Yes, the first time I ever heard about AnaBaptists, I imagined them being just like me and my beliefs, just living in the 14th, 15th century and beyond (in either direction)! What a surprise to learn that the Mennonites and Anabaptists were the ones who had a similar heritage and us IFBers were basically riding on their coat tails to make ourselves look good!
I see pluses and minuses to the movement, but I also don't like to talk about a movement without direct interaction which will probably mean me visiting one of their communities. I see it could tend to be a 'cult' if there are no checks and balances. But it also could foster healthy and pure relationships between believers no matter their gender and would help many people who have loneliness issues. Of course, that is not a reason to join - just for self.
However, everything I see of them on youtube (and I understand youtube is only going to have a good foot forward) - they are gentle and kind souls. What do I care they want to save the planet because they saw Al Gore's movie as long as they love the Lord?
The minuses I see is putting complete trust in your community ... except that might not be a minus, that might be the Christian way and current Western 'Christian' thought is just opposed to it. Like I said, I'm introverted a little - so 'escape' might be hard when wanting to be left alone ... but I fellowship on this forum specifically because I can get lonely sometimes.
I don't know ... for me, it almost seems like an attempt at a slice of heaven on earth - the whole community thing. And yes to the Sermon on the Mount - it is an attempt to place that reality on the Sermon here on earth. It goes against my dispensationalist way of thinking - but again, if we only talked with people who agreed with us - we would never grow.
As far as chickens, while I encased them in a run and hen house now - one of them developed some sort of respiratory infection. Though maybe not. It started gasping for breath, breathing heavily, gasping for air. I didn't know what to do, so I secluded it from the rest of the flock, my son tried to see if something was lodged in its throat, but it didn't appear so. And he died overnight. The rest of the flock SEEM okay, it may have been a defect in the one. But I have more of an emotional side, so that stuff chokes me up.