Mennonites: Better Than Most Societies Today @Best Documentary

Watch on YouTube · 2025-06-16 · 34 min

0:00 Hi guys, as suggested by a subscriber, I'm gonna be reviewing a documentary about the Mennonites.

[video] 0:10 It's a journey back in time, in Central America. Boys in overalls and hats, girls in long dresses.

[video] 0:21 All of them are part of an intriguing community known as the Mennonites, ultra-conservative Protestants who wish to escape the modern world.

0:30 I can respect that, not in this way necessarily, but it's better to live like this than the way most people live today, but we'll see how they live.

0:44 Good, the longer back you go, culturally I suppose, the better it is, of course, because everything used to be better, so to speak.

1:01 girls on one side boys on the other they're reciting passages from the bible i would if anything replace this with the worshiping nature thanking nature then this wouldn't even be so bad in german this morning the youngest children are learning the alphabet Yeah, the problem is that usually what religions call evil is nature, unfortunately. That's the biggest problem with religions.

[video] 1:37 They follow the letters with a wooden pointer.

1:44 the older children are reading the new testament in gothic lettering no foreign languages no history or geography the bible is there no history okay why would you need it you learn lies anyway no geography okay also just live where you live also what's the point of it naturally there's no point only manual Oh zing this is all cool except that I should write a nature Bible and then you would have a community where they read nature Bible not that you really need that but if anything if children should be reading something it should be about how nature works the thing is though that they already understand it intuitively

2:36 Books are only good, and this should be clearly understood, to reprogram people. Books are not needed to learn anything naturally. That's why a book would be unnecessary, for my example, because every human is already naturally born, knowing what is good and bad for the human. but uh when you get programmed then when you switch to a religion or the religion itself can also do that then you get programmed because uh there's a natural human being and the natural human being usually gets programmed nowadays to believe whatever in this case it's a religion Other times, usually today in the West, it would be the media and the school that does the programming. But whatever the case, it's to reprogram you, to change you into a different being, which you can't really, but you can suppress your nature, kind of.

[video] 3:36 Triviality and reacting.

[video] 3:39 Oh, that's great Ideally no school at all, but at least they don't learn any garbage

3:58 Well, the garbage that we learned today, I would rather have gone to this kind of a school in comparison. And then at 13, you're done. Huh? I like it.

[video] 4:10 Is the ruling of the community. But this is how we learned from when I went to school and my father and my grandfather went to school.

4:16 That's how we always actually in comparison to my school experience. This actually seems like heaven to me. Don't get me wrong. It's not ideal by any means. It's not natural or anything to sit at a desk reading a book. But compared to what I learned, all the garbage, how the teachers treated us. Yeah.

[video] 4:44 No universities, not any high school, college or anything.

4:49 Yeah, good. Because why would you need it? What do you learn in high school or in college? Give me one useful thing.

4:58 You could say in the system, you can learn how to be a surgeon and you can save people's lives. I'll agree with that. Yeah. If you live in the system anyway, there's some useful jobs out there. Pretty much less than 1% of the jobs that we have. But the rest, it's not even necessarily useless. They are harmful.

[video] 5:18 Studying is practicing life, learning. You see what the father is doing with his hands.

5:27 abram left school to learn to be a blacksmith like his father he has 20 children three of his 60 grandchildren right on 20 children yeah because uh you start having children and then yeah just mathematically it just makes sense to have 20 plus children naturally because that's how it always used to be because what else are you gonna do in nature you hunt you eat and you're intimate and you never protect yourself against having children so you will have 20 plus children so this i love about this community that's why i said some guys who emailed me who were considering going there and just faking being religious and i said do it because realistically compared to how we live now if you don't see a natural way out of the system

6:21 if i was in this situation i was in my early 20s i don't know maybe i would just fake being religious and try to join them i don't know if that's possible apparently it is according to at least one guy but there's more guys who want to do this join the amish or the mennonites i would say mennonites are better because the mennonites live better lives than the amish today because the amish have kind of drifted away and drifted more into technology But in this kind of community, I would take that any day over our slave system today. It's also a form of slavery, but I like it better.

[video] 6:59 Hmm, interesting. The closer you are to nature, that's true.

7:12 remember once meeting the super Christian family they had maybe 10 plus children something still a lot for German standards yeah this was a in a deep forest in Germany and I remember them saying something about Christ and i just said oh i love it that you have that many children compared to german families today it's natural to do that and he just said yes but that's because christ told us that it is something like that about christ again so they can never stop talking about that still it's closer to nature it's just kind of sad to me when I hear Christ and religions all the time instead of just understanding yeah this is just our human nature it's what we're supposed to do we don't do it because of some book we do it because it's innate

8:12 Yeah, their language is kind of like German and Dutch mixed. I do understand most of it. I also, when I visited the Amish, spoke German to them. They do understand it.

