Bad experience with Mennonite Anabaptists

[nick garai]

Well I am reading all of these threads about peoples' many different experiences with the Mennonite community and I have to admit I am rather jealous. I was part of the Mennonite church from 1991 until 1997. I went to a Mennonite bible college called Columbia Bible College and was training there the to become a youth pastor. I told them I had a Jewish father. I suffered extensive abuse and anti-semitism for five years while being there. I was excommunicated from Northview Community Church. I was shunned out of South Abbotsford Church. These were both Mennonite churches. I suffered physical violence from Mennonites while I was there. I was expelled from Columbia Bible College even though I had not broken any rules there. I tried to marry a Mennonite girl and was accused of crimes I never committed. They called the police on me,a fellow Christian and (assumed to be) Mennonite.

I made a mistake disclosing that my father was Jewish and didn't know about the Germanic past that Mennonites had with the Jews especially during the Holocaust. It really troubles me and to this day I have not gotten over it.

I am surprised although now more informed as to how successful so many people have integrated into the Mennonite community. I wanted to be accepted by a close Christian community and was rejected, rebuked and had my Mennonite status revoked.

How did some of you here manage to get by that initial doorway to get into the Mennonite church baffles me. I lost my education, reputation and good name in the Mennonite church.

Many of those Mennonite men and women who abused me have since gone on and become very successful while I have suffered years of torment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

How did you do it?

 

[Unix]

Paid an annual fee of ~$20 to a Christian peace organization. We gather to pray. I don't know any Mennonite pastor yet, perhaps there's not any in this country let alone in or near the capital-area where I live:

How did you do it?

 

[ParentofChildren]

Wow, I have never heard of such a thing. Are the various governing groups aware of what these schools and churches did? It seems way out of character.

 

[nick garai]

Wow, I have never heard of such a thing. Are the various governing groups aware of what these schools and churches did? It seems way out of character.

No. They don't know. I suspect that because I am from Jewish heritage that this had something to do with it. In which case I would be labelled as a Christ-killer and consequently the organizations would be let off of the hook.

 

[GoingByzantine]

I thought Mennonites do not shun? I am shocked they would shun you!

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If, as he says, they shunned him for no good reason, then they will be held accountable by Yhwh.

Most others, those who don't obey Yhwh nor His Instructions, will be held accountable for their disobedience to His Word.

Shunning, in accordance with Scripture, is gracious and merciful, when done obediently to the Creator in line with His Own Instructions and His Own Purpose and Plan in Christ Jesus.. ... the results are purity for His body, and with the positive hope for restoration by repentance for the shunnee.

Without repentance, there cannot be righteousness, forgiveness, obedience, wisdom, revelation, or purity.

 

[nick garai]

I wasn't shunned according to biblical guidelines. I was shunned according to prejudice and disdain.

 

[ValleyGal]

Nick, what are you looking for, posting in the Anabaptist forum?

I'm also a little concerned that you have identified specific churches to cut down. It's one thing to share that you've been disappointed, and even how, but to name churches, imo, comes across like you are bitter and want to give them a bad name. Both of those churches and CBC have excellent reputations, so I suspect your experience with them is either coincidental, or your perception is a little off.

What will it take for you to forgive these churches, and CBC? Do you want them to make amends? What do you hope to get from posting identifying information here?

I don't know what they have or have not done, or how you've contributed to the situations. I am quite familiar with CBC, as well as the two churches you've mentioned, and that has not been my experience at all. When I did a little digging - there's not a lot of information - on the history of ww2 and Mennonites, what I found was that Mennonites were in keeping with pacifism, and participated under duress by the Russians. Russia forced most Mennonites out of Russia in the late 19th century, so the war was likely their last-ditch attempt to get rid of Mennonites.

Since it appears those few Mennonites were actually the ones hurting the Jews, why would they discriminate against you, 70 years later, for the sins of the (much) older generation (and small Russian sect) that did you harm. Mennonites have nothing against Jewish people to my knowledge....and my knowledge is quite familiar with CBC, as well as both the churches you mentioned, and certainly not enough to single you out. If they "shunned" you, it was likely not because you are Jewish.

 

[JoshuaDaryl]

one must be wary of stereotyping a people, and judging others without first judging oneself. I speak from experience, sometimes a bad experience with a people can stem from misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and miscommunication. The Anabaptist people as a whole are very sober, and very purposefully humble. They are very sensitive to those who come off otherwise.

 

[Zip66]

Nick... I am surprised to hear your negative comments towards these two churches. I have lived in and around the Mennonite community for many decades with no poor experience of the sort. I just can't understand really...

Mennonite folx have always represented themselves in a positive and Godly light in my personal experience. And after many years I have recently started attending a Mennonite church - it is exactly what I expected... welcoming, bible teaching, and blessed with fellowship.


However... I sure hope you find peace with your situation.


Zip

 

[nick garai]

Nick... I am surprised to hear your negative comments towards these two churches. I have lived in and around the Mennonite community for many decades with no poor experience of the sort. I just can't understand really...

Mennonite folx have always represented themselves in a positive and Godly light in my personal experience. And after many years I have recently started attending a Mennonite church - it is exactly what I expected... welcoming, bible teaching, and blessed with fellowship.


However... I sure hope you find peace with your situation.

Zip

When I first attended the Mennonite churches I found that it was very welcoming. I didn't tell anybody that I had Jewish heritage until I went to Columbia Bible College. Thiings went downhill from there on.

I don't have any peace with my situation. It is very painful to know that I would havev become a youth pastor and had my degree robbe3d from me because some Mennonites rather had a grudge with the Jews and exercised their authority over me sabotaging my degree.

It still hurts and the the churches I went to were no help either. They threw their support for a Mennonite woman I had a love interest in, and cast me as a pariah and had me thrown out of the community and also out of the city.

The only conclusion I have is that I experienced antisemitism from the community.

It deeply grieves me that I was treated this way.

 

[FreeinChrist]

MOD HAT


Folks, this is the Anabaptist forum. It is NOT okay to come into their congregational home and criticize their views as some did in this thread.

A clean up will be done and am closing this thread for review

 

[Tallguy88]

MOD HAT ON​

After review, staff have decided that this thread will remain closed.

MOD HAT OFF​