Friends
FRIENDS
Society of.
See QUAKERS.
Fuente: Theological Dictionary
Friends
A group of religious bodies, including: the Orthodox Society of Friends; the Hicksite Society of Friends, dissenters under the leadership of Elias Hicks; the Wilburite Orthodox Conservative Friends, separatists under the leadership of John Wilbur; and the Religious Society of Friends of Philadelphia who seceded from the Wilburites. The religious movement known as the Society of Friends (Orthodox), and commonly called Quakers, and also Children of Truth, Children of Light, Friends of Truth, began in England about the middle of the 17th century under the direction of George Fox. The Quakers suffered persecution in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Connecticut, but were cordially received, in Rhode Island. The first meeting-house was established, 1756 . Although the first attitude of the Friends was to treat slavery with toleration, many dissensions arose and finally in 1776 slaveholders were to be ‘disowned’ if they refused to manumit their slaves. They were subject to much suffering during the Revolution since they took no part in the war because of their religion. A small body of Friends actively supported the Revolution, and were disowned or seceded. They were known as the Free or Fighting Quakers, but after the war they disappeared, and the Friends loyally supported the new government. Although the doctrine of the Orthodox Friends agrees in essential points with that of the Christian Church, they differ in the manner of worship and appointment of ministers; attach great importance to the immediate personal teaching of the Holy Spirit, or Light Within, or Inner Light; have no outward ordinances, including Baptism and the Supper, on the ground that they are not essential, were not commanded by Christ, and, moreover, tend to draw the soul away from the essential to the non-essential and formal; and teach the doctrine of peace and nonresistance, in accordance with which no Friend can fight or directly support war. Monthly, quarterly, and yearly meetings, purely business organizations, are held, and woman is absolutely equal with man in Friends’ polity. They publish four periodicals. Foreign missionary work is carried on in Syria, India, China , Japan, British East Africa, Mexico , Guatemala, Cuba , Jamaica, and Alaska.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
Friends
Jesus calls His disciples friends
Joh 15:14-15
False friends, instances of:
– Pharaoh’s butler false to Joseph
Gen 40:23
– Delilah to Samson
Jud 16:1-20
– The Ephraimite’s wife
Jdg 19:1-2
– David to Joab
1Ki 2:5-6
– David to Uriah
2Sa 11
– Ahithophel to David
2Sa 15:12
– David’s friends to David
Psa 35:11-16; Psa 41:9; Psa 55:12-14; Psa 55:20-21; Psa 88:8; Psa 88:18
– Judas
Mat 26:48-49
– Disciples
Mat 26:56; Mat 26:58 Hypocrisy
Fuente: Nave’s Topical Bible
Friends
or QUAKERS, a religious society which began to be distinguished about the middle of the seventeenth century. Their doctrines were first promulgated in England, by George Fox, about the year 1647; for which he was imprisoned at Nottingham, in the year 1649, and the year following at Derby. Fox evidently considered himself as acting under a divine commission, and went, not only to fairs and markets, but into courts of justice and steeple houses, as he called the churches, warning all to obey the Holy Spirit, speaking by him. It is said, that the appellation of Quakers was given them in reproach by one of the magistrates, who, in 1650, committed Fox to prison, on account of his bidding him, and those about him, to quake at the word of the Lord. But they adopted among themselves, and still retain, the kind appellation of Friends.
From their first appearance, they suffered much persecution. In New- England they were treated with peculiar severity, imprisoned, scourged, (women as well as men,) and at Boston four of them were even hanged, among whom was one woman; and this was the more extraordinary and inexcusable, as the settlers themselves had but lately fled from persecution in the parent country! During these sufferings, they applied to King Charles II, for relief; who, in 1661, granted a mandamus, to put a stop to them. Neither were the good offices of this prince in their favour confined to the colonies; for, in 1672, he released, under the great seal, four hundred of these suffering people who were imprisoned in Great Britain. To what has been alleged against them, on account of James Naylor and his associates, they answer, that their extravagancies and blasphemies were disapproved at the time, and the parties disowned; nor was Naylor restored till he had given signs of a sincere repentance, and publicly condemned his errors.
In 1681, Charles II, granted to W. Penn the province of Pennsylvania. Penn’s treaty with the Indians, and the liberty of conscience which he granted to all denominations, even those which had persecuted his own, do honour to his memory. In the reign of James II, the Friends, in common with other English Dissenters, were relieved by the suspension of the penal laws. But it was not till the reign of William and Mary that they obtained any thing like a proper legal protection. An act was passed in the year 1696, which, with a few exceptions, allowed to their affirmation the legal force of an oath, and provided a less oppressive mode for recovering tithes under a certain amount; which provisions, under the reign of George I, were made perpetual. For refusing to pay tithes, &c, however, they are still liable to suffer in the exchequer and ecclesiastical court, both in Great Britain and Ireland.
The true Friends are orthodox, as to the leading doctrines of Christianity, but express themselves in peculiar phrases. They hold special revelations of the Holy Spirit, yet not to the disparagement of the written word, which they regard as the infallible rule of faith and practice. They reject a salaried ministry, and interpret the sacraments mystically. They are advocates of the interior spiritual life of religion, to which, indeed, they have borne constant testimony; and they are distinguished by probity, philanthropy, and a public spirit. [In the United States, the Friends are divided into the Orthodox, (so called,) and Hicksites, or followers of the late Elias Hicks. The latter are considered as having departed from the original doctrines of the Friends, and very far from the leading doctrines of Christianity, as held by Protestant Christians in general.]