Hutterites

[Luigi]

[quote name='SNJM' timestamp='1311216505' post='2272209']
When I visited Sioux Falls, South Dakota a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a Hutterite Colony. We had a tour of their entire colony, including their school and dairy farm. They are Anabaptists which is what the Mennonites and Amish are, but they live in community. For them, that means they live on the same land (each family has their own "home" - the one we visited looked like the homes were sort of like large trailers with nice gardens). Single people live alone. Unlike the Amish, they use modern equipment like computers and phones, and obviously, farming equipment. But they are asked - regarding the internet - to be mindful of the role it plays in each person's life and to limit use. For a small donation, outsiders can join their main meal, which we did. (I think it was 5.00, and very good.) They eat all their meals together. They pray together in the morning and in the evening. They seem very "balanced" in that corporate decisions are made through discussion, discernment, prayer and open conversation. Work is spread out in pretty traditional formats - the women cook and clean, while the men do the heavy manual labor. While they don't take a formal vow of poverty, they do choose to live simply and share their resources with one another. Shopping for major supplies (bathroom tissue, etc.) is done by different people and stored in a large cupboard (also - I saw a lot of snacks - like applesauce or yogurt as an example) and over each bundle of "supplies" (maybe things individual families requested?) was a little tag indicating who it was for. As they need things, they go into the cupboard and take whatever they need but obviously with an eye for simplicity. Our guide was a single woman in her 40's. I have continued to correspond with her, and I can report to you all (if this is a serious conversation) that she was very, very open during our tour. I asked very direct questions about freedom, the roles of women (they can't drive), medical care and everything else I could think of asking (forced marriage? etc). I am an anthropologist and was fascinated by our tour. I also asked about how they handle people leaving, people joining (or converting) and if there was any sort of punishment or punitive system set up. She gave me straight forward answers and included some intimate details regarding her own family and life. Personally, I did not see any evidence of cult-like behavior. Had certain areas been "off-limits" to us, I would have wondered, just as if she had refused to answer some of my questions or had she been vague. We spent an entire day there, and they only thing we did not see was the private dwelling spaces of the families.


I understand, from reading and different forums, that they are very successful in farming. Not being in that business, I don't know how things work, but I can tell you that what I witnessed (and continue to hear about through her letters) is that they are very hard workers, and I can see why they are so successful given that they have such a streamlined organization of people committed to the work.

They definitely have some characteristics of cults - they have their own language for one thing, but the more ominous characteristics of a destructive cult, I didn't see. Those characteristics would be a living leader, heavy recruitment, us vs. them mentality, planned spontaneity/mystical experiences, etc. I realize someone could argue that they do in fact have an "us vs. them" sense/mentality, and to a certain degree I see that (hard to enter into the colony/community for one thing) but they are very much out in the world, open to guests, seek appropriate medical treatment and are currently - as a group - participating with a team of doctors/researchers from a University in exploring genetic defects specific to them. A cult would not allow that.

I did take many, many photos. If anybody is interested in seeing any of them, let me know. I could create a slideshow or something, and it might give you a better idea of their life.


After all of this - interestingly enough! - they DO have a shoplifting "problem." Our guide was very forthright about this and I almost couldn't believe her. Later on in our trip, some of us were in Yankton, and if you can believe it, I saw some Hutterite women from another colony - shoplifting - right in front of me! Our guide had expressed sorrow that people seemed reluctant to "tell on" the offenders. I did. And the store manager let the two women leave the store with the stolen items in their purse! There are lots of articles and theories about this "problem" all of which can be found on the internet.

I am no authority, but if anybody has any questions or wants to see pictures, please email me. I hardly ever check in and caught this by an alert.

God bless you all.
[/quote]


That's all very fine and well, I'm sure... but that doesn't [i]necessarily[/i] preclude them from being the source of all evil in the Midwest, does it? Just sayin'..... because, you know... SOMEbody has to be the source of all evil in the Midwest!

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Luigi' timestamp='1311223260' post='2272277']SOMEbody has to be the source of all evil in the Midwest!
[/quote]

[rizz_loves_jesus]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1311124553' post='2270577']
I'm shooting up the bullhonkey flag. I do not care to live in a world in which Kansas is not part of the Midwest.
[/quote]

+ 1,000,000

Edit: I didn't realize how long this thread was... sorry for resurrecting a long-gone post

Edited July 21, 2011 by rizz_loves_jesus

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='rizz_loves_jesus' timestamp='1311266202' post='2272819']
+ 1,000,000

Edit: I didn't realize how long this thread was... sorry for resurrecting a long-gone post
[/quote]
It's okay. It's a post by me so it's worth it.

