Over many generations Quakers have discovered that listening to God reveals core values on how we live and act. These values, also known as testimonies, are based on the fundamental belief that there is 'that of God in every person' - that all human beings are equal, and that all life is interconnected.
Some often important testimonies (values) that we as individuals and a community strive to realize:
Simplicity - focusing on what is truly important and letting other things fall away.
Peace - seeking justice and healing for all people; taking away the causes of war in the ways we live.
Integrity - living as whole people who act on what we believe, tell the truth, and do what we say we will do.
Community - supporting one another in our faith journeys and in times of joy and sorrow; sharing with and caring for each other.
Equality - treating everyone, everywhere, as equally precious to God recognizing that everyone has gifts to share.
Stewardship - valuing and respecting all of God's creation; using only our fair share of the earth's resources; working for policies that protect the planet.
Justice - Equality among human beings in the sight of God is important and necessary, but it is not sufficient. Realization of equality involves such matters as independence and control of one’s own life. Therefore Friends aid the nonviolent efforts of the exploited to attain self-determination and social, political, and economic justice, and to change attitudes & practices formerly taken for granted. Friends seek to bring to light structures, institutions, language, and thought processes which subtly support discrimination and exploitation.