The Amish, the Mennonites and the Hutterites

[Petr]

Christian believers have always been preyed upon by ruthless conmen...

Romans 16:18 - Avoid Divisions

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

biblehub.com

Amish & Mennonites Among Victims in $32 Million Fraud Case (UPDATED – “Charity 1” Identified) - Amish America

In what looks like another affinity fraud scheme targeting Plain Anabaptist people, the Department of Justice is seeking the arrest of a man who collected over $30 million over a decade-long span - telling donors the money was for Bibles and other Christian literature to be distributed in China...

amishamerica.com

Amish & Mennonites Among Victims in $32 Million Fraud Case​

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By Erik/Amish America

August 3, 2023

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In what looks like another affinity fraud scheme targeting Plain Anabaptist people, the Department of Justice is seeking the arrest of a man who collected over $30 million over a decade-long span – telling donors the money was for Bibles and other Christian literature to be distributed in China.​

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Jason Gerald Shenk allegedly got at least some of his money (and perhaps most of it) from Amish and Mennonites, including in Holmes County, Ohio. The report at Cleveland 19 references the DOJ indictment in their report, but no mention of Amish or Mennonite victims appears in that document.​

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Jason Gerald Shenk, 45, is alleged to have defrauded donors of over $30 million, supposedly intended to fund Bible distribution in China

However, I have confirmed with someone at the DOJ that the victims “included members of the Amish and Mennonite communities”. So it sounds like it’s not strictly Amish and Mennonite, but they are included in the group (and are perhaps a majority). The surname Shenk is found among Mennonites.​

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Here is what Shenk is alleged to have done:​

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As spelled out in the indictment, Shenk is alleged to have planned and executed a scheme in which he obtained more than $30 million from faith-based charities and individual donors, primarily from religious communities in Ohio and North Carolina, based on his promises that he would use the funds for producing and distributing Bibles and Christian literature in the People’s Republic of China.​

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Instead, the indictment alleges Shenk converted a significant amount of the funds to his own use, including:​

• Payments of approximately $1 million to an online sports gambling website;
• Purchases of equity shares of approximately $850,000 in a privately held nuclear energy company;
• Approximately $4 million in purchases of at least 16 life insurance policies in various people’s names;
• Purchases of diamonds, gold, and precious metals in amounts totaling approximately $1 million;
• Purchases of domestic and foreign stocks totaling more than $188,000;
• Payments of approximately $7 million to the company running Shenk’s family farm;
• Purchases on at least 10 personal credit cards totaling more than $820,000; and,
• Purchases of $320,000 in real estate in the “Galt’s Gulch” development in Santiago, Chile.

The indictment alleges Shenk obtained approximately $22 million from one charitable organization and its donors, and approximately $10 million from another charity and its donors, along with other donations from individuals. The funds were directed to a variety of shell corporations as a result of Shenk’s claims to those religious communities that he was a missionary dedicated to various Christian mission projects around the world and would use the funding to produce and distribute Bibles and Christian literature in China.​

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This sadly appears like it might be yet another case of affinity fraud, in which a member of a group takes advantage of others in the group, exploiting the trust and shared culture to defraud other members.​

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Amish and Mennonite people have fallen victim to similar schemes in the past, notably four major cases in the past 15 years. Those include the $60 milllion Sensenig financial scandal (operated by an Old Order Mennonite church member) and the multi-million dollar Ponzi-like scheme devised by Amish-born Earl D. Miller.​

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According to the indictment, “Shenk claimed alleged persecution from Chinese authorities to avoid oversight from the charities and to facilitate his scheme.” That is one way to stop people from asking too many questions.​

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Shenk is currently at large, described as the subject of an “international” search. It sounds like he is likely no longer in the country. Shenk renounced his American citizenship in 2016.​

 

[Gawn Chippin]

The renunciation of an American citizenship can only be performed at a foreign embassy, in the country of second citizenship. The embassy in Bern, Switzerland, for example, has a section devoted to these renunciations. These criminals will then obtain residence in countries of which do not sign treaties of mutual cumpulsory extraditions. The country of residence doesen't necessarilly need to be that of second citizenship. The Philippines is one example of a country of which doesen't honor extradition requests of her foreign residents.
The second possibility, of course, would be Israel, of whom makes it policy not to extradite her citizens whatsoever, despite Interpol warrant requests

