Non-resistance in a Time of War - Part One

From the days of its Anabaptist beginnings in the 16th century, the Mennonite Church and its Amish descendants have had firmly rooted convictions about non-resistance to violence and living in peace with each other and the world.

Their pacifist beliefs are based on Scripture and important church principles. Mennonites and Amish, as well as their religious "cousins," Hutterites and Brethren, try to live literally the admonition of Jesus to "... love your enemies, bless them who curse you, do good to them who hate you. ..." Principles of humility, tolerance, patience and gentleness prohibit the use of force, taking the life or liberty of another, or even passing judgment on the behavior of other people.

In the centuries since their founding, the plain people have had to suffer for these convictions. They have been criticized, punished and even martyred by societies around them, and they themselves have struggled at times to find the right response to changing conditions and situations. The Amish also hold to a traditional standard of obedience and submission to governmental authority, which sometimes comes into direct conflict with military and policing actions taken by that selfsame governmental authority.

"Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's; and unto God what is God's," Amish ministers quote from Scripture. Based on this passage, Amish and Mennonites are advised to pay their taxes and obey the laws of the land unless secular law clashes with their interpretation of God's law.

Then Paul's admonition that "we must obey God, rather than man" results in a polite but firm refusal to register for the draft, participate in military service, or even to vote or serve on a jury where one would be required to judge another.

"Martyr's Mirror," first published in 1660, records the sufferings and deaths of early Mennonites in Switzerland, who were perceived as a threat to the state government. Mennonites and their Amish brethren began to migrate to the New World in the late 1600s and early 1700s, settling primarily in William Penn's Quaker colony, where they were welcomed by a people with the same peacemaker's philosophy. The Mennonite and Amish settlers joined with their Quaker brethren in treating the local native Indians kindly and sharing food with them. But eventually, incited by French soldiers who were battling English troops for possession of the territory, and angered by treaty violations and attacks by white settlers, the Delaware Indians sent a message warning, "we have been your friends for many years, but now we have raised our hatchets against you and will not stop until we have killed you all."

This story has been handed down over 212 centuries of the massacre of the Hochstetler family in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Early in the morning of September 19, 1757, a war-like group of Indians and French scouts gathered outside the home. Two young sons picked up muskets to defend their family, but Jacob Hochstetler, believing in the doctrine of non-resistance, forbade his sons to take any lives, even to save their own. The house was set afire and as family members fled the flames, they were killed or taken into captivity. Later, the father and two sons either escaped or were set free by their Indian captors.

The American Revolution was another test of Anabaptist principles. The Mennonite attitude of humble submission to authority caused them to view the colonists actions as "rebellion and disobedience." Benjamin Hershey, a Mennonite bishop, sent a declaration to the Pennsylvania General Assembly stating, "We are not at liberty in conscience to take up arms to conquer our enemies, but rather to pray to God, who has power in Heaven and on earth, for us and for them."

The pacifists were often treated badly and their farms attacked and robbed by American patriots who were, ironically, fighting for individual liberty and the right to practice one's religion freely. In Berks County, Pennsylvania, several young Amishmen were arrested, imprisoned and sentenced to death for their refusal to carry arms. Eventually, the death sentence was commuted, but the conscientious objectors were fined and required to pay a tax to hire substitutes.

By the time the Civil War erupted, Amish and Mennonite farmers had spread to communities in western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. The moral issues involved in the war caused much anguished soul-searching and conflicting responses by different Amish congregations and individuals.

When the newly instated draft laws required either participation in war or payment of $300 to hire a surrogate, some young men in the plain community opted to pay the tax while others refused to send someone to do what they themselves were morally opposed to doing. Some young Amish men, sympathetic to the plight of slaves, enlisted before they were called.

In Medina County, John and Barbara Herr's three sons joined the Union Army, causing much grief to their parents, who wept at the thought of so many young men being sent to an untimely grave. Barbara even declared she wished her sons had died before going to kill others. But at least one Mennonite community in Wayne County systematically recorded generous contributions to the Wayne County Military Committee, which used the cash to hire and support Union recruits.

Many Amish and Mennonite farmers chose humanitarian service in place of combat, an option which would become a hallmark of Mennonite peacemakers in years to come. They cared for the families of those who had gone to war (for which the Union government had made no provision) by providing them with food and grain and raising funds to support the widows and orphans of slain combatants.

During and after the war, national conferences of Amish and Mennonite clergy sought to clarify and reinforce Anabaptist teachings of non-resistance, non-violence and nonparticipation in politics or government.

Part Two of this story will appear in the March/April issue of Amish Heartland magazine.

Sources for this article include:

The Amish in Their Own Words: Amish writings from 25 years of Family Life magazine by Brad Igou, published 1999 by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA.

Tradition and Transition by Paton Yoder, published 1991 by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA.

Peace, Faith, Nation by Theron F. Schlabach, published 1988 by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA.

Contentment: The Life and Times of Jacob Hertzler, Pioneer Amish Bishop by William R. McGrath, published by The Christian Hymnary Publishers.