Citation:
Goodwillie, Christian. 2023.“From Lion to Lamb: The Spiritual Humiliation of Shaker Richard McNemar”. in Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Abstract: Abuses of spiritual power are not usually associated with the Shakers, a sect now regarded as wholesome and American as apple pie. However, during the late 1830s, spiritual forces unleashed as part of an internal religious revival manifested themselves in violent persecution. Among the victims was Richard McNemar, a leading light in the Kentucky Revival and prominent convert to Shakerism in 1805. McNemar was the indispensable man in the spread of Shakerism throughout Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, from his conversion through the 1830s. However, rather than retirement and peace, at the end of his life he was subjected to public humiliation in the name of the sect's founder Mother Ann Lee. After an extended period of suffering, this persecution resulted in McNemar's death. This paper will trace the chaotic and darks events that unfolded at Union Village, Ohio, during 1838 and 1839, where spirit mediums unleashed hell amidst a purported heaven on earth.Presenter bio: Christian Goodwillie is the director and curator of special collections and archives at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. He has formerly served as the curator of collections at Hancock Shaker Village and the President of the Communal Studies Association, receiving their Distinguished Scholar Award in 2021. Goodwillie has published twelve books and numerous articles on the Shakers, Freemasonry, and other topics. His newest book Richard McNemar: Frontier Heretic and Shaker Apostle was published in 2023 by Indiana University.
Presenter affiliation: Hamilton College