Would a moderate conservate Mennonite chuch (Like Beachy Amish) allow the prodigal son to be a member?

[Heirbyadoption]

I knew a missionary couple in a city that was asked by a Wholesale Box store employee while addressing the husband (playfully) "When are you going to make an honest woman out of her".
He said this as he knew them for years, seen them for years, but didn't think they were married as they have no ring. In the American culture, married people most often wear bands. In this case, the appearance of evil would be anti-scriptural, and the man seeing this couple for years figured they were fornicating.

This was an Anabaptist couple that was married for many years. What do we do with this?

In the American culture, plain Anabaptists are well known for wearing unique, plain attire including no gold or silver. Any place that has a lot of Amish or Mennonites around - people get used to that.

I have never encountered anyone who has doubts my wife and I are married, nor has it been an issue with other people at church. If somebody did ask, like the above anecdote, I would simply say she is already an honest women and would use it as an opportunity to share a piece of the gospel.

I appreciate your answer. How about the countless people who don't ask, or the man for years believing they were sinning? This would be the appearance of evil.

And the Romans also accused the early Christians of having orgies because they met behind closed doors.

Regardless, would it be a fair assessment to say that your post is intended to show:
A. why weddings rings are acceptable for Christians today,
B. that moderate/conservative Anabaptists ought to change their position to recognize this
and C. that they ought to not only permit them, but by extension, also wear them themselves...
In order to ultimately avoid what you are suggesting gives the appearance of evil?

[RZehr]

Additional optional question - Do most Beachy Amish or moderate conservatives avoid these types of questions because it would mean change to the system that makes them comfortable?

We avoid these types of questions?

[RZehr]

There is simply no reason to adopt pagan Roman wedding ring customs.

If it’s super important to somebody, then find one of the BMA or Lancaster Conf. churches that allow it.

I knew a missionary couple in a city that was asked by a Wholesale Box store employee while addressing the husband (playfully) "When are you going to make an honest woman out of her".

He said this as he knew them for years, seen them for years, but didn't think they were married as they have no ring. In the American culture, married people most often wear bands. In this case, the appearance of evil would be anti-scriptural, and the man seeing this couple for years figured they were fornicating.

This was an Anabaptist couple that was married for many years. What do we do with this?

He must not have known them all that well.

[Soloist]

Wife: the BMA style church we went to first didn’t mind us having wedding rings, as long as we took them off at church, although we were not members, but they let nonmembers take communion. I don’t think most people worry about it(especially with us ladies), and you can always mention your husband or wife. My husband does when he’s at work because it does feel a little bit awkward without one, but it’s actually not that uncommon in the nursing field because of sanitation reasons.

I briefly did stainless steel until one of our dr. friends told us how they had to call in the fire department to the ER to cut one of those off. now it’s just hanging on my key ring. Therefore, for safety sake, use a string or a rubber band. My stainless steel ring was seven dollars on Amazon, and I can get hundreds of little rubber bands for my toddlers hair for a dollar, so that’s even more economic. This may sound funny, but I briefly toyed with this at college finishing up my associates degree. My favorite was my fidget toy that I made into a wedding band, but that probably just made my classmates think I was weird.

I think some Penecostal‘s and Wesleyan’s also don’t wear jewelry so I don’t know if we should change our practices just because. I also think guys only really started wearing them during one of the world wars if I’m correct. I don’t really care though if other people wear wedding rings because I can see both sides, but I never get harassed about it, and I don’t think most people think Mennonites are fornicators although some mistake us for Sister wives, so you never know.

Plus, I’ve heard the argument that wearing a ring makes someone more honest, but most of the time it doesn’t seem like it is enough to keep people honest, and some people flirt with all your children in tow, even if you mention your husband/wife. I would think that, probably not anything to do with the ring preference, I have seen a higher success rate of marriages in anabaptist groups than nonanabaptist.

[RZehr]

The prodigal son represents us, who betrayed our Father in heaven. We squalor in filth and sin. When we repent of our ways and returned to God, he came running to us.

I'll quote KJV
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

In verse 22, God the Father put a ring on the prodigal son. This ring represents a promise, like the wedding band. This is actual teachings in Christian churches that have ancient origin.

Would the prodigal son be allowed to be a member with the very ring put on his hand from God the Father? (please answer)

Would a non-mennonite married couple who came in wearing steel rings (cheap and not costly array) be allowed to be members with the symbol of promise on their finger? (optional answer)

Is not wearing a wedding band symbolic to outsiders as adultery, thus the appearance of evil (very optional answer).

