Pennsylvania and Midwest Mennonite communities closely resemble Amish communities, as they also practice traditions like avoidance of worldly belongings and women wearing prayer caps. But unlike the Amish, most Mennonite congregations have become more and more modern with time.
Unlike the Amish, Mennonites are not prohibited from using motorized vehicles. In addition, Mennonites are also allowed to use electricity and telephones in their homes. When it comes to their beliefs, the Amish and Mennonite faiths are very similar. The differences lie mainly in the outward practice of those beliefs.
The Amish tend to be stricter and more conservative in their beliefs and practices than the Mennonites. For example, the Amish tend to live in isolated communities and avoid using modern technology, while the Mennonites are not restricted in these ways.
Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations.
The Mennonites found what they were looking for in the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 11: 1-16, which states, among other things, that “… every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoreth her head”. The caps also symbolized a woman's submission to her husband, as head of the household.
Mennonites, unlike Mormons, don't wear undergarments designed to confer a special holy feeling. There's no online Mennonite outlet from which we order our modest underduds. But as soon as I turned 10, I was introduced to a hideous, wide-strapped, no-stretch bra that crushed my fantasies of young ladyhood.
The reason Amish women don't cut their hair is more than just aesthetic preference. It's rooted in Christian scripture, specifically the words of St. Paul in I Corinthians 11:15 which states “but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory”.
The 1963 Mennonite Confession of Faith stated that marriage should be a monogamous, heterosexual lifetime commitment. The Christian home should have regular family worship.
During the last 100 years, the church considered the consumption of alcohol to be a sin. But that “marker” is passing away. While a large majority of us—probably 75 percent by now—accepts some use, we honor those for whom the consumption of alcohol continues to be “always wrong.”
Mennonite clothing is known for its simplicity and modesty. The clothing worn by Mennonites often reflects their religious beliefs, which emphasize humility and service to others. Typical garments include plain-colored dresses, plain suits or shirts, long bonnets, and men's straw hats.
The Mennonites have embraced some of the world's technologies. Unlike the Amish, Mennonites can use motorized vehicles as well as electricity and telephones in their homes.
In matters of faith, they followed the Enlightenment, a 17th- and 18th-century intellectual movement that hoped for human betterment through the right use of reason. Because many of the professions were closed to them, the Mennonites turned to business, in the process becoming wealthy and urbanized.
I think the level of integration with the modern world varies community to community (some Amish communities are more insular than others) but the most conservative of them will probably use the same methods women used for hundreds of years — wrapping themselves with strips of material, or wrapping their shift/ ...
Basic beliefs of Mennonites are based on Jesus Christ's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount as well as the Anabaptist Confession of Schleitheim. These basic beliefs include strict pacifism, shunning oaths, adult baptisms, foot washing, church discipline (excommunication), and separation from world, among others.
What is a Mennonite? Mennonites are Anabaptists, which is a faith stream within Christianity. Anabaptism grew out of the 16th-century Radical Reformation (which followed the Protestant Reformation). Technically, Anabaptists are neither Catholic nor Protestant, although they do share some beliefs of both.
Mennonites believe, with their Christian brothers and sisters, in the great affirmations of faith: God becoming human, the lordship of Christ, the power of the Gospel, the work of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the scriptures.
Mennonites do not have any dietary restrictions as exist in some other religious groups. Some conservative Mennonites abstain from alcohol, but other Mennonites do not, with Mennonite distilleries existing as early as the late 16th century.
The Markham-Waterloo Mennonites, although still dressing in the traditional style, allow car ownership and telephones. Their more progressive attitudes toward technology led to tensions and a split from the Old Order Mennonites. Today, they cautiously use cell phones and computers, but not televisions or radios.
Mennonites Christmas
The Mennonites, similarly to the Amish, do not celebrate Christmas with decorated trees or Santa Claus, and lights and presents are uncommon. The difference between how the Mennonites and the Amish celebrate Christmas is that the Mennonites emphasize values such as simplicity and modesty.
Most modern Mennonites read these passages in a cultural context. While they still greet one another warmly and offer blessings to one another in various ways, they usually don't actually kiss.
Detailed Description: The Amish and Mennonite populations represent outstanding communities for the study of genetic disease for a number of reasons. There is a high degree of inbreeding, resulting in a high frequency of recessive disorders, many of which are seen rarely or are unknown outside of this population.
Presently, residence is neolocal, and only the more strict of the denominations strongly discourage and sometimes sanction divorce. In former times, it was common for the bride and her family to assemble a dowry. Historically, there have often been cousin marriages.
Personal hygiene routines may vary from family to family. However, most Old Order Amish men only bathe on Saturdays during winter, but many use sponge baths during the week. This is because there are no bathtubs in their homes, and bathing can take up a lot of time that could be spent on other essential tasks.
Despite being surrounded by an ever-changing society, the Amish culture thrives on old-fashioned traditions. Amish women don't shave their underarms or legs because, according to their interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:5-15, doing so would violate God's law.
The Amish believe that going barefoot keeps them closer to the earth and nature, and therefore keeps them closer to God. There's no easier way to enhance the bond with God's natural creations. As such a pious people, this is of great importance to the Amish.