14 October 2022
Interesting article: An-Cap Mennonites -- using an abbreviation of anarcho-capitalism paired with Mennonites. A couple of readers have already asked me about how close the Amish and Mennonites are to my vision for separated tribal living by the Bible.
First, I need to remind readers that this blog, and my inclinations, do not lend themselves to specific prescriptions. I'm not your leader; I'm here to provoke your faith and encourage you to reexamine what the Scriptures really say. I'm not looking for a movement in terms of observable organized activity, though I have no doubt it must demand some kind of visible changes.
That said, I need to make some distinctions. The Amish and Mennonites are very close in terms of theology, and somewhat close in terms of practices. Both are notably distant from the mainstream social life, and both are highly resistant to common government controls at all levels. The Amish are generally anti-modern technology, sticking to a primitive way of life, while the Mennonites are more blended into common living in terms of technology uses.
Both utterly reject any approach to mysticism. They are rather literal and even legalistic in their interpretations of Scripture. They tend to cling to a very Western and rationalist notion of how to approach the Bible. So, on the one hand, I admire their separation from the mainstream. On the other hand, their religion is still defiled by the primacy of human reason.
And quite unlike the author of the linked article, I reject the capitalist materialism of the West. In case you didn't grasp it already, capitalism and communism are both very closely related via materialism. The only difference is who gets to control the property. Both of them arise from the western fear of eternity, and are simply a matter of masculine (capitalism) or feminine (communism) dominance from within the same Germanic mythology. The Bible is totally tribal-feudal regarding property management, arising from a set of assumptions quite alien to the West. The Bible does not support libertarian individualist philosophy at all.
It's not for me to nail down the details of implementation. I might point out some possibilities, but the actual shape of obedience is between you and the Lord. The degree and type of cooperation you must embrace in a community of faith will of necessity include a recognition of the context in which you live, and the people who live there. This is not about concrete or abstract principles; this is about ineffable moral truth.
By all means, take advantage of the legacy of what the Amish and Mennonites have accomplished in terms of keeping the secular government at arm's length. Study the history of how they got there, if it appeals to you. Know that it is possible to refuse many legal obligations as a whole community, but that it requires you understand the details of this arrangement. It requires having some kind of substantial association with those who have won this level of freedom, so be careful how you approach it. Also, note that there is every reason to expect that accommodation from the government to be rescinded at some time in the future.
For the time being, I seriously doubt any of us could take that path for the simple reason that we are pioneering something new, and there are just too few of us to form a recognizable population anywhere. Still, we can see that there are some possibilities. But honestly, folks, our biggest issue is that the most basic philosophical assumptions of the Bible are radically different from our western society. If we don't dig down into that issue, nothing else we do will matter that much.
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