New Movie on Amish Shooting Embarrasing Authors.

From my hometown newspaper, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal:

LANCASTER, Pa. — The authors of a book about the mass shooting at an Amish school in Pennsylvania are distancing themselves from a movie adaptation airing on the Lifetime Movie Network.

The authors of "Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy," say they declined to work with the producers of a similarly named movie out of respect for the community affected by the shooting in Nickel Mines.

Five girls died and five others were badly wounded when Charles Carl Roberts IV barricaded himself inside the West Nickel Mines Amish School and opened fire in October 2006.

Elizabethtown College professor Donald B. Kraybill and two co-authors say their publisher, Jossey-Bass, sold the film rights to the book. They say they'll donate their proceeds to charity.

"Amish Grace" is airing Sunday.

Kentucky Mennonites Targeted By Robbers.

From Nicole Ferguson at NewsChannel 5, Kentucky:

TODD & CHRISTIAN COUNTIES, Ky. – Kentucky State Police are investigating ten separate armed robberies and break-ins in Mennonite communities over the weekend.

Officials said they were investigators the attacks against Todd and Christian County Mennonites as hate crimes.

"He was almost in tears when he called me," said Shane Hessey, a friend of one of the victims. "He answered the phone and he said 'Shane, I'm in bad trouble.'"

Most of the weekend accounts are the same. The Mennonites describe their homes broken into in the middle of the night, with anywhere from two to five suspects holding their families at gunpoint and robbing them.

"They are a frugal people," said Todd County Sheriff Billy Stokes. "I know that in one of the home invasions [the suspects] only got $15."

Mennonites are Christian Anabaptists, known for their plain lifestyles.

"This would definitely fall under hate crime or targeted group for sure," said Stokes.

Stokes said he has been investigating reports of harassment in the Mennonite community over the past several months. He believes many of the incidents have gone unreported, perhaps because of the Mennonites stance for peace.

"Unless it's something major or repetitive, the [Mennonite] people are reluctant to report anything – they don't want any trouble," said Stokes. "They're very good neighbors to everyone. Anytime there's a crisis, there always first on the scene."

Hessey said patrols have been beefed up in the southern part of the county, but manpower presents difficulty in protecting the Mennonite community. They count on state police to assist them.

"I wish I could provide more protection for them, but that's solely based upon what our fiscal court is able or willing to do for our sheriff's department," said Stokes.

Kentucky State Police officials said the suspects have been described as having dark complexions, ranging in height from 5'7" to 6 feet tall. They were wearing bandanas and ski masks at the time of the attacks. Victims reported the theft of money and one firearm.

Meanwhile Hessey and Stokes fear worse consequences if the suspects are not caught.

"Certainly the fear is that somebody dies in this process of robbing," said Hessey. "It's unfortunate that they're targeting these Mennonite families because they're God-fearing, law abiding, very private families that work very hard for what they have."

"One of two things are eventually going to happen," said Stokes. "Either the perpetrators are going to go into the wrong house thinking it's a (Mennonite) house – we're a real community and most of the people here have weapons. Or the perpetrators are going wind up getting spooked and kill somebody innocent. Either which way it spells out disaster."

Anabaptist Conscientious Objection in Toronto.

From CNW Group, an update on the Canadian case about conscientious objection:

Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCCC) and Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC) (Quakers) express disappointment that the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) has rejected a request to intervene in an appeal by US war resister Jeremy Hinzman.Hinzman and family applied for permanent resident status in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, but their application was rejected. An upcoming appeal to the FCA will focus on whether punishment for desertion from the military - if it was motivated by a "deeply held" objection to war - could amount to "undue hardship" for the purpose of a humanitarian and compassionate application.The FCA refused CFSC-MCCC's intervention stating that they weren't directly affected by the issue, wouldn't provide a "fresh perspective", and that the Hinzmans' legal counsel could raise relevant concerns.Jane Orion Smith, General Secretary of CFSC, said, "The Court's decision is profoundly disappointing. Quakers and Mennonites, the core base of historic peace churches, have a unique and influential role in establishing rights for conscientious objectors over several centuries in Canada and internationally. During conscription, most of our members sought exemption as conscientious objectors. Conscientious objection is an issue of the present, not just history. Jeremy Hinzman and his family are an active part of the Toronto Quaker Meeting. Despite this setback, we will continue to educate and advocate for the realization of this much misunderstood right which is protected in domestic and international law."CFSC and MCCC argued that because Jeremy Hinzman's conscientious objection is rooted in his freedom of religion (and conscience), there should be a different test for assessing his punishment for holding those beliefs. It should not have to amount to "undue or disproportionate" hardship. Any hardship for his beliefs could potentially breach his religious rights, and the immigration officer deciding his case had to consider his case in light of these rights.Tim Wichert of Jackman & Associates, counsel for CFSC and MCCC, says: "The Federal Court has specifically said that the issue of conscientious objection still raises a host of outstanding questions, begging for resolution. Because of their extensive experience with this issue, we argued that Quakers and Mennonites had a unique perspective to offer."For further information: Tim Wichert (counsel), (905) 932-8914 or (416) 653-9900 ext 228; Jane Orion Smith (CFSC), (416) 920-5213 or (416) 356-5213

