautiful. Thank you for sharing♡