Opinion: Holdeman Mennonites - Wholesome Simplicity or Twisted Cult?
Opinion piece submitted by Jules Penner, a former member of Church of God in Christ Mennonite. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Holdeman Reporter.
A common sight in South Eastern Manitoba, Holdeman Mennonites have previously been known for their quiet lifestyles and active involvement in community projects. However, with the rise of awareness surrounding abuse, both sexual and otherwise, former church members are coming out with accounts of the horrendous neglect found in the church communities. As more and more victims come forward it becomes more and more apparent that the Holdeman Church is a sinister cult, taking advantage of religious freedom to foster an environment that is more of a safe place for the abuser than the victim. The biggest part of the church’s control over its members is the secrecy they practice and as a survivor of this cult myself, I believe that once that is eradicated, the abuse will no longer flourish.
See Also: Opinion: Is the Holdeman Church Responsible for Abuse Among its Members?
In 2016, Clayton Peaster pressed charges against the Holdeman Church after he was sexually abused by his mother’s husband David. He says when he confided in the church deacon about the abuse, he was called a liar. The church was aware of what happened and brought it up at a meeting, resulting in David’s church membership being suspended for only ten days and the police were never notified. An attorney at the trial stated that “Putting children in peril by refusing to report sexual abuse is common for Holdeman Mennonite churches.” Clayton expressed that he wanted the church to release a statement on how abuse is handled. The church obliged and called for meetings of members only in each congregation to go over the policy. It seemed a good thing but myself and other members recall the statement read at the meetings as completely different than the one released to the public, heavily insinuating that the reason the policy was made up was not to help victims get justice but to prevent the church from being sued. One member recalls the first sentence as beginning “Due to the litigious nature of the world we live in” which conveys in my opinion, a complete lack of priority for the victims. Another member recalls abuse victims being punished if they went straight to the police instead of first asking the church elders permission to report what happened to them. The whole system reeks of control and of intentions to keep abuse as secret as possible. I believe that if they were forced to make the discussions of their member’s meetings publicly available, they would no longer uphold many of their practices.
See Also: “No Recording Event. No Photos.” — Holdeman Mennonite Church Leaders to Conference-Goers
Another horrific secret of the church is the pedophilic rituals they conduct on newly baptized members, who can be as young as nine years old. A church service is held to celebrate the baptism and at the end of the service, the child is forced to kiss the rest of the church members on the lips. Hannah Prosser says in one of her TikTok videos. “I will never forget how dirty it made me feel…just after I had been baptized, a line formed of females and one by one…kissed us on the lips. Between that day and the next couple years I am estimating I kissed approximately two hundred different people on the lips.” This abuse started at the time she was 14 and continued long after the initial church service with members being forced to use it as a greeting when they visit each other’s homes. Evidence of the church’s guilt lies in another of Hannah’s statements where she recalls “I did ask the ministers and other people why, if this holy kiss was so holy, were we only supposed to exchange these holiest of kisses on Holdeman Mennonite property or in the Holdeman Mennonite Church…If it was so holy, why did we also not greet each other with the holy kiss at the grocery store. But the thing is, it’s kept a little bit of a secret.” This alone strongly indicates the church knows full well they are abusing children.
See Also: Holy Kiss and Shunning on Agenda at Holdeman Mennonite General Conference
Another practice hidden by the church is the abuse of former members. Those who withdraw their membership are bullied at about every social interaction, with members refusing to even shake their hands or share a meal together. Again though, these practices are only carried out in private, while in public they strive to maintain their image as kind hearted people. As a church that claims to be pro-life, they do not seem to care about how many ex-members of theirs have been depressed or suicidal because of their treatment of them. It is shocking and disgusting that they are not only encouraged to bully those of different faith but threatened with the same treatment if they do not.
Se Also: Over 400 Excommunicated from Church of God in Christ Mennonite in Single Year, Records Indicate
As horrific as these stories are, they are a common tragedy in the Holdeman Church. Religious freedom is misused and abused and a system has been built that thrives on secrecy and I believe the only way to discontinue this abuse is to make this secrecy impossible to maintain. Church meetings should be required to be publicly available and regular visits should be made by Child Protective Services to the homes and schools. Sex education should be mandatory so children would be aware of the sexual abuse that is being forced to kiss adults on the lips. The whole system is built on keeping members uneducated and isolated. That in itself is abuse and once that is abolished, I believe the abuse cases will drastically reduce.
Works Cited:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFF5Y6RB/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFF5BL8e/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFFPEarR/
https://www.snapnetwork.org/id--abuse_victim_sues_mennonites_support_group_responds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVuTGKKE5oQ
I have also included a fair amount of my own personal experience as I used to be a church member.
Opinion pieces represent the views of their authors and are not neccessarily the views of The Holdeman Reporter.
