Talk:Mennonites in Belize
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Prssian not Russian?
My understanding is that the Mennonites are Prussian, not Russian - see http://www.northernbelize.com/cult_mennonite.html. Having visited one of the settlements, I would say that would seem to make a lot more sense. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.44.242.107 (talk) 14:35, 8 April 2011 (UTC)
Amish or Mennonite?
http://ambergriscaye.com/art2/539055_390733964368196_2091651032_n.jpg suggest that they are not Mennonite in Springfield. There is more discussion on this on that page. Without going there or asking a community member it is hard to tell. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.113.93.231 (talk) 08:20, 19 July 2013 (UTC)
No, the Springfield Community is Mennonite! But it´s correct, that they are very similar to the Amish. Springfield is in full communion with Upper Barton Creek, Scottsville/KY, Rich Hill/MI, Delano/TN etc. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.10.78.148 (talk) 23:10, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
Controversy?
Oh Wikipedians, ever diligent to interject your ignorant, irrelevant, political rants in what are supposed to be encyclopedic articles. So you wouldn't kill a jaguar if it was on or near your farm? Do you want to hear some of the stories of jaguar-human interaction that goes on in Belize (and likely any place where jaguars run into humans)? You also point out the Mennonites' disregard for the "environmental impact" of their practices, while referencing an article that states "The indigenous peoples encountered during these travels displayed conservation-minded attitudes and a true desire to save the rainforest." Let's forget about the conflict of interest in the ONE (1) article for a second, and let's also put aside briefly the fact that the group visited ONE (1) rainforest in northwestern Belize and formed an opinion about the entire Mennonite population from that. Remember it later, though.
While I'm not acquainted with every culture in Belize (I have some acquaintance with about only one third of the regions of Belize), the general sentiment among the indigenous I encountered was, "Did you bring money?" In addition, the indigenous people slash and burn every row they hoe. Have you met a Belizean, let alone a Belizean preserving something? Have you not seen the smoke in your driving through Belize?
Also, it's estimated that more Belizeans live in the USofA than in Belize. Why is that? The Belizeans I met that were coming back for visits said the most beautiful parts of Belize have become drug-infested dumps. Are you supposing they're referring to the "deforested" farms of the Mennonites?
Undoubtedly there are some Belizeans that prefer preservation, but you're not even taking into account how Belizeans use Mennonites. You're not even taking into account the orange juice and other products you probably consume that come from massively deforested plantations owned by...who's that? Not Mennonites? Interesting.
Tell me, oh activist. When you go to the average produce market in Belize, whose produce are you more likely to find to purchase, a Belizean's or a Mennonite's? And have you ever tried to hire a Belizean for work? If so, how many days out of the week did he actually show up for work? What, you didn't know that weekends were floated in Belize, and some weeks are all weekend? Now imagine that you're a Mennonite, and you're being asked to feed people who would rather go fishing than work. Hmmm, a massive chunk of the indigenous population is relying on you for supper. That's going to require higher yield. Maybe instead of using fertilizers and growth hormones, you should enlarge your farm. Oh, shnikey! Don't forget about your inordinate distaste for cutting down trees to make room for tillage. What ARE you going to do?
Look, I thoroughly enjoyed Belize when I was there, and I wouldn't truly put down the Belizeans like this because I understand it's their culture and it's really something I could envy--that is, having a complete disregard for punctuality and deadlines and its actually being OK. It sounds fantastic! This "controversy" over the Mennonites, though...what compelled you to scan the archives for a reference to some activist group's casual visitation of a few populated rainforests? It sounds like you were looking for reasons to believe.24.214.116.111 (talk) 10:59, 21 February 2014 (UTC)