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Shakerism is more of a cult than a Christian movement in that this group’s founder, Ann Lee, believed and taught that she was the female incarnation of Christ and that the group was living in the “millennial” reign of Christ. They have also gone by the name United Society or United Society of Brethren.
The Shakers were founded in England in 1770 as a splinter group of the Quakers (error begets error and heresy begets heresy) when founder Ann Lee (called Mother Ann Lee) had the vision that Christ was to return as a woman and Ann Lee, coincidentally, was that woman! Mother Ann moved her group to America in 1774 where the movement exploded in numbers (18 communities in eight states).
They practiced ecstatic tongues and trembling and shaking “in the spirit” and later in the “era of manifestations” there would be widespread visions and prophecies. No real direct link has been found from Shakerism to modern charismatic pentecostals but charismatics often quote the Shakers as an example of the “gifts of the spirit” in practice back in the 18th century – as a way of legitimizing the modern-day unbiblical practice of ecstatic experience.
The following is a quote from the book by Aurelia Gay Mace: “The Aletheia : spirit of truth, a series of letters in which the principles of the United Society known as Shakers are set forth and illustrated.” (yes that is the entire title!). This excerpt provides an interesting look inside the beliefs and practices of the Shakers:
“Second to Jesus in the Shaker Order was the cause of her followers making use of the expression, Christ made his second appearance in Ann Lee. Christ had appeared in thou-sands before our Mother lived, and also before the days of Jesus. New truths have been revealed to the disciples of Mother Ann, from time to time, ever since the Shaker Order has been established. Our brother, Paul Tyner, is right in this. Fast upon the downfall of the generative life has come the enlightenment. Creeds have fallen before the Star of Revelation. The Trinity is dethroned. God is our Heavenly Father and Mother. The atonement by the death of Jesus has passed away. Baptism by water is supplanted by the baptism of fire and the Holy Spirit, the Christ. This spiritual fire is to consume the evils inherent in the human soul, the tares. There is a fire in Zion, and a furnace in Jerusalem. The Eucharist is understood to be received by living the pure life which Jesus lived — typified by the body and blood, which means the life.
O brighter than the morning star Is the heart that is pure and free! And the light that is ever glowing there. The star of purity. The sun shall wane, the stars go down, And reign of time be oer, but the living light in the heart thats pure shall shine forever more.
Endless punishment is also routed, and an angry God is no more. But the sinner finds punishment enough. Each must atone for his own sins, by bringing them to the light and forsaking them forever. When reforma-tion is complete, the punishment is removed. Progression after death is also established — a travel ofthe soul from one degree of grace and glory to anotherfor ever and ever. A soul can recede from God afterdeath, yet the farther he gets away, the harder he willfind it to return; but return he must sooner or later."
Shakerism has slowly but surely shrunk down to such small numbers (1000 in the early 20th century and just 1 small group in Maine by 2019) that it could be considered an “obsolete cult”. As with many cults, the practice of abstinence was demanded as a demonstration of one’s fighting off “doleful sin” and it is this practice which has historically affected numbers in other cults and it was no different with this Shaker-Quaker cult.
No one receives eternal life and eternal presence with God, from who all good things come (James 1:17), by belonging to the right church, denomination, world religion, or by having a particular world view. Rather only those who trust in the Lord Jesus preached by the Apostles in the Bible, for their own sin. We will not trust in a Savior for sins that we either don’t believe we have or that we think aren’t deserving of hell. But the Bible says that ALL have sin and the wages of that sin is eternal separation from God (death). The good news is that the Bible says that you can know that YOU have eternal life. Click the button below to see if you are genuinely saved from your sins according to the Bible: