Mennonitism

History

It is resulting from the Protestant Réforme in Zurich in Switzerland towards 1520, under the influence of Ulrich Zwingli. Since 1523 however, Conrad Grebel, filled with enthusiasm by the ideas of Zwingli, considers that the reforms of this one too slow and are timorées. The rupture is consumed when Zwingli entrusts the religious authority to the council of the town of Zurich. In January 1525, Grebel baptizes George Blaurock with her request, carrying out the first baptism of an adult, following what Blaurock baptizes several other people. The council of the city, having had wind of the event, declares the illegal practice and prohibits the meetings of this group of Christians. This episode is generally regarded as the genesis of the movement anabaptist.

The movement is propagated gradually downstream from the the Rhine. It is organized in Holland and in the north of the Germany around Menno Simons. This one is a catholic priest who leaves the Roman Church in January 1536, following his doubts concerning the Baptême of the children and the Cène and takes the head of a group of anabaptists. It gives its name to this group which is named then (about the middle of the 17th century “mennists”, term which will be transformed into “Mennonites” in contact with the Anglo-Saxons).

Characteristic

Mennonites are very mobile, as of their appearance. They must indeed escape political and religious persecutions (generalized against all the anabaptists). The young people mennonites seek moreover to withdraw themselves from the military service which their various lands of welcome want to impose to them, against their faith.

Refusing:

the Baptême of the children (they are anabaptists. They prefer a later baptism, preceded by a personal profession of faith)
the use of the weapons, and thus the military service
certain taxes
for a great part of them, much of technological advances
as in all the Protestantisme S, Pasteur is not an intermediary between the believers and God

One counts today roughly: 1300000 Mennonites in the world. They are very scattered, and present in particular at the Canada, the the United States of America, the Congo-Kinshasa, in India, at the Belize, in Bolivia and at the Paraguay. Much Mennonites also settled in Germany coming from their exile forced in various Soviet ex-republics. Members of their community were called by the Paraguay following the war of Chaco to colonize grounds at the border Bolivia, where they are several tens of thousands. The ménnonites are very discrete, sober and hard-working. They want to live out of the world but the good is their mission, hospitality a quasi divine obligation. With measurement of their economic growth, part of these communities puts up with some progress to electricity to the gasoline, in particular for the hardest work.

In France, one counts approximately 2400 Ménonnites, which is especially concentrated in the area of Montbeliard, in the South of the Alsace (Sundgau, Colmar). They are often populations from Germany to flee the religious difficulties of the 16th century. The 11th international conference mennonite with brought together 7000 participants in Strasbourg in 1984.

With the Quebec, several mennonites groups exist, only one, preserving, installed with Roxton Falls had there until 2007 a school. It was closed of authority by the Minister of education (MELS) of Quebec. The villagers mobilized themselves to keep “ their mennonites ”. Everywhere else in Canada, these same schools are tolerated. Quebec imposes its educational program, at the public schools as at the schools known as private. The mennonites cannot accept this program for religious reasons.

See too

Internal bonds

Project: Protestantism

External bonds

Quebec, model of intolerance
In Ontario, one teaches anything
Mennonites off leave Quebec which prohibits their school, allowed elsewhere Canada
Mennonitisme in Bolivia
Écoles mennonites in Bolivia
the site of the Center mennonite of Paris
site of a French church mennonite (in Montbeliard, one of the cradles of the anabaptism)
the site of the Council mennonite of Quebec
the site of Mennonite Historical Society Canada
the site of the Conference Mennonite Suisse (CMS)
a page of the Canadian ministry for defense on the Church mennonite
Menno Simons.net
Site of the Swiss mennonites
the confession of faith of the mennonites, examined and adopted with the meeting of old and preachers of the Association of the Churches Evangéliques Mennonite de France, the 1^er May 2001 in Bienenberg.
the site of the Editions Mennonites

Sources

Rene EPP, Marc LIENHARD Freddy RAPHAËL, “Catholics, Protestants, Jews in Alsace”, Edition ALSATIA, 1992. ISBN 2-70-320199-0

Longfellow, Scott (2007), To make of virtue need, the Fernheim colony to the ethnos group mennonite: process of acculturation and identity rebuilding of the mennonites in Paraguayan Chaco, Memory of end of studies, Science-Po Rennes.

Random links:

Pierre Lacans | The Last world cannibal | European Council of Brussels of June 2007 | Markinez | Michel Mouïsse