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QA Session with [tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 12
[tpb]MattFUU[/tpb]: What is that?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Oh, I guess I could start there :)

Technically, it's a denomination of protestant Christianity. It has become more of a culture, though. The Amish culture is an off-shoot of the Mennonite culture. 

[Here](http://www.gotquestions.org/Mennonite-beliefs.html) is the best description I've found so far, not too bogged down in names and dates (at least, the first 3 paragraphs or so).

I didn't grow up too conservative (I was allowed to wear pants instead of skirts/dresses, we have internet and electricity), but I am still very much a part of the culture. Many of my relatives are still conservative Mennonites (more similarities to the Amish).

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 7
[tpb]MattFUU[/tpb]: Wow so like what was the biggest thing you werent allowed to do
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Uhm..well...I wasn't an adventurous kid so there wasn't much my parents had to restrict.

I wasn't allowed to read Harry Potter or play Pokemon (though I was allowed to watch Digimon...?!). My older siblings eventually got my mom to back down on the Harry Potter rule.

I wasn't allowed to invite my Amish friends over to my house because they weren't allowed to see the TV and they might get jealous of the electricity. If I wanted to play with them I had to go to their houses.

Other than that, I think it's just the normal stuff. No worries about dating, I had my first boyfriend at 17 and at that point they trusted me (though they didn't really trust him.)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 6
[tpb]SuperCreeper7[/tpb]: Where do you live and go to school etc? Do you live in an all mennonite community, or a mixed/average community? Are you happy being a mennonite, and has it ever crossed your mind to leave the culture? Sorry if any of these are dumb questions, I'm not very familiar with your culture.
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Nope, no dumb ones :)

I live in a small town in PA. I went to a public school, but there's a huge Menno/Amish community here, so a good number of my classmates were Menno (though keep in mind, I graduated in a class of 34, so 'a good number' is about 10). A lot of Mennos (usually the older generations) never wanted to move away, so I'm related to a bunch of people here. My dad's parents, my great-aunts, their grandchildren, almost all live within a 20 mile radius.

I'm pretty content :) I mean, it's a culture, but also a choice and a lifestyle. I always had great examples growing up, and I believe part of it was due to the mindset that the Mennonite culture holds on the world in general. I guess a good example is how we handle marriages; divorce wasn't a part of my life until I was 20, and that was when my sister started dating a man who had 2 kids from a divorce. I grew up thinking divorce was pretty unusual, and long, happy marriages were normal. We've celebrated my grandparents' 60th anniversaries on both sides of the family now. 

Anyway, that was a tangent. But yea, it's just one example. I've struggled with some of the beliefs over the years (e.g. pacifism), but I still hold strongly that it's a lifestyle I want to pursue.



[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 6
[tpb]joseph_sith[/tpb]: Me too! Well, culturally. I'm not religious anymore, but my family is all still Mennonite. Where are you from?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Grantsville area. A tiny town, but in the CMC it's very well known :) Everyone's from Grantsville.

Technically I'm from Somerset County in PA.

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 6
[tpb]MattFUU[/tpb]: Ah makes sense. You must have like 10 
pound balls

[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Female :P and I don't even fully understand the reference but that's okay, I don't need to :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 5
[tpb]rockthemike712[/tpb]: I had a security job once where I had to supervise painters. They were Mennonites though and it was a Saturday night so they left super early so they wouldn't have to work (drive?) on Sunday. Great people, made it so I didn't really have to work either. Do you feel like religious restrictions like this are unnecessarily stringent? Do you plan to raise your future children in the same way that you were raised? 
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: I do feel like this is unnecessary. I mean, that's essentially following the Old Testament law (which defeats the whole purpose of accepting Christ). It's definitely one thing about the Mennonite community that makes me cringe. We tend to be severe rule-enforcers (and have a huge lack of appreciation for art...I'm an artist(ish)).

I wasn't really raised quite that way, my parents were never that conservative. But now that I'm older, I'm discovering that my mother still has a lot of attitudes from like, the 40s. I guess it's just because she grew up very conservative mennonite, so she's a generation behind her generation.

