Summary:
Comparison between the Shakers and the True Inspirationists, the differences in their religious beliefs. Contains Bibliography (5 sources).

Details or Sample:
Although the True Inspirationists and the Shakers both formed a communistic society for basically the same reasons, the differences in their religious beliefs influenced their views on marriage, celibacy, and methods of sexual segregation. The members in both communities seemed satisfied and content with their way of life but their views and practices affected the prosperity of both communities.

Both the True Inspirationists and the Shakers were persecuted for their religious beliefs in their home countries. The True Inspirationists emigrated from many parts of Germany and Switzerland with the original intention of establishing a Christian congregation free to worship God in their own way. They settled in Iowa during 1844, establishing seven communities.

Not intending to set up as a communistic society, because of social and economic reasons, it was the best means for the survival of the congregation. Since most of the members were German, they were accustomed mostly to factory work. Feeling uncomfortable with agriculture, they established a woolen mill to provide employment for the members of their congregation. They also found it difficult fitting in with the rest of society because of their religion. Thus, it was thought that for the welfare of the congregation and the most practical means of holding it together, socially and economically, communal living was best.

The Shakers came to America for the same reason as the Aminites. They wanted freedom to worship God in the way they believed. In England, the Shakers were under persecution for their strange religious meetings and imprisoned for not observing the Sabbath. During 1794, they mostly settled in the Eastern States and then around 1808 began moving west, establishing 58 communities.

Like the Amana communities, the Shakers did not intend to establish a communistic society but found it necessary for the same reasons as the True Inspirationists. The Shakers also found, due to their religious beliefs they didn’t fit into society. In addition, the Shakers believed they could create a perfect society free from sin as an example for the rest of the world to follow.

Both Amana and the Shakers contained a class system within their communities. Amana had three classes or grades. Those who maintained the highest spirituality and piety in their lives belonged to the highest order. The lowest being the children’s order.

The Shakers had two orders, the Novitiate, and the Church order. The Novitiate order consisted of members who stood closer to the outer world. They had also been previously married at one time. The members who decided to exclude themselves from the outer world and had never been married belonged to the highest order or the Church order.

The fundamental doctrine of the True Inspirationists was that divine inspiration and revelation was as real and potent as in the time of Moses. Their founder and leader, the Werkzeuge was an instrument of God. He had fallen into divine inspiration and the current of revelation was revealed to him. The Werkzeuge was head of the communities and made community decisions with the help of the elders.

As Trinitarians, the True Inspirationists believed in justification by faith and resurrection of the dead. They did not believe in eternal fire and damnation. Instead, the soul was purified by fire in the course of time and the amount of time required was dependent upon the extent of the soul’s wickedness.

The True Inspirationists believed solely on the Bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, where much of the Shaker doctrines were taken from the Pentecost or Primitive Church. “They hold that the Pentecostal Church was established on right principles; that the Christian Churches rapidly and fatally fell from it; and that the Shakers have returned to this original and perfect doctrine and practice. They say: ‘The five most prominent practical principles of the Pentecost Church were first, common property; second, a life of celibacy; third, non-resistance; fourth, a separate and distinct government; and fifth, power over physical disease’.”

As millennialists, the Shakers believed Christ’s return was the answer to the world’s problems. They claimed that the millennium had begun with them and instead of being a single apocalyptic event, it was totally a personal experience. The millennium came to each individual when they confessed all of their sins and joined the order agreeing to its doctrines and strict rules of behavior. The doctrines of the Trinity and physical resurrection were rejected and death-in-life was acknowledged. They also believed that by living the celibate life and confessing all sins individuals experienced Judgment Day and lived in eternal salvation.

They believed God was bisexual, containing both a male and a female element. Jesus was the male element and their founder and leader, Lee Ann Standerin, was the female element. Lee Ann’s doctrine was a simple one: she believed that all of the world’s ills were due to sexual desires and the only way of achieving salvation was to abstain totally from sex in thought, word, and deed. She preached, “That they could not follow Christ while living in the works of natural generation – they were to become celibates.” The Shakers believed that unless a communistic society was celibate it could not survive.

Although the True Inspirationists were not completely celibate like the Shakers, celibacy was considered more pleasing to God. According to I Corinthians 7:32, 33 “He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” The Inspirationists believed marriage to have a large degree of worldliness in it and this made an individual less spiritually minded.

While marriage was not prohibited, it was considered a spiritual fall. No matter how high the couple was spiritually in the congregation, upon entering the married state they fell to the lowest order. They then had to work their way back up through deepening piety. The length of time required to work back up to a higher order depended upon the amount of the couples grace.

While marriage wasn’t prohibited, it was greatly discouraged. Marriage was believed to be made only with God’s consent and this was made known to the Werkzeuge. A man was not allowed to marry, even with his parents consent, until he reached the age of 24, then the young couple was separated for a year. One of the couple was placed in another community and if after a year of separation they still desired to be married, the wedding was a solemn event treated with fear. The Community did not recognize divorce and even if a spouse died, second marriages were extremely discouraged.

Of course, children were discouraged and with the birth of each child, the couple again fell to the lowest order of the community, having to work their way back up. A couple with three or more children was looked down on and a two child couple was thought a little holier. The couple who remained childless was highly honored, as they exercised a great deal of chastity.

The Shakers claimed that they did not condemn marriage but they believed that they were living in a state of regeneration. They felt that if they were not quite living in heaven they were close enough to base their lives on it. That there were no marriages in heaven and they should live as if they were in heaven. The Shakers believed that if they lived the perfect life the millennium would take place, therefore there wasn’t any need to reproduce the human race since the end of the world was at hand.

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