1. There is that of the Divine within each and every one of us as human beings. The power of external silence is employed to listen carefully to ourselves, that Still, Small Voice can and is revealed to us from within. Our knowledge that this transformation our human self can take place at any time and under any circumstance, without our willing it so, gives us the comfort and knowledge to understand that we are truly in the presence of a Divine and greater power than any we could ever control ourselves It may seem dormant or non-existent, but as we use

2. We are solely responsible for our own actions and destiny and cannot abdicate that responsibility to any other person or institution or authority. We cannot make excuses for our failings or foibles; we must recognize that all humans have frailties and that our weakness is a part of the human condition to be overcome to the very best of our ability and determination to improve ourselves.

3. We are driven by a desire to achieve and understanding of that which is true. Truth cannot be denied nor forgotten nor overlooked. Truth comes to us in ways that the Divine Within can demonstrate at will, and we simply know when we are confronted with Truth. Denying truth does not work; for we can only fool ourselves for a short while, and Truth will return to haunt us until we accept it unconditionally. Bearing Witness to the truth is essential to our well being and to the progression of all humankind.

4. We are seekers. We seek to better understand that of the Divine within us; we seek the spiritual and physical nourishment that comes from knowledge and understanding. We seek to be the best we can be; to act in accordance with our beliefs; we seek truth in whatever form it comes to us and accept responsibility for the truths that we come to understand.

5. We are guided by the leadings we are given from our spiritual quest; we are inspired by the callings which compel us to believe as we do; we can be led from within ourselves or by the leadings or witness of others; And we are committed to act upon and in response to our leadings.

6. We openly give Witness to our beliefs by our actions and expressions of the faith we have in our beliefs; witness can take many forms, but they must be in the spirit of presenting the truth we know to the world around us.

7. We incorporate our witness into Testimony that represents the collective agreement of our peers and fellow Friends; this collective corporate witness is an open testimnony to the world and is manifested by our actions in defense of our beliefs.

8. We recognize that there is nothing static or immutable about our individual or collective witness, and that over time additional leadings, witness and testimony will enrich our Quaker structure. Continuing Revelation is a hallmark of a living, breathing set of beliefs that continues to grow over time and helps us not only to remain current with the real world but which represents the belief that new knowledge and heretofore unknown truth will continue to expand our consciousness and enrich our beings and souls.

9. Equality of differences between and amongst all of us, regardless of age, gender, religious background, race, ethnicity, skin color, culture, economic condition or status, sexual orientation, or any other means used by humans to differentiate one from another is recognized as sacrosanct and cannot be diminished, wither by action or though,

10. Condition, or Stage of understanding, development or knowledge. This is a recognition that acceptance that all of us may have the same journey, but that we may take different paths and may be azt different stages from those around us at any given time. This specificaly accepts taht what may be important to us may be more or less so to someone else, at least at any given particular moment in time. Thus, when a Quaker says that a given message "speaks to my condition" or does not do so, it represents no value other than to that particular person at that particular time. If one wishes to jump for joy or shout and sing whilst another does not, it does not represent any acceptance or rejection of the actions of the former but only that that particular action or thought wither speaks to the condition of the second party or not, as the case may be.

11. Universality of the validity of all insight; the validity of all sincere and heartfelt religious vbelief or action or tradition based upon the love of the Divine Spirit by whatever name it is called; that there is unity within the diversity which defines humankind, and that it is essential to be inclusive of all diversity of belief so as to accept the validity of the varied beliefs of all humankind.

12. Reverence for principles, values and processes that allow us to define our existence in a world that seeks to promote unity within our diversity; we must revere ourselves and all others, not only those with whom we have familial or friendly relations but throughout humankind; we must have reverence for the beliefs and feelings of all others, and for life itself.

For it is in honoring that divine spark within ourselves that we recognize that we must also give the same reverential respect to that same divine spark within all others

Examples of each

Denial of detractors

Universality of all religious beliefs within the context of the Quaker message; that one can be of any religion and still profess Quaker belief