It's fine to be a governor, as long as you are a Democrat

[Ken]

I suppose it’s only appropriate that a political thread on the mixing of Anabaptism and politics has somehow escaped the Politics forum and mixed itself into the Anabaptist Theology and Practice forum.

My first reaction to the op was similar... How does this topic, according to the title, have anything to do with Anabaptist theology or practice? I doubt either candidate is sympathetic to Anabaptist distinctives...
Although I will say that from my personal experience, people like Mastriano... charismatic-y-dominionist-God&country types with loose or past connections to Menno/Anabaptism are the Most hostile towards Anabaptist distinctives - in fact generally much more hostile than non-Christians or people of other faiths.

Well…I think that kind of bird is a much less hostile threat to us on the west coast than the hostile far left sort.

I'm not aware of any far-left politicians with Anabaptist roots. Are you?

There was a long-term Republican Congressman from Kansas named Kevin Yoder who reportedly had Anabaptist roots but he was a much more mainstream Republican like say George W. Bush and didn't go in for all the Christian Nationalism and conspiracy-theory mongering that characterized Mastriano's campaign. So didn't draw the same attention as Mastriano. I think there have also been a few assorted politicians in Canada with Anabaptist roots but none of them were liberal.

[RZehr]

There probably are some. But what I’m saying, is out here, conservative Mennonites have much less to fear from a Nazi, or God and country, or MAGA types (ex-Mennonite or not), than we do from the Kotek types. An ex Mennonite MAGA, while maybe they don’t necessarily love our distinctives, when it comes to politics and governing, they basically would view us as a sort of ally, probably because on the west coast they have a much more important threat in the Democrats. In a deep red state, I suppose this is different.

[Ken]

There probably are some. But what I’m saying, is out here, conservative Mennonites have much less to fear from a Nazi, or God and country, or MAGA types (ex-Mennonite or not), than we do from the Kotek types. An ex Mennonite MAGA, while maybe they don’t necessarily love our distinctives, when it comes to politics and governing, they basically would view us as a sort of ally, probably because on the west coast they have a much more important threat in the Democrats. In a deep red state, I suppose this is different.

Oh, I thought this thread was about Menno politicians not politicians generally.

What do you feel like you have to fear from Kotek?

[Josh]

There probably are some. But what I’m saying, is out here, conservative Mennonites have much less to fear from a Nazi, or God and country, or MAGA types (ex-Mennonite or not), than we do from the Kotek types. An ex Mennonite MAGA, while maybe they don’t necessarily love our distinctives, when it comes to politics and governing, they basically would view us as a sort of ally, probably because on the west coast they have a much more important threat in the Democrats. In a deep red state, I suppose this is different.

Oh, I thought this thread was about Menno politicians not politicians generally.

What do you feel like you have to fear from Kotek?

Shutting down private schools; forcing left wing work ideology into schools; COVID type mandates forcing churches to close. That sort of thing.

[RZehr]

There probably are some. But what I’m saying, is out here, conservative Mennonites have much less to fear from a Nazi, or God and country, or MAGA types (ex-Mennonite or not), than we do from the Kotek types. An ex Mennonite MAGA, while maybe they don’t necessarily love our distinctives, when it comes to politics and governing, they basically would view us as a sort of ally, probably because on the west coast they have a much more important threat in the Democrats. In a deep red state, I suppose this is different.

Oh, I thought this thread was about Menno politicians not politicians generally.

What do you feel like you have to fear from Kotek?

LOL. What does the far left LGBTQ and abortion fear from the far right? Let’s not be ignorant. These extremes have zero tolerance for each other, they hate each other.
Laws. Dictation. Fines, confiscation, cancellation, imprisonment.

Religious persecution. They hate the Christian right, and to them, we just look like the extreme Christian right. To them we look like the essence of patriarchy, whiteness, overpopulation, environmental destruction, religion etc.

To be clear, we conservative Mennonites do not believe in wielding political power over our ideological foes. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. But our foes do believe in that. So while physically we are defenseless, they in turn, have nothing physically to fear from the ones who are commanded to suffer injustice peacefully, us.

[joshuabgood]

My first reaction to the op was similar... How does this topic, according to the title, have anything to do with Anabaptist theology or practice? I doubt either candidate is sympathetic to Anabaptist distinctives...
Although I will say that from my personal experience, people like Mastriano... charismatic-y-dominionist-God&country types with loose or past connections to Menno/Anabaptism are the Most hostile towards Anabaptist distinctives - in fact generally much more hostile than non-Christians or people of other faiths.

Well…I think that kind of bird is a much less hostile threat to us on the west coast than the hostile far left sort.

I'm not aware of any far-left politicians with Anabaptist roots. Are you?

There was a long-term Republican Congressman from Kansas named Kevin Yoder who reportedly had Anabaptist roots but he was a much more mainstream Republican like say George W. Bush and didn't go in for all the Christian Nationalism and conspiracy-theory mongering that characterized Mastriano's campaign. So didn't draw the same attention as Mastriano. I think there have also been a few assorted politicians in Canada with Anabaptist roots but none of them were liberal.

Gretchen Whitmer, gov of Michigan, has very distinguished Anabaptist roots (paternal grandfather), but she isn't far left I don't think...

[Josh]

Most of us consider outlawing the sale of seeds due to COVID lockdowns to be far-left extremism, and that’s what Whitmer did.

Then she participated in orchestrating a fake assassination attempt. (All the assassins except 1 were government employees, paid to orchestrate the attempt.)

[joshuabgood]

Most of us consider outlawing the sale of seeds due to COVID lockdowns to be far-left extremism, and that’s what Whitmer did.

Then she participated in orchestrating a fake assassination attempt. (All the assassins except 1 were government employees, paid to orchestrate the attempt.)

Are you saying you think Gretchen Whitmer is far left?

[Josh]

Most of us consider outlawing the sale of seeds due to COVID lockdowns to be far-left extremism, and that’s what Whitmer did.

Then she participated in orchestrating a fake assassination attempt. (All the assassins except 1 were government employees, paid to orchestrate the attempt.)

Are you saying you think Gretchen Whitmer is far left?

Yes - using the same criteria as the media uses to describe anyone conservative as “far right”. Whitmer supports radical leftists’ agendas, including mandatory forced vaccinations, locking down and closing churches, banning the sale of seeds for gardens, and abortion up until birth.

[Pelerin]

I suppose it’s only appropriate that a political thread on the mixing of Anabaptism and politics has somehow escaped the Politics forum and mixed itself into the Anabaptist Theology and Practice forum.

My first reaction to the op was similar... How does this topic, according to the title, have anything to do with Anabaptist theology or practice? I doubt either candidate is sympathetic to Anabaptist distinctives...
Although I will say that from my personal experience, people like Mastriano... charismatic-y-dominionist-God&country types with loose or past connections to Menno/Anabaptism are the Most hostile towards Anabaptist distinctives - in fact generally much more hostile than non-Christians or people of other faiths.

Yes, I think there’s probably a worthy discussion or two to be had about the relationship of Anabaptism and its wayward “charismatic-y-dominionist-God&country” children. That conversation might even have political implications and still fit here in Anabaptist Theology. There might be another (still worthy) conversation that would do be better in the Politics forum.

But this… *staring at the thread title while gesturing at the rest of the thread* …ain’t it.