The Religious Society of Friends was founded in the 1650s in England by George Fox, who called for a radical, egalitarian, Spirit-filled form of Christianity that did not oppress people based upon sex, race, class, or any other characteristic. Others made fun of the early Friends for “trembling and quaking in the presence of God,” but Friends proudly adopted the teasing name and are now referred to as Quakers or Friends.
Since then, Friends have spread around the world, evolving into branches with a variety of beliefs. Today, some Quakers identify as Christian, but others do not. Some are Buddhist. Still others are non-theistic Quakers. However, most believe there is “that of God” or an “Inner Light” in every person. We believe this essential energy or force is Spirit, and that each of us can connect directly with Spirit within ourselves and others.
While other religions look to a sacred text for guidance (such as Protestants and Muslims) or consider a person or group of people to be the religion’s authority (such as the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox religions), Quakers look to their direct experience of God to guide them. Quakers also believe in continuing revelation, which means that God continues to speak to us and reveal new truths.
We believe that the way we live our lives is more important than what we say we believe. We consider many historical and modern texts to be sacred. We have no liturgy, no sacraments, no symbols. We have no creed but do live our lives according to these testimonies:
We continually question ourselves about how we live into our faith by considering queries on different topics each month. Eno Friends Meeting’s Monthly Queries and Advices are shown here.
In September 2025, Eno Friends adopted "Not Normal Tuesdays" to support the position that authoritarianism is not normal. For details, see Not Normal Tuesdays.
More information is offered here:
History of Quakerism and Eno Friends Meeting of Hillsborough
AS WAY OPENS - Suggests that circumstances will eventually be favorable to a “way” aligned with Spirit.
ADVICES - Ideals stated as a continuing reminder of the basic faith and principles held to be essential to the life and witness of Friends. Friends have found it useful regularly to remind each other of their nature through the periodic reading and discussion of advices along with related queries.
BUNDLES – Our Spirit-led tasks and responsibilities. Our portion of concern for world that Spirit has “laid on us.” The term comes from “Testament of Devotion” by Thomas Kelly.
CENTER DOWN - A process by which we quiet our minds and open our hearts so we may hear or sense the Spirit directly.
CLEARNESS - A condition in which there are no perceived obstacles to a proposed course of action by an individual or meeting.
CLEARNESS COMMITTEE - Those appointed by a monthly meeting to help persons be clear about their leadings to take a particular action, including membership. Any Friend facing a personal dilemma may ask the meeting for a clearness committee to help view the situation more objectively.
CONCERN - A deep interest, whether by an individual or a meeting, in some spiritual or social matter. An interest so deep and vigorous that often it must be expressed in action.
CONTINUING REVELATION - The belief that God still speaks to persons directly.
CONVENER - Member of a committee or working group, whom the meeting asks to call together for meetings.
CONVINCED FRIEND - A person who becomes a Friend as a result of being led to this decision by the Inward Light, often after careful study, thought, and seeking. Contrast this to a BIRTHRIGHT FRIEND who was born to Quaker parents and became a Quaker at birth.
CORPORATE- A term which refers to the united group of people (often called “the body”) of a Friends' meeting. While the Spirit may speak differently to different individuals, corporate discernment provides a clear perception of divine guidance for the community.
DISCERNMENT - The process of determining whether a decision, direction, or leading comes from the Spirit, and for gaining greater clarity about its full character and import for a Friend or a meeting.
ELDERING- An offering of advice to a Friend, often related to the Friend’s spiritual gifts or relationship to meeting.
FIRST DAY/MONTH (Second Day/Month, et al.) - Early Quakers objected to the naming of days and months after heathen gods; therefore, they used this numbering system to identify the date. Sunday is First Day.
GATHERED MEETING - A meeting for worship or business in which the participants feel the power and inspiration of God so strongly that they are united in silence that is often a reward of "waiting upon the Lord." Also called a covered meeting.
GOOD ORDER - The procedures, found through Friends' experience, that facilitate our business and committee meetings as we seek to find and carry out God's will.
HOLD IN THE LIGHT - To ask for God's presence to illumine a person, situation, or problem, whether in concern or thanksgiving.
INWARD LIGHT - This refers to the power and inspiration of God coming inwardly to us to show us our true motivations, guide us, lead us, and give us strength to act on this guidance – thus bringing us into unity with the Spirit.
