What I Like (and don't like) About the Plautdietsch Mennonites

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Things I Like:

1. Most of them are raised with strong work ethics and the value of self-discipline and commitment. It's rare to find a Mennonite male who does not know how to repair engines or build a house on his own.

2. They are united in wanting the best for their community both in progress and discipline which causes other around them to admire the rapid growth and orderliness of their colonies.

3. Schools are all private which ensures that a child will be taught by approved and trusted teachers chosen by that particular church district.

4. Their infrastructure and system of taxation within their own community. Some of those taxes are much higher than what a non-Mennonite Belizean would pay (or would ever want to pay). But the results in the communities are obvious.

5. Economic planning and investment not just by the community in general but individuals. You will not easily find incomplete buildings left to themselves for many years because the owner could not afford to finish it.

6. Churches are more than just a Sunday thing. It is the centerpiece of their social and private lives. In fact, in some conservative colonies, church attendance is a requirement. However, while forced religion may not necessarily bring spiritual enlightenment, it does provide a disciplined and moral foundation for individuals.

7. Family. Whether it's a family with 5 or 15 children, each individual in the group is given a fair amount of responsibilities and roles and all work towards the same goal. Huge family gatherings are common.


Things I Don't Like

1. The self-righteous and "know-it-all" attitude prevalent in many of those who come from conservative upbringing.

2. Religious division within families created by animosity towards the different beliefs and churches that separated themselves from the mainstream ones.

3. The mutual, subtle "caste" system where the wealthier ones obtain the highest positions in the church and tend to isolate themselves from the rest of the congregation.

4. Cultural and racial discrimination. It is not so visible in the modernized groups since now those are more involved in missionary outreaches and daily rub shoulders with Mestizos, Creoles, and Mayas; but among Old Colony Mennonites, the fear and contempt towards black people is very much present.

5. The way many use their Anabaptist/Mennonite legacy as a front for their materialistic outlook on life.

6. A rather stoic, apathetic view of physical and personal protection. On average, there are more work-related (and unreported) accidents on their farms and homes than on a non-Mennonite home. Children run over by their own relative, teenagers injured during motorbike stunts, fingers and toes cut off on makeshift machines. This attitude towards life is a characteristic that has brought them directly into conflict with all the Covid-19 regulations and restrictions.

7. Finally: the closed mindset of those who come from rigid and traditional churches.

 



                                                     


                                                      A. Mendoza

  

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