Living in an Amish Paradise

[Nicks Girl]

I disagree with alot of their teachings. It's definitely not for me. It seems legalistic to me. Since, EVERYONE HAS to obey their laws on how to dress, eat, how they live, etc. I don't believe these are things Christ taught us to do, or to be. We need to be evangelizing to the lost, and seeking Christ, and following HIM.

[apothanein kerdos]

Mennonites are awesome except they tend to lean a little bit more towards the liberal side (maybe that was just me in the town I was in) and are absolute Pacifist, which I disagree with. Some, (usually the old school ones) believe you have to be a pacifist in order to have a proper relationship with Jesus Christ.

The problem i have with the Amish is how are they fufilling the great commission? They seclude themslves from the world......now, maybe I'm wrong, and any Amish on here would like to............oh wait.............

[Kabowd]

I admire their committment and dedication, but they are having little to no effect on their world as a whole.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

I have always been facinated with the Amish, and love to go visit an Amish area once or twice a year. In fact, I have an "Amish room" in my home, decorated with lots of Amish stuff. I very much respect their way of life. And, like Suzanne said, I often think - "sign me up!". How nice it would be to live so simply.

Yeah me too....We have an old American/Amish style room. Most of the funitures is Amish made. I think most people refer to it as Mission style.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

[url=http://www.800padutch.com/atafaq.shtml]

A quote from this website:

First, the Amish do not evangelize and seek to add outsiders to their church.

Isn't this quite contrary to the explicit command of Jesus?

I think its more of a lifestyle rather then a religion...JMO I am sure there are Amish that do evangelize maybe not to convert to Amish but to God.

[Guest The Chief]

Hi there....

Mennonites are not Pacifists (which has a political flavor,) but are nonresistant. This particular aspect of the Mennonite faith I have to deal with every day, as I was raised in a Warrior mentality (family was military, as was I.)

Most Mennonites I know lean more towards the Conservative side, although, just as in many other denominatios, there are exceptions. Papasangel and I attend a Conservative Mennonite church in Pantego, NC.

Most members of our church are born into it, and as they grow up have the option of remaining with the faith or moving on. Roughly 85% to 95% of the young people in our congregation remain with the church; the rest finding it's "not for them."

I can think of several members of our congregation who were "outsiders" (coming into the church from the mainstream,) including our family. Out-and-out evangelization wasn't necessary; we saw the fruits of the Spirit at work in these people's lives, and we were drawn to it. I've been associated with Baptist (Southern, Free Will, Independent, Fundamental) Pentecostal, and Methodist, yet the simple Conservative Mennonite congregation we are involved with now struck a chord in our souls, and we feel we have found our "temporary home" while abiding on this earth.

Many have labeled the Anabaptists as "Legalists." Well, if that's a word you want to use, so be it. Our church has rules, as most churches do, yet they are not as restrictive as you may think. My wife wears plain dresses (which she sews herself) and she believes these make her more feminine, not lessening to her. I wear plain clothing as well...the clothes we wear are functional, not ostentatious. My "Sunday clothes" consist of dark pants, white shirt with no tie, and frock coat. Again, simple. We don't wear wedding bands (not found in Scripture,) jewelry (what's the point?), the women wear coverings (to symbolize the submission of the wife to the husband, who is under submission to Christ) and other things that I won't get into. What it boils down to is that what some may think of as "legalism" makes perfect sense to us...we all live under rules of some kind, and our rules fit us to a "T", and we are quite happy and content with them.

As far as dietary restrictions, I have yet to see that, lol! Many years ago, a Mennonite cookbook was published; the focus was not on restricting what people can and can't eat, rather, the focus was on how to do more for people using less of our resources. I have never gone away from a member's house hungry, and have never seen any kind of restrictions (except for diabetics and such)

Most "evangelism" in the church takes place in Third World countries, so will not be readily apparent here in the US. Our church currently supports several missionaries and evangelists in Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Columbia, and Mexico. One of our families a few years ago lost their father to terrorists in Columbia because he took a stand for Christ and refused to stop evangelizing the poor in the area. His wife still attends our church, and his children are on fire for God.

One aspect of the church that stands out is the help extended to others in time of need. If a member of the church is in need, the entire church pitches in to assist the family; I know, this has happened to us. One of our dear friends was thrown out of her house because her husband insisted she was in a cult (never mind that his girlfriend moved in the next week). The church took her in, obtained housing for her, stoked her larder, and even went as far as giving her a job with the local school as a teacher. The man's daughter, now 13, sees the difference in the lives of mom and dad, and cringes every time she has to visit dad and his new wife. She recognizes the difference in her mom.

All in all, we are quite happy with the Mennonite church. while, as Nick's Girl says, "It's not for me," neither is the Baptist, Methodist, or Pentecostal church right for us. The proper church for an individual is where the Spirit leads; God has graciously sent us to our church home, and we are glad He did.

[Jedi4Yahweh]

Thanks for the info Cheif.

So how do you guys view other denominations and Christians that do not follow the Amish/Minnonite practices. Do you see them as brothers and sisters in Christ?

Are you guys exclusive?

Look forward to your response.

God bless,

[AnotherTraveler]

Hi Chief,

That post was a very good post, enlightening, good explainations, and I really appreciate your post.

I know that this will show my ignorance, but what does this mean?

stoked her larder

[stevehut]

I am sure there are Amish that do evangelize maybe not to convert to Amish but to God.

Nope. They don't.

99% of their new membership is their own children.

And if the kids don't get baptized in adolescence, then they must leave and are shunned for all time.

[Laura]

Steve,

I hope you read The Chief's response on Mennonites above your comments.

Thanks.