This is told as a parable, and the parable is stretched beyond intention to say that the take home lesson is that God wants finger rings.
To say that the take away is that wedding rings are necessary (the prodigals ring was not a wedding ring, nor does it say that it was made of inexpensive material) today, is to stretch the parable beyond reason.
The parable does not call the father God. The father is symbolically God. So is it reasonable to insist that the ring be literal? Is it reasonable to mix the two, change the figurative father to a literal God, while demanding the ring not be figurative? What would it sound like to insist that the father in the parable be earthly fathers, and spiritualize the ring?
Not good.

But just for grins, I guess we could answer the thought experiment. If God himself put a physical ring on, no one would have authority to question that, and churches would accept it. At that point the real question would be if it was indeed God that put the ring on. People often claim Gods authority wrongly. But if it really happened? Yes.

[RZehr]

I can only think of the costly array scripture as the only excuse I ever heard. Certainly if Jesus himself used the ring example as the Father's love then a simple steel or tungsten (very cheap) wedding band would not be costly array. That's all I can figure...

Do you also insist that Christians charge usury based on the parable in Matthew 25 where Jesus spoke strongly in favor of it?
Or do you just figure that maybe a bigger point was being made there?

[Judas Maccabeus]

I knew a missionary couple in a city that was asked by a Wholesale Box store employee while addressing the husband (playfully) "When are you going to make an honest woman out of her".

He said this as he knew them for years, seen them for years, but didn't think they were married as they have no ring. In the American culture, married people most often wear bands. In this case, the appearance of evil would be anti-scriptural, and the man seeing this couple for years figured they were fornicating.

This was an Anabaptist couple that was married for many years. What do we do with this?

In the American culture, plain Anabaptists are well known for wearing unique, plain attire including no gold or silver. Any place that has a lot of Amish or Mennonites around - people get used to that.

I have never encountered anyone who has doubts my wife and I are married, nor has it been an issue with other people at church. If somebody did ask, like the above anecdote, I would simply say she is already an honest women and would use it as an opportunity to share a piece of the gospel.

I appreciate your answer. How about the countless people who don't ask, or the man for years believing they were sinning? This would be the appearance of evil.

If you are alluding to 1 Thess 5:22, the verse would be better rendered:

22 abstain from every form of evil. (NASB 1995)

22 Abstain from every form of evil. (NKJV)

22 Abstain from every form of evil. (ESV)

22 reject every kind of evil. (2011 NIV)

The weight of evidence is that it is talking about avoiding evil, not anything some sick mind might consider evil, even without evidence. I am not in the mood to discuss the Greek, but suffice to say, the “appearance of evil “;they were likely trying to express any time that evil might appear in your life.

Not wearing a wedding ring is not a form of evil. Period.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Wife: the BMA style church we went to first didn’t mind us having wedding rings, as long as we took them off at church, although we were not members, but they let nonmembers take communion. I don’t think most people worry about it(especially with us ladies), and you can always mention your husband or wife. My husband does when he’s at work because it does feel a little bit awkward without one, but it’s actually not that uncommon in the nursing field because of sanitation reasons.

I briefly did stainless steel until one of our dr. friends told us how they had to call in the fire department to the ER to cut one of those off. now it’s just hanging on my key ring. Therefore, for safety sake, use a string or a rubber band. My stainless steel ring was seven dollars on Amazon, and I can get hundreds of little rubber bands for my toddlers hair for a dollar, so that’s even more economic. This may sound funny, but I briefly toyed with this at college finishing up my associates degree. My favorite was my fidget toy that I made into a wedding band, but that probably just made my classmates think I was weird.

I think some Penecostal‘s and Wesleyan’s also don’t wear jewelry so I don’t know if we should change our practices just because. I also think guys only really started wearing them during one of the world wars if I’m correct. I don’t really care though if other people wear wedding rings because I can see both sides, but I never get harassed about it, and I don’t think most people think Mennonites are fornicators although some mistake us for Sister wives, so you never know.

Plus, I’ve heard the argument that wearing a ring makes someone more honest, but most of the time it doesn’t seem like it is enough to keep people honest, and some people flirt with all your children in tow, even if you mention your husband/wife. I would think that, probably not anything to do with the ring preference, I have seen a higher success rate of marriages in anabaptist groups than nonanabaptist.

To wife:

I have 40 years of experience in medicine, and I have seen numerous men I knew cheat with their wedding rings in plain sight.

[ohio jones]

If it’s super important to somebody, then find one of the BMA or Lancaster Conf. churches that allow it.

Not BMA; that's Alliance-wide policy. Possibly ADC, depending on the local congregation.

[ohio jones]

This is told as a parable, and the parable is stretched beyond intention to say that the take home lesson is that God wants finger rings.
To say that the take away is that wedding rings are necessary (the prodigals ring was not a wedding ring, nor does it say that it was made of inexpensive material) today, is to stretch the parable beyond reason.

It was presumably a signet ring, one with which documents would be sealed. It conveyed authority to act on the father's behalf and in his name. Sort of like giving him power of attorney and the password to the bank accounts, in today's world.