Mennonite Couch Potatoes – Is it time for Mennonites to step out of the world and back in to community?

1. “Have Mennonites become to comfortable? Is the lack of a draft affecting how Mennonites react as a peace church? Would Mennonites be more proactive if there was a Draft?”

2. “How important is it to keep ones religious and cultural identity?”

3. “Can one live in the world without being consumed by or succumbing to the world?”

4. “What significance should be placed on cultural and religious heritage? Can you dismiss 500 years of heritage and convictions to accommodate a diverse population?”

5. “Should Mennonites be more proactive? Is Peaceful Civil Disobedience acceptable? Where does one draw the line between being part of the world and being separate from the world?”

6. “Do Mennonite values change to meet the worlds view or do they stand with heritage, cultural and religious history?”

What will or what does it take for Mennonites to step back to their heritage and cultural history? Do Mennonites need to have the Draft? Would it make a difference on how they took a PEACE stance? Would service to others and to the world take on a new meaning if Mennonites were faced with War on their door step?

Remember that War is always on the Door Step. It happens everyday when a family tries to decide between Beans and Rice with Chicken or a Bread and Butter Sandwich. When the elderly skip a does of blood pressure medicine so they can try and stay in their house a bit longer. War is on the door step when there is abuse in the house. The war for energy independence. The war to protect the environment. The war on drugs drags on, and on. The drug addict who has lost all hope. The child who goes to bed on the floor because his family member is an alcoholic. The struggle between big business and financial markets and making it to the end of the month. Class wars continue. The war on terror and undocumented workers.

War is not a battle of bullets, money and borders but a war of decision. Every decision that is made influences the life of someone, do we as Mennonites address those issues or are we comfortable with the world view?

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