lullabelle

.... Watch the BBC2 doc on the Hutterites that aired last night. The women have to ask the men for permission to do anything - even to replenish the food supplies from the cupboard. Poor things even have to dress in a black headscarf/bad Laura Ashley 70's frock combo.

Apparently it's jesus's decision though so...

Mind you, I'm pretty sure jesus didn't say "men! thou shalt wear braces ALL THE TIME and for god's sake, whatever you do, don't buy the women decent prams for the kids. Make them push the little blighters around in farm wagons and the like. Amen"

scot47

Mennonites have a lot in common with the Pious Ones of the Peninsula. (Alsdo called Hutterites, Brethren, Amish etc)

Ethos83

So says the man who clearly knows nothing about the Mennonites or Amish.

Let's start with:

They like to be left alone. They don't go out into the surrounding community and tell people what to do.

They never proselytise.

Within their religion they lack any real structure but women can vote on church issues alongside the menfolk.

While in accordance with traditional bible teaching women are to be submissive to their husbands and respect his wishes, in practice, as any Amish or Mennoite woman will tell you, decisions are made jointly. Men are also expected to be humble and supportive of wives.

Tasks and duties are divided by gender. But it's not a case of the women taking care of the house while the husband sits around watching telly. Wife runs the house and raise the kids, husband spends all day plowing the fields.

There's no restrictions on leaving the Amish/Mennonite church or community. They don't chase you down or kill you or ostracize you. Amish babies are not baptised because the children are given the choice to join the church or not when they come of age much later in life.

Trying to compare them to the Saudis is nothing short of ignorance.

Boomhauer

I live in the upper MidWest and have travelled round the Great Lakes region. Met a few Amish & Mennonites. They have shops selling furniture, farm products, fresh baked eateries, folk clothing etc..

Nice pleasant down to earth folk. The women run the shops and never noticed any sign of men micro managing them.

Have to disagree with putting Mennonites in the same boat as 'pious' Khaleejis, they couldn't be more different. The 'pious' ones are arrogant & haughty, while Mennonites always come across as genuinely humble .

shiva

Well if you forget the part where they go off into western society and party like mad animals for a while then pretend it didn't happen

lullabelle

This community of Hutterites weren't quite so peaceful and lovely as is perceived. Watch the doc:

The men and women sat separately at dinner. The kids ate in another room. They were also segregated.

The women cleaned, cooked, looked after kids and did the gardening. No driving.

Certain parts of the supplies were locked up and only the men could allow them to be released. Pickles were ok though. The women were deemed sensible enough to be allowed to decide when more pickles were needed.

Everybody had to say what they were doing and when - the chief Hutterite kept a diary and noted where and when everybody was.

Creativity and personality were stamped on.

Not my kind of down to earth.

Ethos83

I know very little about the Hutterites but from what you wrote it's clear they are in a separate league of their own. It sounds like they live in a communal environment so dragging the Amish and Mennonites into the same group is misleading (women do drive - cars for Mennonites, buggies for Amish, they're very family oriented and do everything jointly as a family). Scot needs a few lessons before he makes such blatant assumptions.

Kix

I'm watching it now.

What is it with women covering their hair?

This seems to be a standard in all (we westerners presume) oppressed religions.

Anyone any ideas?

And the blokes all have beards?

scot47

Scot47 is always ready for lessons. He does not always agree with bigots.

Hutterites, Mennonites and Amish, together with many other groups, have common origins in Europe as part of the "Radical Reformation" of the 17th Century.

Interestingly enough, at the same period there were "Reformers" in the Arabian Peninsula like the foillowers of AbdulWahab. Their teachings are not all that different.

Personally, I will stick with Jean Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli.

Kix

And the Hutterites speak German.

'nuff said.

scot47

Kix dislikes our German cousins ? Fie on you. Why even our own dear monarch is descernded from our noble cousins across the German Ocean !

Kix

What makes you think I like the monarch?

(Although I do find Philip's comments amusing).

For a kraut

Dorothy

And you don't think the documentary could have been biased based on the producer's prejudices?

Sally Redux

There sseems to have been a rash of TV programmes about the Amish here. From previously thinking they seemed quite nice, they appear to be right gits and very oppressive.

britexpat76

He is Greek mate.