Mennonite
A Mennonite is an adherent to an Anabaptist movement begun in the 1500's by Menno Simons in Holland and others earlier in Zurich, Switzerland. They practice adult baptism, pacifism (correctly it is called non-resistance), simple living and have an emphasis on community. Mennonites reject the notion of sola scriptura, believing instead that the Bible was inspired when it was written and therefore must be inspired when it is read.
Most are of German or Swiss descent, and live as very hard-working farmers. Most Mennonites live in the U.S. (Pennsylvania to Indiana, and Great Plains) and Canada (Prairie Provinces); Some live in Argentina and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Some Old Order and Conservative Mennonites have a simple way of living, wear traditional clothes and avoid modern technology. Other Mennonites use the same types of technology and wear the same types of clothes as other modern people.
Contents
Amish and Mennonites
The Amish and Mennonite churches share the same beliefs concerning baptism, non-resistance, and basic Bible doctrines. They differ in matters of dress, technology, language, form of worship, and application of the Bible. [1]
Disaster relief
Mennonites are strongly involved with disaster relief, particularly through the Mennonite Central Committee [2] Mennonite Disaster Services [3] and Christian Aid Ministries. http://www.christianaidministries.org/ Some of the more conservative Mennonites channel aid through their own ministries and churches. They also distribute fair trade goods through Ten Thousand Villages shops. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit program of the Mennonite Central Committee. [4]
Separation and distinct beliefs
The Old Order Mennonites, Amish and Conservative Mennonites are distinctive from most denominations because they do not use the same level of technology as most other people living in the world today. Despite common stereotypes, this is not out of a belief that technology is inherently evil. Many believe that modern technology could potentially harm their community in other ways, however. The level of technology allowed may differ from one Old Order or conservative group to another. Some may choose to allow vehicles (generally plain black) and other modern technologies, while others do not. Some of these communities also do not meet in churches rather in homes.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.800padutch.com/amishhistory.shtml Lancaster PA & the Amish Country website
- ↑ http://mcc.org/ Mennonite Central Committee
- ↑ http://www.mds.mennonite.net/ Mennonite Disaster Service Website
- ↑ http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/php/about.us/about.vision.php
External Links
- http://www.mennoniteusa.org/ Mennonite Church USA
- http://anabaptistmennonites.org/ Anabaptist Mennonites Worldwide
- http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/M4673ME.html Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online - article: Mennonite
