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By 1920, there were only 12 Shaker communities remaining in the United States. As of 2019, there is only one active Shaker village: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, in Maine. Consequently, many of the other Shaker settlements are now museums.
remaining in the United States. As of 2019, there is only one active Shaker village: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, in Maine. Consequently, many of the other Shaker settlements are now museums.
Shakers are an offshoot of Quakers founded by Anna Lee in England. She brought the religion to America. They lived in communes and gained their members by conversions and by taking in orphans. … Quakers do not seek to convince others of their beliefs, but all are welcome to attend meetings.
If someone wants to become a Shaker, and the Shakers assent, the would-be member can move into the dwelling house. If the novices, as they are called, stay a week, they sign an articles of agreement, which protects the colony from being sued for lost wages.
In fact, Shakers were often the first in their region to use electricity and telephones, often owned cars, trucks, and tractors for community use, and today use televisions, computers, and other modern conveniences.
Beliefs and Practices
Shakers are Millenialists who follow the teachings of the Bible and of Mother Ann Lee and leaders who came after her. Like several other religious groups in the United States, they live separately from “the world,” yet interact with the general community through commerce.
“Trifles make perfection, but perfection is no trifle” was a Shaker motto. … The Shakers were ascetics without being Puritans.
At a time when the typical American diet revolved around fatty, preserved meats and starch, the Shakers understood nutrition. They emphasized natural, unadulterated food, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
How did Shaker communities differ from most other religions? All members of the community practiced celibacy. Which is true of Robert Owen? He founded a model factory village that offered workers free public education.
Amish people live in close-knit communities and don’t become part of the other population, whereas Mennonite lives as a part of the population not as separate communities. Amish strictly follow the non-resistance, whereas Mennonites follow non-violence and are known as peacemakers.
Today, there are more than 300,000 Quakers around the world, by some estimates, with the highest percentage in Africa.
Shaker communities were known for their manufactured goods. They invented metal pen nibs, the flat broom, a prototype washing machine called a wash mill, the circular saw, waterproof and wrinkle-free cloth, a metal chimney cap that blocked rain, and improved on the plow.
Site | Spiritual name | State |
---|---|---|
North Union Shaker Village | Holy Grove | Ohio |
Philadelphia Shakers | None | Pennsylvania |
Pleasant Hill Shaker Village | None | Kentucky |
Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village | Chosen Land | Maine |
The Shakers brewed cider and like the society around them drank ‘spirits’. But with the Millennial Laws, especially from 1845 (and the rise of the temperance movement) the drinking of spirits (along with coffee and tea – that would have killed me) was forbidden. No cider was made and no liquor was brewed.
Each member of the community had specific jobs that they were trained to do, many of which contributed to the great surplus of agricultural and material commodities that the Shakers produced for sale in order to support themselves.
ABERNETHY: Shakers originated in England in the 1700s, an ecstatic offshoot of the more sedate Quakers led by a charismatic preacher Shakers call Mother Ann Lee. Like today’s Pentecostals, Shakers who felt the Holy Spirit would roll and twirl and speak in tongues. Shaking Quakers they were called—Shakers.
Members of this sect were commonly known as Shakers because their worship included a form of ecstatic dancing. … Shakers did not consider baptism—or any other ordinance—essential for salvation. They believed Jesus Christ had already made His Second Coming in the form of Mother Ann Lee (1736–84), an early Shaker leader.
1 : one that shakes: such as. a : a utensil or machine used in shaking cocktail shaker. b : one that incites, promotes, or directs action a mover and shaker.
“Put your hands to work and give your hearts to God” — these words from Mother Ann Lee, the Shakers’ founder, are not a rallying cry for a particular kind of maker or a particular kind of religious person.
Shaker food, writes Sister Frances, is basically “plain, wholesome food”, and her collection of recipes “is intended for those people who enjoy simple foods painstakingly prepared”.
He served another mission in March 1833, this time with Doctor Hurlbut. He did not travel west with the rest of the Mormon pioneers. Sometime before 1850, Copley moved to Madison, Ohio, where he died in May 1862.