From a New York Times article about renewed interest in Shakers:
Fastvold said that she did not consult with the two active Shakers at any point, saying it was out of respect: “For them it’s a living religion, and for me I’m telling a story about a historical figure.” She added, “I was worried I’d be too cowed by their interpretation of her story to not make space for my own.”
Before “The Testament of Ann Lee” opened, one of the active Shakers, Brother Arnold Hadd, posted an anticipatory video on a website that challenged the idea that the deaths of her children were at the root of Mother Ann’s insistence on celibacy. The deaths would have been expected, he said, because of the high incidence of infant mortality in her time.
Later, after he had seen the film, in an emailed response to a request for an interview, Brother Arnold declined to comment, explaining that it was “filled with lies and inaccuracies on a scale not imagined before.”
***
Explains why they never got back to me! Brother Arnold probably thinks I’m scum of the earth now, but he thinks that about most people, so it’s fine!
Itinerantdaughter's Blog 
Leave a comment