approved July 27, 2002

The Religious Society of Friends of New York Yearly Meeting (Quakers) gathered the last week of July 2002 with the theme “Conflict as an Opportunity for Spiritual Growth.” We know that vengeance, war and all forms of violence inhibit such growth.

The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of peace. No one who hears this message and follows it can be led to war. The “war against terrorism” like all wars is a failure to follow this teaching.

approved April 1, 2006

The Living Spirit works in the world to give life, joy, peace and prosperity through love, integrity and compassionate justice among people. We are united in this Power. We acknowledge that paying for war violates our religious conviction. We will seek ways to witness to this religious conviction in each of our communities

Eco-Spirituality & Action Minute

Approved by New York Yearly Meeting July 27, 2007, minute # 2007-7-58.

In our 1660 peace declaration Friends declared, “We utterly deny all outward wars and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatever: this is our testimony to the whole world.” That statement is still true, but its meaning has deepened beyond what those early Quakers would have understood. Can we now commit ourselves to ending humanity’s war with the Earth?