 

[Petr]

A daring step into the heart of darkness:

Angola settlement big step for colonies | Anabaptist World

Several families from a Mennonite colony in Campeche, Mexico, arrived in Angola earlier this year to begin a new settlement in the African nation.

anabaptistworld.org

Anabaptist World​

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August 16, 2023​

Angola settlement big step for colonies​

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The new settlement started by Low German-speaking Mennonites from Mexico is near Malanje, Angola. — Google Maps​

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Several families from a Mennonite colony in Campeche, Mexico, arrived in Angola earlier this year to begin a new settlement in the African nation.​

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It is believed to be the first settlement developed by Low German-speaking Mennonites in Africa and could be the first such organized migration away from North and South America.​

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Die Mennonitische Post reported two families from Las Flores Colony in Mexico moved to Angola last month, joining seven other families who arrived in March and May. Four more families from the colony planned to move to Angola in August.​

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The immigrants are Sommerfelder Mennonites, similar in many ways to Old Colony Mennonites, using modern vehicles and machinery while opposed to computers, smartphones and the internet. Post editor Kennert Giesbrecht told Anabaptist World the group’s opposition to modern advancements fueled interest in developing a new settlement. A different group of Old Colony Mennonites in Bolivia still using horses and buggies could be making a similar move to Angola in the coming months.​

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The settlement is near Malanje, about 250 miles east of the capital, Luanda. The first families lived in tents under an outdoor roof until the beginning of July, when garages and shipping containers were added as living spaces.​

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The Post reported land has been purchased and efforts will begin soon to conduct land measurements in order to create a village similar to Mennonite colonies in Mexico.​

 

[Petr]

Plan to bring Mennonite farmers to Suriname sparks deforestation fears

Foreign land developers have spent the past several years working to bring Mennonite farming communities from across Latin America to Suriname with the plan of starting a series of agriculture projects — a major threat to conservation efforts in the country’s part of the Amazon Rainforest...

news.mongabay.com

Plan to bring Mennonite farmers to Suriname sparks deforestation fears​

by Maxwell Radwin

on 9 October 2023

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Investors from Argentina and the Netherlands launched a campaign to bring Mennonite farmers to Suriname from Belize, Mexico and Bolivia, where members of the religiously conservative group have already faced criticism for clearing thousands of hectares of forest.​

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The company behind the project is called Terra Invest Suriname & Guyana, and advertises itself as an expert in large-scale agriculture projects for soy, maize, sorghum and wheat. Since its founding in 2021, the company has hosted Mennonite communities in Suriname, visited properties for potential purchase, and initiated talks with the government.​

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“This is serious business,” said Ben D’Leon, a member of the NGO Amazon Conservation Team, Suriname. “They’re possibly aiming to use pristine forest to make their agricultural lands.”​

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Terra Invest says it aims to secure a total of 30,000 hectares (about 74,000 acres) for approximately 1,000 Mennonite families, each responsible for farming between 30 and 50 hectares (74-124 acres). Although Terra Invest is in talks with the government, it told Mongabay that a land purchase is still in the early stages and “very hypothetical.”​

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So far, Suriname’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has greenlit a pilot project that allows 50 Mennonite families to travel to the country and work in the agricultural sector for up to three years.​

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Some environmental groups are worried Terra Invest’s plans will snowball to as much as 90,000 hectares (more than 222,000 acres). The company has looked at sites in the districts of Para, Saramacca, Commewijne, Nickerie, Marowijne, Brokopondo and Sipaliwini, and in the town of Apoera. It declined to say which areas are being discussed with the government.

