School project

[Josh]

It would be done via Zoom, which through my university account, is secure and confidential. To obtain consent, they would agree to type their name on the form to indicate they understood. In the interview, they would also provide verbal assent to engaging in it. If you have other questions, let me know! My university's IRB approved the project and the consent process, indicating that it meets their standards of ethics to conduct research.

A few things you should know about this forum:

#1, this is not necessarily a Mennonite or Anabaptist forum and some of the most prolific posters are not Anabaptist or Mennonite at all.

#2, those who are, to use your term, those "who believe or engage with alternative stories about the COVID-19 vaccines that counter mainstream reporting" may be quite sceptical about talking to a researcher.

#3, those who are willing to talk will have a major problem of selection bias. In short, this isn't an accurate cross section of Anabaptists and Mennonites at all, including narrowing it down to just those who "believe or engage with alternative stories".

I think you would be better off trying to make some real-life contacts and see if you can engage from there. Many people would be willing to engage further after meeting the researcher and finding out a bit more of your goals. If you'd like to share your approximate location, someone here would be glad to point you to a few communities where you could meet some folks.

[temporal1]

It would be done via Zoom, which through my university account, is secure and confidential. To obtain consent, they would agree to type their name on the form to indicate they understood. In the interview, they would also provide verbal assent to engaging in it. If you have other questions, let me know! My university's IRB approved the project and the consent process, indicating that it meets their standards of ethics to conduct research.

A few things you should know about this forum:

#1, this is not necessarily a Mennonite or Anabaptist forum and some of the most prolific posters are not Anabaptist or Mennonite at all.

#2, those who are, to use your term, those "who believe or engage with alternative stories about the COVID-19 vaccines that counter mainstream reporting" may be quite sceptical about talking to a researcher.

#3, those who are willing to talk will have a major problem of selection bias. In short, this isn't an accurate cross section of Anabaptists and Mennonites at all, including narrowing it down to just those who "believe or engage with alternative stories".

I think you would be better off trying to make some real-life contacts and see if you can engage from there. Many people would be willing to engage further after meeting the researcher and finding out a bit more of your goals. If you'd like to share your approximate location, someone here would be glad to point you to a few communities where you could meet some folks.

^^ (i think) this is fair, i don’t think anyone would object.
i would like to add a bit to something i wrote above:

.. Admin+mods are available+helpful. ..

i’d prefer this to read:
“Admin+mods are competent, conscientious, available+helpful .. and, Mennonite.

This forum began years ago by teen conservative Mennonites experimenting with the internet, and has been welcoming to Mennonites “and others,” all along. The population has changed and aged.

As far as i know, the “underlying” interest has ever been conservative Mennonites, nothing misleading or confusing was ever intended.

In my whole entire lengthy life, i’ve noticed those of us with the most to say, don’t always have the most important things to say.
There is authentic conservative Mennonite wisdom to be found. Stopping by for a survey or poll is unlikely to “pull that out.”

You’ll get something. Trying to quantify it under a faith label will be a challenge.

Maybe begin by asking admin/mods for suggestions?

Log in, go to QUICK LINKS, then THE TEAM.

Best wishes going forward.

[Josh]

.. Admin+mods are available+helpful. ..

i’d prefer this to read:
“Admin+mods are competent, conscientious, available+helpful .. and, Mennonite.

t1, I realise you seem to have deep admiration for the moderators and administrators here, but I'm not sure what that has to with this person's research project.

This forum began years ago by teen conservative Mennonites experimenting with the internet, and has been welcoming to Mennonites and others, all along. The population has changed and aged.

This forum began a few years ago by people from MennoDiscuss who wanted to have a somewhat different forum, so MennoNet started. It is not the same thing at all as the old MennoDiscuss.

As far as i know, the “underlying” interest has ever been conservative Mennonites, nothing misleading or confusing was ever intended.

The old MennoDiscuss was entirely an artifact of a certain section of conservative Mennonite culture at the time; it grew out of conservative Mennonites who nonetheless used the Internet and specifically social media platforms, more specifically, Xanga. (Very few of these people are still what most people would consider "conservative" or "plain" to this day, but some are.)