Romanticizing the "Plain."

Kay Stoner writes to KillingtheBuddha today to comment on my article last week about Republican talk of converting to the Anabaptist faith (Amish, Mennonite) to avoid the health care mandate.

There are a couple of ironies in the Republican comments that I get to in my piece, but Stoner emphasizes yet another: romanticizing "plain" life. Oh the simple life, oh the tax exemptions, some say.

Growing up in Lancaster County, PA, as I did, or in the community as Stoner did, one can't help but note the romance for the "plain" life that makes the Anabaptists a tourist attraction. People come from far and wide to buy Amish quilts and preserves and to gawk at the funny farms and dress of the throw-back Amish.

Stoner's point that Anabaptists have segregated themselves from the rest of society for a reason is apt. They themselves haven't glorified simple life; they just know that religious tolerance requires separation of church and state. And they learned this lesson through centuries of persecution.

So the next time you hear religious groups working to enforce their beliefs via federal or state laws, in violation of the Establishment clause, think of the Anabaptists and their hard-learned lesson about the necessity of separation of church and state. While it's fun to romanticize a separatist culture, understanding the theological underpinnings of their faith is a vital lesson to us all about the great laws that protect religious tolerance in the US.

Happy 300th Anniversary, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

A full year of events are planned by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and the 1719 Hans Herr House and Museum to celebrate the settlement of Lancaster County by - my people! In 1719 Martin Harnish made his way to Lancaster County via ship from Europe.

Our clan has been there ever since, my generation being the first in our direct line to move away, though my sister lives only miles from the original Harnish farm. Last year she and I sought out the homestead and trekked up to the family burial plot on a sloping hill behind the house. We were able to find the head stones of most of the original family members and, thanks to amazing work by Rogelyn Harnish who compiled a family "Freindschaft," trace the names and homes of all subsequent family members.

300 cheers for religious tolerance in Lancaster County!

Congratulations Lancaster and all the Harnish, Mylin, Herr, Lefever, Weaver and Hess families who have contributed to my heritage and home. Click through to find a schedule of events:

For Lancaster County, it all began 300 years ago when nine immigrant families from the Palatinate section of southwest Germany staked their claim in what was then the wilderness of a British colony.

To these settlers, including the families of Hans Herr and Martin Meylin, their world consisted of 10,000 acres, stretching along the Pequea Creek from modern-day Strasburg to West Willow, connected by a trail we now know as Penn Grant Road.

Here, with the help of friendly Conestoga Indians, they lived, raised their children, worked the land and, eventually, were laid to rest.

From this small beginning of Swiss/German pioneers looking for religious freedom grew what we know today as Lancaster County: 984 square miles that are home to nearly half a million people as diverse as the world itself.

To commemorate the county's 300th birthday, Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and 1719 Hans Herr House and Museum are sponsoring a yearlong celebration to honor the county and its people, past and present.

"I look at this as our gift to Lancaster County," said Beth Graybill, director of Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. "This 300th anniversary is important not just to the Pennsylvania German Mennonite immigrants who were the first settlers, but for any of us who trace our roots to Lancaster. We're all part of that story that started 300 years ago."

Graybill said the celebration is, in part, to acknowledge the arrival of the early settlers. But it is also about honoring the Native Americans who were here first, and helped Herr, Meylin and the others to survive.

"They had a very positive and very good relationship with Native Americans," Graybill said. "There are oral histories of white and native children playing games together. Hans Herr would leave his door unlocked on very cold nights for the natives to come in and huddle by the fireplace."

