High School and College for Plain Anabaptists: Advantages and Disadvantages

[Judas Maccabeus]

I just said it’s much more common for women to go to college (at age 30 or whatever) than men, not that it is somehow “ok” or not.

It’s also common to eat graham cracker fluff at funerals

So college is ok as long as you don’t go to high school? Man, you can comprehend how odd that sounds.

Re-read the part above about age.

So it’s fine at thirty but not twenty?

Can you Biblicaly justify that?

[JohnH]

So it’s fine at thirty but not twenty?

Can you Biblicaly justify that?

It is based on experience that younger people are more vulnerable to spiritual deception and to being talked into abandoning living a Christian life. A person at 30 is, generally speaking, more mature than age 20 or age 16.

I'm not sure why this is such a big deal for you. Is it really that bothersome that most plain Anabaptists decide to avoid college whatsoever, and a handful that do that might allow it for a person who has demonstrated maturity and is older than an impressionable 18 year old?

Plain Anabaptists don't think of the Bible as a legislative text, full of "dos" and "don'ts". We also don't think just because the Bible never says not to do something that doing it is automatically a good idea for Christians.

[Judas Maccabeus]

So it’s fine at thirty but not twenty?

Can you Biblicaly justify that?

It is based on experience that younger people are more vulnerable to spiritual deception and to being talked into abandoning living a Christian life. A person at 30 is, generally speaking, more mature than age 20 or age 16.

I'm not sure why this is such a big deal for you. Is it really that bothersome that most plain Anabaptists decide to avoid college whatsoever, and a handful that do that might allow it for a person who has demonstrated maturity and is older than an impressionable 18 year old?

Plain Anabaptists don't think of the Bible as a legislative text, full of "dos" and "don'ts". We also don't think just because the Bible never says not to do something that doing it is automatically a good idea for Christians.

Because it smells of forcing young ladies to wait until they are above marriageable age before they can pursue a career other than marriage. If that is the case, and it appears to be, that is simply wrong on so many levels. It is a simple abuse of church authority.

[JohnH]

Because it smells of forcing young ladies to wait until they are above marriageable age before they can pursue a career other than marriage. If that is the case, and it appears to be, that is simply wrong on so many levels. It is a simple abuse of church authority.

... "above marriageable age"? In what universe can women not get married when they're 25 or 30?

[cmbl]

Plain people with 8th grade education often have a distorted idea of higher education. Perhaps they hire people from the top 1% of their classes.

What do you mean by the last sentence?

In my experience, Plain people think people who have gone through higher education are very smart. Or they imagine a college education really confers some high level knowledge. I think most who have been in higher education know this is not true, but its the feeling i get from Plain anabaptists I know.

As Chesterton said, "Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously."

[cmbl]

In my experience, Plain people think people who have gone through higher education are very smart. Or they imagine a college education really confers some high level knowledge. I think most who have been in higher education know this is not true, but its the feeling i get from Plain anabaptists I know.

I think this condition of too much deference to the educated contributed to the apostasy of Mennonite church in the mid-to-late 20th century.

[Ernie]

Something around 5-15% of our graduating students go to a "traditional" academy.

OJ and HK, what percentage of the North American young people in your constituency go to college?

You can differentiate between Plain congregations and those that are not.

[cmbl]

It is based on experience that younger people are more vulnerable to spiritual deception and to being talked into abandoning living a Christian life. A person at 30 is, generally speaking, more mature than age 20 or age 16.

Indeed. My wife and I have discussed similarly for possible college education for daughters the Lord may give us.

So it’s fine at thirty but not twenty?

Can you Biblicaly justify that?

Because it smells of forcing young ladies to wait until they are above marriageable age before they can pursue a career other than marriage. If that is the case, and it appears to be, that is simply wrong on so many levels. It is a simple abuse of church authority.

Well...in the context of the church supporting widows, Paul wrote, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house..."

[Judas Maccabeus]

It is based on experience that younger people are more vulnerable to spiritual deception and to being talked into abandoning living a Christian life. A person at 30 is, generally speaking, more mature than age 20 or age 16.

Indeed. My wife and I have discussed similarly for possible college education for daughters the Lord may give us.

So it’s fine at thirty but not twenty?

Can you Biblicaly justify that?

Because it smells of forcing young ladies to wait until they are above marriageable age before they can pursue a career other than marriage. If that is the case, and it appears to be, that is simply wrong on so many levels. It is a simple abuse of church authority.

Well...in the context of the church supporting widows, Paul wrote, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house..."

That is clearly out of context for the issue at hand. I could easily give you a number of verses that would discourage marriage for many. It is simply not within the authority of the church to mandate that decision, either directly or indirectly.

[Anthony]

What do you mean by the last sentence?

In my experience, Plain people think people who have gone through higher education are very smart. Or they imagine a college education really confers some high level knowledge. I think most who have been in higher education know this is not true, but its the feeling i get from Plain anabaptists I know.

As Chesterton said, "Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously."

This does not mean that the Plain people i know actually listen to the opinions of educated people, some of my “educated” liberal opinions are not super appreciated (animal welfare, scientific worldview, eclectic views on faith). I generally keep those to myself. I imagine its more like a romantic picture that is encouraged by having no contact with any college educated people. Similar to how the world might have a romantic picture of the Amish being quaint wholesome farmers.