By Peg Remsen

I am a Quaker…

A dedicated Quaker

I support the Quaker Testimonies

and try every day to live by them.

A very important one is that of Peace.

I try to live by that Testimony every day.

I try to always choose the path of love

and nonviolence.

I abhor guns and war and violence

and would do anything to avoid war.

I recognize that that is a basic tenet of

Quakerism

However, I also believe that it is wrong

to attack innocent people, or invade

another country.

I believe it is Quakerly to defend those

being attacked or harmed.

It is not Quakerly to ignore or avoid

conflict when it involves the misuse

of power and pain inflicted on others.

It seems there are times when the only

way to stop the killing of the innocent is to

bring down the perpetrators of that

violence.

There are times when nonviolent resistance

will only enable more violence and killing.

I have to trust the Inner Light to guide me

to the path of greatest Love.

When the testimony of Peace conflicts

with the testimony of integrity, after much

thought, I must choose to come to the

aid of the Innocents.

I am a Quaker.