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About the Meeting - Testimonies - Equality

The Testimonies

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The Testimony of Equality

Friends through history have been convinced of the essentialequality of humanity, and the group as a whole has gained a reputation for acting on this belief. Quakers played a prominent role in the Underground Railroad in the Civil War era, and were one of the first Christian denominations to recognize women as important religious leaders. Early Friends refused to doff their hats in the presence of nobility, or use honorifics such as "Your Majesty," because they believed that all humans were equal. Quaker men would remove their hats only for worship, to show respect for the presence of God.

Though this testimony (along with the Peace Testimony) has given rise to several instances of dramaticaction on the part of the Quaker community, it is important to note that the Friends concept of worship requires that we continuously nurture the inner life of devotion, so that we may more effectively fulfill our humanitarian obligations in our outer life of service. Friends believe that attention to the "roots" of our faith must preceed any concern for the "fruits" of activity. Throughout our history as a religious people, our humanitarian concerns have always developed as a result of the worship experience. Without an inner life of devotion, the outer life of service loses its power. Without an outer life of service, the inner life of devotion loses its meaning. Friends believe that in the religious life, we need both.

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Cincinnati Friends Meeting | 8075 Keller Rd | Cincinnati, OH 45243 | (513) 791-0788