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The testimony of simplicity is a shorthand description of the actions generally taken by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) to ''testify'' or ''bear witness'' to their beliefs that a person ought to live a simple life in order to focus on what is most important and ignore or play down what is least important.〔Thomas D. Hamm ''The Quakers in America'' 2006 Page 101 "They point to the testimony of simplicity as one of the distinguishing aspects of Quakerism. The journey from plainness to simplicity was complicated, but some understanding of it is necessary to understand what simplicity means for ..." 〕 Friends believe that a person’s spiritual life and character are more important than the quantity of goods he possesses or his monetary worth. Friends also believe that one should use one’s resources, including money and time, deliberately in ways that are most likely to make life truly better for oneself and others. The word testimony describes the way that Friends ''testify'' or ''bear witness'' to their beliefs in their everyday life. A testimony is therefore not a belief, but is committed action arising out of Friends' religious experience. Testimony to simplicity includes the practice among Quakers (members of the Religious Society of Friends) of being more concerned with one’s inner condition than one’s outward appearance and with other people more than oneself. == General explanation == Early Friends believed that it was important to avoid fanciness in dress, speech, and material possessions, because those things tend to distract one from waiting on God’s personal guidance. They also tend to cause a person to focus on himself more than on his fellow human beings, in violation of Jesus’ teaching to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” This emphasis on ''plainness'', as it was called, made the Friends in certain times and places easily recognizable to the society around them, particularly by their plain dress in the 18th and 19th Centuries.〔(Thomas D Hamm on Plainness in ''The Quakers in America'' on Google Books. )〕 Simplicity to Friends has generally been a reference to material possessions. Friends have often limited their possessions to what they need to live their lives, rather than accumulating luxuries. The testimony is not just about the ''nature'' of one's material possessions, but rather also about one's attitude towards these material goods.〔 Many Friends who have been considered exemplary have also been wealthy; their commitment to the testimony, however, led them to use their wealth for spiritual purposes, including aid to the poor and oppressed. On the other hand, some Friends, such as John Woolman, gave up much of their wealth and economic position when they felt it to be a spiritual burden.〔 In recent decades Friends have given the Testimony an ecological dimension: that Friends should not use more than their fair share of the Earth's limited resources.〔 Like many aspects of Quaker life, the practice of plainness has evolved over time, although it is based on principles that have been a lasting part of Quaker thought. These principles now form part of the Quaker testimonies. Plainness is an extension of the testimony of simplicity and can still be observed today among modern Friends who do not follow fashion trends or purchase extravagant clothing. This testimony also finds expression in the tradition of plain walls and functional furniture in Quaker meeting houses. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Testimony of Simplicity」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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