A dying religion.

[Danustouch]

There are only 8 people who are still living, whom follow the path of the Shaker. And they are located in Maine. To read more about Shaker heritage, and practices....go here.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/journeys/01/apr01/abs_feature.html

It's kind of odd....realizing that a religious movement so famous (ie. shaker furniture, etc) could be dying out!

[Mnemosyne]

Only 8 people alive follow the Shaker religion! :eek: I thought that there would be a larger number. Bizarre, we never really touched upon the beliefs of main religions such as buddhism, islam,. . etc. but we studied the Shakers back in school.

[Theres]

that is an amazing stat!
although i've never made a study of the Shakers, i too assumed that any group that could have had such an influence would be more... i dunno, stable?

[Danustouch]

What I never knew about Shakers, which now I know..is that they are celibate. This is the reason for their deminished following. At one point, Shakers adopted children. Their children grew up with no pressure to join the sect. So if they wanted to leave, they were sent off with tools, clothing, and a little money, free to return at any time. Most, never did. Thus, the reason for their dwindling numbers. It seems that over time, they could no longer afford to adopt children. And since their religion states that they must be celibate....well..it's self explanatory from there.

This is discussed in the "Full text" portion of the article.

The other thing I was really shocked to learn was this:Ann Lee and her followers crisscrossed Massachusetts and Connecticut, reaping converts, but also making enemies. One offense was rejecting the Trinity. God, they said, is a duality: male and female. Thus, men and women must be equal.

Wow! For a pretty hard core christian radical sect..this is pretty shocking. They believed in a duality...that God is both Female and Male!

[Mnemosyne]

Their religious beliefs certainly explain why their size has diminished. I had no idea that they were celibate and did not pressure their adopted children to join. Wow, the Shakers believed in the duality of the divinity! Thanks for teaching me something new, Danustouch. Also, you stated that this group lives in Maine. Have they been known to live in remote locations? Do they use any type of technology in their lives?

[Danustouch]

Well..when you read the full text version of the article, it says that they lived in areas from as far north as Maine, as far west as kansas (i believe), and as far south, as an area of Florida.

And the technologies they invented, AND adopted, were amazing. The Shakers were pro anything that would save them time, as time belonged to God, and to Worship.

They invented Washing machines. A machine which peeled and cored apples, the flat broom, and many other things. And they were one of the earliest communities to get electricity, automobiles, and photographs, as well :)

[Mnemosyne]

Oh my, I didn't realize that the full text version was so long. I totally overlooked the part on their uses for technology. Clearly, their inventions have made such an impact on our society. Hey, they even have some things that I don't- yep, I need a pea sheller. That website is informative. Besides learning about the customs of the Shakers, you can even get recipes for doughnuts and chowder. Yum.

[Danustouch]

Yeah..i'm excited about the recipe's.

I also thought it interesting that one of my favorite old time songs was one of their hymns...

"Simple Gifts"...

Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free, tis a gift to come down where you ought to be...

[Calixto]

Shoot, they have had to have new converts or something

Because I remember back in the 1980s someone had interviewed the "last" Shaker...and she was some octagenarian.

Cal

[Danustouch]

There were apparently in the eighties, two communities of shakers left in the world. Perhaps the octagenarian was from the branch in glastonbury (think that was it), which then became defunct? If so..she moved to join the other Shakers, in Maine.

[Mnemosyne]

So there was a Shaker sect in Glastonbury? That city has so many religious connections, doesn't it?
Perhaps Calixto is right. Maybe the Shakers did get some new converts since the 1980s. If the story is now in the media, perhaps more people will be likely to join. As for me, it is definitely not my cup of tea.

[Mythrel]

very interesting thread...thanks for the info, learn something new everyday!!:D

[Danustouch]

Sorry..it was Canterbury, in Newhampshire. Not Glastonbury. LOL. Got my "Bury's" Mixed up. This is why I think that it might have been that the woman was the last one in the canterbury community, and then moved to the one in Maine when the canterbury commune went defunct.

So, at Canterbury, where the last brother had died, they decided to pull the plug, thereby ending their tradition. But Sabbathday Lake defiantly kept taking in converts, like Arnold Hadd and Wayne Smith. Un-Shakerlike bitterness flared between the two communities. page 5 of the article.


And ...I can't find the page, but I think it mentioned that some of the people from Canterbury transferred over to Sabbathday Lake. Not sure...

Could be that they did accept converts. I know that they were still accepting converts in the Sixties. But..that is when they pulled the plug on canterbury too.