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- Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
- Path: sparky!uunet!paladin.american.edu!auvm!IRISHVMA!GSCHLABA
- Message-ID: <NOTABENE%92091402535411@TAUNIVM>
- Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 19:27:01 EST
- Sender: Nota Bene List <NOTABENE@TAUNIVM>
- From: "Gerald W. Schlabach" <GSCHLABA@IRISHVMA>
- Subject: Mennonite beards
- Newsgroups: bit.listserv.notabene
- Lines: 35
-
- Late comments on Mennonites, Amish, beards, and yes, Miss Indiana:
-
- - The Amish and the Mennonites split in the late 17th century not over
- pietism and mysticism but over how strictly to apply "the ban" (excommu-
- nication) in order maintain their sociological boundaries.
-
- - When revivalism was making inroads into the Mennonite community in the
- mid-1800s, some groups rejected it as prideful, modernizing, etc., and they
- more or less froze their lifestyles at that point. Thus, they are easily
- confused with Amish. But they don't wear beards.
-
- - Many Mennonites continued (continue) on acculturating yet resisting
- too much acculturation, into the 20th century. Some have attempted to maintain
- distinctive dress, but are not so distinctive as Amish. Many of the rest
- of us, for better or for worse, do not look much different than people in
- mainstream culture (but sometimes get nostalgic and grow oldie-timie beards;
- perhaps this included Siebert).
-
- - Confusing all these groups is an easy mistake because by definition, we
- Mennonites who are less distinct are not so obviously Mennonites, and all the
- obvious ones get their own kind of un-sought-for attention.
-
- - Alas, an example springs to mind. The currently reigning (not a very
- Mennonite thing to do) Miss Indiana is one Miss Yoder. If my memory serves
- me, she is a member in good standing in a Mennonite congregation. I sigh, but
- Menno Simons might moan. But then, some of the rest of us may simply be
- acculturating in classier ways -- writing computer programs in NYC and
- studying theology with Catholics at Notre Dame. So it goes.
-
- BTW, I sport a mustache. My grandparents still associated this with militarism
- and soldiering. So it goes, the way of all the earth, modernity.
-
- Gerald W. Schlabach | Item bellum nullum argumentum est
- University of Notre Dame | pro veritate fidei Christianae.
- Schlabach.1@nd.edu | --Francisco de Vitoria, 1539
-