The Society of Friends (Quakers) of Chattanooga

The Society of Friends (Quakers) - Chattanooga

Members: Ezza Zahid & Kiara Baker

History and Origins

The Quaker religion began in the 17th century when Englishman George Fox started to go against formalized religion and rather advocate direction by one's own "inner light." The idea of formal religions was one that the Quakers religion decided to explore and adapt to the idea of being. Fox founded the Society of Friends that encompassed the ideas of "inner light." The central belief of the religion came to be "everyone had the Light of Christ within them." The interest in wanting to reshape religions, politics, and society led to some of the key characteristics seen in the religion today:

Each single person can share and possess inner light, the voice of God, without having to follow a priest, or the Bible.
This means that there are no strict set of rules that are followed but rather "there is that of God in everyone."

When the religion came to North America it was in the mid-1650s by Elizabeth Harris. Others followed in her steps. Migrating throughout the nation, the colonies faced persecution in many Puritan- dominated regions. During the 1650s- 1660s, Quakers faced execution in high numbers. However, in 1681, William Penn was gifted land in North America from King Charles II, which Penn used to find a sanctuary for religious freedom in Pennsylvania. From then, high numbers of Quakers moved to Pennsylvania from Britain and allowed for the Quaker religion to spread in North America.

The word "Quaker" origin has two different explanations. One is that many of the early participants were extremely evolved emotionally. Whenever they stood up to give their testimonies, they would shake. Therefore, they were called quakers as an insult. Another reason given is that members were usually arrested for being rebels of the Church of England. One of these leaders was told by a judge to take off his hat as a sign of respect. In refusal the member made the statement "I only Quake before God."

Worship

The term "meeting" is used in several different ways to describe aspects of their faith. A weekly meeting of worship is unprogrammed. An unprogrammed meeting is a time of silence where each individual's Inner Light is used as a guide to the Divine Voice. During the meeting for worship, one may feel compelled to break the silence and speak about a deep need of those who are gathered together.

A group of Friends who make up the congregation is also referred to as a Meeting. Lastly, the society's Monthly Meeting is also just termed as a Meeting.

First Day School is a type of Sunday school. It was named this because they believe Sunday to be the first day of the week and early Quakers referred to the days as First through the Seventh day. First Day School is a time for the children of the Meeting to learn about Quaker teachings usually in a separate room from the Meeting of Worship.

Monthly Meetings, Meetings for Worship, Meetings for Business, and all other forms of meetings take place in a meeting house. The houses stress the concept of simplicity just like in their worship.

Quakers use the meeting system created by George Fox. Decisions are made during Meetings for Business, Monthly Meeting, and Yearly Meeting, and other meetings by a sense of unity and agreeance called the "sense of the meeting."

Simplicity- to be able to focus on the more meaningful life experiences
Peace- living in a manner to avoid war and to work for justice
Integrity- making sure to present the same sides of one in both public and private
Community- to support and share the spiritual path
Equality- treating all people as equal

Core Beliefs and Ethics

There are 5 basic testimonies that the Chattanooga Friends community abides by.

Leadership and Community

Quakers do not believe in hierarchal systems in relation to worship and the congregation. However, some Meetings choose people to act as clergy to lead meetings (for business or other types). Since Quakers believe that anyone has the ability to minister and obtain Inner Light, they also believe that anyone can be fit to be clergy if they feel compelled to lead.

The Society of Friends is a very liberal and inviting faith. They welcome all races, genders, sexualities, and ages. They have encouraged and supported women in to participate in ministry since as early as the 1600s. Friends believe in treating everyone as equals and supporting its members in their spiritual paths.

Quakers in Action

Quakers have long been known to participate in social and political movements across the world by practicing their expression of the peace and equality testimonies. They have been labeled "quiet revolutionaries" due to their firm but nonviolent methods of resisting things such as taxes and slavery. Some of their contributions to history are mentioned below.

War tax resistance: Quakers have always resisted war. Their resistance dates all the way back to the mid-1600s by English Quakers who noted their disdain for war funding in "books of suffering." From then on, Quakers have adapted their avoidance of paying war taxes all the way across the pond to America. In the mid-1700s, Pennsylvania Quakers began a strong resistance against war taxes which spilled over into the period of the American Revolution in 1776, reaching a broader range of meetings. Many adopted a firm policy against paying war taxes in their meetings in England and America. The resistance lost momentum in the nineteenth century but found its way back in America during the mid 1950s during World War II. War tax resistance is still practiced by some Quakers today but is not nearly as widespread as it was during the height of its movement.

Civil War and Slavery Resistance (USA): Upholding the equality testimony, Friends were and are currently heavily involved in campaigns and movements against racism. Dating as far the 17th century, Friends were found playing an integral role in the Underground Railroad which helped enslaved people escape slavery. In the late 18th century, Quakers also petitioned the U.S. Congress for the abolition of slavery during their campaign to end the practice. Even today, you can find Quakers involved in movements supporting the equality of black and brown lives across the world.