In my whole entire lengthy life, i’ve noticed those of us with the most to say, don’t always have the most important things to say.
There is authentic conservative Mennonite wisdom to be found. Stopping by for a survey or poll is unlikely to “pull that out.”

Most conservative Mennonites are not on this forum. Most plain Anabaptists aren't using Internet forums at all.

[temporal1]

^^i don’t think you’ve got everything correct above, i’m not going to suggest i get everything just right.
i’m not going to dither.

i hope she gets something useful for her project. nothing more.

[COVIDpsychresearch]

It would be done via Zoom, which through my university account, is secure and confidential. To obtain consent, they would agree to type their name on the form to indicate they understood. In the interview, they would also provide verbal assent to engaging in it. If you have other questions, let me know! My university's IRB approved the project and the consent process, indicating that it meets their standards of ethics to conduct research.

A few things you should know about this forum:

#1, this is not necessarily a Mennonite or Anabaptist forum and some of the most prolific posters are not Anabaptist or Mennonite at all.

#2, those who are, to use your term, those "who believe or engage with alternative stories about the COVID-19 vaccines that counter mainstream reporting" may be quite sceptical about talking to a researcher.

#3, those who are willing to talk will have a major problem of selection bias. In short, this isn't an accurate cross section of Anabaptists and Mennonites at all, including narrowing it down to just those who "believe or engage with alternative stories".

I think you would be better off trying to make some real-life contacts and see if you can engage from there. Many people would be willing to engage further after meeting the researcher and finding out a bit more of your goals. If you'd like to share your approximate location, someone here would be glad to point you to a few communities where you could meet some folks.

Thank you very much for the advice! I am in Western New York in the US, and would definitely be interested in meeting people in person to complete this project as well! If it happens to be the case that I cannot pull enough people from the Mennonite or Anabaptist tradition, then I could look at other ways to find some commonalities in participants too.

[COVIDpsychresearch]

OP:

COVIDpsychresearch:
.. In particular, I am interested in how it impacts different denominations that I am not familiar with, such as Mennonites and Anabaptists. I have a lot of respect for the beliefs and traditions associated with your faith tradition. ..

COVIDpsychresearch,
Welcome to MN.

This forum is a Heinz57 group of mostly Christians, an occasional atheist, etc.
If you want response in your topic to be limited to a particular group, for instance, practicing conservative Anabaptists, or other,
it’s ok to make that request. (Be aware, you may or may not receive compliance, it’s ok to try.) Admin+mods are available+helpful.

Best wishes as you go forward.

Thank you for the advice! I will reach out to them about potential inquiries as well!

[Robert]

1. When did you start digging deeper into alternative vaccine stories?

If you mean by alternative, stories showing adverse reactions, I started seeing that within 2-3 months after the vaccines were released.

2.What types of emotions do feel when thinking about the alternative stories?

I think it is important to consider and not just trust government or big pharma.

3. What do you find helpful in growing closer to God and others? Where do you see God working during the past two years globally?

It has been encouraging to see others start to question or be open to the possibilities that the vaccines are not as good as claimed. I am not sure I would equate that to God working globally. God works on the individual heart. That creates change in the person that has local and global effects.

4. As a Christian, I know you understand that God has everything in his hands. Also, you know that God has a plan, etc. In Matthew 6:26-34, recounts the parable about “the birds of the air” who trust in their Heavenly father to provide for them. What does it mean to trustfully wait on the Lord in these stories? What does it mean amidst the events happening in the world today with the pandemic?

I trust God but do not trust governments, big pharma, or distant doctors that do not know me personally. I do tend to trust those who counter the established narrative because of my distrust of the established narrative since it has been wrong so many times. I trust that God gives us the information and ability to make individual choices. Our role as a follower of Jesus is not to make corporate choices, but individual choices as we council with those we trust in our local churches, those who know us personally and have our best interests at heart.

I started pushing back on the mainstream narrative early on. I did my own research and was finding much different findings then was being presented by leaders. I posted many of these in the Covid thread on this forum. I can read through it, it is quite lengthy, but you will see the alternative stories and even the push back form some here. Early on the thread gets sidetracked since there was not much happening with Covid, but it gets refocused and has many heated discussions.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2701

[COVIDpsychresearch]

1. When did you start digging deeper into alternative vaccine stories?

If you mean by alternative, stories showing adverse reactions, I started seeing that within 2-3 months after the vaccines were released.

