Are Quakers against music or instruments?

No, Quakers are not against music or instruments. In fact, music has a long and important history within Quakerism. Early Friends frequently used music in worship, believing it to be a way to express their love for God. Over time, however, some Friends began to feel that music was a distraction and that it interfered with the "inner light." As a result, a number of Quaker meetings adopted restrictions on the use of music. Some meetings even went so far as to ban music entirely.

Today, there is a wide range of beliefs about music within Quakerism. Some meetings continue to ban music entirely, while others allow music but only if it is "simple" or "traditional." Still other meetings have no restrictions on music at all. In general, it can be said that Quakers as a whole are not opposed to music. They simply have different beliefs about how it should be used in worship.