Anabaptists During the Revolution

Ironically, once the fight for liberty started, the freedom of nonresistant Christians became sharply limited.
Anabaptists During the American Revolution

The Liberties of Nonresistant Christians. Some Americans supported neither side in the Revolution. Instead, as Mennonite and German Baptist leaders said in 1775, “We have dedicated ourselves to serve all men in everything that can be helpful to the preservation of men’s lives, but…we are not at liberty in conscience to take up arms to conquer our enemies, but rather to pray to God, who has power in heaven and on earth, for us and them.” Chief among these nonresistant Christians were the Quakers, Mennonites, German Baptists, Moravians, and Schwenkfelders.

Most nonresistant Christians were quite content with their lot as British subjects. As three Mennonite bishops in Pennsylvania wrote in 1773, “Through God’s mercy we enjoy unlimited freedom in both civil and religious matters.” Ironically, once the fight for liberty started, the freedom of nonresistant Christians became sharply limited.

Militia Duty. The first issue that peace-promoting Christians faced was militia duty. After Lexington and Concord, patriot committees called all able-bodied men to join a voluntary association “to learn the art of war.” The associators noticed that the nonresistant Christians did not join in the drills. They demanded laws requiring everybody to serve.

In November 1775, Mennonite and German Baptist ministers sent A Short and Sincere Declaration to the Pennsylvania assembly. They suggested an alternative to militia duty. They would donate money to help poor families left destitute because their men were off fighting. Instead Pennsylvania passed a law levying a special war tax on all non-associators. Later it said nonresistant Christians could hire substitutes or pay a fine. Most nonresistant Christians refused to do either, because as the Short and Sincere Declaration stated, they found “no freedom in giving, or doing, or assisting in anything by which men’s lives are destroyed or hurt.” Therefore, Patriot officials confiscated their property to pay the tax and fines.

Who is Caesar?

Independence created another problem for the nonresistant Christians. Was King George III or was the Continental Congress the Caesar they were to obey? Many of them had promised obedience to the king when they came to America. Breaking their word was seen as a serious sin. Also, the king had protected their liberties. Now the patriots were taking them away.

In the end the nonresistant Christians put their trust in the words of the prophet Daniel in the Bible, “He removeth kings and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21). They patiently waited for the outcome of the war to find out who God would set up as Caesar. In the meantime they followed a pattern of strict neutrality. They refused to help either side to fight.

However, when hungry, sick, or wounded soldiers, whether patriot or redcoat, needed aid, the nonresistant Christians gave it. As a Hessian officer said, “They are the most hospitable to us.” The patriots did not understand this impartial love. They threatened men like Mennonite Christian Weaver with a whipping for feeding runaway British prisoners even though he had done the same for Continental soldiers.

Source: US Anabaptists during the Revolutionary War (excerpts from the fifth grade social studies course produced by Christian Light Publications)

What Makes Her a “Man”?!

In yesterday’s news, this report of people playing with words and culture and other such stuff:

Pregnant man gives birth to girl

A US man who was born a woman before undergoing gender realignment surgery has given birth to a baby girl, US media reported.

Thomas Beatie, who is legally male but decided to keep his female sex organs during chest reconstruction surgery and testosterone therapy, attracted worldwide attention in April after revealing his pregnancy.

The 34-year-old gave birth to a baby girl at a hospital in Bend, Oregon, on June 29, People Magazine reported Thursday.

“The only thing different about me is that I cant breastfeed my baby. But a lot of mothers dont,” the magazine quoted him as saying.

I’d say her (because that’s what she is, folks!) “gender realignment” surgery hardly qualifies as a success.

She had chest reconstruction surgery and testosterone therapy — and that makes her legally male?!

She decided to keep her female reproductive organs…and she’s still considered a man?!

Please.

And people still accept the whole charade.

OK.

Eeeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo

How do you spell all those words?! 😯

Whatever. This story is more important:

Children: I’ll Take That One

There is a horrifying slippery slope here. Where do we draw the line? Again, these babies did not have a debilitating lifelong malady. All they had was a chance of developing an illness. What’s next? Poor eyesight or hearing? How about food allergies?

Better yet, why stop at abnormalities? How about insisting they be taller than average, or have superior abilities? While you’re at it, why not also select the eye color and hair color? Don’t just fertilize eleven eggs. Fertilize a hundred, choose the single best one, and destroy the rest.

[…]

We are in an era where science enables us to do wonderful things, but also terrible things. Our public policy must protect life, especially the lives of innocent, unborn children.

And we must never deceive ourselves that we do children a favor by ending their lives as they begin.

PS: If you like to read bumper stickers, check out this one. 🙂

Collecting Carbon Credits

Necessity is the mother of virtue. I don’t know that such a statement falls into either the Good Ole category or the True category.

But if reducing our carbon footprint is virtuous, well then, here we are in Mexico, being virtuous. Out of necessity.

[Ruby the washerwoman]
automatic washer no work-ee

[Mark the printer]
computer printer no be-ee

So there you are: we didn’t run a washing machine nor a printing machine. We saved electricity. We reduced our carbon footprint. We collected carbon credits.

I don’t know how many.

But, yes, they’re for sale.

Cheap.

Expensive.

Exhorbitant.

RealConscienceSoother.

Buy those and I’ll throw in the credits I collected this morning when I (1) used the above lavadero to scrub out my handkerchief and (2) dried said handkerchief on the clothesline.

🙄

Charm Her xx Off

Does that title shock you for this blog?

That’s the subject of an email in one of my spam boxes.

So’s this: xx xx reveals xx in xx.

(Look, I’m no “prude” but I’m using xx to keep from being flagged by various filters out there.)

I deleted the emails unread. As I have thousands of their ilk over the years.

But I call attention to them because of what I wrote earlier this morning: He Needed Wisdom and Understanding.

Above all, love God!

since November 9, 2005