Letters - 05 December 2025
From testimonies to second wind
Testimonies
It has been good to see a discussion in the pages of the Friend about our corporate testimonies. That discussion is needed, because there is continued misunderstanding about what we mean by the term.
Quaker testimonies are not principles or beliefs which we try to live by, nor are they rules which govern our lives. They are, as Ol Rappaport says (‘Testimonies’, 24 October), the ‘fruit of an experience’. But that experience comes during the gathered Meeting, the sense of being enfolded in unity and love, the Spirit of Christ.
Our four historic testimonies, to truth, equality, peace and simplicity, all point back to that experience as their source; they represent the corporate discernment of the Society as to how, as a faith community, we seek to conduct our lives in the light of that experience. They are our publicly-declared witness statement.
They are not exclusive. Individual Friends may interpret them in a wide sense – the peace testimony, for example, could also be seen as a refusal to harm the environment.
Our peace testimony always presents us with a particular challenge, both individually and corporately. During the two world wars some Friends felt they had no choice but to serve in the armed forces. This does not invalidate the peace testimony. Its truth remains.
Quaker faith & practice 23.10 reminds us that our response to violence and injustice is, firstly, ‘to pray more deeply’ – to discern what is possible for us and how to respond, holding all in the Light.
Peter D Leeming
Quaker Socialist Society
The Quaker Socialist Society (QSS) recently held an online meeting about ‘What does Quaker Socialism mean to me?’ Three Friends – Christine Green, Ruth Kettle-Frisby and Chris Newsam – spoke about their views and experiences, and then there was a general discussion among the forty people who attended.
Readers may be interested to see a report of the meeting on the QSS website (www.quakersocialists.org.uk). The website also has records of the annual QSS Salter lectures given during Yearly Meeting.
Priscilla Alderson
QSS Committee