[MissScripture]

And most of this thread is off topic anyway...

[sistersintigo]

[quote name='krissylou' timestamp='1311199546' post='2271996']
Okay, folks.

This is what I know.

Hutterites, along with Amish and Mennonites, and probably a bunch of others, are in the Anabaptist tradition of the Radical Reformation. Doctrinally, they are going to be similar. Adult baptism, literal seriously-not-messing-around interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, etc.



Hutterites seem to be distinct among Anabaptists by living more communally. Almost like a monastery, with most things owned in common, careers are generally chosen according to what the community needs. (We could really use some more medical care, so let's send the next young adult off to become a nurse practitioner. I met someone who lived in a Bruderhof community who had exactly that story.) Much like a monastic way of life, except people get married and you can be born into it rather than clearly choosing such a vocation. (Although through history there were lots of child oblates given to monasteries who did not ever choose such a life. That may not be SO different.)

The discussion of massive farming operations and buying up land -- I don't know, but it reminded me a lot of the monasteries in the old days where the monks (or nuns) did not own anything as individuals but the community was often (and was expected to be!) quite wealthy indeed, with vast holdings. I could easily see how the Hutterites' emphasis on communal living would provide a huge economic advantage over individual families.
[/quote]

I own a one-volume "History of the Amish" by a Mennonite author, last name Nolt, in Indiana. I looked up Hutterite in there.
Nolt confined himself to roughly one page of remarks about Amish-Hutterite interaction in central/eastern Europe during the eighteenth century. The author wrote that on one specific occation, the Amish tried moving in with Hutterites. That mixture lasted no more than a year. The author specifies that the Hutterite's "strenuous work ethic" was a bit much even for Amish households. The Amish families "left in disgust," letting it be known that the Hutterites preferred material success to anything else. Nolt observes that even though both groups have Anabaptist roots, their expression of their faith is as different as it is related. He did not bother to write about Hutterites west of the Atlantic Ocean, although there are many chapters about Amish in the Americas and their relations with Mennonites.

[Laudate_Dominum]

[url="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Amish-Romance/lm/R34XUC49MCNXJ1/"]Best Amish Romance[/url]

[Papist]

[quote name='IrishGermanNorwegian' timestamp='1311123310' post='2270535']
I dislike the Hutterites almost as much as I hate shellfish. I blame this cult for the Urbanization trend that has been extremely prevalent in the Midwest following WWII. You agree or disagree with me?
[/quote]
And they all are homophobes going straight to hell.


For the Glory of God.

[ImageTrinity]

I grew up in a Bruderhof community and would be happy to answer any questions. I'd prefer to do so by PM though.

[Socrates]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1311192282' post='2271869']
Also I went to the site and read the reviews. THOSE are the types of people who follow the Austrian School? Wow. (I'd post excerpts but they're not fit for a Catholic site or for mixed company).
[/quote]Is that supposed to be an argument against Austrian economics?

In my experience, comments and reviews sections on teh interwebz tend to bring out the most vulgar kind of people, and it looks like it was started by a non-Austrian troll.

[quote name='krissylou' timestamp='1311199546' post='2271996']
Christians should never hold political office, in this view. Or serve in the military. Or be a police officer. Traditionally, Anabaptists wouldn't even VOTE.
[/quote]
Sounds rather like Sternhauser.

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='Socrates' timestamp='1311358374' post='2273903']
Is that supposed to be an argument against Austrian economics?
[/quote]
No, I don't know enough about economics to be able to form a legitimate opinion (and I don't care enough to inform myself). I was just expecting it to be mainly stuffy old guys rather than those sorts.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1311362889' post='2273939']
No, I don't know enough about economics to be able to form a legitimate opinion (and I don't care enough to inform myself). I was just expecting it to be mainly stuffy old guys rather than those sorts.
[/quote]
There's lots of stuffy old guys, rather too many (for my taste) obnoxiously militant atheists or anti-Christians, and then many fascinating people of all sorts of backgrounds, some of whom happen to be very polite atheists, right up to devout Catholics.

[Roamin Catholic]

I dislike the Hutterites almost as much as I hate shellfish. I blame this cult for the Urbanization trend that has been extremely prevalent in the Midwest following WWII. You agree or disagree with me?

 

I miss you

[Nihil Obstat]

I miss you

Is he still banned? I would rather have a hundred threads like this instead of another single one on gun control.

[dominicansoul]

Is he still banned? I would rather have a hundred threads like this instead of another single one on gun control.

 

 

or modesty