Chicks Dig Jerks!: March 2007

Quaker Smarty-Pants
You scored 97 in QuakerKnowledge!

You are either a Quaker, you know one personally, or you're just a good guesser. Either way, give yourself a pat on the back - you deserve it.

I don't need to tell you that the answer to the "Who is not a Quaker" question was "John Lennon," since you probably already knew that.

To learn even more about the Quakers, check 'em out on Wikipedia:

Wikipedia's Quakerism Entry

And, if you have any suggestions for more questions for this test, send them my way.

Thanks for taking the Quaker Knowledge Test!

Not that you need most of them, but here are the official answers (feel free to debate me on my scoring - I'm always hoping to improve the test):

1. Who is the founder of Quakerism?
George Fox – there is little debate that George Fox (July 1624 – January 13, 1691) was the founder of Quakerism, or at least a major figure in the beginning.

2. Are quakers historically good at making oatmeal?
It depends on the Quaker – this is a question that refers to similar questions that Quakers get asked all the time implying a link to the company Quaker Oats, which, rumor has it, took the image and name of Quakers because they were known to be fair and trustworthy business people. There is no association with real Quakers. The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia.org’s entry on Quaker Oats:

“Quaker Oats has no connection to the Religious Society of Friends also known as the Quakers. The company chose its name because Quakers are reputed for honesty in their dealings. The antiquated image used by Quaker Oats looks nothing like a modern Quaker as that form of dress has been abandoned by the religious movement for quite some time.

Many members of the Religious Society of Friends do not approve of the name usage by the company as the company was not founded by Quakers and does not follow the same codes of behavior Quakers follow. They believe the company's use of their name is dishonest behavior and, at best, causes public confusion, even to the point that many people assume they are similar to the Amish in their customs and beliefs.”

3. Quakers generally worship in...
Meeting Houses – Quakerism was founded with the belief that god could communicate with people wherever they were, and people did not need a special place to hear god within themselves. Many “meetings for worship” were held in open fields or in nature. Quaker meeting houses bear little resemblance to churches – they are simple and without religious adornments.

4. You can tell if a person is a Quaker just by looking at them because...
They cannot necessarily be identified from the outside because they dress just like anyone else – See above question about Quaker Oats for a possible reason why people still believe that Quakers dress like the Amish. In fact, Quakers became known for dressing in black and white and grey because they were protesting the vanity of fashion and were maintaining simplicity according to their interpretation of Jesus’ teachings in that regard. Most Quakers do not dress like this any more, but some Quakers make an effort to avoid clothes made in sweatshops.

5. Quakers believe in...
God
Jesus Christ
The Inner Light
Who knows? It could be all three – I gave this the top score of the four because there is significant diversity within Quakerism about what they believe, even some who identify as both Quaker and Atheist.

6. Quakers are allowed to use electricity...
Any time they want – Again, this addresses a popular confusion relating to the Amish.

7. Did a Quaker start the company Quaker Oats?
No – Not to put to fine a point on it, but most people who don’t know a Quaker personally think they are similar to the Amish because of this company, which, as stated above, was not started by anyone associated with the Religious Society of Friends. (Side note: Cadbury’s Chocolate Company was founded by Quakers).

8. The Quaker testimonies are...
Ever evolving general statements of belief
Peace, Equality, Honesty, Simplicity
Both the previous two answers – I gave this answer top scoring. There are variations on the four mentioned, but they seem to be the main and mostly consistent Quaker testimonies.

9. Unprogrammed Quaker worship is...
A group of Quakers sitting around in silence until they are moved to speak out from it – Ideally, Quakers are supposed to wait in silence, listening to “that of God” or the “Inner Light” within themselves, and only speak out of the silence if there is something the spirit wants them to say. In practice, Quakers are not always speaking from such a deep place within themselves, but the ideal is there.

10. Who from this list is not a Quaker?
John Lennon – Musician – though Lennon’s ideas about and promotion of peace is consistent with Quaker testimonies and general consensus about peace, Lennon was never a Quaker. Richard Nixon, however was raised as an Evangelical Quaker, which is pretty far removed from the kind of Quaker I am talking about in this test (i.e. Unprogrammed Friends).

11. The official full name for Quakers is...
The Religious Society of Friends – “Quaker” was a term that a judge used to mock George Fox and his followers before Fox was imprisoned for Blasphemy in 1650. Fox had said “tremble at the word of the Lord.”

12. According to Quaker beliefs...
There is "that of god in everyone." – this is a pretty fundamental belief for most Quakers, and the root of their emphasis on fair treatment, honesty, non-violence and respect for all people.

13. A Quaker who commands a lot of respect among other Quakers is called...
A Weighty Friend – I’m not sure of the origin of this, but it is still in use to this day.

14. Quaker decision-making process is...
Inclusive Consensus – Quaker business meetings are essentially consensus based with the belief that all those who are to be affected by a decision should be allowed to be a part of making that decision. Business decisions are supposed to be “spirit-led”, and usually there is an attempt to have significant stretches of silence to help people in the meeting get in touch with the Inner Light to help guide them while making decisions.

15. Quakers have been controversial in the past because...
Some of them have conducted same-sex marriages
They were involved in the Underground Railroad to help free the slaves
They did not follow the social rules of addressing people (Sir, Your Honor, etc)
All of the above – this was given the top score out of the four, but these are only a sampling of some controversial Quaker events. Quakers tend to be very motivated by social conscience and thus have been involved in many struggles to end oppression or war.

16. Quakers have a tradition called...
Ramspringa
Ordnung
Shunning
None of the above – the above are all Amish-related.

17. Quakers are allowed to eat pork...
If they feel like it – there is no inherent rule about what one can and cannot eat as a Quaker.

18. It has been said that Quakers were the inventors of...
The penitentiary
Price tags
Both the first two answers – Price tags were supposedly invented by Quaker business owners. At the time the practice was to barter for what you wanted from the store, but Quakers believed in fair business practices, which meant having the same price no matter who you were. The Penitentiary was part of Quaker prison reform, and was actually a step up from the conditions of the prisons of the time, making an emphasis on rehabilitation instead of capital punishment.

19. A Quaker marriage ceremony involves...
People speak out of a silence about the people who are getting married – They usually also include all the people present at the wedding ceremony signing a certificate.

20. Now a hard bonus question: Quakerism began in...
The mid-1600s – the exact date isn’t really known, but it’s somewhere in there, and certainly not any of the other three choices.