I would probably raise my kids the same way that I was raised. My parents weren't afraid to put me in my place (I still fear the wooden spoon), and they sometimes had a hard time expressing love for me, but I always knew by how they cared for me that it was true. I guess the one thing I'd change is how Mennonites don't like to be expressive and show emotion...I am an oddball for enjoying it.

Edit: I forgot to answer half the question :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 5
[tpb]MattFUU[/tpb]: What was the amish house like
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Very plain...the walls were painted in light pastel colors. They had a working toilet, but all of their lights were gas lanterns. The kitchen had a big potbelly stove to keep them warm, and for baths the little girl would sit in a big plastic tub in front of the furnace. Their dishes were the old 40s tupperware. There were a couple of plastic toys in the living room to play with, and lots of puzzles.

They also had a well in their backyard that we could drink from. It was pretty cool :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 4
[tpb]SuperCreeper7[/tpb]: Very interesting. Thanks for responding and being polite!
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Anytime :) I enjoy talking about it since it's so unknown to most people. Thanks for the question :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 4
[tpb]sublimefan42[/tpb]: I assume not an old order mennonite. What sect?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: CMC (Conservative Mennonite Conference). Not old order, though most of my relatives are. My mother's parents left the Amish church a few years before she was born; the first 4 of my mom's siblings were raised Amish.

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 4
[tpb]throwthisawaythatawa[/tpb]: Omg, I lived near Grantsville for years as a kid/teenager. I can't remember if it is still open, but did/do you shop at Yoder's? We went on a very memorable field trip there in middle school. 

Did you ever drive down River Road (I think that's the one) to try to find the Satanists? 

Garrett County, so beautiful to visit, wouldn't live there again if you paid me. 
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: It's closed now :) It's been torn down. It used to just be abandoned...my friend and I would sneak in to look around and take pictures till we learned that it was supposedly full of rattler nests. 
I drive River Road all the time, it's gorgeous, but I've never heard of the Satanists :)
I'm so glad someone else knows the place :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 4
[tpb]kenlane[/tpb]: In many other christian denominations, and religious sects in general I suppose, people maintain a cultural tie to their religious affiliation without practicing or necessarily believing the doctrine of that religion. Do you see this sort of a thing in mennonite sects as well? 
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: I've seen it before, though not very often. Our biggest cultural ties are the food we eat, and what we like to call the 'Mennonite game'. Most Mennonites marry each other, so in America we are *all* related. I wasn't surprised when I went to Florida, met a Mennonite I had never known before, and when she looked at me she asked of I was one of 'those Byler kids'. My mom's a Byler.

I don't know many people who have left the Mennonite community, but those that do tend to play the game whenever they see potential relations :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]Grindstone50k[/tpb]: Have you studied much about other religions?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: I've looked into it a little. I went to a Mennonite Bible College for two years, and always regret that I never took the World Religions class. All I know about other religions, I've researched online for myself. I have a friend who's Wiccan, I ask her a lot of questions. We're also a host family for a Saudi college student; we talk a lot about our different religions to each other (he's muslim).

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]louddwnunder[/tpb]: Do you speak High German? 
What is the connection between Mennonite groups in other areas?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: I do not, I only know a few words in PA Dutch. I've wanted to learn it for as long as I can remember. All 4 of my grandparents are fluent in it.

I had posted this earlier, but we have what is called the 'Mennonite Game'. It happens mostly in the CMC. We are *all* related, and love to figure out how. 'Oh, your last name is Bender? Your grandmother's name was Alta? You're my third cousin on my mother's side then.'

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]lou_moon[/tpb]: oh interesting, when you were younger were you ever told/influrenced not to have non-Mennonite friends
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Not really. We live in a very small town; my best friends were all the ones I knew from church, so they were all Mennonites anyway. My parents were never opposed to me being friends with others - they just monitored my friendships with non-Christians so, if one of my friends said anything opposite our beliefs, I would feel free to ask my parents about it. 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]Kristastic[/tpb]: Nifty! I was a Mennonite as well, though I came to it in my teen years, and I wasn't raised or immersed at all in the culture; I'm from Oregon, and there aren't many Amish folk out here, either. I strongly resonated with anabaptism, and I absolutely adored my years with the Mennonite church. I'm no longer religious, but I still enjoy talking about Mennonites and anabaptism in general whenever it comes up in conversation.

