The basis for the Quaker peace testimony is the belief that there is that of God in each one of us. If there is really that of God in each one of us, then it follows that there is something very sacred about every single human life. The taking of a human life, therefore, whether by murder, by warfare, or by state execution, is not something we can ever condone.
Being a “radical Quaker” is about taking the peace testimony to heart, and recognising that our purpose here on this earth is not only to live out these testimonies as best we can in our daily lives, but also to work ceaselessly for a world in which these testimonies can be realised for all people everywhere. And that means being “radical” in the political sense – working for peace and justice not just at the superficial level where we see the immediate effects of war and injustice on the lives of those who suffer most directly from these things, but going in deep to address the root causes of all that hurt and suffering.
The root causes of most hurt and suffering in the world today lie in the systems and structures of class, racism and patriarchy that have been built up over the centuries to assert the power and domination of certain groups of people over others, and the physical and psychological violence that is used against anyone who challenges those systems and structures. These systems and structures are the very opposite of the radical equality as proclaimed by Quakers, and the use of violence to maintain these systems and structures is the very opposite of the radical commitment to peace and nonviolence as proclaimed by Quakers.