In exchange, she said, the Indians helped them know the best crops to plant and the prime places to hunt. They introduced the settlers to corn and "helped them survive that first winter."

"We can't do a 300th anniversary celebration without recognizing and celebrating those native connections," Graybill said.

To honor the Indian contribution, the organizers are working closely with Circle Legacy, a local, non-profit Native American group.

Many of the events scheduled are free. A few have fees and some of those are fundraisers that will pay for the construction of an Eastern Woodlands Indian longhouse on the Hans Herr property.

"Our goal is to have a dwelling and interpret their life and culture, their spiritual beliefs, what they ate, what they wore, how they hunted and what work they did," said Becky Gochnauer, director at the Hans Herr House.

She said the museum hopes to dedicate the land for the longhouse on Oct. 9.

Another goal of the celebration is to recognize the rich cultural diversity of those who call Lancaster County home today, through traditions, food and music.

The celebration kicked off Wednesday with a ceremony by the Lancaster County commissioners, and the first event will take place Jan. 31.

"The 300th only comes around once, so it's important to make it interesting and historically accurate," Graybill said.

Who's Amish Now?

I have a post up at KillingtheBuddha about Conservative's Amish-envy. Since folks like Michelle Malkin found out that the Amish and Mennonites are exempt from the health care mandate, there's been talk of conversion.

I show that such talk isn't just a denial of the country's founding principles but a profound lack of understanding of faithful conviction. Here's an excerpt:

From the stiff wooden pews of my grandmother’s Mennonite church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I often heard a story that perfectly illustrates the Anabaptist approach to profession of faith. It’s a part of Anabaptist lore, told and retold from the simple pulpits of unadorned churches across the country. As it turns out, the story belongs to one Rufus P. Bucher as much as it does to the Amish and Mennonites I grew up surrounded by. Chris Armstrong recently retold it at his blog:

When Brethren evangelist Rufus P. Bucher was asked by a stranger in a railway station, “Brother, are you saved?” he replied that since he might be prejudiced on the question, his interrogator should go ask his wife, children, and neighbors. “I’ll be ready to let their answers stand as my own.”

There’s a reason why the Anabaptists believe in showing and not telling. For a couple of hundred years they were sought out, tortured and murdered for their faith. And not just by their neighbors, but by their state. Fleeing from Switzerland to escape the horrors of the Radical Reformation, Anabaptists, who ascribe to adult baptism and are comprised of Amish and Mennonite sects, headed first to Germany, then to Russia and the infant United States. They never looked back. The need to escape religious persecution at home became the need to find religious tolerance wherever it existed. Today Mennonite and Amish populations live on every continent, in every country that will allow them freedom to live their modest lifestyle, outside the strictures of modern society or government laws. You won’t find a group of believers more versed in the necessity for strict separation of church and state; the Anabaptists know better than most what happens when a nation’s ruler’s adopt theocratic laws: somebody’s bound to get killed.

Going Amish. Like Going Rogue?

I'm loving the new conservative love affair (see comments) with the Amish and Mennonites. Because word got around a week or two ago that the Anabaptists can and have successfully claimed religious exemption from paying insurance, including the new health care mandate, teabagging, hands-off-my-hard-earned-money types are flirting with the Anabaptist ways.

They won't be flirting for long. But like every other conservative love affair that is founded on fuzzy ideas of "traditionalism" and ideology but has little basis in fact, these faux-converters will soon learn that there's a reason we're not all Mennonite (I'm a generation removed).

Religious freedom, guaranteed by the Establishment clause, works both ways. No one knows this better than the Anabaptists, persecuted and killed for centuries after the radical reformation. The Anabaptists are quite happy to do their own thing and take care of their own without imposing their faith doctrine on federal and state laws. It's a give-and-take I doubt teabagging types could live with.

So don your bonnets and strings, teabaggers. Time you thought a bit about what religious liberty means!

Amish Exempt From HCR? Conservatives Say Unfair!

Hilarious! Raymond Arroyo writes at Laura Ingraham's site that it's just not fair that Amish and Old Order Mennonites are exempted from the health care mandate - but the rest of the religious groups in the country aren't!

