SHAKER THEOLOGY & RELIGIOUS PRACTICE
The full and proper name of the Shaker Church is the United Society of Believers in
Christ’s Second Appearing. They are a Christian Millennialist group. Their worship
services consist of singing, dancing, and personal testimonies. There are no ministers in
a Shaker service, and there is no central podium or pulpit. The Meetinghouse is the
center of the Shakers’ spiritual world, although worship is not limited to the confines of
that building.
The Whirling Gift, by David Lamson, 1848
Lamson, who had been a Shaker at Hancock, described expressions of worship at Shaker meetings, “All this time the young sisters continue their turning so swiftly… but they must not be checked in their gifts, for it is by the inspiration of God, that all these things are done. They often fall prostrate on the floor, and all animation seems lost for a season.”
Credit: Hancock Shaker Village
Shakers – Their Mode of Worship, Lithograph by D. W. Kellogg and Co., ca. 1840.
Contemporary views such as this depict Shaker meetings that were opened to
the public in the hope of attracting converts.
Credit: New York State Museum
Pair of Sisters’ Blue Meeting Shoes (approx. 4” H x 2 ¾” W x 9 ½”D each)
Blue was a significant color for the Shakers. Brother Calvin Green stated, “Blue represents heaven.”
Credit: Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon
The Shakers of New Lebanon – Religious Exercises in the Meetinghouse, Becker, New York State.
This scene takes place inside the unique building that is the Mount Lebanon Meetinghouse. It depicts a circular dance where brethren and sisters are in separate circles, but are dancing together: clapping, singing and stomping during their worship service. Observers from the World line the built-in benches along the walls. Shakers welcomed guests to their meetings, hoping that they would gain converts.
Credit: Hancock Shaker Village
Mountain Meeting
This image, from former Shaker David R. Lamson’s book Two Years’ Experience Among the Shakers, depicts an outdoor meeting that took place at Hancock. Brethren and sisters marched up the mountain singing, arrived at the cleared feast ground, and gathered around the fountain stone. Lamson recounts, “These meetings on the mountain are designed to be very free and lively, and, also very impressive. It is a time for the special outpouring of Spiritual gifts.” Credit: Hancock Shaker Village
Gift Drawing: "The Tree of LIfe" by Hannah Cohoon, 1854
Shaker gift drawings are among the most hauntingly beautiful works of American folk art known today. Created by untrained artists who were mostly women, these ethereal drawings contained messages from Mother Ann, Holy Mother Wisdom, and the Heavenly Father. They depict elements from the natural world as well as images of Christian iconography. Their bright colors go against the notion that Shakers were a dour, straight-laced group; rather, they are joyful visions of a world Shakers believe is yet to come. Credit: Hancock Shaker Village
Gift Drawing: "Bower of Mulberry Trees"
by Hannah Cohoon, 1854
Credit: Hancock Shaker Village
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