The Ones Who DON'T Dress Like That

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  Who are these Mennonites who DON'T dress according to tradition and doctrine? Well, they're scattered all over the Mennonite colonies, mainly Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek and have also sprinkled themselves throughout the country. Made up of a mixed group of ex-KG, ex-Holdeman, ex-Beachy, ex-Old Colony, ex-Old Order, ex-everything, these non-conservative, "non-religious" ones go to whichever church they believe is the best one for their family without caring if it's a Plattdeutsche church or Creole church. Some of them don't even care about going to church at all. Consequently there is no dress code, no regulations on fashion and jewelry, no written or verbal agreement on anything specific.
  However, there are some that tend to look askance at the conservative dress code of their other Mennonite neighbours to the point of ridicule, calling them "religious", "old-fashioned", and "rules written by humans and not God". Seems like they're trying to prove to the conservative churches how and where they are wrong instead of showing them where they could do differently but the the thing is for most of them, leaving the traditions of their home churches was a process which took some time and left its mark on them. Which is why they describe the conservative ones as "religious".
  It is true that they enjoy greater freedom at being free of the strict shackles of their grandparent's religion, and it is wonderful to see young men and women expanding their liberty in a way they could not have done a decade earlier. Sadly though there are some, mainly ex-Old Colony and ex-Old Order members who are living dismal, depressed lives, caught deep in the vices of tobacco and alcohol.
  In general, these "wordly" Mennonites are some of the friendliest ones I've met and a lot of them have mixed into the cultures around them such as Maya and Creole. Remember, many of this type of Mennonites especially the older ones,  are all ex-members of a traditional church.

A young auntie with her nieces and nephews. 
(Photo used with permission)

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