Amish is one of the contemporary Protestant ChristiansEvangelismFaction, because its founder is DutchMeno Simens(Menno Simons, 1496-1561).This school was originallyAnabaptismIn 1536, after the failure of the radical re baptism group to establish the Minster Commune, the believers advocating pacifism united around Mennonite and established Mennonite Society in 1536. By the 1670s, the Mennonite Society had gained legal status in the Netherlands.There are about 700000 believers in this sect (according to the American Encyclopedia of Religions).There are about 230000 people in the United States;There are 150000 people in Canada and about 40000 people in the Netherlands. Only about 40000 people remain from the former Soviet Union because of their migration to the United States in batches.Others are distributed in Germany, France, Switzerland, Mexico, Paraguay, India and some countries in Africa.Its main international organization is the Mennonite World Conference
On August 23, 2015, photographer Jordi Ruiz Cirera went deep into the Mennonite settlement in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, a Latin American country, and lived with conservative Mennonites for several months, and recorded the true face of Mennonites far away from modern civilization on this special land with a camera.[1]
First, it emphasizes that the Bible is the supreme authority of faith and life;
Second, the church is believed to be a faithful, contractual, caring and obedient group in essence, so it adheres to the principle of faith and voluntariness to enter the church, and is baptized when it is an adult;
Third, he advocates the freedom of human will, believes that believers can be saved gradually and become saints through personal efforts, and attaches importance to personal moral behavior and discipline;
Fourth, the pastoral system is dominated by the axiomatic system, and most churches form regional and national meetings according to regions;
Fifth, the worship ceremony attaches importance to preaching and singing hymns.The Eucharist is usually held two to four times a year.Some conservative churches still keep the foot washing ceremony;
Sixth, its social position is prominentPacifismCharacteristics: oppose any violence, fight against social injustice without violence, and attach importance to social charity activities.[2]
Belief content
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It is mainly reflected in the "Dordrecht Confession of faith" in 1632.[2]
Historical evolution
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Mennonites have migrated on a large scale for many times.Since the 16th century, its followers moved eastward from the Netherlands along North Germany to the Visdua Delta, and then further eastward to Russia.By 1855, 1600 believers had settled in Russia. In 1926, the number of believers in Russia had reached 120000.The Mennonite movement to North America began in the 1740s.The center of contemporary Mennonite activities is the United States. Mennonite believers from Europe and Russia migrated to the United States in three groups at the end of the 19th century, the beginning of the 20th century to the 1930s, and around World War II, resulting in an increase in their followers, accounting for one third of the world's Mennonite believers.In 1920, it established the "North American Mennonite Central Committee" to coordinate the activities of the various conferences.The United States has eight Mennonite churches, of which the number is relatively conservative and strictly abides by traditional doctrines;There are 35000 believers in Mennonite Sect, whose views are relatively moderate;The old Order Amish Church has more than 60000 believers, who live in a farming commune style with a unified black dress. Their views are extremely conservative.[2]
Relevant institutions
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The Mennonites represent a branch of the global family of Christianity, which originated in Europe in the 16th century, especially the radical religious reform movement, including the Anabaptist movement.This big family of beliefs includes 243 National Conferences distributed in 83 countries and more than 1.7 million baptized believers.About 66% of the baptized believers come to Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Activity focus
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After World War II, the activities of international Mennonites and American Mennonites focused on three aspects.
（1） To strengthen the solidarity between international and domestic Mennonites, the voice of strengthening solidarity has become increasingly strong in the past conferences of Mennonites.
The 1957 General Assembly highlighted thea Christian youth associationRelations, trying to establish contact with Mennonite conferences in the former Soviet Union, East Germany and other places, and inviting them to send representatives to attend the conference.The trend of strengthening unity within the Mennonite churches in various countries and regions is also very obvious.Since the mid-1960s, the Mennonite Association of the United States has discussed the possibility of developing cooperative relations with other Mennonite churches.In 1965, at its National Assembly, it declared for the first time that "we hope that dialogue will help create an atmosphere of understanding and trust among the Mennonite churches." In the 1980s, its cooperation entered a new stage.In 1983, the Mennonite Club and Mennonite Association of the United States held their first simultaneous national convention at the same place.The two congresses agreed to further explore ways of cooperation and eventual merger. The two churches also set up a joint committee in 1987 to work out and improve a common statement of faith. This work plan is expected to be completed in the mid-1990s.The Mennonite Central Committee has always been supported by the Mennonite churches in North America, which shows the consolidation of the cooperative relationship among the churches in the field of social services and relief.[2]
（2） With regard to the debate on pacifism, this school has always had a tradition of pacifism.
