Wilmington YM Friends’ Affirm God-Given Rights of Persons and Nature
Eastern Hills Monthly Meeting presented the following Minute, which was APPROVED at their Monthly Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business on February 22, 2026, at the Spring Gathering on March 14, 2026. Wilmington YM Friends APPROVED this Minute, with a minor change to the tense of “abuse.”
Friends are encouraged to share this Minute in any way, as led by the Spirit. Friends feel strongly that the time is well upon us to let our voice and our faith be be heard in these challenging times.
To assist you in sharing the Minute you will find a pdf of it below the text posted here in HTML.
Friends Affirm God-Given Rights
Since the United States was “conceived in liberty,” we have held dear the God-given rights of equality, freedom, and opportunity to thrive. Similarly, we members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) trace our embrace of equality to the words of our founder, George Fox, that “there is that of God in everyone.” As citizens and as people of faith, we are dismayed when our nation’s actions stray from our founding beliefs. Quakers also believe in a life of integrity: we aim to make our words and deeds match our stated beliefs. We are poorer as Americans and we deny that of God in others when we as a nation bully, kill, take away homelands, or otherwise engage in violence, including denying due process to those we imprison or failing to hold accountable those who sexually abuse children.
Additionally, Friends believe that God is present not only in each person but in the natural world, where we may find comfort and the face of the divine. Undermining the protection of land, water, and air quality threatens human health and our future, and denies the interconnectedness of all living things.
It is time to restore our civic faith and affirm the moral value of civil rights and of nature. We call on public servants—elected officials, emergency responders, and government employees—to respect the dignity and rights of all persons and of the natural environment upon which all our lives and our future depend.
Approved by Wilmington Yearly Meeting on the 14th day of March (Third Month), 2026.
