IMYM Faith & Practice, 2009, pp 47-48
When we are in accord with God and centered in ourselves, the earth, and all others, we move toward peace. True peace is obtainable only through unity in the life of the Spirit. Lasting peace requires determination, watchfulness, and ongoing work on every level—as individuals and in our families, society, nation, and world. From the earliest days of the Religious Society of Friends, its followers have testified publicly against war. In the Declaration to Charles the Second of England in 1660, Friends declared: “All bloody principles and practices, we, as to our own particulars, do utterly deny, with all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretense whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the world.”3
In all human life there exists a Light that can lay open the spirit to what is Divine, the source of our being. Because this Light is a sacred reality, and because it exists in everyone, we have embraced an abiding witness against killing, even for the sake of peace. Our peace testimony arises out of an awareness that even though it may sometimes seem hidden away, the spirit of God is alive in all of us. The source of peace is peace within.
Our testimony, which is more than simply a position of pacifism, has led us into active nonviolence, direct political actions not always acceptable to the government. We offer advice and assistance to those who for reasons of conscience refuse to register for a military draft, resist cooperation with the military, or refuse to go to war. Nevertheless, when one of us joins the armed forces, though we may disagree with the choice, we hold our Friend in love. In keeping with our belief in the sacredness of that which is divine in the human being, most of us also oppose capital punishment.
Like the early Quakers, we take issue also with “the occasions” that lead to war. No one in this country can hope to avoid completely any entanglement in the causes of war. Still, we seek to be conscious of how our investments might be involved in practices that we do not condone or how some products are made under conditions adverse to life. Many choose vocations or avocations that aim to alleviate the fear and suffering that lead to violence—either through structural change or by promoting social and economic justice, both at home and abroad. Recognizing that a percentage of our federal taxes goes toward the military, some of us practice war tax resistance. We try to be aware of how our daily choices might contribute to such “occasions.” Further, we offer spiritual and usually financial support to those who refuse to pay for war or refuse to go to war. Such actions are the fruits of our experience of the sacred reality of the Light within that guides us to the truth. We struggle to understand how our belief in the sanctity of life influences our view of such life-and-death issues as abortion, the artificial prolongation of life, and euthanasia.
Because we do not think of peace as merely the absence of war, we try in peacetime to remain aware of the great disparities in wellbeing and livelihood all over the world, these being a primary cause of violence among nations. We find it important to address and alleviate manifest injustice wherever it occurs. We believe that peace without justice is not true peace.
