Introduction, birth, parentage, religious exercises and sufferings of Ann Lee; her revelation and testimony; voyage to America -- Mother's experience and sufferings in America, previous to the opening of the gospel -- First interview of the people in this country with Mother and the elders, with some questions and answers that passed between them -- First interview of different individuals with Mother and the elders -- The subject continued -- The subject continued -- Sketches of Mother's experience and sufferings in England, as related by herself, at different times -- Mother's persecution in England, as related by herself, and those who came with her to this country -- Mother converses with Eleazer Grant and others. Some further particulars of her persecution in England-- mission and voyage to America, &c. -- The wicked alarmed at the spreading of the gospel-- Mother and the elders imprisoned at Albany--many stirred up to inquiry, and the work still increases--Mother sent to Poughkeepsie jail, &c. -- The church visited at Watervlist--the gospel increases--Mother sets out on a journey to the eastward--visits Tucconock, Enfield, and Grafton, and arrives at Harvard. The inhabitants alarmed by false reports, &c. -- Mother and the elders visit Petersham. Meeting at David Hammond's disturbed by a mob--Mother shamefully and cruelly abused -- Mother and the elders return to Harvard. They are threatened, and ordered to leave the place. After much affliction, they leave Harvard, and go to Enfield, from whence they are driven by a mob--they go to Ashfield, afterward return to Harvard, &c. -- The believers driven from Harvard, and cruelly abused by a riotous mob -- Mother visits Norton, Rehoboth and Stonington--thence through Preston and Windham to Stafford--thence to Enfield, Cheshire, and Ashfield -- At Ashfield Mother is visited by great multitudes of people--great manifestations of the power of God, and great purging among the people--a mob excited by Daniel Bacon -- Mother and the elders return to Harvard--by the complaints of a deaf and dumb man a mob is raised, and assembled at Shirley. The elders taken from Shirley to Harvard and whipped -- Mother and the elders leave Harvard, and visit Petersham--a mob assembles, the believers abused, and Aaron Wood knocked down--Mother and the elders go to Joseph Bennet's in Cheshire--thence to Richmond -- Great opposition from the wicked instigated by Senior Valentine Rathbun, Mother and the elders taken with a warrant,and tried by a court of justices. Samuel Fitch and brethren committed to jail. Opposition continues--Mother visits the prisoners--returns through West Stockbridge, &c. -- Mother arrives at New Lebanon; meeting at John Bishop's--Mother visits a number of families in and around New Lebanon--goes to Jabez Spencer's in Stephentown; and returns again to New Lebanon -- A persecuting mob is raised--Mother carried before Eleazar Grant; cruelly abused, and driven out of New Lebanon -- Mother and the elders return to Nathan Farrington's--A mob surrounds the house at night--Mother proceeds on her journey--stays at E. Kapp's, and is driven off by a mob, arrives at Niskayuns, &c. -- Great manifestations of God in Mother; Christ her head, Lord and Husband -- Prophecies, visions, and revelations -- The subject continued -- The subject continued -- The gospel preached to departed spirits -- The confession of sin -- Miraculous gifts -- Counsel in temporal things--industry, cleanliness, prudence, economy, giving of alms and charity to the poor -- Promises to the faithful--counsel and instruction to young people. Concerning children--concerning beats -- Reproof and instruction -- Public teaching, doctrinal speeches; exhortations, &c. -- The subject continued -- Speeches to individuals, on various occasions -- The subject continued -- The subject continued -- Sketches of the life and character of Elder William Lee -- Some further sketches of the life and character of Mother Ann Lee -- Sketches of the life, character, and ministry of Father James Whittaker -- The subject continued -- Of the judgments of God.

Excerpt from Testimonies of the Life, Character, Revelations and Doctrines of Mother Ann Lee, and the Elders With Her: Through Whom the Word of Eternal Life Was Opened in This Day, of Christ's Second Appearing, Collected From Living Witnesses, in Union With the Church Having been eye and ear witnesses of all that our blessed Mother and the first Elders have done and] taught among us, from the time they first opened the Gospel in America, till they left this world, it seems good to us, in answer to the request of our beloved Brethren and Sisters, who have never seen those blessed Ministers of Christ, in the body, to make a faithful record of those precepts and examples, and other cotemporary events, which most eminently manifest their real characters. The work of God, in the dispensations of His grace to a lost world, being contrary to all the desires and inclina tions of an evil nature, is, of course, always manifested in a way contrary to all the calculations and expectations of the natural man. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Originally published in 1976 as Anne the Word, this is a popular biography of colorful and controversial Shaker founder Ann Lee.

