Our temporary Privilegium

Our pacifist religious beliefs first took root during Europe's Reformation. As the Catholic Church lost its power over the lands which are now Switzerland and Germany, different religious beliefs could begin to be practiced. Lutherans, Calvinists, and Anabaptists were three of the religious schools of thought that flourished. These beliefs, and the churches that grew around them, are still influential today.

Pacifism emerged as a distinct belief among many Anabaptist believers, including Mennonites. Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists had few moral qualms about killing in battle, but Mennonites would simply refuse to kill. Europe had war fever, armies were being recruited, and principalities were fighting for power. To the warring powers, our refusal to kill (and more specifically our refusal to join their side and kill for their power) was seen as a threat.

So Mennonites began our long history of moving to countries that temporarily would tolerate our refusal to kill in their wars. First they went to what is now the Netherlands, then they moved across Prussia, which is now Northern Germany, parts of Poland, and nearby regions. At each stop they were tolerated until the area caught war fever. Again and again, military and political leaders viewed Mennonite pacifism as a threat to their military campaigns. We faced the choice: give up our religious views and kill for our leaders' power, or emigrate.

In the 1760s, Mennonites felt the need to get out of Prussia. They sent emissaries east to the Russian Empire to learn if there might be areas to which they could move and where their pacifist beliefs would be tolerated. They found a place and negotiated permission to move there; Russian leader Catherine the Great allowed them to move to a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine. Catherine extended a “Privilegium” to these Mennonite settlers – a policy that exempted them from being forced to kill for her country in her wars.

The Privilegium only lasted a few generations. Catherine died, a series of czars followed her, and finally the Soviet empire came to power. Each succeeding power had less and less tolerance for pacifist Mennonites. In the late 1800s, most Mennonites came to the conclusion that they could no longer live according to their pacifist beliefs in the Russian/Ukranean lands they had inhabited. The Privilegium had effectively expired. The changing values of the powers that governed their land forced each of them to make a decision: do I value my religious beliefs so much that I will emigrate to a place that tolerates them, or do I give up my religious beliefs about killing to avoid having to move.

Those who maintained their religious beliefs moved. They negotiated permission to relocate to Canada, Mexico, Paraguay, the United States, and other countries.

Since then, the United States has been mostly tolerant of Mennonites with pacifist religious beliefs. In early 2023, no one is forcing Mennonites to join the U.S. military and kill in its wars for power. We have a “Privilegium” here, for now. But history suggests that it will not be permanent. It never has been. In any country.