176
   

What made you smile today?

 
 
farmerman
 
  2  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 05:23 am
@izzythepush,
fires related to french polish rags start in furniture crafts shops second only to overheated electrical equipment.

Thats why the old Shaker craftsmen never used french polishing.
izzythepush
 
  -1  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 05:42 am
@farmerman,
And where are the shakers now?

For an atheist you sure put a lot of faith in religious extremists.
farmerman
 
  4  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 05:57 am
@izzythepush,
Yeh right. You guys scared em all off so we took em in. Theyre harmless enough, just dont get em dancing.

I believe we have like 6 living Shakers today and they are all women. So the furniture craftspeople are all dead. The secrets oof their stains and jointery are being revived by crafts schools.
0 Replies
 
tsarstepan
 
  4  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 07:59 am
@izzythepush,
izzythepush wrote:

And where are the shakers now?

The already small matriarchal religious group (during their peak years) held onto a very strict celibacy rule. No procreation whatsoever. They proselytized via recruitment.

Quote:
Celibacy and children

Shakers were celibate; procreation was forbidden after they joined the society (except for women who were already pregnant at admission). Children were added to their communities through indenture, adoption, or conversion. Occasionally a foundling was anonymously left on a Shaker doorstep.[35] They welcomed all, often taking in orphans and the homeless. For children, Shaker life was structured, safe and predictable, with no shortage of adults who cared about their young charges.[36]

When Shaker youngsters, girls and boys, reached the age of 21, they were free to leave or to remain with the Shakers. Unwilling to remain celibate, many chose to leave; today there are thousands of descendants of Shaker-raised seceders.


As for...?
Quote:
For an atheist you sure put a lot of faith in religious extremists.

Never heard anyone call them extremists. If they are? They're one of the tamest extremists groups in the history of all things religion.
izzythepush
 
  -2  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 08:06 am
@tsarstepan,
Not having sex is pretty extreme.
tsarstepan
 
  3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 08:12 am
@izzythepush,
Touche. But at least they're not terrorists and violently forcing their sicko world view on others.
0 Replies
 
BillW
 
  1  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 08:12 am
@tsarstepan,
Quote:
ex·trem·ism
ikˈstrēˌmizəm/Submit
noun
the holding of extreme political or religious views; fanaticism.


Not being "Tame" is not necessarily a requirement for extremism. I do consider "celibacy" as being fanatic. Yet, I get your point!
tsarstepan
 
  3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 08:28 am
@BillW,
Part of my fondness for the group comes from watching the lovely Ken Burns' documentary:
The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984) as well as my father's deep appreciation for their woodwork and furniture.
farmerman
 
  2  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 08:33 am
@tsarstepan,
Quote:
Never heard anyone call them extremists
Izzy has some twisted worldview that whatever happened in Britain was "good" so to persecute and stone Shakers to death, forceably driving them out of the nation, and forcing emigration to th US was "civilized " since it was England practicing "religious cleansing".
chai2
 
  3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:00 am
@tsarstepan,
tsarstepan wrote:

Part of my fondness for the group comes from watching the lovely Ken Burns' documentary:
The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God (1984) as well as my father's deep appreciation for their woodwork and furniture.


I think that was the documentary I saw once. I'll have to check it out again.

Yes. I would use the word lovely to describe it.

There is still a community at Sabbathday Lake. http://maineshakers.com/history/


I don't think the size of their membership is what is of primary importance. As in, "We have the most, we win!"

I'm kinda surprised in todays world there isn't more interest in some people joining them.

As for celibacy being extreme, are Buddhist Monks considered extreme?

I love what this guy says at 1:40



Heh, the original minimilists, but with better furniture.

At 2:50 "we are to make life as little hellish for each other as possible"

Personally, I don't get why the intitial (and only) reaction to Shakers in mainstream society is their celibacy.

Lots of people voluntarily don't have sex.
izzythepush
 
  -3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:08 am
@farmerman,
Don't talk crap. Any organisation that enforces celibacy on people is pretty extreme by anyone's reckoning.

You're a real sore loser, resorting to smear tactics just because you were unable to defend hate speech.
chai2
 
  3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:10 am
@izzythepush,
They don't force it on anyone.

They join that religion voluntarily, and choose that.

Again, what about Buddhist Monks izzy?
tsarstepan
 
  4  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:16 am
@chai2,
chai2 wrote:

Again, what about Buddhist Monks izzy?

Some Buddhist Monks can be almost as creepy as clowns. Always smiling. Always secretly wanting to eat your soul! Mad

As an asside (deliberately misspelled), can we take this touchy subject out of the Smile Today thread into its own specific thread? Things are getting too edgy and crotchety for this all things love heartwarming thread.
0 Replies
 
farmerman
 
  2  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:26 am
@izzythepush,
??? You are so fuckin predictable that your response really fits this thread. You hold a grudge because Ive noted your country's decided lack of a cuisine and your (gag) bacon.

The fact is the Shakers didnt go about "shanghaiing" liitle children or candidates and forcing a celibate life on them. If you'd take time to read anything about them, you see that the Shakers had folks coming into and leaving their order at all times. They were not anything considered extremist than were many other religions.
Indeed, They were a millenialist religion so they had a "mission", but they didnt engage in torture or stoning non-believers ,nor did they distribute smallpox laced blankets in order to decimate Native tribes).

chai2
 
  4  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:28 am
You two boys settle down now.
0 Replies
 
farmerman
 
  2  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:36 am
@chai2,
I just saw your post and it brought back memories. The author of "Shaker your Plate" a cookbook compiled by sister Francis Carr of Sabbathday was given to my wife as a"Spiritual Gift" for some work she did for the Shakers community. Sister Frncis signed it , and this was just few months before she died . These people were just as nice as they appeared on theKen Burns feature. It was Sister Francis who said that :"She didnt want to be remembered as a cabinet or a table"

They really make me smile.

I found out that there are a few NEW shaker converts who are men who are trying to , by dedication, to sustain and maintain the shops and buildings at Sabbathday and New Lebanon.

ehBeth
 
  4  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:40 am
@izzythepush,
why did you have to go and be so crusty on a sweet thread?

I know that I should ignore this - and it doesn't help that any of us get sucked into it but really ? really?
ehBeth
 
  3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:41 am
@farmerman,
truly unhelpful
farmerman
 
  3  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:41 am
@ehBeth,


Maybe thi can calm u all down a bit and relax
0 Replies
 
farmerman
 
  1  
Reply Thu 9 Nov, 2017 09:46 am
@ehBeth,
sorry,I didnt realize my first comment would be read that way.
0 Replies
 
 

Related Topics

Why is my life so hard? - Question by awkward25snowflake
How do i figure out what I want? - Question by ylyam1
Why Does Life Exist - Question by Poseidon384
Happiness within - Question by luismtzzz
Is "God" just our conscience? - Question by Groomers123
Why are we here? - Discussion by Herald
Your philosophy in life - Question by Procrustes
Advice for a graduate? - Discussion by The Pentacle Queen
 
Copyright © 2024 MadLab, LLC :: Terms of Service :: Privacy Policy :: Page generated in 0.07 seconds on 06/15/2024 at 02:19:41