The Quakers have developed from strong Christian roots.  However, personal experience and action have always been more important then dogma.  Therefore we do not have a creed, and are open to a wide variety of beliefs.

Some central beliefs hold us together as a religious community:

• The light of God is in everyone.
• Each person can have a direct, personal relationship with God - there is no need for a priest or a minister as a mediator.
• Our relationship with God is nurtured by worship based on silent waiting.
• The nature of God is love.

These beliefs lead us to strive for:

• the equality of all human beings,
• simplicity in our worship and in our way of life,
• peace,
• social justice,
• the right to freedom of conscience,
• a sense of shared responsibility for the life of our communities and the integrity of creation.

We sometimes refer to these as Quaker testimonies.

These issues are considered in greater depth in the Quaker Literature.

You can follow this link to a Radio Merseyside Faces of Faith broadcast in which local Quaker Alison Leonard gives a personal account of her Quaker beliefs:

Faces of Faith - Alison Leonard Interview

Alison Leonard was brought up between the Anglican and Methodist Christian churches.   As a student she was attracted to the Bah'ai faith, and then settled with the Quakers when she was in her 20s. She writes fiction and plays as well as running courses on the spiritual journey.