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1-800-The Testament of Ann Lee · 1-800-1800

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  SPEAKER_01: I was reading a variety of different sources about Shakerism.
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  SPEAKER_01: And someone,
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  SPEAKER_01: I think I was on the Shaker Museum website,
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  SPEAKER_01: and they made this point where they were like,
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  SPEAKER_01: the Shakers were celibate and they did not marry or bear children,
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  SPEAKER_01: yet theirs is the most enduring religious experiment in American history.
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  75 years before the emancipation of the slaves and 150 years
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  before women began
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  SPEAKER_01: voting in America,
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  SPEAKER_01: the Shakers were practicing social,
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  SPEAKER_01: sexual,
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  SPEAKER_01: economic,
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  SPEAKER_01: and spiritual equality for all members.
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  So I think there's a way that this very 18th century story
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  becomes this very
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  SPEAKER_01: important 19th century story.
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  Anticipating what would be the kind of major revelations of
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  that time that we're so
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  SPEAKER_00: interested in.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I think just for the record,
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  SPEAKER_00: so Shakerism is an offshoot of Quakerism,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is an offshoot of Protestantism.
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  SPEAKER_00: Which is an offshoot of Catholicism.
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  SPEAKER_00: Catholicism,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is an offshoot of Judaism,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is an offshoot of paganism,
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  SPEAKER_00: which is an offshoot of like being alive or ship or something.
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  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
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  SPEAKER_00: I guess animism.
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  SPEAKER_00: which is an offshoot of.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so the main points of it are this inspired by Quaker worship,
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  SPEAKER_00: these meetings,
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  SPEAKER_00: but that also included singing and ecstatic movement.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then they were celibate.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so it wasn't just like leaders were celibate.
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  SPEAKER_00: Every single person in the religion was expected to be celibate.
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  And the energy that we mere regulars devote to sex,
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  they were devoting to...
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  SPEAKER_00: Their motto is hands to work, heart to God.
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  So everything,
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  all their earthly energy was devoted to creating perfection in
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  their work.