Mennonites
The Mennonites and the Amish
Like the Amish, the Mennonites are a sectarian group that have roots in the Swiss Anabaptist
movement, which took place in the 1530s. A person unfamiliar
with the two groups could easily confuse a strict Mennonite congregation with
that of an Amish. The first Mennonites belonged to
Swiss Brethren or Swiss Mennonites in Zurich, and followed the teaching of Menno
Simons.
Since they are Anabaptist, the Mennonites practice adult baptism. A person
must be old enough to make a commitment to the Church to be baptized.
Other beliefs include practicing a plain lifestyle, and following the teachings
of the Sermon on the Mount.
Mennonites congregations, like the
Amish, vary in their strictness of their adherence. However some Mennonite
congregations have embraced much more modern lifestyles than their Amish
counterpart. Members of the modern congregations are virtually
indistinguishable from the community at large. They drive cars, dress
fashionable and are employed in every type of occupation. In general the stricter
congregations of Mennonites are more akin to the Amish. Members of these
congregations will dress in plain attire, avoid electricity and modern
conveniences, and work in an agrarian community.
Mennonite conferences, unlike those of the Amish sect, can be found throughout the world and
they can be very modern in their practices. Mennonite.net
is sponsored by the Mennonite Church.
For more information see the Amish, Important
Mennonite Dates and Mennonite Statistics.
Web Sites on Mennonite Culture
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Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia
Online
Based in Ontario, the Mennonite Historical Society of Canada was established in 1966 to
sponsor the writing of a history of the Mennonites in Canada. The Historical
Society has an excellent web-based encyclopedia on Amish and Mennonite life.
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Mennonite.net
Online network for Mennonite Churches and organizations world-wide.
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Mennonites.org
Website for the Mennonite Church USA. Contains selected articles from the
publication The Mennonite
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Mennonite
Life
Publication by a Mennonite Church. The site contains in-depth full-text articles on the
Mennonite faith experience. Some articles are bibliographies.
Contact
References
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Hostetler, Beulah Stauffer. American Mennonites and Protestant
movements. Scottsdale, Pa.: Herald Press, 1987.
In-depth history of the Mennonites.
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Kirchner, Audrey Burie and Margaret R. Tassia. In days gone by:
folklore and traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Edgewood: Libraries
Unlimited, 1996.
Outline of Pennsylvania Dutch history, customs, folklore and recipes.
Contains a brief overview of the Mennonites.
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An introduction to Mennonite history edited by Corneliius J. Dyck.
3rd ed. Herald Press, 1993.
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Smith's Story of the Mennonites, by C. Henry Smith. (5th ed.)
Newton, Kan.: Faith and Life, 1964.
In-depth history of the Mennonites.
Updated 3-3-2006
Copyright 2006 - Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
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