Equality of Women (USA): Quakers were ahead of the game when it came to fighting for equal rights of all people, especially for women. Once of the earliest suffragettes was a Quaker named Lucretia Mott, who helped orchestrate the first American Women's Rights meeting at Seneca Falls. She was also a strong abolitionist who advocated for more spaces involving women abolitionist. Another noteworthy Quaker involved in the suffragist movement was Susan B. Anthony, who is mostly known for founding the Equal Rights Association in 1866. Even before the women's equal rights movement, however, Quakers have long accepted and encouraged the involvement of women in their meetings.

Chattanooga Friends

Chattanooga Friends Meeting is an extension of the Society of Friends (Quakers). They are a part of the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association which is associated with the Friends General Conference. The Chattanooga Friends have been at their meetinghouse over 40 years ago and have built a strong, impactful community since then - bringing together Friends from all over the Greater Chattanooga area.

Since the establishment of this meeting, they have made sure to contribute to the surrounding community as much as they can by hosting neighborhood yard sales, luncheons, and representing at the Brainerd community association meetings.

This meeting is quite inclusive, taking the central value of equality very seriously, and supports members of all communities such as those who are LGBTQIA+. For example, the clerk of this meeting is also the Yearly Meeting's representative to the FLGCBTQC (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Concerns) which is a national Quaker group that champions for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Quakers. The meeting can always be spotted tabling at the city's Pride festival and participating in the Strides of March. They are also very outspoken about Black Lives Matter and other movements that support racial equality.

Friends in the Community

The Chattanooga Quakers make sure to participate and pour into the community as much as they can. This meeting makes sure to dedicate 10% of their income to local and national charities and groups.

They donate money, time, and supplies to Orchard Knob Elementary school as well as a group called Community Control Now, which petitioned for a Chattanooga Police department community oversight board.

Interviewees:

Kate Anthony: Chattanooga Friends Community Clerk
Vonna Stratton: Member of Chattanooga Friends Community
Diane McCluskey: Treasurer of Chattanooga Friends Community

Interview Questions:

How did COVID impact your personal faith? Does it still impact your faith and worship today? How has it affected your community of a larger scale?

Covid has been very hard on the community. Although the Friends have kept their doors open the whole time, the Zoom broadcast was heavily relied on. Early on they only had 2-3 individuals attend in person, while there may have been 12-13 members on zoom. Now there seems to be a reverse; there are usually 12-13 members attending in person while there are 1-2 members on zoom. However, they are still not back to were they were in terms of attendance and energy. Currently, the community especially lacks attendance from children. In the big picture, it has not impacted the personal faith for many. However, with the lower numbers and lack of energy it may feel that the workload is not shared evenly and sometimes leads to questioning if the work is truly worth doing. Many of the members were attracted to Quakerism due to the community itself. With the loss of interest from much of the community, it has been a heavier loss. However, the beliefs of the majority still stay strong as see this as another hurdle to simply get across.

What has been your biggest struggle, aside from COVID, that your meeting has faced practicing in Chattanooga?

Chattanooga is a very conservative community and sometimes the community views the Friends community as peculiar and radical people. In addition they also have low numbers of members that attend the meeting. Therefore, the lack of community is a constant struggle.

How has your meeting integrated into Chattanooga? Do you feel like you can comfortably contribute to this city?

A little bit less due to the pandemic. There used to be a neighborhood association present that the Quakers had representatives attend. However, with the pandemic they lost touch. Pre-pandemic the Quakers had many events for the community. They did community yard sales and community lunches. They hope to do these events again. The Chattanooga Friends give 10% of our income to local charitable groups along with time and supplies to local community such as Orchard Knob.

4. How has Chattanooga friends impacted some of Chattanooga’s social issues (i.e. local politics, injustices, LGBT+, BIPOC, etc.)

The Chattanooga Friends community has representation at the FLGBTQ National Quaker group (Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer Concerns) along with representation at the Pride Festival, the Strides of March. There are members of the meeting that are active in HIV/AIDS prevention and causes as well. Even though they are a small group, they have had a very outsized impact on the community.

5. What are some long-standing historical practices that you have had to adapt/adjust to the changing conditions caused by the pandemic?

The community does not shake hands anymore. The practice to sit together in silence has been hard for some due to the fast pace life of many Americans today.

6. How do you keep the meetings engaging/impactful over Zoom?

Although it is a challenge, Zoom has definitely provided a convenience factor. Especially for committee meetings, Zoom has allowed many connections to continue. However, worship sessions through zoom are not ideal due to the lack of community. Meeting together is seen as a big part of making the meetings influential, meaningful, and spiritual. However, the zoom option is believed to stay and has been improved by incorporating technological changes such as utilizing a non-directional microphone and bigger screens. The goal is to make Zoom as accessible for people as possible.

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