Mennonite ≠ a Religion
Some people get riled up about calling Christianity a religion. I don't think it's an issue - religion may be defined as:
That is a rather simplistic definition of Christianity, but it certainly fits (correct me if I'm wrong).
It does bother me, however, to hear "Mennonite" referred to as a religion, as if "Mennonite" is separate from Christianity. Now, it may very well be a case of semantics, maybe the people who speak thus really do realize that "Mennonite" is a Christian denomination. On the other hand, if people do regard "Mennonite" as a separate religion... it may not be that big a deal if they have never met a Mennonite in person (even at that, there is room for concern - shouldn't we be widely known for living for the Christian God?). But it would be pretty sad if a non-Mennonite was somewhat well acquainted with Mennonites (maybe had them living next door and associated with them a bit) and still regarded my denomination as a separate religion. Where's the light for Christ in such a scenario? Or maybe it is just a scenario, maybe it doesn't really happen - I hope so.
If we really have the Light, the hope, the joy, and the power, the world should know. Otherwise, we may as well be hermits in the Himalayas.
That is a rather simplistic definition of Christianity, but it certainly fits (correct me if I'm wrong).
It does bother me, however, to hear "Mennonite" referred to as a religion, as if "Mennonite" is separate from Christianity. Now, it may very well be a case of semantics, maybe the people who speak thus really do realize that "Mennonite" is a Christian denomination. On the other hand, if people do regard "Mennonite" as a separate religion... it may not be that big a deal if they have never met a Mennonite in person (even at that, there is room for concern - shouldn't we be widely known for living for the Christian God?). But it would be pretty sad if a non-Mennonite was somewhat well acquainted with Mennonites (maybe had them living next door and associated with them a bit) and still regarded my denomination as a separate religion. Where's the light for Christ in such a scenario? Or maybe it is just a scenario, maybe it doesn't really happen - I hope so.
If we really have the Light, the hope, the joy, and the power, the world should know. Otherwise, we may as well be hermits in the Himalayas.
posted by Claire at 13:55
5 Comments:
If I were you I wouldn't bother. Does it matter? 1stly, what they believe or not about your religion does not affect your beliefs and convictions.
2. Whether or not they think of Mennonites as Christian does not reflect badly/well on the religion. In all religions there will be sectarian movements that are accepted or rejected by others. For example, the relationship of Buddhism to Hinduism. How many people realize it began as a movement within Hinduism? Although none of us will admit it, religion is very much a tool of exclusion. A way of pointing our Them in contrast to Us, so let them exclude your religion from Christianity if they feel it should be so. It's not necessarily an insult, just their way of understanding the world.
It's not an insult, as in them saying something unkind. They aren't the problem -- I wouldn't blame them at all. And if they've never known Mennonites personally, then I really wouldn't expect them to know that Mennonites are supposed to be Christians.
The problem is within Mennonite circles -- if Mennonites are known to their close neighbors as being Mennonites and the neighbors have no idea that they follow Jesus, live by the Bible, etc... then those Mennonites are not shining forth with the ultimately important message of their lives. They are not sharing the life-changing Good News that we are on earth to share. That is a problem. Anyway...
Can you explain Mennonite a little more? I use some Mennonite school books for homeschooling my children. Thanks
Certainly... I'll provide some information here, and a couple good websites to get more information from.
Mennonites are a Christian denomination of the Anabaptist persuasion. Back in the 1500's, when Catholicism and Lutheranism were widespread in Europe, certain members of the Catholic church realized that Catholicism taught a non-Biblical method to obtain salvation. These people realized that salvation is by faith, not by works such as mass, etc. They realized that we ought to confess our sins to God the Father with Christ as our mediator instead of the priest as mediator. They realized that baptism should be performed for those who express faith in God, not for babies who do not yet have the power to decide.
The Anabaptists were also turned off by the corruption seen in priests at that time, as those priests sought earthly pleasures. Mennonites believe that life is not to be lived for the sake of earthly riches. A woman, for instance, should value her inner character and spend much more time cultivating it than making herself look fancy, etc. One of the most visibly unusual things about conservative Mennonite women is their dress style. We wear head coverings in obedience to God's teaching in 1 Corinthians 11, and most of us wear dresses or skirts for modesty and gender distinction.
Mennonites are often known for their simplicity of lifestyle. This is somewhat like the Amish (a denomination that split off the Mennonites some time ago), but Mennonites do make use of modern technologies if they foresee that they will not be spiritually harmful.
The Mennonites followed (and still follow) Jesus' teachings on loving your neighbor and turning the other cheek. They believe that those teachings apply to all parts of our lives -- hence, conservative Mennonites do not go to war, serve on the jury, take political office, or serve as police officers.
Good websites with much more information than I have provided include:
www.anabaptists.org (a website run by a fellow from my church)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mennonite (I have not read the wikipedia article, but it likely provides a good overview.)
Let me know if you'd like more information.
I was home taught with Mennonite school books too. Really left an impression. Ten years later, I really have a longing to want to join them.
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