It's a gift to be simple - The Shakers

I went to high school in Maine with a Shaker. Years later I watched a documentary about the community and how it was dwindling, and she was in it. I'm wondering if she's part of what you read in the Wiki.

I think simplicity is much too hard of a concept for most people to grasp. Simplicity really means paring down your life, while most people on the planet like to layer it up with drama and materials.

i remember a documentary about the shakers, the one thing that stuck in my mind was a discussion about the impact of the depression around on community, when it was discovered that people were sneaking in and stealing vegetables from the gardens, the community responded by increasing the size of the gardens until the economy improved

I think this is a natural occurrence for small religious groups who don't have the
financial means to expand and teach of their religion - eventually they diminish
to a handful of followers and/or become completely extinct.

well the non procreation thing was tough on them too

Oh yes, dj, definitely. It's always beyond my comprehension why any religion
would ask such a cruel thing of their followers. It's just as natural as eating,
I don't see the need to abstain - unless you're under age.

Yeah, that sounds typical of what I have read about them.

People are hungry and need to steal our vegetables?

Well then, let's grow more.

Gala - yes, it would be interesting if your classmate was one of the three. What was she like?

I thought about that, the "layering on" everywhere in life, including religion. Those "mega churches" like in Houston? Personally I'd have to slit my throat if the only method I had to worship was with 10,000 other people at the same time.
Sure, there's a lot of people consumed with consumerism, but I think there's a lot of people who aren't, and not just because it's the fad right now to be simple.
heh...I love it when I read or see something they want you to buy, so that your life can become more simple. You can't have less unless you buy more!

I think it's about balance, and quality.
The Shakers are all about quality, which will last, and last.

cj - I don't think it's a matter of money, and it isn't like they have only been around a few years.
I don't think there's any injunction about someone in their community going out and working in the larger community....also, I don't think they are interested in active recruiting.

I am having a hard time seeing how there aren't more people who look at their lives, and see they want to be part of it.

I personally don't believe there was anything this person Jesus (if there even was a real person that was Jesus) had to save us from, as I believe the idea of inheriting some "original sin" is ridiculous.
However, their life in general is something I could see myself being interested in.
I don't think Wally would enjoy me becoming celibate, and I'm not about to move to Maine. Plus because of what I said about. However, surely this isn't as hard as what many people willingly do for other faiths.

That celibacy thing makes it hard to propagate the faith, though . . .



(hehehehehehe . . . i crack me up . . . )

There's a lot of people out there who aren't interested in sex. Really.

Oh yes Chai, but this was a choice they have made on their own, right?
It's different than if your religion dictates it.

Weve had several chances to meet some of the Shakers at the Sabathday Lake Shaker Village. The last time was about 7 years ago in 2003. We met with SIster Ann, who wrote and autographed my copy of her cookbook "Shaker your Plate" AT that time there were 2 new converts who, as I understood, would have to serve a lengthy pweriod of "worthiness assessment" in order to ascend the Brothers stairs in the main house. The majority of the Shakers alive were women , really old women and then there were these 2 bucks who, as far as I could see, had no appreciable talent for any craft. So the wagon shop and the woodqworking mills were more of a tourist attraction rather than actual shops. At Hancock Shaker Village, they at least keep the shops humming with volunteers . There we would learn how to do hand cut dovetails or growing pipsessewa or how to make your own aspirin.

Ive read a bit about Sister Ann Lee and from what I read, She was on the outer fringes of being a nutty butter bar.

Those would be the Baptists.

don't kid yourself.

the baptists are very interested in sex.

other people's sex...


shakers make some damn fine furniture.

or Catholics - who must follow the rhythm method to get into heaven, lest they let god see them screwing on the off days.

I don´t think it is a question of not having sex. There are many people who are not interested in sex, they might be divorced, widower, widows. What maybe makes t difficult to join a group - it does not have to be a religious group is that you have to spend all your time with the same people, work with them, share your free time to a great extent, sit at the same table to eat, eat what is served that day.
I have visited Shaker farms and I find them just lovely and very attractiv, but I personally am not interested in farming and country life. I am not very interested in group living and I am rather extroverted. Imagen an introverted person living in a group - that must be rather difficult.

You know why Babdists disapprove of sex, don't you?












They think it might lead to dancing.

What was she like? I'd say she kept to herself, didn't pal around with anyone and never seemed troubled in anyway. Definitely wise beyond her years in that regard. She was a grade below me so I never had classes with her, I just saw her in the hall or the cafeteria. We'd say hello, but that was about it.

If you look at the picture of the 4 remaining, they look at peace, don't you think? Then again, they have the spiritual dimension and keep out a lot of the background noise and stress from daily life out of their village.

... but the Shakers weren't married.

Back when there was a larger number of them, yes indeed, some were when they entered the group.

they stayed married, and no longer had sex.

just like normal people...