Sounds like you’ve had quite a journey!

I’m pretty sure if your dad left the Mennonites at 16, became an alcoholic, and was “bitter for the rest of his life,” there were many more issues involved than just a car radio. Possibly he’d been abused in some way, and for sure his emotions and spiritual life hadn’t been nurtured. But for sure, no one really cares much about a radio if the larger spiritual and emotional needs are met. No matter what religion or denomination we hail from, we are all part of a larger picture of personhood and a need for connection that goes much deeper than outward trappings.

So that’s why I would encourage you not to “distance yourself” from any part of your heritage, but rather to learn from it to make your own relationships and your own walk with God stronger.

That’s great that you are using your life to save other lives. God bless you for that!

My grandmother was Old Order Mennonite.

My father left it when he was 16 years old because he bought a car and my grandfather and uncle took the radio out of his car because they believed it to be “evil.” He was bitter towards the Mennonites for the rest of his life and became an alcoholic.

I ended up at Bethany Christian High School because I was so troubled (undiagnosed depression/PTSD from childhood abuse) that no public school would take me. At BCHS I was ostracised because I was “different” – long hair, black leather jacket and played electric guitar, not to mention I had relatives in the military on my mother’s side. Some even foolishly thought I was a Satanist despite my having been baptised and confirmed in the Methodist Church.

I was eventually kicked out of BCHS because I questioned too many things…I knew good and bloody well that there were students, thought to be “good Mennonites,” who drank vodka and smoked pot over noon hour. I said so, and BCHS staff did not believe me.

I left Goshen as soon as I could.

Today I live near Detroit, am a Lutheran (we consider many Mennonite doctrines to be “works righteousness”) and am trying my best to distance myself from my “Mennonite heritage.”

PS. I serve in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which is an adjunct to a military service…our purpose is SAVING LIVES, but my few surviving Mennonite relatives would still condemn it because I wear a uniform!

That must be one of life’s unanswerable questions…maybe tape?

Seriously, though, I think she would choose a form of covering like a kerchief or scarf or fitted cap.

I really appreciate these thoughts. You are 100% right! And reading this right now helps me to get my thinking straight. It sounds very much like what I have heard my dad say; he is another wise man.

I’m sorry you found the Mennonites that way, but I don’t think it’s wise to judge the spiritual status or values of an entire people group on the basis of a few with whom you had a bad experience. People are so many and varied, and they don’t fit as well into categories as we would like to believe.

I will briefly explain the Biblical basis of the doctrines you mentioned, and hopefully you can understand better why we believe that way. I believe it’s important to take our doctrine from the inspired Word of God, don’t you? As far as I know, the Lutheran book of concord hasn’t reached that status yet. :)

1. Adult baptism. Paul said in Romans 10:9, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” A baby doesn’t have the understanding to believe and confess or to make a choice for Jesus. Salvation comes through a personal, individual choice to turn to God, and a baby isn’t old enough to do that. That doesn’t mean a baby is condemned if it dies, because our loving God would never condemn innocence. But when the child reaches a depth of maturity where he understands that he needs Jesus and why, then is the right time for baptism, by the young person’s own choice.

2. We don’t take the teaching of non-resistance from the Old Testament commandments, but from Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament. When Jesus was standing on trial before Pilate, he told him, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight so I wouldn’t be delivered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from here.” Jesus also said that we should love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. As Jesus’ followers, we choose to promote his spiritual kingdom over any earthly one. We fight a spiritual battle against the works of darkness, but we do not fight or kill people because those are the very people we would wish to save and invite into Christ’s kingdom.

Hope this helps you understand those two things, anyway! I’m not going to touch the doctrine of transubstantiation, because I don’t feel I have a deep enough understanding of the subject. :)

I am very sorry you had this experience with Mennonites. We do not have a good history of accepting people from other backgrounds into our churches. As Lucinda said Mennonite churches vary greatly and I hope and pray you can find a church that welcomes you.

This is far too sad to describe as irony. This is tragedy. This is calamity.
This is an occasion for sackcloth and ashes, for weeping and for wailing.