Birth of the Quakers
Quakers is the popular name for the members of the Religious Society of Friends. The Society owes its origins to the political and religious turmoil experienced in England in the middle of the 1600s. In 1642, England was engulfed in Civil War, which resulted in the execution of Charles I in 1649. As a result of the breakdown of authority, radical ideas found fertile ground at all levels of society. It was a period of great religious fervour when men sought to redefine their religion and society. Among the radical groups that emerged were the Quakers. The movement was founded by George Fox around 1647. The word 'Quaker' was original coined as an insult to George Fox, who told as English judge to "tremble at the word of the Lord." The judge retaliated by calling Fox a 'quaker.' In the 1650s, it gained numerous converts among farmers and craftsmen in both rural and urban areas. It has been established that by 1660 the movement had between 30,000 and 40,000 members in England.
The central belief of the Quakers is the concept of the 'Inner Light.' The Inner Light represents the spirit of Jesus Christ. It is obtainable to anyone who seeks it directly form God without the need for an intermediary. As a result, the Quakers were originally known as the 'Children of Light' and later as the 'Friends of Truth.' It was the implications of this belief, which made the Quakers such a different and radical group. One of the consequences of their belief in a direct line of communication between God and man was their rejection of intermediaries like priests of ministers, as interpreters of the will of God. Hence, their refusal to pay tithes which were used for the upkeep of Church of Ireland ministers. It also led to the rejection of all sacraments. Since the spirit was available to all, the early Quakers denounced the idea of social classes. They refused to acknowledge rank or distinction, for example, by not taking off their hats or bowing As a sign of respect. They had no central dogma thus they emphasised personal responsibility of behaviour and personal interpretation of the scripture.
The radicalism of the early Quakers struck fear into the hearts of their contemporaries. Their ideas seemed to represent a challenge to the social order of the day. Henry Cromwell had the army in Ireland purged the Quakers because they feared that they were undermining the discipline of the regiments. Quaker pamphlets were seized and burned in Ireland. Quaker preachers from England were arrested and banished from the country. Many Quakers were arrested. This marked the start of a large scale persecution of Quakers in Ireland. In 1659, there was widespread fear that the Quakers would overthrow the government. This was of the factors that lead to the restoration of Charles II in 1660.
In the years that followed 1660 the threat of a Quaker rising disappeared as the early evangelical Quakers were gradually replaced by a self-censored and self-disciplined society. One reason for this change is that the period after 1660, known as the Restoration Period, witnessed a rejection of most of the radical ideas that been propagated during the 1640s and 1650s. Most of the people wanted a return to an older and more conservative way of life, centred on the King as the head of both the country and the church. Many of the most radical Quaker figures were dead by 1670, leaving a more conservative leadership. In Ireland William Edmundson and George Fox introduced a hierarchical meeting structure to control and administer, the society of Friends. A standard set of guidelines was introduced to regulate the behaviour of members. 'Plainness in speech, behaviour and appeal' was a phrase, which came to be used as the standard by which the behaviour of a Quaker, was judged. The Quakers came under the influence of Quietism. Quietism was a form of religious mysticism which originated in Spain in the late 17th century, It required the withdrawal of the spirit from all human effort and complete passivity to God's will.
The Quakers went on to gain a major reputation as reformers. They came to oppose slavery and warfare. They were involved in prison reform and attempts to abolish the death penalty. Quaker schools were rated highly for the quality of their education. In Ireland the Friends became famous for their work in famine relief particularly during the Great famine of the 1840s. They were also a major force behind the temperance movements of the nineteenth century. Unlike others, many Quaker families stayed in business rather than becoming landed gentry. Despite their commercial success, Quakers tended to remain somewhat distant form the upper classes.
