Grandmother Olive said she would put on posts about canning fish and meats, the first of the year. I told she has changed the time so many times and asked her to please do it this time. She said she would.
Thought I would answer some of questions this morning. Someone asked how I cooked so many turkeys for Thanksgiving. I didn't. I cooked one turkey in our stove, Grandmother Olive had one in her oven, my Mother had one in her oven, and David's Mother had one in her oven. My Mother and David's Mother brought their turkeys with them when they came. So that's how I got all the turkeys at my house.
Someone asked about Michael regarding baptism. We like our children to be baptized before they start courting. Most are baptized between the ages of 15 to 17. Some get baptized later. If he decides not to be baptized he will not have to leave our home as long as he honors our ways in our home.
David and I would not put Michael out of our home. He is our son. This is the only real home that he knows. We are his parents. Should any of the children get into the world's ways such as drinking liquor or drugs, we would try to get them help or treatment, if necessary.
If Michael gets his drivers license and chooses a career in auto mechanics and doesn't want to give up his drivers license, he can not be shunned if he is not baptized. If he is baptized and decides to do that he can be shunned, but our shunning is different from the Amish. Should any of the children be shunned, they can live in our home, eat at the table with us, do business with our people and more. What a shunned person can not do is attend meeting (church) on communion day. I am sure Bishop Joseph would talk to Michael if he went this way and so would we, but we would not ask him to leave our home. We would not allow him to keep his car, if he had one, on our property. He would have to park it elsewhere.
Do girls ever drive cars when they are young? Now my parents are going to hear something they didn't know. Yes, women sometimes drive cars. As a young person, I wanted to drive a car like the men did. So, David, taught me how to drive his car, before we were married. I just drove it on the back roads around where we lived, a few times. I never got a license. At the time I thought it was great, but as I look back that was a dumb thing to do. If I had had an accident, David and I , would both have been in a lot of trouble, but when you are young, you don't think of those things like that.
So, yes, some girls do drive. Not as much as the men do, but they do. We try to discourage girls or men from driving a car, but they do.
Hope I have answered some of your questions. Please keep them coming so I know what you are interested in.
Be With God,
Jean
16 comments:
Thank you for answering these questions Jean. Especially about shunning. It was hard to believe that such loving and caring people like the Old Order Mennonites could turn away their children, and I'm so glad to hear that you wouldn't do that. There is probably a big difference in the way shunning is treated among the different groups, but I like your way. It certainly sounds reasonable.
So David had a car. Did he give it up when the two of you got married, like Kevin and Bridget?
Doreen
Thank you for answering the questions. I have a question for you - I do not know if this has been asked before or not. During the Christmas season, do the Mennonites leave a lit candle in the window during the evening?
Thank you!
Laura
Good Morning Doreen,
I am glad their view on shunning is different than the Amish, too.
If you read this, I am having trouble with my e-mail. I can get it but not send it. Anyway, by accident I deleted the recipe and picture you sent me for Christmas Recipe a day. Could you please send it to me again? Also, I don't know what I did with your phone number so if you give it to me again, I will put it in my rolo-dex this time.
Thank you,
Marilyn
Good Morning Laura,
Maybe I can get Jean to do a post about their Christmas like she did Thanksgiving. She did one for Amish Stories a while back, put we sometimes forget that what is on Amish Stories, isn't on here.
Marilyn
That is very, very interesting Jean. I had no idea there were such differences in shunning. I only knew of the Amish way.
Marilyn, stop by my blog today. It is a special day in this house. ;)
Hi Vickie,
I went to your post and left a message.
If we have dog lovers here, stop by Vickie's post today. This is a special day at her house, like she said.
Marilyn
Great to read from you today Jean. I also wondered how the shunning process work. I have always wondered how a family can continue to show Gods love to a child if they become shunned from their family. I am happy to read that is not your way. I hope you and David and the children are all well and enjoying maybe a little more family quiet time now that you have a reprieve from the harvest time of year. I am wondering if the Old order Mennonite children get time of for the holidays like the English do? Thanks for your contributions to the blog. Looking forward to reading from Grandmother Olive. Praying for your family always. Thanks Marilyn also. I hope you and Pierre are doing well also. God Bless Veronica
For some clarity.... there are many various groups of Old or New Order Amish and Mennonite and many differences in their form of shunning and other things that are allowed or disallowed. In other words each group has their own way of doing things. Also, there are a number of different types of Amish, so no matter how wide a brush is used, about the only thing that is going to be covered is that they all are religious.
Gary
Good Morning Veronica,
I will see that Jean gets your messages. Also, I will give her your questions, which I am sure she will answer in a later post. I really think she should do a Christmas post.
God Bless,
Marilyn
Good Morning Gary,
I don't think anyone is trying to say that any of the groups are not religious. All of the Mennonites and Amish are. I do know that one of the great reasons for the Amish breaking from the Mennonites was the difference in views regarding shunning as Elmer wrote in one of his posts. It was not the only reason, but one of the major reasons.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, my comment was about Amish shunning. Specifically this: "I had no idea there were such differences in shunning. I only knew of the Amish way."
The reality is, and my point was that "the Amish" have as many different ways of shunning as there are different groups of "Amish", or "Mennonites". Being devoutly religious is the one commonality between all the various groups of Amish and Mennonite.
Gary
Hi Gary,
Maybe I should see if Elmer would do a post on their shunning. You know, the differences between the different Amish groups.
Marilyn
I think that what I have said is about the same as Elmer told us already but you can check and correct me if I'm wrong.
I am not disagreeing with you. I am agreeing with you.
Marilyn
I enjoyed this post. Wondering if there are "poundings" for needy or new marrieds? Here in the mountains, that would mean an occasion when different ladies or families would get together and host a gathering of pantry supplies, example a pound of butter, a pound of sugar etc. for a family. Is there another term they use for this type of event. Also, if baptism is not performed, are there other events someone might be excluded from other than that she mentioned? If the young people do not choose it during that age range, is it open to everyone for the rest of their life, even into old age? Perhaps even after years of "shunning"?
Hi Annie,
You gave us some good questions that I will pass on to Jean and Elmer. I am sure they will answer them in a future post.
Marilyn
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