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- Title
From Collective Body to Individual Mind: Religious Change in an Old Colony Mennonite Community in Belize.
- Authors
Rosessingh, Carel; Plasil, Tanja
- Abstract
The article discusses the results of ethnographic field research conducted in the Shipyard Altkolonier Mennonite Colony in Belize from January to May 2004. There are around 8,300 Mennonites living in different colonies in Belize. The Altkolonier social organization is a hierarchical structure in which everyone knows his or her place. The colony is led by the preachers and the Elder (or Bishop), who were selected by the baptized males. The preachers make sure that their members abide by the Ordnung, or system of rules. The lack of education and the high rate of illiteracy is one factor that influences the absolute power of the preachers. Meanwhile, a group of people who studied the Bible together have challenged the system of obedience to the authority of the preachers.
- Subjects
BELIZE; OLD Colony Mennonites; MENNONITE colonization; SOCIAL structure; ETHNOLOGY; CLERGY; COLONIES; BIBLE
- Publication
Journal of Mennonite Studies, 2006, Vol 24, p55
- ISSN
0824-5053
- Publication type
Article