I suppose I don't have a question. It's just nifty to see a Mennonite in the limelight :)
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Love knowing I'm not the only one on Reddit :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]lou_moon[/tpb]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ooPp0-UX48
by any chance are you any of the people in this video
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Uh, nope. I'm definitely not that conservative. I wear jeans and am answering this from my smartphone. 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb][deleted][/tpb]: [deleted]
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Some Mennonites do. The people you speak of definitely sound Mennonite. But we are all on a spectrum. Some seem just like Amish, some seem just like 'normal society'. 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]Arctonyx[/tpb]: Have you ever wished you weren't born into a Mennonite family? Why/why not?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: I have. Mostly it was as a child, I would lament how much value my mom put into a clean house and raising a 'good' Mennonite daughter. We thoroughly cleaned the two-story house every Saturday. As far as I understand, it's a bit more than most kids had to do, but I don't actually know. I'm glad she did though :) I know how to scrub a floor clean and cook a meal. 

As far as spiritually/religiously, I am so, so grateful I was born into this family. I don't want to think of what I would have been like if I wasn't. 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]treasure123[/tpb]: I've heard that the Amish typically don't fellowship very much with the non-Amish. As a Mennonite how do they treat you? When you were younger and playing with your Amish friends do you feel like their parents treated you differently than they did their children's friends who were Amish?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Great question :) It really depends on the family. Our neighbors don't really talk to us at all. Our other neighbors always bring us farm milk/cream and fresh eggs for christmas, so we give them a bag of candy.

My friend Bertha, her family was very accepting of the friendship. I would stay for dinner, and they would always talk English instead of Dutch so I wouldn't feel confused. 

We also have a family friend Benny who is really awesome. When my grandfather died, Benny and his wife would come over to Grandma's house twice a day and cook meals for us. They did this for the whole grieving process (4 or 5 days); they would cook and clean up and refused anything in return :) He knows what's up

I think it also depends on where you live. I've heard that the Amish in Lancaster are not nearly that friendly, because they get so many tourists gawking at them. I suspect these guys are so friendly because we're locals and they know we respect their beliefs.

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]MattFUU[/tpb]: Cool. Sorry but I have to know...were you able to watch porn?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Able to? I mean, I have access to internet. But as a Christian (and a conservative one at that), I don't believe it's a good thing for a Christian to get involved in (same with masturbation in general). 

Edit: rearranging

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 3
[tpb]zjm555[/tpb]: Thanks for the answer. What is a "black bumper" Mennonite?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: [Here's a link](http://www.thirdway.com/menno/glossary.asp?ID=95)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 2
[tpb]SMEGMA_IN_MY_TEETH[/tpb]: If he died and fulfilled Old Testament law, why wouldn't  that cover New Testament law as well?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: There is no New Testament law other than what he preached (and what Paul added after he died). and he preached it, knowing that he would die and this is what we needed to follow after his death.

The world has this huge misunderstanding that Christianity is a religion of rules. Some people turn it into that, but it is not. There are no rules that I *have to* follow to get into Heaven. I can screw up every rule in the book, over and over. In fact, I probably will. The beauty of Christianity is that Christ knows we could not follow laws without screwing up, so he died so we wouldn't have to. The penalty for sin is death; He took the penalty for our law-breaking. 

Because of this, I am forgiven. I could sin all I wanted, and if I asked God to forgive me (and was truly sad/repentant for those things), he would in a heartbeat. I follow the laws not because I have to, but because I want to.

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 2
[tpb]h0rak[/tpb]: I'm very interested in hearing more about your education? I'm (potentially incorrectly) assuming you've been taught fundamental Christian beliefs?

Were all subjects taught through this lens?

What impact do you think the expansion of massive online open courses will have on your traditional upbringing?

