The Quaker commitment to peace makes more sense than ever, even as Americans prepare for war and many approve of military action against terrorists, said Arizona members of the Religious Society of Friends who met in Prescott this weekend.
"The way to end wars is to do away with the underlying causes, not just beat the enemy. Christ has told us we're commanded to love the enemy," said David Nachman, a Tempe resident and college chemistry instructor. "When dealing with a person driven by evil desires, it might be quick and easy to respond with violence, but our aim is always the conversion of the human heart."
The centuries-old "peace testimony" describes Quakers as pacifists and conscientious objectors to war. It was the topic of the half-yearly Religious Society of Friends meeting Friday through Sunday.
"Friends are steadfast in the testimony against using violence as a way to solve problems," Nachman said.
Although the meeting's topic was planned in advance, the timing is important, said Lisa Hobson, a Tempe resident and the clerk of the meeting.
The group of 80 discussed a range of ways to help, from advising someone in the military about non-violent options to reaching out to Muslim communities in Arizona.
They want to offer aid to the families left behind by the victims and to those in Afghanistan. They don't want to condemn those who are in the military, and they say that any war protest must be peaceful.
"It's too much of a struggle to come to your own conscience. How do you respond to something that big and that grave?" said Nancy Marshall, a Phoenix resident and attorney. "People feel called to their individual conscience to do what they're going to do, and people who feel God's love are moved to nurture them and give them support, whatever that may be."
A recent Pew Research Center for the People & the Press poll shows President Bush has an 86-percent approval rating. It also shows, along with other polls, that the majority of Americans support a military effort against terrorism.
Quakers do want justice, and Nachman believes that Osama bin Laden should be brought to trial for crimes against humanity in the same way Slobodan Milosevic has.
About 93,000 Quakers live in the United States and about 340,000 worldwide, according to the Friends World Committee for Consultation, a Philadelphia-based umbrella organization for Quakers and Quaker groups. Several hundred live here.
The Religious Society of Friends began in the mid- 1600s. They are not organized hierarchically and do not have formal doctrine. The central shared belief is "that of God in each person." Quaker worship is silent until someone is led to speak by divine assistance.
National and regional Quaker groups released a joint statement on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks offering prayers for the victims and restating their stand for peace.
The statement read in part, "For centuries, Friends have opposed war and all forms of violence. Time and again we have ministered to the victims. We believe that the challenge before us all is to break the cycle of violence and retribution."