Mennonites

This is one of the groups of Anabaptists that flourished in Europe in 16th century. The sect was founded by Mennon  Simons of Friesland in present day Netherland.

As an Anabaptist movement, Mennonites claim to be the continuity of the early apostolic assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach.  Many men and women search for Yahoshea Meshiyach and his assembly through the movement.

History of The Group

The history of the movement started with Mennon Simons who was a true convert to Swiss Anabaptism. He taught and wrote about the religious ideals of the Swiss Anabaptism which focused more on both the mission of Yahoshea Meshiyach. Many early Anabaptists placed their regard upon his works even in the presence of severe persecutions from Roman Catholic and protestant states.

As a core pacifists, the Mennonites did not retaliate over the persecutions and provocations rather choose the path of fleeing any state that rose with persecution against them to other states that tolerate them.

Their method of pacificism earned them a status of a peaceful church in the annals of religious history.  Judging from the cordiality of the Mennonites, they were viewed as an ethno-religious group which meant that people from all tribes saw themselves more as Mennonites more than their traditional ethnic origin.

As a people with plain way or attitude in life, the group engage in voluntary or piety services that provides disaster relief around the globe.  In recent centuries, the Mennonites groups are deep on peace initiatives and issues of social justice.

As an Anabaptist group, Mennonites are known for believer's baptism and practices many doctrine that are sharply opposites to Catholicism and Protestantism and such earned them severe persecutions from both bodies.

The brief history of Mennon Simons record  that he was a Catholic priest who had a reformative mind and began to question of the doctrine of transubstiation.  He finally left Roman Catholic church in 1536, when his brother who was an Anabaptist was killed at his presence. He was astonished over the behaviour of his brother as he was attacked, he did not defend himself.

By this heroic attitude of his brother Mennon, became convinced of the lifestyle of Anabaptists and swiftly became member.  He soon became a leader with the Anabaptist movement and the Roman Catholic authority declared him wanted.  His name became used to identify some scattered groups of non-violent Anabaptists which he helped to tie together and managed.

The Church of Rome and its protestant counterparts used instruments as punishment, tortune, burning, drowning or beheading to eliminate Anabaptists.

The Roman Church and its allies killed the early founders of the sect with intension to erase it out of the face of human history.  The Mennonites did not retaliate but condemned any act of killing of human beings and the use of force for any reason to resist attacks from offenders. Such prompted them the unwillingness to fight for their lives but peacefully accepted martyrdom as in the case of Yashoshea Meshiyach and his assembly members.

Within Mennonism, there are various groups of congregations or movements that are independent – due to some theological reason – some differ for sake of geographical differences etc.

As earlier said of Anabaptists, the Mennonites faced incessant forceful migration from one city to others to avert persecution. Political rulers that host them love their attitude of being honest, hardworking and peaceful but with little provocation, the state will force them to flee to another city.

As they flew from a city, they will abandon all their belongings but may only migrate with their families into another city. Some of the strings of persecution to the Mennonites was that their freedom of existence were denied or at best limited by the men on authority, their properties were easily confisticated by the state even under no known provocation, they have to build their churches facing back streets and they were forbidden from announcing of the beginning of their services with the sounds of bell.

In addition, high taxes were imposed upon Mennonites for exchange of their exemption from military services  or state affairs. The authority often required the Mennonites to give up possessions for sake of retaining their individual freedom or liberty.  This dracolian laws made Mennonites to live a very simple lifestyle.

The face of a real Mennonite was always engrossed with scars of people with a history of the persecuted stock.

Groups And Movements

As earlier mentioned, the Mennonites were divided into numerous sub-groups with independent leaderships.  For example, in 1693, Jacob Amman began to reform Mennonite Churches in Switzerland and Southern Germany with the intension of including shunning as part of their practices and to hold communions more often.

When Jacob Amman scale through of his reformative agenda, he separated from other Mennonites groups and found a group that was later identified as “Amish Mennonites”.  In later years, the other concepts emerged from Amish Mennonites and such resulted to separations and formations of groups that include Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Conservative Mennonites conference and Christian Mennonites Alliance.

Incessant divisions or separations of independent groups of Anabaptists was one of the known features that spelt negatively on the body and helped to remove it from the claim of being the succession of Apostolic Assembly that was founded by Yahoshea Meshiyach.