Thanks for sharing!
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Mennonites are Christians. We believe in the fundamental Christian beliefs. I heard it all in Sunday School: The Old Testament is what the Jews used to follow, and it predicted a Messiah. Jesus was born in a manger, and he was the Messiah, and then he died on a Cross for our sins, because that fulfilled the prophecies/law. Now, to be in fellowship with God, we just accept that Jesus gave his life for us, and in return we must give our lives to him and follow his will instead of our own.

Of course the Mennonites have developed that based on their interpretations of the Bible. We don't believe that Christians going to war is right, and we don't believe that Christians should get deeply involved in government (because we are only visitors in this world, we shouldn't invest too much in worldly things). We also believe in an attitude of simplicity; it's sinful to make money the most important thing in your life, and you should learn to be content with what you have financially and materially.

I went to a public school so I didn't really have a Christian lens on my subjects. My siblings went to a Mennnonite school and I'm sure they did have that influence. So I guess the online courses don't change it that much either :) We've never been a family to hide from the rest of the world.

I still waver on some of the beliefs (specifically government/politics), but I'm figuring it out slowly.

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 2
[tpb]SMEGMA_IN_MY_TEETH[/tpb]: You seem like you have pretty strong faith. I once did too actually. Then I started seeing the world for how of really is. Children dying, people getting cancer, adults raping little kids ... And I think wow if god was all powerful, all knowing,  he wouldn't do that!  For example god is omniscient right? He knows what every person will or will not do in their life before it even starts. So he knows what poor shmuck will not be getting into heaven because he never "accepted Christ" and yet he still puts on earth to be sent to hell and eternal damnation? That's just not right. He knows that some poor kid is going to end up being abused by her dad her whole childhood so she turns to drugs at 13 and overdoses at 16? She's going to help? That's not right. 

And finally what about other religions? Some of the nicest and good  guys I have ever met were Muslim, your telling me they are not going to heaven because they don't believe in Jesus? What if you were born in another country and your mom and dad believed in another god? I guarantee you would be that faith and not a Mennonite. I'm just saying there's to many questions and not enough answers out there.
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: You speak of the problem of evil. A book I once read breaks it down well:

There are 2 categories: moral evil and natural evil. Moral evil encompasses both sin and the consequences of sin. For now that's the one I'll get into. 

For the sake of argument Im going to assume that God gave us a true free will, meaning we are free to choose what we want, but will expect consequences from it. Based on that, 'in creating the entire human race, God made moral evil possible. It is obvious that there has been a massive amount of individual and corporate moral evil throughout human history as a result of what we humans have done with the morally significant freedom God gave us. '

Sometimes the consequences of our actions are that others suffer for our choices. That is still a consequence of free will. If we don't want to cause evil, we have to make the right choice. This expands into entire nations; a nation's choice can result in, say, genocide or allowing the poor to starve without food or first aid. It is still a consequence of sin. 

As for the part about it not being fair that those who haven't heard of Christ don't go to heaven, that's speaking from a narrowly human point of view. It's a worldly understanding of 'fairness'. We cannot comprehend the vastness of Gods perfection or of our sin, so we think it 'unfair' that people who haven't been given the chance to be forgiven can't be in his presence. It also relates back to sin - whether or not they are saved without the gospel, we are *called* to preach them the gospel. If we're not preaching, they're not hearing. 

I really challenge you to go to your local library and get a copy of C. S. Lewis's 'The Problem of Pain.'  It hits all the points you raise about evil. 

As for other religions, Christianity is fairly unique in that it is a two-way relationship. God wants to care for and love us and we are allowed to have a parent/child relationship with him. Also, I've seen so much evidence towards the benefits of following Christ's concrete advice, I see nothing wrong with pursuing the happiness he talks about. So what if he's not real? At least I can die knowing I've loved others and done good for them. 

Edit: autocorrect 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 2
[tpb]malice_aforethought[/tpb]: Do you have any extended family living in Central America?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Not that I know of, though I have an aunt who used to live there for a while.