The exemption of Amish and Old Order Mennonites is not confirmed. But it should be included: theirs is a long-standing objection to insurance of any kind and applies to health and home insurance (they don't have cars). They take care of their own community's needs by pooling money to meet health care needs of members. I wrote about this yesterday.

UPDATE: Malkin's saying it too! Nice. Wingers envying the Amish. Let them all adopt the Anabaptist faith and politics, give up their cars, wear bonnets, and drop out of politics! Anabaptists don't pay taxes because they don't use them.

The fact that Arroyo wants to exempt Catholics and, well, that new religion, teabaggers, from the mandates is silly. I don't at all agree with the way the new bill is shaping up - it severely damages women and it's a blatant give-away to the insurance company - but simply disagreeing with a bill doesn't mean you can adopt a new religious policy against insurance.

Both the Senate and House Health Care bills have one religious conscience clause. Unfortunately it only applies to the Amish and a few other religious sects. According to the Watertown Daily Times, the exception would allow the Amish to avoid the health insurance mandate and a fine should they refuse to carry health insurance.

So get this straight: the Amish, Old Order Mennonites and possibly Christian Scientists can opt out of the health care plan, with no penalty, while Catholics and other Christians are bound to pay premiums that fund abortion. How is that fair? Hundreds of Christian, pro-life hospitals, doctors and nurses may soon be forced to violate their consciences and offer or perform procedures they consider morally objectionable.

The Congress could care less. If the pro-life community fails to demand conscience clause protections, and loudly, they could find themselves morally compromised by this new health care regime. Even the leading voice for conscience clauses, the US Catholic bishops, have been muted in recent days, preferring to convey their desires via letters and statements issued by their Conference.

Now is the time for a full throated, public discussion of this critical issue. The ethical future of health care is being negotiated now in the back rooms of Capitol Hill. Of course if everyone would rather focus on Harry Reid's comments, I suppose there is the option of riding a horse and buggy to work. Though some Catholic doctors I know will look pretty silly in those straw hats. Let me know what you think at raymond@raymondarroyo.com

Religious Tolerance and the Health Care Mandate.

Anabaptists have long eschewed public insurance policies for their own collective address of medical emergencies. Home owner's insurance and other plans designed to prevent catastrophic loss are seen by the more conservative members of the Anabaptist sect as intrusions. While car insurance was never much of a problem - if you own a car the chances are you're "worldly" enough to buy into insurance needs.

In fact, family story has it that my Mennonite grandparents left a more traditional church in Lancaster County when the pastor there criticized my grandmother's short bonnet strings (long ones were oh so much more pious) and my grandfather's insurance policies.

While the Amish and conservative Mennonite communities are now forced to provide their employees with workmen's compensation, they have stayed far away from health insurance, coming together to care for a broken arm or a dire prognosis like they would to build a barn.

The health care bill has many wary critics among these conservative Anabaptist sects, most hoping they will be able to receive exemption from the new mandated fees. David Mekeel writes:

UNLIKE MOST Americans, James B. Weaver has never really given much thought to health insurance.

An Old Order Mennonite living in Maxatawny Township, Weaver, 56, doesn’t subscribe to the idea of buying insurance of any kind.

He opts to rely on his community when it comes to handling the bur den of sickness.

“We sort of like to try to pull our own weight, and we’re very staunch believers that there is no free lunch, Weaver said of the Plain communi ties in Berks and elsewhere. “We take care of our own sick and infi rm.”

The same is true for the few Amish households in Berks County, which are mostly in the far western part of the county.

But the debate about a new na tional health care bill has forced the insurance topic to the forefront for many Amish and Old Order Men nonites.

Both the U.S. House and the Sen ate have passed health care reform bills, and the lawmakers are expect ed to work out the details of a fi nal bill early this year.

Each bill includes requirements that would force nearly every Amer ican to carry health insurance and make businesses provide it for employees.

Those who don’t have insurance would face fi nes.

Weaver suspects most members of Plain communities would balk at the idea of buying health insurance. But he said some younger members may not be as steadfastly against the idea.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of talk, a lot of dialogue in our circles about how we are going to deal with this,” Weaver said. “Unfortunately, I think quite a lot of our younger people might not be opposed to some form of it.

“The older generation, though, will probably try to work something out where they get exemptions.”

An unwelcome intrusion

In Plain communities, health insurance requirements are viewed as an unwelcome government intrusion.

