How Quakers define “truth”

“Quakers in Britain today regard truth as indissolubly bound up with integrity. ‘Truth’ is not – or not only – about accuracy and verifiability, but about how we lead our lives. It is the kind of truth alluded to by Jesus in his enigmatic statement ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’; it is an inner truth, a guide, putting us in touch with our higher selves. 

At the core of Quakerism we experience a sense of oneness, wonder and mystery. That universal sense provides the basis for the cooperation so urgently needed. So we seek kinder ground: the ground of tolerance, respect, mutual cooperation and shared ethical and spiritual values, where oppression can be addressed and reconciliation sought between those of opposing views.”

— Jan Arriens, 2023
Quaker diplomat and activist

Today’s Invitation

Seek kinder ground through the Quaker sense of oneness, wonder, and mystery.

This Week’s Query

How does our modern world influence your relationship with the truth?

What spiritual concerns do fake news, AI, and social media bring up for you? How do you deal with these concerns?

Share your response!

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Banner art by Sophie Wood Brinker

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Author

  • Jan Arriens spent the first 10 years of his professional life as an Australian diplomat, later setting up a translation business in the UK. Jan became a Quaker in the mid-1980s. In 1988 he founded the charity LifeLines, whose members correspond with prisoners on death row in the US. He has been a Quaker prison chaplain, and has been a member of the Quaker International Conciliation Group for the past 15 years.

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