Statement from Poughkeepsie Friends Meeting

We, the members of The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Poughkeepsie, New York, share with all Americans, and people everywhere, shock, horror, and profound sadness following the events of September 11. Like many, we turn to God and to each other for answers and for solace.

For 341 years Quakers have witnessed against violence and the use of outward weapons as contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Violence begets violence. And so we ask once again: How can we respond to violence in ways that do not participate in and give another turn to the cycle of violence?

No force or power but Divine love and light can dispel the darkness of evil. We will look for answers not in vengeance but in searching our hearts deeply. We must ask what daring, courageous, even sacrificial things can we do to remove the causes of violence. We believe that there is a divine seed in all people and so our prayers are for all people.

Approved by Poughkeepsie Monthly Meeting of Friends, September 23, 2001