Poll: Concealed Weapons among Plain Anabaptists?

[ragpicker]

You all DO know that bringing your guns to church has strong racist overtones dating to the antebellum period.

J.M.

I’m sure...

[Ernie]

Well... the poll now reflects what I expected to see based on a report I heard a few weeks ago and again a week ago. All but one of the constituencies.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Well... the poll now reflects what I expected to see based on a report I heard a few weeks ago and again a week ago. All but one of the constituencies.

This is indefensible. Period.

If I personally observed this, discussion I would be having a chat with leadership.

J.M.

[RZehr]

Yet in another way, it is clearly not indefensible.

[silentreader]

Well... the poll now reflects what I expected to see based on a report I heard a few weeks ago and again a week ago. All but one of the constituencies.

This is indefensible. Period.

If I personally observed this, discussion I would be having a chat with leadership.

J.M.

[Josh]

The people in York are centred in the worst part of town.

The people in Baltimore, well, it’s a nice part of Baltimore... but it gets dicey if you go a few blocks.

What does that have to do with being Anabaptist? You either believe in non-violence or you do not. If Mennonites are arming themselves because they live in "bad" neighborhoods then I fail to understand what makes them uniquely Mennonite and not ordinary Baptists or Methodists or whatever other mainstream protestant denomination they resemble.

This thread started out talking about how conservative Mennos needed guns in their trucks because of "wild animals" and now it is because they live in "bad" neighborhoods?

I was answering another poster who held the opinion that conservative Mennonites don't live in "bad" neighbourhoods (bad = a neighbourhood with a high violent crime rate).

I was simply telling him/her that this is not the case.

Incidentally, I am part of a Mennonite church where nobody carries concealed guns, nobody owns military-styled weapons, nobody owns handguns, and the churches I mentioned above (Baltimore and York) would have the same practice.

[Signtist]

Incidentally, I am part of a Mennonite church where nobody carries concealed guns, nobody owns military-styled weapons, nobody owns handguns

Or at least nobody is supposed to. I knew one old boy down in Walnut Hill, FL that seemed to have missed that memo. But he figured his wife's conscience was bothering him enough he allowed he's maybe get rid of it one day.

[steve-in-kville]

Going by the poll results thus far, BMA has quite the reputation. Or is everyone just hatin' on them?

[steve-in-kville]

Cuz there ain’t no room for a pistol packin’ Mennonite.

My church gun is a 11.5" AR with a suppressor. Fits down my pant leg pretty well. I tell people the limp is from a skiing accident (even though I don't ski)

[twinpines]

The people in York are centred in the worst part of town.

The people in Baltimore, well, it’s a nice part of Baltimore... but it gets dicey if you go a few blocks.

Only in the rural Mennonite world would York, PA be considered high crime area. That just drives home my point that conservative Mennonites live overwhelmingly in very safe areas. And yes. It's a very nice area of Baltimore. So there are almost zero mennonites living in bad areas in America. I always knew by the nature of conservative Mennonites living in rural areas, that the vast majority of them would live in safe places. But now that I realize it's almost 100%, my question is why is there such a strong aversion to inner city ministry on the part of conservative Mennonites. Even in Baltimore, they go to the one place where it's not inner city.