The Quakers

This excellent book is an excellent way to learn about Quakers. Although listed as a Young Adult or Children's title, the book is more than suitable for adults who are interested in the Religious Society of Friends.We are a small, simple group of people, and the Quaker faith involves strong and unconventional spiritual beliefs (silent worship, women speaking in meeting as early as the 1600's, lack of a minister, non-dogmatic use of Scripture), mysticism, acceptance of other believers (it is not unusal to find Unitarians, Wiccas, Catholics and Buddhists in Quaker meetings), lifestyles (simplicity, most often in a non-Luddite manner), and activism (nonviolence, anti-death penalty, prison reform.) Note: Although Friends were active in the abolitionist movement, this came about only after a minority of Friends convinced the majority that slavery was an abomination.In this tastefully illustrated book, you will read about the beginnings of the movement in England, with George Fox. Follow the faith to the Americas, with information about the conflicts that divided the faith into two different groups.An absolute must for each Friend's (or those interested in learning about other Faiths, including Quakers) reading list, along with George Fox's and John Woolman's Journals, Jessamyn West's The Quaker Reader, and Robert L. Smith's A Quaker Book of Wisdom.