SOCIAL JUSTICE
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Oppression in the extreme appears terrible: but oppression in the more refined appearances
remains to be oppression; and where the smallest degree
of it is cherished it grows stronger and more
extensive. To labor for a perfect redemption from
this spirit of oppression is the great business of the
whole family of Christ Jesus in this world.
--John Woolman, "A Plea for the Poor," 1763 |
The Religious Society of Friends possesses no blueprint for social order. However, our Society, since its founding, has labored for the ordering of a community life in which all may have free and full opportunity to express and develop that divine potential with which everyone is endowed.
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We should like to see a greater unity between the religious service of our meetings and the
social service of Friends, each being complementary
to the other, since they are rooted in the same life
and spirit; and to see this expressed in meeting
houses which act as centres for varied activities of the
surrounding neighbourhood.
--London Yearly Meeting, 1944 |
We can draw no clear line between religious and secular affairs. We find ways to serve God in the world. We expect each Friend to live each day in holy obedience, secure in the faith that the Light illumines all relationships. Accordingly, Friends are enjoined to have a deep concern for the welfare of the community. This involves intelligent care for the dignity and welfare