The Committee for Care For Our Youth/First Day School Committee have created a Letter To Public Schools for those students trying to uphold their Quaker Testimonies in a non-Quaker environment. Any parent who wishes to send this letter to their child's school should contact the Meeting Secretary with the necessary information and the secretary would then send a letter to the school administrator and homeroom teacher. For other Meetings, or Pacifist groups, you may use this for your own.
The following is letter was approved at the 10/05/08 Business Meeting:
Dear Principal and Teacher:
We are writing this letter on behalf of __________________ , a student enrolled in your school.
_____________ is a member/regular attender of Medford Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, in Medford, NJ.
We would like to inform you, that as a Quaker, _____________ may not wish to participate in standing for, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, salute the flag, sing songs that glorify war, or any activities that may go against his/her conscience as a Member of the Society of Friends. We do not instruct our young Members to act in certain ways, rather we support the decisions that each Member feels led to make based on our historic Testimonies of Peace. Simplicity, Equality, Integrity and Stewardship.
If you would like more information about Quaker practices, and the Religious Society of Friends, please contact us through our Meeting address or visit www.medfordfriendsmeeting.org. We would be happy to assist you in any way.
Respectfully,
Clerk
Medford Monthly Meeting
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Declaration to Charles II
We utterly deny all outward wars and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretense whatsoever;
this is our testimony to the whole world.... The Spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable,
so as once to command us from a thing as evil, and again to move us unto it;
and we certainly know, and testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all truth,
will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons,
neither for the Kingdom of Christ nor for the Kingdoms of this world.... Therefore, we cannot learn war any more."
George Fox, 1660
The Peace Testimony
from Faith & Practice
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Since our first allegiance is to the God of love, we must obey the laws of God rather than the law of man
when this allegiance is challenged by the demands of the state.
We support those who oppose war by performing work both as conscientious objectors
and those who resist co-operation with the military.
We hold in love, but disagree with, those of our members who feel they must join the armed forces.
We recognize that the entire military system is inconsistent with Christ's example of love.
We work toward the day when armaments and conscription will no longer be tolerated.
