What some people might not know as they search for Amish pieces in local furniture stores is that Amish furniture often refers to two different furniture styles. There is the Shaker style that favors a simpler and more unadorned look, and the
The Shaker furniture style usually has simple lines and straight edges, giving it a clean look. They were so popular that they inspired many other furniture makers to copy their styles. Amish furniture is usually simple but well-made with no fancy details like carving or painting.
The Shakers and the Amish are both part of the non-conformist Protestant tradition – whose ancestors fled Europe for the Americas the 17th and 18th centuries.
The “Shaking Quakers,” or Shakers, split from mainstream Quakerism in 1747 after being heavily influenced by Camisard preaching.
But because the Shakers don't really evangelize, and because they are celibate, their numbers have dwindled. By 1900, there were less than 1,000; by 1936, there were 92. And now, there are just two, Arnold and June. They live together in the village of Dwellinghouse, but sleep in separate beds.
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.
The Shakers were celibate, they did not marry or bear children, yet theirs is the most enduring religious experiment in American history.
There were already enslaved people at South Union who belonged to Shaker Believers. It had not been easy to convert the enslaved into Believers. They were referred to as the Black Family and were segregated from the remaining members.
Like today's Pentecostals, Shakers who felt the Holy Spirit would roll and twirl and speak in tongues. Shaking Quakers they were called—Shakers.
But in 1961, Sabbathday Lake, the only Shaker colony remaining, stopped accepting new members, Carol Oppenheim reported in the Chicago Tribune. The challenging commitments of celibate, communal life have since caused the number of Shakers to dwindle from several thousand to just two.
All dating is pursued to find a marriage partner. If a person chooses to remain unmarried, that is not necessarily a problem. But they would have to lead a life of celibacy, as premarital and extramarital sex is forbidden by Amish societal rules.
Since the Amish feel strongly about their community and honoring God by respecting others, much of their spare time is spent connecting with others. The Amish will often visit with relatives, neighbors, church friends, and even non-Amish friends.
The Amish have their roots in the Mennonite community. Both were part of the early Anabaptist movement in Europe, which took place at the time of the Reformation. The Anabaptists believed that only adults who had confessed their faith should be baptized, and that they should remain separate from the larger society.
Instead of flushing toilets, outhouses are commonly used. This is true of the most conservative Amish, the Swartzentruber Amish. Interestingly, even communities that have indoor plumbing, sometimes still use outhouses. Farming communities use waste as fertilizer for their fields.
Couples who are bundling typically sleep in separate beds that are pushed together. They may also sleep in the same bed, but with a board between them to prevent any physical contact.
Buttons are frowned upon because of their potential for ostentation, and such things as Velcro and zippers are banned. Instead, clothes are fastened by pins or hook-and-eye closures. Slightly smarter clothes, such as capes, are used for religious services.
The Shakers were guided by core values of conviction, integrity, inclusion, and innovation. They were early advocates of gender equality, welcomed African Americans, practiced pacifism, and put community needs above individual ones.
Dancing provided the Shakers with the sensory awareness they needed to experience celibacy as liberating. And in so far as it did, its ongoing practice became essential for the survival of the community.
Glossolalia is practiced in Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity, as well as in other religions.
Frances Carr, the last person to be raised as a Shaker, died on January 2nd. “I'M GLAD I am a Shaker”, sang some 300 people in the chapel of the dwelling house of the last active Shaker settlement in the world. They clapped and stamped their feet on the wooden floors during the hymn's chorus.
The Shakers were originally known as Shaking Quakers, because they commonly trembled in religious fervor in their services. In 1774, the Shakers arrived in North America. Mother Ann Lee was their leader.
Their rigid rules, a changing economy, new and improved technology, and different religious views had led the way to the end of the Shakers. Today there is only a small group of them left here in Lake Sabbathday, Maine.
Gender equality has always been a core belief of the Shaker faith. Men and women were equal in all things through the Shaker's belief in the duality of God. This belief was manifested in the leadership and hierarchical structure of Shaker communities.
Quaker Religion Today
Today, there are approximately 400,000 Quakers around the world, by some estimates, with the highest percentage in Africa.
Their communal, celibate lifestyle was an attempt to emulate Jesus Christ but it also allowed them to devote themselves to work and worship.”