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In neighboring Guyana, it looked at the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice and East Berbice-Corentyne with the hope of purchasing plots larger than 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) for “long-term” ownership, according to its social media pages. But progress was slow and interest from the government wasn’t as strong, so the company has kept its focus on Suriname.​

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Locals there said communities are growing so fast that some are looking to relocate to other parts of the continent.​

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“They completely deforest everything,” said Julio Eguez, an Indigenous leader, or cacique, in San Rafael de Velasco, Bolivia. “And when the land stops being good enough for production, they abandon it and go somewhere else.​

Small company, big goals​

Two people act as the face of Terra Invest. Ruud Souverein is a Dutch businessman living in Suriname, a former Dutch colony, and has a background in marketing, agribusiness and processed foods. Adrián Barbero, who bills himself as “the first developer of Mennonite projects in Suriname and Guyana,” is an Argentinian real estate entrepreneur and farmer living in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where he has spent the past 20 years brokering land deals with Mennonite and other farmers.​

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Barbero said he considers Mennonites to be his friends. He said he wants to help them navigate the legal system, escape religious persecution, and find better economic opportunities. As some Mennonite communities have grown in Latin America, younger generations haven’t been able to establish farms with the same success. He said starting new colonies in Suriname might fix the problem.​

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“They’re young people who no longer have land in other countries,” Barbero told Mongabay. “[In Suriname], they can resettle their lives with a piece of land.”​

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Barbero has curated his social media presence to come across as a champion of the Mennonites, even calling himself an “agro-influencer” while posting on Facebook and TikTok about new farming projects and efforts to expand. Mennonites themselves traditionally don’t use modern technology.​

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In one video, he shows Mennonites on a ferry crossing a river in Guyana. In another, he’s shopping for heavy farming machinery in Suriname.​

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Barbero with Mennonites during a trip through Suriname. (Photo courtesy of Adrián Barbero)

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Government and NGOs on edge​

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More than 90% of Suriname is covered by the Amazon Rainforest. The country has struggled with gold mining over the years — both a top export earner and a main driver of deforestation — but overall it’s managed to avoid the kind of economic development that might compromise its forests.​

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It’s one of just three countries with a carbon-negative economy, meaning its forests absorb more carbon dioxide than the country emits — a huge help in the fight against climate change.​

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Suriname is the only Amazonian country that hasn’t legally recognized Indigenous land rights. The idea that the government is negotiating with foreign Mennonite farmers while Indigenous people still go unrecognized has frustrated many local communities as well as members of the National Assembly, who have spent years pushing for a vote on the issue.​

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“We don’t have our land rights,” said Iona Edwards, an Indigenous Lokono serving in the National Assembly. “You can’t bring another group into our community where we already are expecting help from the government.”​

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Natural Resources didn’t respond to a request for comment for this story.​

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Mennonites during a visit to Suriname. (Photo courtesy of Terra Invest/Facebook)

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WWF, which had a meeting with Terra Invest in August, said it respects Suriname’s decision to allow Mennonites into the country, but said farming should only be done on already degraded land.​

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“If large-scale agriculture begins to occur on intact forest landscapes, as opposed to already degraded lands, Suriname will have a very big difficulty in maintaining its forest cover,” said David Singh, director of WWF Guianas.​

 

[Petr]

These locals clearly fear the Mennonites as economic rivals:

Environmental groups speak out against arrival of Mennonite farmers to Suriname

A plan to bring Mennonite farmers to Suriname is drawing backlash from environmental groups and Indigenous communities, who are concerned about the widespread deforestation that could result from large-scale agriculture. Mennonite farmers from Bolivia, Mexico and Belize are looking to buy...

news.mongabay.com

The stakes are especially high for local and Indigenous communities. Suriname is the only Amazonian country that hasn’t recognized Indigenous land rights, and the arrival of Mennonites could put ancestral territory at risk.

The country is home to around 20,000 Indigenous and 75,000 maroon (or afro-descendant) people. Legislation to recognize land rights has stalled in the National Assembly, which has frustrated local leaders at the same time that rumors and misinformation about Mennonites spread through their communities. The environmental groups expressed concern about violent clashes between groups once the farmers arrive for good.

 

[Petr]

The Amish and the Mennonites are like surviving remnants of the kind of Völkisch vitality that once made the conquest of North America possible in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries - even Heinrich Himmler admitted that "the decline in our birthrate around 1900 coincided with the time when the German people began to inwardly free themselves from their very keen commitment to the churches."

