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Definition:
The Mennonites are part of a Protestant tradition which goes back directly to the
Anabaptists, the most radical groups of the Protestant Reformation. This tradition
encompasses those Christians who wished to create communities of "true believers"
patterned after the earliest Christian communities in terms of their faith and their
simplicity.
The name of this group is derived from Menno Simons (1496-1561), a former Roman Catholic priest who later joined an Anabaptist group in Holland. Here his preaching and teaching attracted a large following - leading also to his persecution at the hands of authorities. Where he differed from other Anabaptist leaders, however, was in that he told them to try and submit to the commands of civil authorities so long as those commands did not contradict biblical teachings.
Evidently this did not matter much because his followers were eventually driven out - from Holland to Poland to Russia and finally to North America. Like other radical Anabaptist groups, the Mennonites have always been pacifist in nature and refuse to participate in the general activities of society. They are very similar in nature and doctrine to the Amish and the Hutterites.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
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