ABSTRACT
The pioneering Religious Society of Friends, or 'Quakers', was initially dedicated to living in accordance with what they called the 'Inward Light', or direct inward and individual apprehension of God, without screening or interference by set creeds, clergy, or other ecclesiastical forms. Quakers tend to be a highly literate group of organic intellectuals deliberately cognisant of their religious identity and history, but also significantly cosmopolitan in their curiosity toward other faiths and views. A Quaker meeting is not usually entirely quiet though; members are individually moved to speak, to offer fitting words to the assembled group: Friends may worship entirely without words, but usually there will be some brief spoken contributions. Quakerism is predicated on an idea of the endowed modern liberal self, indeed Quakers often describe themselves as 'Liberal Quakers', to discriminate themselves from the smaller group of 'Orthodox Quakers' who remain committed to a traditional Trinitarian God, espousing a somewhat conservative Christian theology.
