Dear Neighbors,...
Dear Neighbors,
In response to the violence in our country, Schuylkill Friends Meeting in Phoenixville was moved to write the following minute. We have shared it with our spiritual and political leaders, and also want to share it with our community.
January 12, 2021
As a people committed to peacemaking, grounded in our testimonies of truth, peace, integrity and equality, Schuylkill Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) denounces the recent violence enacted at the US Capitol and elsewhere. We also condemn the incitement of citizens to violence by political leaders in recent months. We call upon our spiritual and political leaders to repudiate the violence and provocation to violence. Democracy demands adherence to the rule of law. We wholeheartedly support the right of the people to peacefully assemble to petition the government for a “redress of grievances” as a pillar of democracy. While in opposition to violent protest, we affirm the deep power resident in nonviolent action.