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Light, and what thou speakest is it inwardly from God?"
This opened me so that it cut me to the heart; and then I saw clearly we were all wrong. So I sat me down in my pew again, and cried bitterly. And I cried in my spirit to the Lord, "We are all thieves, we are all thieves, we have taken the Scriptures in words and know nothing of them in ourselves." -- Margaret Fell,
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The Spirit heals, renews, uplifts, encourages, shelters. It illuminates Friends' unceasing search for Truth. We believe the Spirit calls us to answer to that of God in every person; as we do so, it unites us in a community of God.
Calling themselves "Friends of Truth" and "Publishers of Truth," early Friends used "Truth" to refer to the nature of God and God's purposes, to Christ Jesus, to something beyond themselves and not susceptible to complete comprehension. Our manner of worship reflects what we hold about Truth: It continues to reveal itself to all who listen for it tenderly in silence, in the Bible and other writings, in each other, in diverse religions, cultures, times, and disciplines.
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There is a principle which is pure, placed in
the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names. It is, however, pure
and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward,
confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from
any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity.
In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation soever, they become brethren.
John Woolman,
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Our faith unites the historic beliefs of its Christian foundation with the corporate and individual search for the experience of God for today. This faith draws us into a community that emphasizes the integration of worship and work, faith and practice,