SCHANZENKLEEGRUENSTEIN, MB
Area man Abe Friesen is under the impression that the specific type of Mennonites that he is familiar with, those who speak Low German, wear suspenders, forbid dancing and drinking, and complain about the old country are representative of the entire global Mennonite community.
“To be more accurate, I’m not even aware there is a global Mennonite community,” said Friesen. “We’ve got about a half dozen surnames and if you’re not on the list, well, it’s a little suspicious to me.”
Even within the Russian Mennonite micro-culture, Friesen believes that the specific customs of his particular church are more widespread than they actually are.
“As Mennonites, we baptize by pouring, play knipsbrat on Sunday afternoons, and don’t believe in eternal security,” said Friesen. “Women on one side, women on the other. No singing in harmony. Just like it is in all the Mennonite churches around the world.”
Friesen’s finding seem to contradict more scholarly studies that show that Mennonites are as culturally diverse as the whole human population.
“And if we’re talking about theology,” said Dr. Pankratz. “I think we all can agree that Mennonites agree on virtually nothing at all.”