“It’s basically a religious reason,” said Don Kraybill, professor of Anabaptist studies at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County. “They feel the members of the church are responsible by their Christian faith to help each other and take care of people.

“They feel they shouldn’t be paying outside commercial entities to be taking care of them. That’s the responsibility of members inside the community.”

My People: Notes On Lancaster County Amish and Mennonites.

Grateful to the Dead's Chris Armstrong has a nice "fun facts" list on my people, the Anabaptists.

For clarity concerning the use of "Pennsylvania Dutch": "Deutsch" is German for, uh, German.

On why/how Lancaster County? Many Lancaster County Amish and Mennonites (I grew up in Lancaster, my grandparents were Mennonite) are from the Swiss-German-speaking area of Switzerland (Canton Bern) but spent a subsequent few generation in Germany after fleeing prosecution in their homeland. Prosecution had led them to live outside towns and cities as farmers, self-reliant. William Penn caught up with them in Germany and, needing settlers for his new state, promised religious freedom in fledgling Pennsylvania. Germantown was the first primary settlement in the state. My flock chose to go west to Lancaster, then the outskirts of the new settlement.

Separation of Church and State: Despite self-schooling and what in modern times look like "backwards" ways, ask any Amish or Mennonite why the separation of church and state is so important. They'll tell you to read Martyrs' Mirror, the book Armstrong mentions below, a harrowing tome of the tortures suffered by Anabaptists under state laws from the time of Christ until 1660.

That doubt about the Establishment clause exists among other Fundamentalist or some Evangelical groups in the US today is, according to the Baptists who paid with the blood of their members for centuries, protection from and by the state is tantamount to religious freedom. Every Anabaptist is taught their history, one that remembers the horrors of Theocracy. Now once removed from the church, I still strongly resent efforts to debunk the importance of separation of church and state.

For a short piece of mine on religious tolerance, click here.

Chris Armstrong:

Continuing this week’s Anabaptist theme, here are the surprising and interesting factoids that made it into the front page of Christian History & Biography’s issue 94: Pilgrims & Exiles, about America’s Anabaptist groups:

Pilgrims and Exiles: Did You Know?
Interesting and unusual facts about America’s Anabaptists
Friday, October 1, 2004

You may be more Mennonite than you think

Many American Christians simply assume that the state has no business dictating church beliefs or practices, that a church should be a gathered body of believers rather than a net that scoops up everyone within the area of a parish, and that baptism is a step of obedience upon profession of faith. What most do not know is that Mennonites were the first (surviving) group of Christians to insist on these things, and that they died by the thousands for doing so.

“Are you saved?” … “Ask my neighbors”

The early Brethren (Dunkers)—a cousin movement to the Mennonites and Amish—practiced a lively evangelistic outreach. But the typical Anabaptist emphasis on showing, not just telling, one’s faith remained strong. When Brethren evangelist Rufus P. Bucher was asked by a stranger in a railway station, “Brother, are you saved?” he replied that since he might be prejudiced on the question, his interrogator should go ask his wife, children, and neighbors. “I’ll be ready to let their answers stand as my own.”

Trail of blood

The Martyrs Mirror (1660), an Anabaptist martyrology, has as its full title “The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized Only Upon Confession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus, Their Saviour, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660.”

A-Fording them a higher profile

By the 1980s, annual visitors to Lancaster County’s “Amish country” numbered above 4 million. The 1985 Harrison Ford film “Witness” increased the flood even further (though not doubling it as predicted).

Plain dress not so simple

To the outsider, the Anabaptists’ plain dress looks oppressively uniform. But really study plain dress, and you’ll find a dizzying array of differences. In his book Why Do They Dress That Way? Brethren scholar Stephen Scott charts out these differences. Amish women may wear a straight or a crossed cape, a Midwest, Lancaster, or “Nebraska” back, and a rectangular or triangular shawl. Amish men may sport hats with a plain, creased, depressed, or flat crown; and wear X-type, H-type, Y-type, or single strap suspenders. Mennonite women choose between Reformed, Wenger, or Victoria bonnets—all with chin straps—or wear a bonnet without a strap, called a “beanie” bonnet. And Mennonite and Brethren men wear either a frock or sack coat.

