Amish+Mennonites

**HISTORY:** (anna laplaca)


 * founded by Menno Simmons, who left the Catholic Church in 1536 and became an Anabaptist
 * Originated from Switzerland and Germany
 * Split from Amish community in 1600s
 * Were accepted in Russia for a period of time
 * Migrated to North America for freedom and opportunities
 * In North America: Russian and Swiss-German Mennonites were culturally distinct
 * Today Mennonites assimilated into society & are considered their own religious group

Mennonites descended from Swiss and Dutch Anabaptists. The Mennonites originated in Europe, before many immigrated to the Americas. In Europe they were found mostly in Switzerland and Germany, although small communities of Mennonites could be found in France, Russia, and Holland. As a result of objecting to all government service, part of their faith, the Mennonites were persecuted violently by the Christian state. Catherine the Great of Russia helped the persecuted Mennonites in the late 18th century by offering them land, religious freedom, and no government service obligations. As a result, the Dutch Mennonites prospered in Russia. However, in 1871, Russia revoked the Mennonites’ privileges. This prompted the Mennonite community in Russia to immigrate to the U.S. and Canada where they were offered free land, and freedom for religious practices and education. About 18,000 Russian Mennonites moved to North America between 1874 and 1890. Upon their immigration to America, they spread out across the Midwest states, starting with Pennsylvania and moving westward. Up until the late twentieth century, the Russian Mennonites were a more modernized community than the Swiss-German Mennonites who were less assimilated into society. Much earlier than this, in the late 1600s, the Amish split from the Mennonites. While the Mennonites believed in embracing the larger communities outside the church, the Amish created their own community with the church being an all-powerful figure, influencing all of Amish life.

** THEOLOGY: ** (carolyn mazanec) 

· Infant Baptism //not// valid · Absolute Pacifism · Refusal of Government · Literal Interpretation of the Gospel · Both men and women are allowed to preach · Do not recognize a common doctrine The Mennonites are a branch of Christianity, so they believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God as well. However, they broke off from the Church for many reasons. The major belief that separates the Mennonites from other Christian religions is that they do not believe in the validity of infant baptism. This means that they do not believe that an individual can be baptized until they are old enough and mature enough to understand the ideals of the religion and cannot be baptized until they agree with these ideals and are true believers of the Mennonite Church. Compared to the Catholic Church, the Mennonites allow both men and women to deliver the sermons. Another characteristic that makes the Mennonites a distinct sect of Christianity is their avid pacifism or disregard of violence. This means that the people of the Mennonite Church refuse to participate in military service. They also do not involve themselves with the government by refusing to take oath or amount to any position in public office. This is because they believe in a strong division of Church and State, and therefore do not participate in the government whatsoever. Mennonites believe in a literal translation of the Gospel, meaning that they follow the words of the Gospel very closely and exactly. However, the Mennonites do not recognize a common doctrine. This means that they allow their followers to choose between believing in the doctrine of the Trinity (the union of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to represent one God), or other Unitarian beliefs (that there is only one personality of the Divine Being). ** FACTS IN NUMBERS: ** (carolyn mazanec)

· 77 congregations in Ohio (as of 2010) · 339, 200 people baptized as Mennonites in the United States (as of 2006) · 117, 787 people baptized as Mennonites in Canada (as of 2006) · 456, 987 people baptized as Mennonites in North America (as of 2006) · 1, 478, 540 members of the Mennonite Church worldwide (as of 2006) This map shows the Mennonite population spread throughout North America. Since the year 1956, the total number of Mennonites in North America has more than doubled. Currently, there are 77 congregations in Ohio alone, and roughly 339,200 individuals in the U.S. There is also a large population of Mennonites in Canada; around 117,787 people that were baptized by the Mennonite Church as of 2006. The total population of practicing Mennonites in North America is 456,987, also counted in 2006. However, if the world population was represented by just 100 people, not even 1 out of those 100 would be a Mennonite. So in relation to the entire world, the Mennonites are a relatively small group. In reality, there is a global population of 1,478,540 practicing Mennonites.

MAPS AND PICTURES:
(anna laplaca)   **Bibliography** American Ethnic Geography. http://www.google.com/‌imgres?imgurl=http://www.valpo.edu/‌geomet/‌pics/‌geo200/‌religion/‌mennonite.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.valpo.edu/‌geomet/‌geo/‌courses/‌geo200/‌religion.html&usg=__1Ki6CdOu6Pnttsng8A9So4Mx5h8=&h=643&w=886&sz=63&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=IeyXj (accessed October 12, 2010).__

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Smucker, Joseph. “ Religious Community and Individualism: Conceptual Adaptations by One Group of Mennonites.” //Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion// 25, no. 3: 273-276. http://www.jstor.org/‌stable/‌1386293Accessed: 07/‌10/‌2010 11:09 (accessed October 7, 2010).

Stutzman, Ervin. “Ervin’s Blog.” Mennonite Church USA. http://www.mennoniteusa.org/‌Home/‌NationalOffices/‌ErvinsBlog/‌tabid/‌1421/‌rssid/‌16/‌Default.aspx (accessed October 12, 2010).

Who Are the Mennonites? http://www.google.com/‌imgres?imgurl=http://www.thirdway.com/‌menno/‌as/‌as/‌as-joriswippe.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thirdway.com/‌menno/‌%3FPage%3D1781%257CAnabaptist%2BChurch%2BOrdinances%2B%2526%2BBaptism&usg= 9m0kq721vTA4MtfQBxKXCwxan_8=&h=161&w=200&sz=11&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=Fksfq_bkCbX3sM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=160&prev=/‌images%3Fq%3Dmennonite%2Bbaptism%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1R2ADRA_enUS353%26biw%3D1899%26bih%3D844%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=584&ei=YAG1TPKRLY-SOsmo7coJ&oei=YAG1TPKRLY-SOsmo7coJ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=39&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=81&ty=28 (accessed October 12, 2010).

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