Keepers of the old ways | Anabaptist World

Heinrich and Elizabeth Redekopp had likely killed the fatted hog to feed our group. All 14 of their children and 39 grandchildren came to the meal.

anabaptistworld.org

Heinrich and Elizabeth Redekopp had likely killed the fatted hog to feed our group. All 14 of their children and 39 grandchildren came to the meal. Some had gotten up at 3:30 a.m. to begin the long journey with a horse and buggy. Others lived too far away and hired drivers.​

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The tour group had been cautioned against taking photographs. Like the Amish, the Colony Mennonites consider them inappropriate. Our group had designated photographers. Yet the Colony Mennonites had no problem being photographed by trusted friends and contacts. After Horst Braun, a staff member at MCC’s Centro Menno, photographed Redekopp family members, children swarmed around him to see the images on his camera.​

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No tourist culture exists among the Low German Mennonites in Bolivia. In places such as Lancaster County, Pa., where I am from, tourism capitalizes on the Amish and other Plain groups. Bolivia’s Low German Mennonites lead even more isolated lives, perhaps because they live together in towns or colonies rather than interspersed among the general population.​

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One hundred twenty-four colonies were known to exist in 2022, but likely there are more. As the population — estimated at 100,000 — grows, colonies tend to outgrow their land every 10 years. As a result, they are constantly looking for more land.​

 

[Petr]

The Mennonites are not all innocent darlings - one reason why conservative Mennonites move around a lot is not just purely economically motivated, but often they also want to escape worldly temptations, like by moving away from the hotspots of drug trafficking, for example:

Belize treasures your culture, not your race | Amandala Newspaper

Most peaceful people will get weapons and defend themselves when they are threatened. Our Mennonite group which came here looking for peace is now armed and dangerous to defend their peace. We know the times. Violent people have gone into Mennonite communities and done horrible things. We also know that some Mennonites have followed the massive money in the drug trade, thus they are guilty of bringing violence to their communities. The illegal drug trade is a dangerous business.

 

[Petr]

The Amish and conservative Mennonites are interesting for many reasons, but not the least because they showcase, in a very concrete manner, the ultimate consequences of choices. For within the same religion, or denomination, or even congregation, some people can and will make choices to "join the world," or conform themselves to the world - instead of seeking to make their worldly environment conform to righteous ideals.

Examples are so many; as the challenge of modernity defies the traditional mores of every culture on earth, one can clearly observe the difference between those who surrender to the easy path of hedonistic corruption and those who decide to defy it. Choices have consequences!

As I have already pointed out, there are some very different kinds of "Mennonites," often in the same country. Take for example these lukewarm pukes (Revelation 3:16) in Argentina who clearly have no will or spiritual means to avoid the path of degeneration:

Argentina church blesses same-sex wedding | Anabaptist World

A church near Buenos Aires, Argentina, in early October became what is likely the first Mennonite congregation in that country to bless a same-sex wedding.

anabaptistworld.org

A church near Buenos Aires, Argentina, in early October became what is likely the first Mennonite congregation in that country to bless a same-sex wedding.​

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Jorgelina Ganim and Romina Ocanto, members of Comunidad Anabautista Menonita de Olavarría, were married Oct. 6 in the church building the congregation shares with a Lutheran congregation.​

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Pastor Pedro Cazola said the congregation grew to embrace diversity and inclusion as it became aware of the struggles of excluded minorities.​

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“Today we work in many neighborhoods of the city, accompanying women who suffer gender violence and people living on the streets and facing various addictions,” he said.​

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Local media reported on the wedding because it was the city’s first same-sex ceremony.​

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Cazola could not say for certain whether the ceremony was a first for all Mennonites across Argentina, but it is the first such union among a cluster of progressive Anabaptist congregations around Buenos Aires.​

But these kind of shitlib "Mennonites", who live near the metropolis of Buenos Aires, have almost nothing in common, except the name, with those genuine, devout Mennonites who live in isolation on the Argentinian pampas:

