Mennonite Beliefs

[Stacey]

Hi there,

I don't mean to sound rude or ignorant at all, but I was just trying to learn about some of the mennonite beleifs. I don't really know anything about them except that some of them don't use electricity, cars etc. I'm a baptist and have been looking for a Canadian Christian university/college that offers a Bachelors of Music forever, and the only one I've been able to find is in the Canadian Mennonite University, but here they do use modern electronics and whatnot. So if anyone could help explain to me the general practices or beliefs of "modern day" mennonites, that would be sooo greatly appreciated.

Again, I appologize for my lack on knowledge on the subject and I know this whole thing sounds a little rude, but thanks for your replies!

-Stacey

[MrJim]

Most of what makes up today's mennonite church differs little from most evangelical churches. Particularly on mennonite campuses (I speak for US) they tend to be liberal. I speak as one that has been there.

Today's modern mennonite is basically unnecessary. The liberals could blend in with the UMC with little effort.

The more conservative modern mennonite would fit in most baptist/evangelical-free churches.

Only amongst the plain conservative mennonite church will you find a glimpse of the historical anabaptist faith. And they don't have any universities.

http://www.emu.edu/ This is web site of Eastern Mennonite University (Virginia USA)
http://www.goshen.edu/ This is web site of Goshen College (Indiana USA)
http://www.hesston.edu/ This is web site of Hesston College (Kansas USA)
http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ This is web site of the modern mennonite church (usa version)

Hope info helps

[AmyHasQuestions]

Why on earth would you ask this question in the Catholic forum? Why not ask it in the mennonite forum?

[MrJim]

Why on earth would you ask this question in the Catholic forum? Why not ask it in the mennonite forum?

It's a philosophy/ethics forum?

[leia]

Ummmm, I'm new here but I went back to the original "forum" and saw many "threads" and this one keeps leading me back to Mennonites, though there is another thread for Catholics, so please excuse me whilst I answer here.

Mennonite schooled and so are my children. We have many friends who are Amish, Mennonite and Baptist and I put them in that order for descention.

Religiously, if it is put down on paper, the three are very similar in theory. It is the practice that is the issue, except the taking up arms part. We are CO. I was JAG out of law school in California. My law school was on my Mennonite campus. But many years later and looking at both sides now, I have made a personal descission.

Amish are an offshoot of Mennonites. Mennonites followed Mr. Menno and split from the Catholic church about the same time as Luther did. Primary problem was infant baptism. The belief of Mr. Menno and his followers was: how can a child "repent and be baptised" when it is too young to have a consciousness of sin? So, they were baptised again at an older age, hence the term anabaptist which means baptised twice. If the Catholic church found out about it, they were killed. There were other issues as well...call no man "father" but your Father in heaven, ect.

They split and suffered for it, then another group within that group decided that the followers of Mr. Menno did not go far enough with regard to "seperation from the world" and plain dress for woman and some other things. Mennonites have electricity, even the ones who aren't "liberal". By the way, I went to one of those colleges....I spent most of my time in the chapel but....wow! Some of the youths go further in nightly activities and dress and make-up than nonchristians. They are Mennonites only because their parents send them to that school with that name! "Liberal" Mennonite just means of the world.

Mennonites drive cars and hold jobs and get involved in community, where the Amish will not. The car decission of the Amish is nothing more than trying to keep their own community together and stay seperate from the world. They do not believe that you can interact to any extent without getting it on you and so they don't interact. and you can't likely drive the buggy to Denver from Ohio so it keeps the kids at home. If they are honest, they will tell you that. My friends are.

The clothes of a practicing Mennonite cover the body. The are usually of a couple of accepted styles because they want to make sure they are doing what is right. They have a couple of ptaterns and pass them around. Collar are worn on dresses and they will wear buttons without thinking they are being "vain". Amish will not. Though the dress often looks similar, closures are not usually manufactured things like buttons. Buttons are conspicuious and often used for adornment, so they use hide away hook and eyes. Simplicity is the main concern of both, the dividing issue is what is considered decoration vs. function. Nothing male or female is emphasised. Head coverings are worn because we are called to "pray without ceasing" and if a woman prays without her head being covered, she shames the Godhead: the Father, then our husband then women and then the children in that order of obedience. Girls hair is nothing more than trimmed since scripturally it is the crown of the woman and "shorn" equates to "shame" in scripture. Once a female reaches the age of personal grace, she keeps it up and covered so as not to use it to entice or promote vanity as to looks over spiritual godliness. Outside is subdued so that the spiritual side can be the thing seen.

Although Mennonites act within the community the live in, they tend to stay to themselves socially mainly because their beliefs are often taken by other people, mostly women, to mean there is some type of statement attached to it. As if the Mennonites are attempting to say the others are doing something wrong by not covering their head, ect. That is not the case, but that is often how it is preceived.

Any more....just ask

[leia]

The more conservative modern mennonite would fit in most baptist/evangelical-free churches.



