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W'ON's felicitous reference to meidung in the parishioner thread invites cross-fertilization with Wordwind's canton thread, elucidating both words at the same time [altho I can't take any credit for that ... alas].
It seems that a clash, many hundreds of years ago, between a Mennonite leader by the name of Jakob Ammann and the elders of the canton of Bern regarding enforcement of the meidung, resulted in a schism in the Church which reverberates to this day. To wit:
From the original documents which have been preserved, it is clear that Jakob Ammann's attempt to force the elders in the Emmental (canton of Bern) to accept the Meidung, i.e., the shunning or avoidance of excommunicated persons, was the chief if not full cause of the division, although several minor issues were mentioned.
Of course, one man's meidung is another man's canton ... albeit a canton of one.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Hmmm. We went to the Mennonite/Amish museum at Shipshewana in northern Indiana after leaving the Wapalooza in June. It certainly gave us a much better understanding of what they're about. Personally, I still think the Amish are nuts, but that's their business. Does rather disadvantage their kids, but. I find it disgusting that people still try to run their buggies off the roads and throw stones at them
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Does rather disadvantage their kids,
actually, many of the amish have a 'rite of passage' that encourages young kids from the ages of 16 to oh, say 24 to experiment with "normal life" to learn to drive, get a job and a car to drive, to buy and listen to radios, tv's, vidio games, ( and as part of this, skate board where introduced to the amish community.. since the 'technology' of skateboard is low, it has been accepted by the community, and all amish kids can skateboard) and to fully experience other aspects of modern US life. Most, but not all, chose to give these things up, and to remain inside the amish comminuty. those that don't are not shunned, but they recognize that visits to their parents and family will be one sided. The children who leave are encourage to come and visit, but most parent will not go and visit their children in cities, or other places where they cannot continue to exercise the amish way of life. when the kids visit, they are expected to honor the amish way of life.
compared to catholoism, where i was "confirmed" as an adult member of the church at the age of 13, long before i was able to independantly think about it, or have any real say--the amish process lets kids try, and experience the non amish life, and hopes (and presumes) kids will chose it freely. Since something like 85% of the kids do, they seem to have some success.
Since the kids who leave never became part of the community as adult, they didn't break any religious law when they left, so they are not shunned.
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Since the kids who leave never became part of the community as adult, they didn't break any religious law when they left, so they are not shunned.
There is always a danger that meidung may give birth to a canton of outcasts which expands to become the Alpha dogma.
If this happens, no-one can tell the difference between meidung and yurdung and all hell breaks loose. [In fact, sometimes a canton of outcasts can become an entire country ... like Australia, a classic case of Oztracism.]
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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yurdung right, there, partner, and if ever meidung's you wrong, why you let me know, and i'll put it right.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Another curious Pennsylvania Dutch (or Amish) custom is that of the hex sign, mandala-like illustrations painted onto the exterior of barns and houses to keep bad spirits away. For a history of the hex sign and some great illustrations click here: http://www.padutch.com/hexsigns.shtml
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