Why are Quakers considered Anabaptist?

Bumble Bee

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I checked with my husband because he grew up Quaker and I married in (more to it than that, but simplified). He also said he hadn’t heard that. He looked it up and said the main similarities between anabaptists and Quaker’s is pacifism and Congregationalism.

I did ask the pastor about baptism and communion when I started attending the Quaker church. He said that the Quaker denomination is not against those things. They just don’t practice them ritually. He said it goes back to the 1800s when there was a lot of legalism surrounding the elements, and people believing that they were necessary for salvation. The leaders of the Quaker's decided back then to take the focus off of baptism and communion in favor of more focus on the work of the Lord in our hearts. Our church has done communion twice over the last year, and they are willing to do baptism on request. Due to water access here, that does not happen often. We don’t have a baptismal, and it is a drive to the nearest lake.

There is a range of levels around how conservative the church should be within the Quaker denomination (referred to as the yearly meeting). Actually, our yearly meeting split around 7 years ago over the issue of homosexuality. Those in the older generation especially do not drink or dance (we do not discuss my wine with my in-laws!!). Clothing is supposed to be modest, but there is no specific rule about what that means. Women don’t have to wear skirts or caps. Some women have nearly shaved heads, some have long hair. Color is up to preference too, although it is rare in our area for women to color their hair anything other than a natural hair color. I think that has more to do with the culture of rural living than anything, though.

So no, to sum up, there really isn’t a connection with anabaptists, although we do get along (as we do with most other denominations).
 
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Aaron112

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It's my understanding they do not practice any sacraments (or ordinances, if you prefer the term), not even Baptism or Holy Communion. Other than their belief in pacifism, why are they considered anabaptist?
Good for those who are 'considered' like the rare few anabaptists who were joyful willing martyrs for their faith in Jesus !
Few of any other group/denomination are so true and blessed.
 
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FireDragon76

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Scholars of religion usually consider Anabaptists and Quakers part of the "Radical Reformation", along with Unitarians, but the groups are not necessarily organically related.

Quakers actually came out of the English Puritan movement, a group called Spiritualists. The Spiritualists emerged around the English Civil War, which was a period where a variety of radical religious groups were springing up (the Diggers and the Levelers, who believed in land redistribution and egalitarianism). Early Spiritualists were agnostic on the religious questions of their day among Puritans (mostly around baptism and the order of worship) and became spiritual seekers, rejecting outward forms of religion, hence the name. Eventually, they gravitated around preachers like George Fox, but its not likely that Fox would have had much of a following if it wasn't for the wider Spiritualist movement within Puritanism.

Mennonites and Anabaptists have quite distinct origins, actually being more influenced by the early Swiss Reformation under Hyuldrich Zwingli (though Zwingli later went on to attempt to suppress their teachings, which were more radical than his own).

The "peace church" designation is more of an American or English term. The stance against warfare is simply an extension of pre-Constantinian Christian ethics, and is by no means uniform or without nuance. In reality, early groups like the Anabaptists in their confessions affirm the right of the state to have a monopoly on violence for just purposes- they just believe it isn't the calling of the Church to be part of it.


Likewise, while Quakers have a widespread peace testimony, they also rely upon individual conscience, and there have been individual Quakers that have chosen to participate in war.
 
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