LABOR WITH - An effort by one or more Friends to help another struggle with a concern or difficulty and come through to a resolution.
LAY DOWN - To terminate a committee or concern when its work is completed or no longer felt necessary.
LEADING - An inner conviction that impels one to follow a certain course under a sense of divine guidance. A Friend may submit a leading to the meeting for testing by corporate wisdom.
LET YOUR LIVES SPEAK - The core idea behind Quaker faith and practice is that living is more important than doctrine, that our lives express our central commitments and faith.
LISTENING IN TONGUES - Listening with the heart, not the rational mind, with the understanding that language is an imperfect tool to express deeper truth.
MEETING FOR WORSHIP - The term is used to refer to Quaker worship, rather than “service.” Most Quakers talk of “going to meeting” rather than going to church.
MINUTE - A statement of an item of business approved by those in attendance at a given meeting for worship with attention to business.
MONTHLY MEETING - The name for a Quaker community which holds regular meetings for worship and monthly meetings for business. The monthly meeting oversees membership and marriages. Generally, the monthly meeting is considered the foundation of Quaker life.
QUERIES - The queries are a set of open-ended questions that Friends use to examine both the individual life and the life of the meeting.
SEASONING - A process to ensure that decisions are truly grounded in God's will. Seasoning usually requires taking extra time to hold a decision in prayer to make sure that it stands the test of time. Note: The continued use of this term is a concern because of its use in slavery.
SENSE OF THE MEETING - A perception of Truth that emerges from the corporate business process as Friends seek unity. After full consideration of a matter and allowing for the development of new insights and wisdom with God's leading, if the clerk feels that a decision has been reached, she/he states the sense of the meeting as a minute for the meeting's approval. No vote is taken. Unity is sought, but if it is not attained to a reasonable degree, the clerk can hold the item over for reconsideration at a later time. The clerk must decide on the degree of unity required, basing that judgement on the importance of the subject and the experience and wisdom of those who speak to it.
SPEAK TO ONE'S CONDITION - The experience of receiving a message directly from God or through another person, that touches one at a deep level, helps one solve a problem, or make a right decision.
SPICES - The Quaker testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship & Service.
STANDING ASIDE - The withdrawal of opposition by a member not able to unite with a proposed minute, thus freeing the meeting to proceed.
SPIRITUAL CONDITION - An annual report that describes the condition of the monthly meeting to the yearly meeting. The yearly meeting summarizes these reports into an annual State of the Meeting Report.
TESTIMONIES - Collectively, "testimonies" are public statements about how we choose to live based on our collective experience of revelation in meeting for worship. Individually, Friends believe that we are to "let our lives speak" as testimonies to Truth, that we are to bear witness with our lives to the truths revealed inwardly to us about how we should live, how we should minister to the suffering of others, and how we should strive to bring God's love, peace, and justice to the world.
THAT OF GOD IN EVERYONE - Generally refers to the concept that we are all of equal worth because we all have “that of God” in us.
THIS/THAT FRIEND SPEAKS MY MIND - A phrase Friends use in meetings for business to express that they agree with what a person just said. This phrase is used so people can express that they agree with an opinion without having to restate what has already been said.
UNITY - A shared perception in a business meeting that a minute arrived at through corporate worship is Friends' best understanding of God's will for them. It implies that everyone will take part in or support the concern under consideration.
UNPROGRAMMED MEETING - A meeting for worship which has no pre-determined order of service. The gathered Friends sit in silence, waiting upon God and "leadings of the Spirit" which may give rise to vocal messages to share with the meeting. Some meetings for worship can pass without any vocal message and still be occasions of great inspiration.
WEIGHTY FRIEND - A Friend who is informally recognized as having special experience and wisdom.
WITNESS - To testify to or take action based on religious conviction, often at some personal cost.
WORLDLY - Having to do with secular values.
WORSHIP SHARING - Friends gathered in small groups in a spirit of worship to share what rises up for them in the silence. Worship Sharing groups often meet to consider a set of prepared queries, offering the gathered Friends an opportunity to begin discernment on some concern and to get to know each other better. Unlike in open, waiting worship, all participants in a Worship Sharing group are encouraged to speak, though no one is required to.
YEARLY MEETING - A collection of monthly and regional/quarterly meetings that organize together to share witness and resources. The yearly meeting generally meets at least once a year to conduct business.