By real intent, Yahoshea established his ministry to remain united under one head and leadership which will enable it to remain focused on the practical principles of the faith. This was promised and fulfilled by the office of the Comforter who will lead the assembly to its fulfillment.

Soviet Involvements

Another Mennonites group that assert independence was the Russian Mennonites. History bore that in 1968, Catharine the Great of Russia through conquest of the Ottoman Empire, acquired a vast portion of land North to the Blacksea.

This prompted Russian government to invite Mennonites to farm on the territory in exchange of religious freedom and military exemption.

After some years of farming on the land, the Mennonites became progressive and such made them to own much agricultural estates in the early age of 20th century. But after the Russian Revolution and civil war (1917-1921) all of those farms were taken away from the Mennonites by the Soviet government.

The Mennonites suffered seriously during the war at the hands of workers, the Bolcheviks and the communists anarchists.

In the course of the expropriation of the farms from the Mennonites, many of the faithfuls were freely murdered in the attacks.  After the Ukranian – Soviet war which resulted to taking over of Ukranian by the Russian Bolsheviks, people who practiced religion were imprisoned by Soviet authorities and such made Mennonites to emigrate to the American Continents.

During the outburst of second world war, Germany invaded Russia and such gave Mennonites some breath of freedom but as the occupation did not tarry, they were forced to flee to Germany along the soldiers where they were given temporary acceptance.  Some of the German-Russian Mennonites were located to Siberia where they were placed on labour camps and to work for the state to exchange for exemption from combatant military services.

In North American, the early Mennonites who were forced out of Netherland migrated and settled at Pennsylvania. Amongst the early settlers was William Rittenhous who was a lay minister.

During the colonial period, Mennonites were noted as a different sect from other communities that came from Germany. Their difference was noted on their belief of separation of state and the church, opposition to participation in the American Revolutionary war, resistance to public education and unapproval  to revivalism.  They were noted for their campaign against slave trade and practices.

From North America, the Mennonites spread to all states of America and with time began to sub-divide into various denominations. As a religious sect that patronised pietism, they engaged in various human resource development programmes and opened many schools and institutions in America and beyond.

Observations And Beliefs

In practices, the Mennonites focused on the teachings of Yahoshea Meshiyach that were recorded in the New Testament scriptures and particularly lay emphasis on the sermon  of the mount.

Some of their doctrinal features include salvation through faith, the authority of the scriptures and Holy spirit, Believer's Baptism which consist of Baptism by water as a public demonstration of witness and Baptism by blood which consists of martyrdom, practice of strict self denial and spiritual discipline

Mennonites equally believe that discipleship symbolise outward sign of an inward change. Disciple in the assembly was informed or shaped by New Testament teachings and the observation of the saviours last supper which meant memorial than sacrament or religious rite.  Some Mennonites practice the acts of shunning.

The earliest expression of Mennonites faith was established in what they termed as Schleithem Confession of 1527.  This article had seven points as follows

-           The Ban (ex communication)

-           Breaking of Bread (communion)

-           Separation from and shunning of the abomination (the Roman Catholic Church and other worldly groups and practices.

-           Believer's Baptism

-           Pastors in the church

-           Renunciation of the Sword (pacifising)

-           Renunciation of the oath (swearing as proof of truth).

The Mennonites sect spread to various part of the globe with the passage of time and equally became reformed in practices by passage of many conventions and organizations.

Presently, there are many Mennonite groups that includes Old Order Mennonites, Starter Mennonites, Conservative Mennonites, Pprogressive Mennonites, Reformed Mennonites, Holderman Mennonites etc.

Conclusion

Mennonites sect was one of the numerous schisms developed with time to represent the apostolic succession.  As mentioned, the converts in this body were known for heroic behaviour in terms of pacifism, for they believe accurately that the early apostles did not persecute but were persecuted.  They did not invest much effort towards self defence but allowed their persecutors to ordain them into the sacred fold of Martyrdoms.

Although, this generous point was well noted, the main issue is that a sect that must represent the Upper-Floor Assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach must practice all religious rites that were observed by Yashoshea and adopted by his apostolic assembly. Such religious practices includes compulsory observation of Sabbath rest and proclamation of sacred names of Yahweh and Yahoshea Meshiyach.

As Mennonites were totally blind of these holy rites, they cannot be regarded as the true continuity assembly as they claimed.