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testant denomination. She emphasizes the fact that despite facing opposition and mockery, Quakers remained steadfast in their beliefs. Sparks explores the impact of Quakerism on writers such as John Woolman, Lucretia Mott, Charles Brockden Brown, Herman Melville, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Walt Whitman. She also provides a historical account of the origins of European Quakerism and how Quakerism was established in the United States. 

Chapter Two Quaker Synopsis

2.1 Origin and Development of Quakerism

Quakerism, also known as the Society of Friends, is a Protestant denomination established by George Fox (1624-1691) in the England during the mid-17th century. Initially referring to themselves as “the Children of the Light”, Quakers later changed their name to the “Society of Friends”. The official name of Quakerism is the “Society of Friends”, inspired by the John Scripture. According to it, Jesus said, “greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you ... but I have called you friends” (Bible, John.15.13-15). Another name “Quakers” has a contemptuous connotation. In 1650, during a court trial, Fox warned Judge Bennet to tremble before God. Bennet laughed and sarcastically called them “Quakers” (Xu 3). Since then, this term has been used to represent Fox and his followers. Currently, both “Quakers” and “Friends” are used to refer to the members of the Quaker community. 

Quakerism emerged during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries in the England, a time when Puritans were gaining influence and believed that supreme authority in the Church belonged to God, not the Pope or the King. However, King Charles I (1625-1649) was determined to restore Catholicism’s authority in the England, leading to a period of religious persecution of both Puritans and Statists. This in turn caused the emergence of various Protestant denominations, including Quakerism, Presbyterianism, and Baptism. 

2.2 Essentials of Traditional Quakerism

Meng Wei (2004) argued in An Introduction to the Transformation of the Theoretical Model of Western Philosophy of Religion that modern times have witnessed the emergence of a powerful philosophical theoretical model, “man-life-practice-God,” based on actual lived experiences, under the influence of Heidegger’s ideas. As a result, religious belief is no longer solely dependent on human rational or irrational perceptions, but depends on one’s overall practices in life (116). In other words, religious belief serves as a guide for practice, while practice confirms and embodies religious belief, and these two aspects are interdependent and inseparable. This is equally true for Quakerism, where numerous practices and beliefs stem from the Inner Light and are not strictly compartmentalized.

Inner Light

Many Quaker beliefs and practices are deeply rooted in the belief of Inner Light, which is derived from a passage in the New Testament that states, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all... but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (Bible, John. 1. 5-7). This key belief denotes that “God resides within the inner being of every individual” (Ullmer 12). The direct experience of contact with God by Fox also substantiates this本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。