This tiny colony in Argentina doesn't believe in Spanish, tango, or soccer (PHOTOS) - The World from PRX

Welcome to New Hope, the Orthodox Mennonite community of about 1,500 in Argentina's La Pampa province.

theworld.org

These people, who would not dream of blessing sodomite "marriages," are demographically very vital:

Mennonites in Argentina - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

By 2007, 1,300 people were surveyed in the town of Remecó, La Pampa, consisting of approximately 200 families, with an average of 8 to 12 children each.[15]​

But such a lifestyle takes a great deal of personal sacrifice and dedication, make no mistake about it:

Los gauchos menonitas - Revista Late

Llegaron a la Argentina en 1985 procedentes de México y Bolivia: asi es la vida de los 1800 menonitas que viven en La Pampa.

www.revistalate.net

I am using the Google translator here:

The concept of “separation from the world” is a central value of their religious system. In Simons' time, recent converts to Mennonitism continued to live in their villages, surrounded by Catholic neighbors. “Separation from the world” involved distancing oneself from them in terms of not sharing sinful practices. When they began to form colonies, that idea of separation became geographical. They make a binary social classification: the Christenvolk - "people of Christ" - and the Weltmensch or "people of the world" which would be all other people. The boundary between “inside” and “outside” is clear: Mennonites cannot marry non-Mennonites. The Christenvolk are those who choose the “narrow path” that implies “surrendering themselves completely to Christ; “Christ does not want a broken heart.” That implies turning away from sin and the modern world, which would be the “broad road” with its invitations to comfort. The “broad road” belongs to the Weltmensch, those “men of the world.” The place of “Christ's people” is not then “the world”: this logic places them “outside the world.” And there one must live in a suffering manner to save the spirit and achieve eternal life in heaven. Instead the Weltmensch will burn in hell. The ideal place for the Christenvolk is not the city but the countryside with its self-sustaining agricultural economy that limits contact with the outside world. Business negotiations to obtain greater profits lead to “temptations”: that is why they avoid haggling and resorting to small but greedy deceptions. Country life makes it easier to walk the “narrow path.” Being away from the world is not a demonstration of faith but a strategy to preserve it, keeping demonic incitements away. And it is a recognition of the human weaknesses of the flesh. For the Christenvolk, the worst enemy is the body itself, which prevents the spirit from remaining pure: it is where temptations penetrate.

- For all this they resist the entry of the State into their villages.

Of course: it is a threat of the entry of the Weltmensch. If a State tries to give them a foothold in education, they prefer to emigrate rather than run the risk of being contaminated by sin: they want their children to be good Christians and give their lives for Christ, not for a flag. And technologies are a similar threat if they grant pleasure, which they seek to suppress. When making decisions about which devices to ban, they analyze the results of their use in relation to the temptations that could lead them “into the world.” For the Orthodox, the colonies that modernize are already Weltmensch: they stop being Mennonites. But the modern is coming in anyway. Whoever disrespects the rules is excommunicated, something terrible for a Mennonite: he becomes Weltmensch. The Christenvolk must not have social relations with the punished, who can buy food but have their credit and communal help cut off. A week later, the excommunicated person can ask for forgiveness. If it is credible, they lift the sentence. The problem is if the group of excommunicated people grows and the prohibition on interacting with them is no longer effective: two communities end up coexisting with different rules. Then the “excommunicating” group feels in danger of contamination from being in contact with the Weltmensch and tends to emigrate. The origin of all this may lie in the centuries of persecution: the way to survive was to separate yourself from the world. It is very likely that the model of closed colonies arose from structural conditioning and then they devised the religious interpretation to legitimize the facts.

 

[Petr]

The Dutch Bible Belt showed up again in the elections:

 

[Petr]

A new documentary about the conservative Mennonites:

 

[Petr]

âWe live off the forestâ: fears rise in Suriname as Mennonites look to settle

Secretive Christian sect poised to carve big farms out of the Amazon, despite concerns of Indigenous people about the settlers’ deforestation elsewhere in Latin America

www.theguardian.com

Sergio Jubithana, an Indigenous leader in Para district, prays for help. ‘The concern is very big within the Indigenous communities,’ he says. Photograph: Ramon Keyzer

“I am convinced that Mennonites will not bring any development to us,” says Zwingly Strijder, a village chief of Klaaskreek, who fears Mennonites settling in the area could lead to violent clashes with local people.