2.What types of emotions do feel when thinking about the alternative stories?

I think it is important to consider and not just trust government or big pharma.

3. What do you find helpful in growing closer to God and others? Where do you see God working during the past two years globally?

It has been encouraging to see others start to question or be open to the possibilities that the vaccines are not as good as claimed. I am not sure I would equate that to God working globally. God works on the individual heart. That creates change in the person that has local and global effects.

4. As a Christian, I know you understand that God has everything in his hands. Also, you know that God has a plan, etc. In Matthew 6:26-34, recounts the parable about “the birds of the air” who trust in their Heavenly father to provide for them. What does it mean to trustfully wait on the Lord in these stories? What does it mean amidst the events happening in the world today with the pandemic?

I trust God but do not trust governments, big pharma, or distant doctors that do not know me personally. I do tend to trust those who counter the established narrative because of my distrust of the established narrative since it has been wrong so many times. I trust that God gives us the information and ability to make individual choices. Our role as a follower of Jesus is not to make corporate choices, but individual choices as we council with those we trust in our local churches, those who know us personally and have our best interests at heart.

I started pushing back on the mainstream narrative early on. I did my own research and was finding much different findings then was being presented by leaders. I posted many of these in the Covid thread on this forum. I can read through it, it is quite lengthy, but you will see the alternative stories and even the push back form some here. Early on the thread gets sidetracked since there was not much happening with Covid, but it gets refocused and has many heated discussions.

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2701

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences! Would you like to be a formal participant in my project? I can PM you so we can discuss those details more in-depth if you are willing.

[Josh]

It would be done via Zoom, which through my university account, is secure and confidential. To obtain consent, they would agree to type their name on the form to indicate they understood. In the interview, they would also provide verbal assent to engaging in it. If you have other questions, let me know! My university's IRB approved the project and the consent process, indicating that it meets their standards of ethics to conduct research.

A few things you should know about this forum:

#1, this is not necessarily a Mennonite or Anabaptist forum and some of the most prolific posters are not Anabaptist or Mennonite at all.

#2, those who are, to use your term, those "who believe or engage with alternative stories about the COVID-19 vaccines that counter mainstream reporting" may be quite sceptical about talking to a researcher.

#3, those who are willing to talk will have a major problem of selection bias. In short, this isn't an accurate cross section of Anabaptists and Mennonites at all, including narrowing it down to just those who "believe or engage with alternative stories".

I think you would be better off trying to make some real-life contacts and see if you can engage from there. Many people would be willing to engage further after meeting the researcher and finding out a bit more of your goals. If you'd like to share your approximate location, someone here would be glad to point you to a few communities where you could meet some folks.

Thank you very much for the advice! I am in Western New York in the US, and would definitely be interested in meeting people in person to complete this project as well! If it happens to be the case that I cannot pull enough people from the Mennonite or Anabaptist tradition, then I could look at other ways to find some commonalities in participants too.

Western NY is full of all kinds of Anabaptists. I used to associate with (former) Old Order Mennonites around Keuka Lake.

There is also the closest thing to a conservative Mennonite college in Guys Mills, PA (Faith Builders Educational Programs) which isn’t too far from you. It has a lot of college students who represent diverse backgrounds. Some of them may be willing to participate in your research. You could contact their administration and find out more. Ernie here on this forum has a lot of contact with them.

If you are interested in non-plain Mennonites I would contact Rosedale College (in Ohio) which is near Columbus. Some of their pupils might also be interested.

As far as the Old Orders - I would ask around/call around to see who on a local community could help you further. Your best candidate may be an Old Order Mennonite man who earned his Ph.D from Penn State, who lives near that area. I had supper with his cousin last Monday and he was trying to get me some contact info and I’d be glad to share it once I get it. This gentleman would be very familiar with conducting academic research.

[COVIDpsychresearch]

I realize I may have unnecessarily limited myself by only looking for Mennonites or Anabaptists. So, if Christians of other denominations are interested in helping out with my project, feel free to message me!