I am of a Mennonite nature, dear one, however it is impossible for me to attend a Baptist church dressing and conducting myself as a Mennonite. Unfortunately, there is no Mennonite group here and I am rather stuck. But I can not tell you how shunned I was for wearing plain dress and a veil. A Mennonite does not, indeed not, fit into a Baptist church.

When the preacher finally did preach a sermon on the provocative and tightly dressed youth, we lost them that week and went to the very large church down the street. In several families, worship was split between parents remaining and children leaving. There were many tears.

Then the large church's youth minister was asked to resign his position and they went further away to the large church on the hill which has a cheerleader squad and basketball team. Their clothes were what they wanted to keep, not the scriptures.

You don't see that in a conservative Mennonite community such as my sisters in Virginia and Tennessee. In order not to cause confusion in the Baptist congregation, I have forgone the veil. But I will not speak in service nor say the closing prayer for the congregation.

[MrJim]

I am of a Mennonite nature, dear one, however it is impossible for me to attend a Baptist church dressing and conducting myself as a Mennonite. Unfortunately, there is no Mennonite group here and I am rather stuck. But I can not tell you how shunned I was for wearing plain dress and a veil. A Mennonite does not, indeed not, fit into a Baptist church.

When the preacher finally did preach a sermon on the provocative and tightly dressed youth, we lost them that week and went to the very large church down the street. In several families, worship was split between parents remaining and children leaving. There were many tears.

Then the large church's youth minister was asked to resign his position and they went further away to the large church on the hill which has a cheerleader squad and basketball team. Their clothes were what they wanted to keep, not the scriptures.

You don't see that in a conservative Mennonite community such as my sisters in Virginia and Tennessee. In order not to cause confusion in the Baptist congregation, I have forgone the veil. But I will not speak in service nor say the closing prayer for the congregation.

I was not clear. When I mean modern conservative I mean within the Mennonite USA "not plain" denom. I was a part of the Mennonite Church before the MC/GC merger so when I speak of conservative modern mennonites I mean a critter that is generally a republican conservative christian in (probably what you'd consider liberal) that denom, which is the largest body of mennonites.

[PuritanLady]

Small correction from having been in a mennonite church and having read their history. People didn't follow Menno out of the Catholic church. It is my understanding, from mennonite publishings, that Menno became involved with anabaptists, was converted, and later became one of the leaders.

[PuritanLady]

Why on earth would you ask this question in the Catholic forum? Why not ask it in the mennonite forum?

Where are you getting that this is a Catholic only forum. This forum (congregation-specific ethics) is listed in all of the various branch forums. I got here through Semper Reformanda.

[MrJim]

Small correction from having been in a mennonite church and having read their history. People didn't follow Menno out of the Catholic church. It is my understanding, from mennonite publishings, that Menno became involved with anabaptists, was converted, and later became one of the leaders.

Yup, Menno didn't start the anabaptist movement at all. He is credited and the mennonites were named after him because of his leadership abilities and his writings that helped bring things together. Grebel, Blaurock, and Manz get the credit for starting and probably top anabaptist theologian (as theological as anabaptists get anyhow;) ) award would go to Pilgram Marpeck (Swiss movement) and Balthasar Hubmaier (who wasn't even non-resistant though he was not a Munsterite).

[PuritanLady]

Correct, not all anabaptists were non-resistant...they were varied. I know the Present day mennonites like to disclaim this one, but the situation at Munster is an extreme example.

[jazzbird]

Moved from Christian Philosophy and Ethics.

Since we don't have a Mennonite Forum, I figured Non-Denom would be the best place for this, but if not, feel free to move it to a more appropriate forum.

[Lynn73]

We were eating at a restaurant after church today and a family of what appeared at first to be Amish were there but I'm wonding if they were Mennonite. After all, I didn't see any horses and buggies in the parking lot and we have no Amish communites close by. Also I noticed one woman wearing a watch. The woman did have the hats on and the men had the beards, though. So I'm assuming they came in a car. Were these Mennonites in all probabililty?

[MrJim]

We were eating at a restaurant after church today and a family of what appeared at first to be Amish were there but I'm wonding if they were Mennonite. After all, I didn't see any horses and buggies in the parking lot and we have no Amish communites close by. Also I noticed one woman wearing a watch. The woman did have the hats on and the men had the beards, though. So I'm assuming they came in a car. Were these Mennonites in all probabililty?

Could have been plain mennonites. Could have been Old River Brethren. Hard to tell...

[MrJim]

Moved from Christian Philosophy and Ethics.

Since we don't have a Mennonite Forum, I figured Non-Denom would be the best place for this, but if not, feel free to move it to a more appropriate forum.

Mennonites are anabaptists-this should be moved to Baptist/Anabaptist forum. Sure don't fit in here.

[jazzbird]

Mennonites are anabaptists-this should be moved to Baptist/Anabaptist forum. Sure don't fit in here.
Moved one more time. Thanks Menno. :)