“We, as Maroons living here, have not invited anyone. We don’t want the Mennonites here. They will have to kill us to take over our land.”

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Sergio Jubithana, president of the Cooperating Indigenous Villages in Para, says: “The concern is very big within the Indigenous communities. At first, the government denied that Mennonites were coming to Suriname.” Now that the authorities have confirmed the Mennonites’ impending arrival, he says, “we are very alert.”

Jubithana says if the government does accommodate the Mennonites in Indigenous territory, it will represent another injustice done to the original inhabitants of Suriname.

 

[Petr]

A little academic paper about the Michigan Amish - a case study in demographic health, one could say:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376326174_A_Population_Profile_of_the_Amish_in_Michigan

The total number of households entered into the spreadsheet is 2,616.5 For analysis, the data were categorized into three types of settlements.6 Nearly half of all households lived in Old Order settlements (1,251), and about 20% (550) lived in Swiss settlements. The remainder, about 30% (815), lived in a variety of other conservative settlements, but none was sufficiently large to conduct a more detailed statistical analysis. Called “clusters” by Stoltzfus (2022), these other conservative communities include settlements known by their nicknames, such as Ashland, Buchanan, Dover, Kenton, Swartzentruber, and Troyer.7 ​

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Despite the challenges of classifying occupations, it is obvious from Table 1 that the occupations of Amish men in Michigan today are diverse; hence, expanding the range of possibilities (Hostetler, 1980) and establishing the economic base for sustained communities. Slightly over two-fifths of Michigan men make a living from farming. Altogether, over 34% of men work full- or part-time in some facet of carpentry, from assembling trusses for housing construction to making furniture. In total, about one of seven men are involved in sawmill/logging, but only 3.75% of men make a full-time living at various traditional occupations. Finally, 28% of men work in nonfarm occupations other than carpentry-related jobs, sawmill/logging, and traditional occupations.​

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For women in Old Order settlements, the highest percentages were for those who gave birth to either six children or 10 children. In Swiss settlements, 22.50% of women gave birth to 13 or more children, and in other conservative settlements, the two highest percentages are for those who bore 10 children and those who bore 13 or more. As Table 6 also demonstrates, completed fertility was high for women in all three types of settlements, but with a noticeable difference between those living in Old Order versus Swiss and other conservative settlements. For all three groups, completed fertility was lower for women born from 1969 through 1973 when compared to women born in 1948 or earlier. However, the difference between those born before 1948 and those born from 1969 to 1973 was very small for women from other conservative settlements. For women from other conservative settlements, completed fertility was slightly lower for those born between 1949 and 1953, then increased for each succeeding cohort until 1969–1973. Clearly, even with modest declines in completed fertility for women from Old Order and Swiss settlements in Michigan, the number of babies born to Amish women remains quite high.​

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All three pyramids display the youthfulness of the Amish population and its continued high fertility. Regardless of the type of settlement, males and females age 0–9 make up between 15% and 20% of the population within their respective sex groups. Those in the 10–19 age range compose at least another 10% of the population. Slightly over 29% of the total Old Order population in Michigan are males 19 years old or younger. The female population 19 years or younger is nearly 26% of the total Old Order population. Combined, this is more than half of the total Old Order population. The Swiss population is even younger. Males in the 0–19 age range compose almost 31% of the total Swiss population. Females 19 years or younger represent slightly over 28% of the total Swiss population. Together, they are a majority of the total Swiss Amish population in Michigan. The various settlements of other conservative affiliations have the highest percentage of individuals in the 0–19 range: nearly 32% of the total population are males 19 years and younger, and slightly over 29% are females 19 years and younger. This is three-fifths of the total population of the other conservative settlements.​

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Completed fertility (Table 6) shows that the Amish continue to be a high fertility group. It is not unusual for women older than 45 years of age to have borne 10 or more children, regardless of whether they live in Old Order, Swiss, or other conservative settlements. Women in Swiss settlements had the highest completed fertility, followed closely by women from other conservative settlements. Old Order women were noticeably below both Swiss and other conservative women, with a completed fertility of 7.88. Even though there are hints of a decline in all three groups, the changes are not large, and it will take many decades before they begin to approximate the rates for the U.S. and other industrialized societies. ​

 

[Macrobius]

Do any of them celebrate Christmas?