Ann Lee is perhaps one of the most remarkable and mystifying women in the history of Western culture. Few could have imagined that humble beginnings in Manchester, England, would lead to the illiterate daughter of a blacksmith overcoming personal anguish and increasingly Puritanical sentiments in England and rising to become a visionary religious leader, thought by her followers to have been the second incarnation of Christ. After the deaths of her four children, Ann was committed to an insane asylum. While committed she received the revelation that she was Ann the Word, the female embodiment of Christ. Upon her release, she assumed leadership of the Shaking Quakers, or Shakers, a local religious cult known for erratic fits of divine shaking, passionate song and dance, speaking in tongues, and a belief that the millennium heralding the end of the world had come. Escaping persecution, she emigrated with a small band of Shakers to America in 1774. Charges of witchcraft and spying followed Lee wherever she went as she began an ambitious mission of conversion, establishing communities across New England. In the first serious biography about this spirited, captivating leader, Richard Francis provides “the best portrait to date of . . . [a] heroic, indomitable, mesmerizing woman” (Sunday Telegraph), a trail-blazer whose feminizing influence upon Christianity was marked progress for women of her time and long after. He also demonstrates the aura and strangeness of the radical Shakers during their militant years and in so doing, poignantly recreates a “remote prophetic world” (Evening Standard), bursting with mystery and intrigue.

In the late eighteenth century a small Shaker community travelled to America under the leadership ofMother Ann Lee. The American communities they founded were based on ideals of pacifism, celibacy and gender equality. The texts included in this edition come from first-hand accounts of life in the Shaker communities during the nineteenth century.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

A collection of original essays exploring the history of the various American religious traditions and the meaning of their many expressions The Blackwell Companion to American Religious History explores the key events, significant themes, and important movements in various religious traditions throughout the nation’s history from pre-colonization to the present day. Original essays written by leading scholars and new voices in the field discuss how religion in America has transformed over the years, explore its many expressions and meanings, and consider religion’s central role in American life. Emphasizing the integration of religion into broader cultural and historical themes, this wide-ranging volume explores the operation of religion in eras of historical change, the diversity of religious experiences, and religion’s intersections with American cultural, political, social, racial, gender, and intellectual history. Each chronologically-organized chapter focuses on a specific period or event, such as the interactions between Moravian and Indigenous communities, the origins of African-American religious institutions, Mormon settlement in Utah, social reform movements during the twentieth century, the growth of ethnic religious communities, and the rise of the Religious Right. An innovative historical genealogy of American religious traditions, the Companion: Highlights broader historical themes using clear and compelling narrative Helps teachers expose their students to the significance and variety of America’s religious past Explains new and revisionist interpretations of American religious history Surveys current and emerging historiographical trends Traces historical themes to contemporary issues surrounding civil rights and social justice movements, modern capitalism, and debates over religious liberties Making the lessons of American religious history relevant to a broad range of readers, The Blackwell Companion to American Religious History is the perfect book for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in American history courses, and a valuable resource for graduate students and scholars wanting to keep pace with current historiographical trends and recent developments in the field.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The United States has long thought of itself as exceptional--a nation destined to lead the world into a bright and glorious future. These ideas go back to the Puritan belief that Massachusetts would be a "city on a hill," and in time that image came to define the United States and the American mentality. But what is at the root of these convictions? John Howard Smith's A Dream of the Judgment Day explores the origins of beliefs about the biblical end of the world as Americans have come to understand them, and how these beliefs led to a conception of the United States as an exceptional nation with a unique destiny to fulfill. However, these beliefs implicitly and explicitly excluded African Americans and American Indians because they didn't fit white Anglo-Saxon ideals. While these groups were influenced by these Christian ideas, their exclusion meant they had to craft their own versions of millenarian beliefs. Women and other marginalized groups also played a far larger role than usually acknowledged in this phenomenon, greatly influencing the developing notion of the United States as the "redeemer nation." Smith's comprehensive history of eschatological thought in early America encompasses traditional and non-traditional Christian beliefs in the end of the world. It reveals how millennialism and apocalypticism played a role in destructive and racist beliefs like "Manifest Destiny," while at the same time influencing the foundational idea of the United States as an "elect nation." Featuring a broadly diverse cast of historical figures, A Dream of the Judgment Day synthesizes more than forty years of scholarship into a compelling and challenging portrait of early America.