The “George Fox” song includes words that capture the essence of Fox’s peace testimony: “If we give you a pistol will you fight for the Lord? But you can’t kill the Devil with a gun or a sword.”
Trigger Warning: This article discusses the author’s personal experiences of sexual assault.
Peace is the will of God, but evil needs to be stopped by any means possible. The first time at age 15, I used peaceful means to deliver the consequences. The second time at age 26, I used violence to end violence. I believe I upheld my Quaker principles both times.
I am a convinced Quaker. I joined Old Chatham Quakers in 2009. What attracted me to the Quakers was the peace testimony. I withheld paying income tax from the Federal government since 1998 due to the concerns I had over how that money was used; by some estimates 50% is used to fund wars.