 

[Petr]

Do any of them celebrate Christmas?

How do Amish Celebrate Christmas? | Discover Lancaster

Discover the customs behind an Amish Christmas with holiday dishes and practices. Read this in-depth guide on Amish Christmas traditions from a local expert.

www.discoverlancaster.com

Let’s start off with the obvious one. Do the Amish celebrate Christmas?​

Yes, they do, although their customs are much simpler than our “English” customs. They are oriented toward the family and the religious meaning of the holiday.

 

[Macrobius]

How do Amish Celebrate Christmas? | Discover Lancaster

Discover the customs behind an Amish Christmas with holiday dishes and practices. Read this in-depth guide on Amish Christmas traditions from a local expert.

www.discoverlancaster.com

They do share the making of special Christmas cookies and candies with us though, and they might decorate with greens and candles.

OK. Americans.

(but we knew that)

Wonder what they do in Surinam or the Ukraine.

 

[Petr]

But the devil can be spying to catch even the "purest," or most separated ones - there is no escape while we still living in this world. For some obscure ultra-separatist Mennonite sectarians have dabbled with neo-Docetist heresy (denying that Christ got truly human flesh from His mother); this website is dedicated to combating that spiritual pestilence:

Love Letter to the Holdemans

Comparing the Holdeman religion with the Word of God--a Loveletter

www.theholdemans.com

ORIGIN OF THE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST

GOD: The Holdemans believe in a triune God, but they deviate from historic Christianity by denying that Christ assumed human flesh from his mother Mary. They state He was true God and true man, but they reject the actual meaning of the hypostatic union. Their definition of "true man" is not the same as "true human being." Though Holdeman wrote Jesus was born and died as, or like, a human, members are cautioned against thinking of Jesus as a true genetic human.11 They embrace one of the tenets of the ancient view of Docetism fought by the early church Fathers. This view held that Jesus’ body was not actually human flesh, but rather was a specially prepared spiritual flesh that only resembled humanity.12 The CGCM teaches that Jesus was merely incubated within Mary, taking no flesh from her and having no genetic connection to the human race.13

The Forefathers Calling Doctrine Held by the Holdeman

Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist”

God 1 John 4:3​

“Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist”

God 2 John 7​

 

[Petr]

As C.S. Lewis noted in The Screwtape Letters, the devil has something to offer even for those who seek to energetically fight him:

https://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/PDFs/ScrewtapeLetters_CSL.pdf

Through this girl and her disgusting family the patient is now getting to know more Christians every day, and very intelligent Christians too. For a long time it will be quite impossible to remove spirituality from his life. Very well then; we must corrupt it. No doubt you have often practised transforming yourself into an angel of light as a parade-ground exercise. Now is the time to do it in the face of the Enemy. The World and the Flesh have failed us; a third Power remains. And success of this third kind is the most glorious of all. A spoiled saint, a Pharisee, an inquisitor, or a magician, makes better sport in Hell than a mere common tyrant or debauchee.

Pharisees - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Pharisee" is derived from Ancient Greek Pharisaios (Φαρισαῖος),[13] from Aramaic Pərīšā (פְּרִישָׁא), plural Pərīšayyā (פְּרִישַׁיָּא), meaning "set apart, separated", related to Hebrew Pārūš (פָּרוּשׁ), plural Pərūšīm (פְּרוּשִׁים), the Qal passive participle of the verb pāraš (פָּרַשׁ).[14][15] This may be a reference to their separation from the Gentiles, sources of ritual impurity, or from non-religious Jews.[16]

 

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Demographics of Bolivia - Wikipedia

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