Just another farming group

Public fascination with the Lancaster County Amish began early in the 20th century with romanticized images of Amish life on WPA posters and in theatrical treatments like the 1955 musical Plain and Fancy. But throughout most of the 19th century, the Amish numbered fewer than 5,000, and the nation had not progressed in technology and culture to the point where they stood out. The press and public generally tended to ignore them.

Give us this day our daily bread

All Brethren celebrate the “love feast” twice each year. But the Old Order River Brethren (so named because upon joining they were baptized in the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania) reserve a special role for their women in preparing for the feast. Breadmaking—mixing, kneading, and baking unleavened bread used for communion—is part of the ceremony itself. At long trestle tables in the main meeting room, the sisters (baptized women) work the dough, while the brothers stand by and preach a spiritual interpretation of the act. Preparing the bread together in this way reinforces the unity of Christ’s body; leaving leaven out of the bread is akin to getting rid of any kind of pride or spiritual impurity.

Going—and staying—”Dutch”

Pennsylvania German, or Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaani-Deitsch), is a High German language spoken by 150,000 to 250,000 people in North America. (“Dutch” is an archaic English term meaning “German.”) Only Amish and Old Order Mennonites are passing the language along to their children in the current generation, although they were originally minority groups within the Pennsylvania German-speaking population. In these cultures, the language is a sign of Demut or humility, and the language serves as a barrier against the outside world. With the high birth rate in Amish communities, the possibility is great that the language will survive at least in the short term.

Merry Xmas, All Good People!

I'm already tired of the whining claims of martyrdom Christians put out this time of year. What is the purpose of public displays on the holidays? Ministry? Missionizing? If such displays are for personal benefit, isn't display in the private home enough?

I particularly enjoy this writer's use of Anabaptists as justification of religious tolerance in the public square! Few understand better than the Anabaptists that compassion is an action demanded by faith, not lauded from a soap box and that religious freedom is best protected by government favoring no one religion. Separation of church and state is the best way to protect individual faith. Uh, can you say Radical Reformation?

And can we get some over-sized posters of Jan Luyken's Martyrs' Mirror engravings on Main Street, please?! A little graphic blood and gore suits my taste for the holidays just perfectly!

From Liberty'sLifeLine:

So what is one to make of the new campaign sponsored by atheists that says, “No God? That’s good. Let’s be good for goodness sake.” Who could argue with the last part? After all it comes from that famous Christmas carol, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. But what are we to make of the first part?

How do you argue in favor of something that doesn’t exist? Having a manger scene in the public square next to a menorah is not the establishment of religion on the part of the government that is prohibited in the Constitution. But demanding that all signs and symbols of religion be banned from the public, to me, comes pretty close to the state establishment of a religion called secularism. What was the point of the First Amendment prohibition of the establishment of religion?

Religion and America

The atheists will argue that a manger scene on public land is contrary to the establishment clause. How so, I ask? Specifically what religion is it establishing? Christianity? One of the reasons that the Founders created the establishment clause was to protect freedom of religion. Christianity is too broad a term to be considered an organized religion. If you don’t believe me, ask the Pilgrims, and the Quakers, and the Catholics, and the Menonites who fled the persecution that came with not swearing allegiance to the Church of England. They are all Christians and that was the whole point. The Founding Fathers did not want the new nation of the United States to form an official state religion and a specific form of worship and tyrannize anyone who did not adhere to it. Having a belief in God and adhering to a particular way of practicing it are not the same. It is easy to see that the Founding fathers manifestly believed in the former while protecting everyone’s rights to the latter. So the very argument that the atheists and the ACLU are making should be pointed at themselves, for they are demanding that everyone follow their religion to keep the public square naked.

Charitable Chocolate.

Say what you will about Hershey's Chocolate (or, from me, chocolate in general, ick) but old Milton, a Reformed Mennonite, knew what he was doing in some ways.

He didn't just form a company, he formed an community with hospitals, tree-lined streets, entertainment and schools. One could say his charitable faith informed his charitable work. The fact that he made his fate in Lancaster County, my home, does make me a little impartial, even if I refuse to eat the stuff.

Now it looks like the Hershey's Chocolate company is thinking of leveraging the charitable trust Milton formed in 1909 to give to the community in order to buy Cadbury.

Character of the Anabaptist Faith.

