Fox News Coming to Canada

[Ben Kenobi]

I did business with the Mennonites (old order) north of Waterloo years ago. Very interesting. Most memorable day was when an older guy cracked what I reasoned to be a somewhat off-colour joke....

Old-order Mennonites are much more conservative than I am.

I think it interesting though, that NYE regards me as both a Mennonite and a Catholic.

[Ben Kenobi]

They also have the obvious gene pool problem. Their numbers are too small in any one area and as I understand it there is a rotation of women with other like communities on occasion (Ben would probably be a better source on this score however). There are old order communities out west as you are no doubt aware.

Actually, I never grew up in one of these communities so I know little. I became a Mennonite after going away to university in the city.

I find them a good people despite my obvious religious differences (topic only came up once when I discussed the different restrictions they seem to live by with a Mennonite - ie some will drive a car but others won't). They live a life I wouldn't want but on the whole it works for them. Community and family are everything and when contrasted with the neighbouring cities it sure shows.

These are the old order folks. The group of Mennonites that I belong too, are very similar to the Baptists you find across the US.

Maybe my experiences make it easier for me to 'tolerate' Ben than many of the posters here. I wasn't aware of his particular religious bent before...

I haven't spent much time with the conservative Mennonite groups, so I find your observations interesting.

[Ben Kenobi]

The net result was that the environment my mother came from and from where I come from is fairly tolerant as well. I too can understand Ben, if I don't always agree with him.

Neat. So you have more contact than I've had.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Old-order Mennonites are much more conservative than I am.

I think it interesting though, that NYE regards me as both a Mennonite and a Catholic.

I thought that you had said something along those lines. Maybe I recall incorrectly.

[Ben Kenobi]

No, I don't mean at all that you are incorrect to say this.

Rather, perceptive.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Ned
Yeah, and you are the ones that think the BBC is unbiased.

We just had a thread on the BBC. I think you will find this was NOT the conclusion I arrived at after asking those with a contrary position to prove the independence of the BBC.

Ben -

I wondered obout the Catholic/Mennonite mixture. My knowledge of the different faiths is limited but I understood the Mennonites I dealt with to be of Protestant extraction. And yes, they are obviously a very conservative group though I confess, I don't know if thay are at all politically active (topic NEVER came up).

I did assume you were not old order. Not simply b/c of your use of technology. Although this is obviously a good clue I did business with more than one old order business with a PC on the desk...

Became Mennonite at university? I attended Waterloo where there is a Mennonite College (Conrad Grebel). I even managed to squeeze in a course or two from there. Peace and Conflict studies of course.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Wezil


We just had a thread on the BBC. I think you will find this was NOT the conclusion I arrived at after asking those with a contrary position to prove the independence of the BBC.

Good to hear that. At first blush, I would find it amazing that anyone would long tolerate a publicly funded network that had a strong political bias one way or the other. This is almost like being forced to pay taxes to fund the opposite party. Many conservatives here in United States are continuously outraged that public monies continue to fund the very leftist Public Broadcasting Service for this very reason.

[Wezil]

Originally posted by Ned
Good to hear that. At first blush, I would find it amazing that anyone would long tolerate a publicly funded network that had a strong political bias one way or the other. This is almost like being forced to pay taxes to fund the opposite party. Many conservatives here in United States are continuously outraged that public monies continue to fund the very leftist Public Broadcasting Service for this very reason.

I do not receive BBC (we get BBC World which strangely enough is independant of government...) so I can not speak to any bias at the BBC one way or the other. I suspect that since the governing board is appointed by government and funding is provided by government the possibility of bias is there. Just saying you are independant doesn't make it so.

[Standup]

Is the suggestion that the BBC has a left wing bias or is just bias towards the government of the day?

From what i've read and seen every Government (Tory or Labour) complains about the bias of the BBC against them.

[Frozzy]

Many conservatives here in United States are continuously outraged that public monies continue to fund the very leftist Public Broadcasting Service for this very reason.

So let's make PBS moderate! (IOW "compassionate conservative")

[Ned]

Originally posted by Standup
Is the suggestion that the BBC has a left wing bias or is just bias towards the government of the day?

From what i've read and seen every Government (Tory or Labour) complains about the bias of the BBC against them.

I hardly think that the BBC is pro-Tory in any manner whatsoever. I think it is anti-Labor only to the extent that Labor has good relations with a Republican president.

[Dinner]

What type of ignoramus would claim PBS as a network is liberal? There are liberal shows and there are conservative show and there are even nonpolitical shows on PBS. What I've see is some reactionary doesn't like a certain show on the network and so he comes running out screaming about how liberal PBS is.

There are tons of conservative shows on PBS. Has anyone ever seen the McLaughlin Group?

[JimmyCracksCorn]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


a) Jimmy is American
b) He does not, AFAIK play hockey at a professional level

Yeah, Ned. I'm a New England Yankee living in Canada. Thats a double blow to you.

And no, I don't play hockey either. I can't even skate.

[Ben Kenobi]

I wondered obout the Catholic/Mennonite mixture. My knowledge of the different faiths is limited but I understood the Mennonites I dealt with to be of Protestant extraction. And yes, they are obviously a very conservative group though I confess, I don't know if thay are at all politically active (topic NEVER came up).

They are very much Protestant, moreso than many of the other Protestants, particularly the mainline Anglicans, Lutherans and Calvinists. They also tend to shun political activism, you won't find many Mennonites involved in politics, and if you do see them, chances are they didn't grow up in a Mennonite family.

However, what's been happening over the last while, and this is something my Catholic friends have noticed, is that Mennonites tend to not do so well in the cities, where there are much fewer Mennonite churches than they are in the country.

Living in the city, makes it difficult to attend a Mennonite church, so who do most of these Mennonites in the city hang out with? Of all people, Catholics. I know so many young Catholics, more young Catholics than Mennonites due to the fact that I live in the city.

Another thing they have also noticed, if you study the history, the two churches have been moving closer together, rather than further apart. The Anglicans have recently been pushing away from everybody else, along with the United church here in Canada, which is a union of various mainline groups.

So what they are finding, is rather than pushing away these protestants who are in agreement with the Catholic church on the issues of the day, they have been trying to collaborate more with them. This is a direct benefit of Vatican II declaring us separated brethren, it's much easier for both sides to relate to the other, when we give each other credit for what we share in common, as being greater than the differences.

Became Mennonite at university? I attended Waterloo where there is a Mennonite College (Conrad Grebel). I even managed to squeeze in a course or two from there. Peace and Conflict studies of course.

You'd do well to take those courses. It's one of the things that makes Mennonites Mennonites.

[Wezil]

Good info Ben. Thanx.