Quakers have a lonstanding spiritual commitment to equality: the idea that everyone has something of the divine within them, and is therefore of equal worth and value.
“Are you working to bring about a just and compassionate society which allows everyone to develop their capacities and fosters the desire to serve?”
From Advices and Queries 33
Equality is therefore one of the Quaker testimonies – key spiritual commitments that Quakers try to live out in their lives. This commitment includes economic equality: recognising that the vast gap between rich and poor is unjust, and working to reduce it, in our own lives and in society. That’s something easier said than done, and Quakers are keen to work with other faiths (and people of no particular faith) who share our vision of a more just and equal society.
Jessica Metheringham’s lecture ‘Equality: is it really what we think it is?’ gives a good outline of some of the challenging questions this leads us to ask ourselves today:
In the lecture, Jess challenges the audience to answer the questions ‘what does equality mean to you?’ and ‘why is equality a good thing?’ You can pop into Peace Hub to have your say on these questions and add them to our thought-board. And if the scale of the problem seems a little overwhelming, we’re here to have a chat and provide a simple first step to taking action: you can sign one of our Fair Footy or Fair FTSE letters.