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Table of Contents |
Book of Discipline of the
Ohio Valley Religious Society of Friends, 1978
Introduction |
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Friends in the American Colonies The Second Period of Quakerism Some Twentieth Century Developments History of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting Personal Life and Family Relations |
The Religious Society of Friends holds as the basis of its faith the belief that the Seed of God is in every human being. God leaves no one without witness, but gives the light of Divine truth and presence to people of all classes and races. This manifestation of God in humanity was most fully exemplified in Jesus of Nazareth. The Divine Spirit became so wholly Jesus' own that his teaching, example, and sacrificial life are inspiring revelations in humanity of the will of God. As within ourselves we become conscious of the same Spirit (the "Inner Light" or the "Christ within"), and as we submit ourselves to its leadings, we also are enabled to live in conformity to the will of our Heavenly Creator. Love, the outworking of the Divine Spirit, is the most potent influence that can be applied in the affairs of life, and this application of love to the whole of life the Society of Friends conceives to be the core of the Christian gospel. The immanence of God implies the equal worth of all members of the human family, and the capacity in all to discern spiritual truth and to hold direct communion with its Source. No mediator, rite or sacrament is a necessary condition of worship. All that is necessary is a seeking spirit on the part of the worshiper. Inspiration and guidance may be enhanced by meeting with others in worship where the vision is made clearer by the common experience of those present. Because the Society of Friends feels that which is Divine lies deeper than words, it has no formal creed. Friends have used various expressions - the Light Within, the Light or Spirit of Christ, the Word, that of God, Heavenly Father, Truth, Power, Seed and many more - in trying to describe their experience of the Divine Life. All people must prayerfully seek individual guidance and must follow their own conceptions of God's leading. They will be helped by studying the developing interpretation of God in the Bible and by pondering the life and teachings of Jesus, interpreting them in the Spirit that inspired them and which continues to reveal Truth. All those who sincerely try to follow the Inward Christ, Friends welcome to their fellowship.
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