During World War II, some American Mennonites were directly or indirectly involved in the war.After the end of the war, the Mennonites discussed whether to continue to adhere to the pacifist position.In 1953, Mennonite Association of the United States reiterated its traditional anti war position: "War is fundamentally contrary to the teachings and gospel of Christ, so war is a sin."Vietnam warDuring this period, the Council called for a truce between the United States and the governments of the countries concerned, and proposed a settlement through negotiation.Mennonite pacifism has a wide connotation, which not only includes the attitude to war, but also affects the views of some social issues.In the 1950s, the anti Communist activities in the United States were arrogant, and Mennonite was cautious about this attitude.On the one hand, Mennonite Association claimed that atheism such as communism must be overcome by spreading the gospel, but it also opposed any action against the love of Christ to achieve this goal.In 1965, the Association officially announced its opposition to the death penalty, which also reflected its pacifist position from one side.
With the changes in the international situation since the 1970s, the Mennonite pacifist position has become more firm.The activities of the Mennonite Church in North America to maintain peace are not limited to refusing to participate in military services, and then taking proactive actions to promote peace, cooperation and justice.Their peaceful activities also include preaching and serving in prisons and refugee camps.It should be noted that Mennonite from the third world countries is playing an increasingly important role in this regard.At the Mennonite World Conference held in 1978, representatives from Africa and Asia criticized the massive arms sales of Western countries to underdeveloped countries and their protectionist trade policies, which had caused serious consequences for the economies of the third world countries.These remarks resonated at the meeting.Participants emphasized that churches and believers should oppose power, oppression and exploitation.[2]
（3） Concerned about social problems, the post-war American Mennonites actively supported the black civil rights movement for racial equality and took measures to eliminate racial segregation in the church.Mennonite also paid close attention to the church and social problems in the third world.The Mennonite Federation adopted a resolution in 1968 calling on its members to consider increasing overseas assistance to alleviate hunger in underdeveloped countries.The Mennonites respect the path of independence and autonomy of the Christian Church of the Third World. In 1968, the Central Committee of the Mennonites publicly reminded Americans not to decide what to do for the people there.[2]
The Mennonite Church also discussed homosexuality and abortion.The Mennonite Federation adopted the "Guidelines on Abortion" at its National Assembly in 1980, opposing abortion for the purpose of birth control, but advocating maintaining dialogue with dissenters.In its attitude towards homosexuals, the Association is extremely cautious and does not categorically state its own position.[2]
Local conditions
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Canada
Richmond Mennonite Church, located in the northeast of Richmond, Vancouver, is composed of Peace Mennonite Church[3]）Chinese church developed.The Chinese Peace Hall has a history of 25 years.It is a church focusing on the salvation of Christ and the good relationship between believers.The worship time of the English Mother Church starts at 9:30, and the Cantonese Chinese Church (Mandarin Interpreter) starts at 11:15 and ends at 12:30.[4]
The Mennonite church, Osler Hall, began on March 24, 1928. The church was called Zoar Gemeinde Zu Osler.On September 9, 1928, the elder David Toews served.In 1931, it developed into Rosenorter Gemeinde Zu Osler.Then in 1954, it became the United Mennonite Church of Osler.On December 28, 1962, when it became a part of the general meeting of Mennonite, it was renamed as Oslerton of Mennonite.On October 10, 1996, the church established and registered Mennonite Oslerton Company.[5]
Rape a girl
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Eight Mennonites in Bolivia raped 60 women, including underage girls
On June 24, 2014, a prosecutor in Bolivia said that eight men from the Christian conservative Mennonite sect raped 60 women in the local community, including underage girls.
The prosecutor Fred Perez revealed that about 60 women, ranging in age from 11 to 47, were raped.The Mennonites used a spray to anesthetize the target women and then raped them."Community residents told us that for religious reasons, they don't like to use electric lights and can't walk around at night. However, these young people ignored the religious rules and jumped in through the window to commit crimes."[6]
Perez said that the age of rape suspects ranged from 18 to 41, mostly young people.These people have been arrested and taken to the Santa Cruz region in northern Bolivia for detention.The Bolivian court originally planned to interrogate these people on the 23rd, but was forced to postpone the investigation and evidence presentation by the investigators from the Public Prosecutor's Office when they went to the Mennonite farm.Local television reported that the suspects all denied the charges against them.
Mennonism belongs to the branch of Christian conservatives and originated in the Netherlands in the 16th century.This sect opposes infant baptism, military service, etc., and advocates simple clothes, thrifty life, and limited contact with the outside world. It is named after its founder Meno Simmons.
Many people believe that, similar to the prevalence of child molestation cases in the Catholic Church, the extremely conservative and strict doctrine suppresses people's natural desire, prohibits contact with the outside world and rejects the investigation and prosecution of secular government departments, resulting in the prevalence of sexual assault and abuse within Mennonite groups and frequent sexual assault incidents.
