Читать книгу American Quaker Romances. Building the Myth of the White Christian Nation онлайн

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All this was seen by members of the Church of England, and even the Puritan rebels who had won the Civil War, as potentially destabilizing for the status quo. According to Quakers, all were equal under God. Quakers refused to pay church tithes, doff their hats in front of authorities, or use titles. Besides, they would not swear oaths, as they believed God wanted humans to always tell the truth, not just on special occasions. Early Friends also objected to using the names of days and months which derived from pagan gods and used numbers instead (Dandelion 2008: 12). For example, Sunday became First Day, and January, First Month. Their wedding ceremonies were also different from those of other Christian groups, as were their Meetings for Worship, which were mostly carried out in silence, without prepared sermons, readings from Scripture or the singing of hymns. The apparent lack of respect to conventions and “superiors” added to the perception that they were troublesome people. Since they were at the same time rapidly attracting members, authorities tried to stop them from growing. Their meetings were banned, and thousands were cast into prison.