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

[barnhart]

By this line of reasoning we can learn from the parable of the talents that it is God's will for his children to rule over 10 cities, or from the parade of the tares it is his will for his children to have weedy gardens and fields. Or maybe from the Rich man Lazarus the true path to Abraham's embrace is starvation and dogs licking sores.

[Josh]

By this line of reasoning we can learn from the parable of the talents that it is God's will for his children to rule over 10 cities, or from the parade of the tares it is his will for his children to have weedy gardens and fields. Or maybe from the Rich man Lazarus the true path to Abraham's embrace is starvation and dogs licking sores.

Well that’s a relief about the present state of my garden and field.

[mrbilliam]

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.

I fear people are missing the point, either intentionally or not... I am not sure.

It's not about him knowing them well or not.

It's the fact that married people in the USA are recognized by the wedding band. It does not have to be an expensive one. By Jesus's own mouth he proclaimed the Father gave the prodigal son a ring, symbolizing something special.

Are Anabaptists just wiggling and squirming their way out of this verse, putting it off, or trying not to recognize what happened in order to continue the "system"?

I've heard directly from the source people mis-judged by outsiders of "shacking up" basically, who were married. It gives the appearance of evil.

Do Christians give the appearance of evil to strangers or people they talk to some? My answer would be no.

[Ernie]

Do Christians give the appearance of evil to strangers or people they talk to some? My answer would be no.

Are you agreeing with others who have been responding in this thread or disagreeing with them by this last sentence?

[mrbilliam]

By this line of reasoning we can learn from the parable of the talents that it is God's will for his children to rule over 10 cities, or from the parade of the tares it is his will for his children to have weedy gardens and fields. Or maybe from the Rich man Lazarus the true path to Abraham's embrace is starvation and dogs licking sores.

Or that we can tend to exaggerate direct points in order to feel better.

If Jesus thought it was reasonable for the Father to put a ring on the Prodigal son, would that prodigal son be allowed to be a member in your church?


(FYI) Jews also anciently used the wedding band. There are Ante Nicean writings on the wedding band too.

[RZehr]

I agree that there might not be anything sinful/against Bible teachings about wearing an obviously inexpensive ring for the purpose of signifying marriage in a culture that uses a ring to signify that. I’m not arguing that.

But what I completely disagree with is the importance, necessity, or benefit of doing so. This same American culture that recognizes the meaning of a wedding ring, is the very same culture that recognizes that a wedding ring does not equal fidelity. Society is changing. Wedding rings, while still important in certain circles, are losing their importance.

I’ve had conversations with people on this subject, and they seem to accept our reasons for not wearing it. We are so strange already to most of society, that the lack of that doesn’t matter.

[Soloist]

(FYI) Jews also anciently used the wedding band. There are Ante Nicean writings on the wedding band too.

Can you provide these writings?

[mrbilliam]

Do Christians give the appearance of evil to strangers or people they talk to some? My answer would be no.

Are you agreeing with others who have been responding in this thread or disagreeing with them by this last sentence?

I apologize, that was an error and I hit the backspace key from another sentence I typed and totally butchered the point. My answer would be YES - for clarity.

If a married Mennonite couple visited stores together, and they do not have wedding bands, strangers to the culture and customs of Mennonites would see man and woman together (often with children) and assume they are shacked up.

[Ernie]

I have concluded that Jesus including the detail about the father giving the prodigal son a ring, indicates that rings are not something evil. I don't consider rings evil, in spite of the fact that I don't wear one nor encourage people to wear them.
I put rings into the category of "'All things are lawful for me',” but not all things are helpful."

In my fifty years of verbal conversations, I have never had anyone question whether I or may parents are married, nor anyone suggest that I should wear a ring to "avoid appearance of evil". And nobody has ever questioned whether I am shacked up. And nobody has ever reported to me that their friend or acquaintance thinks I am shacked up. It has never happened once. And I have talked to a lot of people, with all sorts of religious and non-religious worldviews.

I have a friend (who put away his jewelry ring) who wears a black silicon ring when he travels alone, because it makes his wife feel better. In that situation it appears helpful, and I have no problem with him doing this. In fact, I think his practice is better than troubling his wife unnecessarily or wearing jewelry.

[RZehr]

Do Christians give the appearance of evil to strangers or people they talk to some? My answer would be no.

Are you agreeing with others who have been responding in this thread or disagreeing with them by this last sentence?

I apologize, that was an error and I hit the backspace key from another sentence I typed and totally butchered the point. My answer would be YES - for clarity.

If a married Mennonite couple visited stores together, and they do not have wedding bands, strangers to the culture and customs of Mennonites would see man and woman together (often with children) and assume they are shacked up.

Right this minute I happened to meet a lady that I’ve known for a few years. She wears a decent amount of jewelry. She knows some other women from our church too. We’ve worked with her on a few local humanitarian issues.

So I asked her about this wedding ring stuff. She said that she didn’t even realize that I didn’t wear a ring. Didn’t know that our church didn’t wear rings, didn’t know that we didn’t wear jewelry. Said she just cares about God and other things and never noticed that we were different in that area.