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 2
[tpb]rprpr[/tpb]: I am a Reimer, and my family was from Steinbach, Manitoba in Canada when my great grandfather decided to become a baptist. 

I am pretty sure that we had left the colony when we emigrated from Russia in the 1900's(I don't know the exact year). Even my great grandparents lived off the colony. 

So, I really am a menno in name only, but in the Winnipeg area there are lots of secular living folks that have traditionally Mennonite names that identity with there Mennonite heritage anyways. Does that make sense?
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: It does. Also, you're a Russian Mennonite. That's really cool to me :) Everyone I know is Swiss or German. We studied Russian Mennonites in my Anabaptist History class but there aren't any in my area. 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 2
[tpb]rprpr[/tpb]: Reimer checking in. We left the colony generations ago, though. So I'm menno in name only. 
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: If you feel comfortable giving your last name? Or even just the town/state you come from. Which conference were you part of, do you know?

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 1
[tpb]bito89[/tpb]: Your friend miss bender :)
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Aha :) it makes sense now. 

The Mennonites are gathering. 

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 1
[tpb]SMEGMA_IN_MY_TEETH[/tpb]: It's actually important, because according to the bible if those balls become to inflamed  and hurt/mutilated they can't go to heaven!

"He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord."(Deuteronomy 23:1)

Makes you wonder  !
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Well, you're speaking of the Old Testament. The Jews followed those laws (and a lot of them were for health reasons, because they didn't have a developed health system so God was protecting them from infection and disease.) 

As a Christian, I believe that Jesus died for me and has fulfilled the old testament law. I no longer need to follow those laws. Christianity isn't about following rules, it's about loving Jesus. I know that Jesus died for me, so I return the favor and I die for him every day. This means that I give my life to him; instead of doing what I want to do with my life, I do what God wants me to do. That means not being sinful (like not watching porn :) )

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 1
[tpb]zjm555[/tpb]: My buddy told me that Mennonites don't believe in tipping at restaurants. Is this true? He was a waiter in an area with a lot of them and they would come in and eat there but leave no tip because it was against their religion.

[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: It's possible that this is true in some of the more conservative groups. 

We don't have any weird 'rules' like that, we follow the basic beliefs of the Anabaptists but don't make up goofy stuff to go along with it (like black bumper Mennonites).

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 1
[tpb]MattFUU[/tpb]: Ah its okay and i cant tell because i am on phone am i the only one asking? :( 
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: You're the only one that's asked that question :) But there are other people in the thread

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 1
[tpb]bito89[/tpb]: As your 3rd or 4th cousin.. Yes, yes you do ;)

[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Yea, now that I read your comment out loud, mom changes her answer and says we do. Of course. 

Also, how did you find this thread? Haha I'm successfully creeped out :)

[tpb]Score[/tpb]: 1
[tpb]SirWinstonFurchill[/tpb]: Ah, that is very much what I thought. I guess I shall just live some of the precepts in my own life in my own way, then. And maybe make some Mennonite friends, too. 

Shunning is such a sad ordeal, IMO. It just seems like a loss and a waste in this day, when we really need to be as supportive to one another as possible.
[tpb]LurkingMenno[/tpb]: Well, it really depends on the group. We aren't that conservative. I dress normally, and we certainly don't believe in shunning. 
I think any of the Mennonites I know would definitely welcome you into the community. The only thing I can think of you doing that would be frowned upon is taking communion/getting baptized, since they're specified in the Bible for being for believers only. Just, expect them to try to convert you :)

nicholsml has some good points about some of the communities I know (we call them Beachy Amish or Beachy Mennonite). My great-grandparents' generation would've acted this way towards non-Christians among them. Which is just stupid; how are we supposed to bring people to Christ if we don't let them be near us as we worship?

Also, I'm kind of good at baking :) I think it's because the mothers press so firmly on the daughters to learn good cooking skills, that we pass down the original recipes from our ancestors very well. I cook well because I have recipes that are tried and true and generations old. 

Edit: more thoughts.

Pasted: Dec 31, 2013, 6:58:13 am
Views: 6