Not Just Movies uses a review of Carlos Reygadas movie Silent Light (my review for KillingtheBuddha can be read here) to ask if Anabaptist character directly reflects centuries of persecution:

(It should be noted, however, that the community does not seem concerned with condemning Johan for his actions. The Anabaptists were heavily dogmatic but also largely peaceful, but they also suffered horribly at the hands of both Catholics and Protestants. I wonder, then, if the persecution and atrocity they suffered in some way instilled an instinctive lack of judgment in its descendants. Their acceptance of Johan's feelings does not, however, lessen the tension of his wracked conscience.)

Mennonite Mutual Aid: Is it Possible to Invest with Ethically?

From The Kalona News in Iowa, an article on Mennonite Mutual Aid's efforts to create ethical investing practices, tools and opportunities:

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Matthew 16:26

"The man who has won millions at the cost of his conscience is a failure."
BC Forbes

The American public has been bombarded for the past several years with news accounts of massive Ponzi schemes, predatory lending, unfair labor practices, industrial poisoning of water and air, excessive bonuses, corporate greed, Wall Street manipulations and toxic loans.
All these, along with the cost of the Iraqi War, have been blamed for the meltdown of the American economy. And all of these, says Jeff Swartzentruber, vice president of the MMA Trust Company in Kalona, are inconsistent with Christian principles. What is consistent with these standards, he added, is "stewardship investment."
The concept of stewardship investment is not new. The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) founded an insurance fund in 1832 to provide life assurance to its members - and excluded investments in "sin" stocks. That insurance fund, now the FTSE 100 company, Friends Provident, celebrated its 175th anniversary.
Through the years, its exclusion of unethical companies expanded to include issues such as climate change, biodiversity and labor.
Swartzentruber says MMA's origins began in the 1930s when the Mennonite Church leaders identified some financial needs of its members, such as assistance with housing loans and sharing resources among Mennonite churches. It eventually morphed into Mennonite Mutual Aid (MMA) - incorporated in 1945. Its services expanded, along with the members its represents. These now include a number of churches that have Anabaptist ("rebaptize") roots and historic ties to the 16th Century religious reformers, among this list are the Religious Society of Friends, Old Order Amish and Church of the Brethren.
MMA's stewardship investing examines both the financial and social records of hundreds of companies, Swartzentruber says, and uses these six guidelines for investments:
* Respect the dignity and value of all
* Build a world at peace and free from violence
* Demonstrate a concern for justice in a global economy
* Exhibit responsible management
* Support and involve communities
* Practice environmental stewardship
There are obvious types of companies that MMA does not invest in because of Mennonite beliefs, said Swartzentruber - manufacturers of alcohol and tobacco products, as well as companies where incomes are significantly generated through military contracts.
MMA does invest in some companies that at first glance might not appear to be live up to these standards, acknowledged Swartzentruber. Since no company is perfect, he said, their stewardship investment strategy also includes shareholder advocacy, which can help steer a company in a more ethical direction through the use of dialogue and other means.
MMA literature states, "Socially concerned, active shareholders in publicly-traded companies are becoming increasingly important. The voice they provide in the development of responsible business practices that provide both social and financial benefits cannot be underestimated."
"As part-owners, we believe it is also within our rights and responsibilities to communicate with corporate management about the practices and activities we believe have a negative impact on communities, individuals, and the environment."
An example is Wal-Mart, said Swartzentruber. Some of the practices of the giant retailer might exclude it from some stewardship investment lists. But through proxy voting and interaction with its board of directors, MMA hopes to have a positive impact on its future practices.
Just recently, Wal-Mart announced plans to develop a "sustainable product index" that will establish a single source of data for evaluating the sustainability of products. The company is beginning with a survey of its more than 100,000 suppliers. The survey's 15 questions will allow the suppliers to evaluate their own sustainability efforts, focusing on four areas: energy and climate; material efficiency; natural resources; and people and community. Wal-Mart will take this information and create a rating label on each product.
MMA is a member of Interfaith Center of Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), which includes nearly 300 faith-based institutional investors. When ICCR asked Pepsi if it was not concerned about the AIDS pandemic in Africa, said Swartzentruber, company officials replied that they didn't think it was within the company's responsibility.
MMA representatives brought it to the floor during a stockholder's meeting, noting that AIDS has a direct impact on Pepsi's African employees, as well as its customers. Pepsi now has a number of HIV/AIDs programs in Africa, Swartzentruber said.
"We don't have all the answers," Swartzentruber admitted when it comes to deciding who should be on their investment list and who shouldn't.
Some are pretty clear, though he said. Exxon is excluded because of its historical environmental record. General Electric is on the no-go list because of its defense contracts--the same goes for Caterpillar. Jack Daniels doesn't make the grade for obvious reasons. It should be noted that the mention of these company names is not meant to disparage, only to recognize a difference in values understanding--each investor must make their own decisions and choices when buying individual equities.
Microsoft does have products purchased by the military, but since they were not developed specifically for military purposes, MMA does invest in the computer software company.
Swartzentruber says there are now a number of firms and funds that follow the stewardship investment philosophy. He pointed to Pax World, billed as the nation's first socially responsible mutual fund that was launched in 1971.
Pax World's website states, "Pax World is at the forefront of a new investment approach: Sustainable Investing - the full integration of environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into investment analysis and decision making. Pax World is a leading advocate for Sustainable Investing, an emerging discipline based on the financial materiality of ESG factors."
Calvert Investments is another investment management company he says involves stewardship investment. The company describes itself as a leader in sustainable and responsible investing (SRI).
The three SRI approaches Calvert lists are:
* Two distinct research frameworks: a rigorous review of financial performance, and a thorough assessment of environmental, social and governance performance.
á* A thematic approach to solving some of today's most pressing environmental and sustainability challenges.
* An "enhanced engagement" approach emphasizing strategic engagement to advance environmental, social and governance performance in companies that may not meet certain standards today, but have the potential to improve.
In the end what is of importance, Swartzentruber said, stewardship investment is a way to bring ethical considerations, faith-based values, to otherwise soulless corporate entities.

