{"id":18518,"date":"2019-09-29T13:41:10","date_gmt":"2019-09-29T13:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.richmondfriendsmeeting.org2019\/?page_id=18518"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:53:41","slug":"i-believe","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/richmondfriendsmeeting.org\/dev\/i-believe\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Testimonies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Personal Testimonies<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n\n

What Do Friends Say?<\/h4><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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What do Quakers believe?\u00a0 The Society of Friends has no formal creed.\u00a0 We are a religious fellowship based on common religious ideas and experiences.\u00a0 Over the years Friends have made many attempts to set down the nature of their faith.\u00a0 Some of these statements have been grounded in Christian orthodoxy.\u00a0 Others have a close kinship with the mystics of many ages and many religious traditions.\u00a0 None speak for all Friends or for all times.\u00a0 Each person is encouraged to prayerfully seek individual guidance and follow the Light within.<\/p>\n

At a gathering in the summer of 2019, members and attenders at Richmond Friends Meeting were asked the question that Quaker founder George Fox posed in 1694-\u201dWhat canst thou say?\u201d \u00a0In the following statements individual Friends are expressing their own spiritual beliefs.\u00a0 They reflect the diversity which is found in our meeting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\"I believe that deep within each of us lies a source of wisdom, truth love, right action and authenticity. The nature of the source is a mystery, and I am comfortable with leaving it that way. Struggling to access it and acting accordingly provides meaning to my life.\"<\/p>\n<\/div>

Click Here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"Emanating from the insight that there is \"that of God\" in each of us, I hold in sacred awe all of the universe: animate and inanimate, meaning and meaningless, good and evil. Although I do not fully comprehend this vision, I seek to embrace a life of tender yet wise compassion.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"I believe God created everything and sent Jesus to teach us how to live.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"I was drawn to Quaker Meeting because I wanted to be part of a group with a strong spiritual center without a need to believe in a higher power. I also wanted a group that was active in the social causes dear to me.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"I believe the Religious Society of Friends is a group that finds truth through a certain type of spiritual seeking. One not bound by creeds or rites, but through connective experience with the divine. I believe, through this connective experience, that spirit is as close my breath and as wide as the universe.\"<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"I aspire to listen respectfully, process what I hear with care and compassion, and speak and act to help, or at least not to harm.\"<\/p>\n<\/div>

Click Here<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"God is the spark inside all living things which began with the universe and the first light or afterglow of the Big Bang. This life or light connects all things at even the sub-atomic level. That spirit has its own wisdom and moves everything in the universe.\"<\/p>\n<\/div>

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\"I experience God as a universal spirit of ultimate goodness, truth, and love. Is that mystical? I don't know, but I am open to - and, at times, feel I have experienced - a force of mystery and power beyond my understanding.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"I believe in God - but cannot define or limit God with words. I see myself as a follower of the teachings of Jesus but not limited to the teachings of Jesus, nor bound by Bible passages. I believe that our best human decisions and actions are those guided by love and that use of our Quaker process is a way for us to journey in love. \"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"Inspired by Albert Schweitzer, I believe that all human striving after the best collective and individual paths to right living is contained in the idea 'reverence for life'. Deep respect for life is incompatible with war, and violence toward each other and nature. 'Reverence for life' is the necessary foundation for a compassionate and loving human community free from war and environmental degradation.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"I believe there is a spiritual world that is universal and that radiates throughout the universe to the farthest galaxy. I believe we are connected to spirit if we want to be or not. I believe we are connected to one another by way of this spirit. I believe we have direct experiences with this spiritual realm every day. I believe that when we sit in silence we can raise our awareness of how we are affected by spirit.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

\"I nurture relationships with family, friends and people I encounter along the way. I strive to live with integrity, being true to who I am. I strive to live responsibly, doing my job, responding to the needs of my community and the world. I try to take care of myself, living healthy and having fun.\"<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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