The Shaker Society

The Shaker Society

The Shaker Society is a part of the Religious Society of Friends, widely known as the “Quakers”.

Quakers have two fundamental beliefs

  1. Everyone has a direct relationship with the Light or the Spirit, which is divinity. No designated person or group, like a priest or elders, is necessary for fellowship.
  2. Divinity is continuously revealed, not confined to a book or other media.

Are Friends christian?

Yes, the Religious Society of Friends is a christian, protestant religion.

How do Friends come together? Is it church?

Friends do not go to church. Friends come together in meeting. Churches cannot exist in the Religious Society of Friends because a hierarchy of people and buildings does not exist in our philosophy. No person is better or more important than any other, and no building is more or less significant than any other.

Meeting can happen with any group and in any building or open-air space. During meeting, some Friends sing and have programmed worship. These groups also go into their surroundings and attempt to bring others into their meetings. The Shaker Society does not do any of these things. We have:

  1. Silent, unprogrammed meeting, listening for the universe to move us.
  2. A welcoming but not proactive stance towards membership and attendance.

Why “Shakers” instead of “Quakers”?

The founders of the Shaker Society, Ana and Scott, have long careers in technology. But in the 2010s they both found themselves splitting from the prevailing narrative and future vision of technology in society led by venture capital, private equity firms, and technology firms themselves. They do not think the addictive and invasive qualities of Big Tech implementation is necessary or useful for humanity, but still love the utility technological advances afford.

This attitude mirrors that of the original Shakers. The Shakers of the 18th–20th century were open to and even invented new technologies, and adopted them only to the extent that the technologies proved useful to their lives. Technology was put in its proper position of service to humanity and a humane vision of community.

Ana and Scott believe the same. The technologies driving our lives, including social media and artificial intelligence, can have a positive impact on humanity. What is wrong is the implementation of these technologies in society by Big Tech and related firms. Through the Shaker Society, Ana and Scott hope to build a community that is thoughtful about embracing technology while rejecting and actively working against the debilitating, corrosive effects of its current widespread implementation.

Is the Shaker Society celibate?

No, members of the Shaker Society are not celibate. Mother Ann Lee, one of the founders of the Shakers, embraced celibacy in the 1700s as the only means by which men and women could truly be equal, but the Shaker Society in 2025 does not agree with that stance.

Progress towards equality has been made

Although there is much work still to be done to achieve true equality, the advent of birth control, the legalization of divorce and abortion in many places, and increased civil rights mean that celibacy is no longer a requirement for equality.

Where we will continue that progress

The Shaker Society actively advocates for equality in body and spirit for all people. This includes the right of women to have or to not have children and to provide care for those children in the way that fits their needs and wants. This also includes the rights of men to embrace caregiving roles and to be freed of solitary lives of unshared leadership burden.

Mother Ann Lee knew that celibacy would cause the end of the Shakers. Because of this, she believed that the Shakers would die out and then re-emerge. Ana and Scott consider themselves part of that re-emergence.

Religious Society of Friends Fun Facts

Here are some fun facts to get you started in understanding the Religious Society of Friends:

  1. The Society was founded in the 1600s in England by George Fox.
  2. The Shakers broke with the larger Society in 1747, also in England.
  3. The Shaker Society traces its origin to Mother Ann Lee, who established the first Shaker community in the newly established State of New York in 1776.
  4. Friends did not legally marry until the 1800s and still do not have officiants at their weddings. Instead, the couple pledges themselves to each other as individuals with their own self-determination in front of their community. The members of the community then sign a wedding certificate attesting to their witness of the pledge.
  5. Friends are pacifists and have been conscientious objectors during many wartime, including the U.S. Civil War and the U.S.-Vietnam War.