Religious Exemptions for Health Care Coverage.

ReligionClause reports that the new health care bill, passed narrowly by the house late Saturday night, does include an exemption to mandated coverage for religious reasons:

The House version of the health care bill passed Saturday, HR 3962, imposes a 2.5% penalty tax on anyone who fails to obtain acceptable health care coverage. (Internal Revenue Code Sec. 59B(a) [pg. 297 of PDF]). However the bill does provide a "conscience exemption" for members of religious sects whose tenets reject insurance benefits. The exemption in Section 501of the bill [IRC Sec. 59B(c)(5) at pg. 299 of PDF] tracks the exemption from payment of social security and self-employment taxes for members of groups such as the Old Order Amish, described in Section 1402(g) of the Internal Revenue Code. (See prior related posting.)

Mennonites and Health Care Mutual Aid.

From thedistractionrocks, a story on the Mennonite church's plan to insure pastors across the country, regardless of congregation size and resources:

Compared to the national problem of 46 million Americans without health insurance, the Mennonite clergy’s problem might seem insignificant. The denomination has fewer than 100 pastors without health insurance. But the attempt to ensure that all Mennonite pastors have health insurance regardless of salary or the financial status of their congregation presents a microcosm of the larger health-care debate: Are the wealthy willing to pay more to ensure that everyone has health insurance? In this case, the question michigan auto insurance quotes is: Will larger churches be willing to subsidize smaller ones so that all Mennonite pastors can have heath insurance?

The plan under consideration is called the Corinthian Plan, a reference to 2 Corinthians 8:14, in which Paul urges that the abundance of some should be used to provide for the needs of others. (”In turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality.”) Under the plan, every pastor will receive essentially the same coverage–with a range of choices for deductibles–and larger and wealthier congregations will subsidize smaller congregations in order to make premiums affordable for all.

Keith Harder, architect of the Corinthian Plan and the person who has taken on the task of explaining it to congregations, has said it is “an expression of mutual aid as much as an insurance plan.”

In our family there is the story of my grandfather and grandmother leaving a church because it required they have no insurance. (There's also the rumor that my grandmother didn't like being told how long the strings on her covering should be by the pastor.)

Because many Amish have chosen to work in construction, lack of liability insurance has caused municipalities to challenge their right to such jobs.

I would venture that most Mennonites today have insurance of all sorts (home, car, health), and there are Mennonite run insurance plans now, but that was not always the case. Anabaptists, the sect of faith to which the Mennonites and Amish belong, have long shunned modern health insurance in favor of "mutual aid" plans that assist those who suffer catastrophic injuries or illnesses. Amish and Old Order Mennonites still eschew private corporate insurance for their own assistance plans, church aid, or community support.