THE TESTIMONY OF PEACE was one of the earliest of Friends’ testimonies to be articulated. It arose from the recognition of the connection of inward to outward peace. Having found inward peace at the heart of their spiritual experience, Friends saw how war and other forms of outward violence were not compatible with their inward experience. Knowing that each human being had that of God within meant that killing any other human being was wrong. Seeing that war had its roots in fear, hatred, greed, ignorance and injustice meant that engaging in it would be spiritually as well as physically destructive. Recognizing the wrongness of war freed Friends to seek other, more productive and loving ways to address the root causes of conflict.

At Friends Seminary, we work to resolve conflicts with empathy, understanding and mutual respect, rejecting physical or emotional violence. When we succumb to reactivity we lose the opportunity to respond creatively in ways that are potentially beneficial to all. We compassionately witness the inner strife of those we disagree with to find common ground. We strive to examine the message within the conflict and move forward peacefully.