8:37 interesting because things were changing then i wonder why but good that they did yeah there's communities all over the place in bolivia for example yeah devout protestants they strictly adhere to the doctrine of a dutch priest from the 16th century they lead a life of rigor and discipline there are nearly 300 Do they really? It doesn't really seem like it to me. It seems more like they live pretty comfy lives compared to people today. Look at this. This is life. Would people like this run marathons? Never in a million years. Would they obsess over money, money, money, which doesn't exist? Would they play video games? If they go hunt or at least slaughter the animals on the farm, do they need that kind of stupid stuff, man?

9:37 Fuck all the modern shit. Fuck, this pisses me off in a good way. This modern life pisses me off when I see this. Fuck, man, why did I grow up where I grew up? I wish I grew up in a family like this, man.

[video] 9:50 And 50,000 traditional Mennonites in the world. They are almost completely self-sufficient, living in colonies with their own schools, churches, and trade. This isolation helps to protect them from the temptations of the modern world.

10:02 Look how tanned the children are from the sun. It's not really necessarily their natural climate. That's all right.

[video] 10:12 For the first time, one of the most closed off communities in the world has agreed to be filmed.

[video] 10:19 In this private universe, life revolves around the Bible. Everything is systematized, even the color of their clothes.

10:25 She has visible under eye bags, dark eye circles. They do not get the best food. I would say that they eat better, but I've seen the Amish eat pretty bad food, pretty grain-based, unfortunately.

[video] 10:41 You just have to wear this kind of dresses. It's against our religion if you do all kinds of different clues. Here, the rules are very strict.

10:48 There are severe consequences... Yeah, some kind of soup... ...if they are broken.

[video] 11:00 Unfortunately, there are several temptations. A few months ago, Franz allowed a forbidden object into his house, a mobile phone. I know the reality. Now I do not feel guilty. I see there are so many good things in it.

11:17 It's kind of like with food today. There's all kinds of drugs in food, all kinds of junk around you, which gives you this temporary peace. kind of pleasure illusion of pleasure but of course it makes you feel horrible and it ruins your gut it makes you unhappy really but in the moment that's how it is that's why you need to just stay away from it you just need to realize what it is that's it i'm talking about raw meat now of course how are you going to eat raw organs for the most part if you have all the junk around you You just have to realize that it's all a trap, same as the phones. It's the only way. Otherwise you will be lured into the matrix.

[video] 12:03 Belling and challenging the very foundation of the doctrine. Wilhelm, the doctor, was excommunicated. And their mind, like a cell phone, is made by Satan.

12:15 okay and it's not even wrong i don't believe in satan as such an actual being that has horns but i actually made a video on telegram called satan took over the earth 100 years ago something like that where i talk exactly about this because really when you look at it electricity and technology is not a normal human invention tell me what you want i'm never going to believe it when you look at the way these things are built and how they slowly came out when you actually open up anything a phone a computer and that we have electricity all of a sudden running through our houses

13:01 I'm totally on their side. I wouldn't call it Satan necessarily. I called it Satan for fun in the video, but yeah, it's unnatural. It's the same thing for me.

[video] 13:14 So, can Satan do anything? Nothing. Abram is against any change. Just like pioneers, he and several other families have gone in search of the last untouched areas of civilization. They hope to create an ideal community deep in the heart of the Amazon. He lives on this farm, which he built himself.

[video] 13:33 He's married to Elizabeth, and they have seven children.

[video] 13:38 There are the twins, Anna and Katarina, aged 15. Then there is Agata, aged 13, and Elizabeth, aged 10. Abraham and Peter are six and eight. And finally, there is Sarah, who is four years old.

13:51 When you look at the development, as I said, they don't get very bad food. It's all right.

14:01 Nutritionally speaking, it's kind of in the middle, probably.

[video] 14:09 This is the norm for the Mennonites. The families are usually composed of between 7 and 12 children. They lead a simple life. A few fields, a chicken coop and some cows are enough to feed the family. The girls take care of the livestock.

14:31 every girl or boy on earth would have rather milked the cows or taken the eggs from the chickens instead of sitting at the desk reading nonsense which you will never need in your life i guarantee you that they also do that but i guess not that often right how often do they go to school i don't know maybe just some days and not for nine hours or something i think that i grew up in a really bad schooling system because we went to school at six in the morning basically or like seven depending on the day and then we came back home past three so we were in school eight to nine hours i only recently found out that in germany for example you only go to school for like six seven hours or something way less

15:28 The Latvian schooling system is torture for children.

[video] 15:35 Franz works from home. He's a mechanic. In his workshop, he repairs engines for clients who live outside of the community. On average, he earns around $500 a month.

[video] 15:46 His daughter, Katarina, is 15 years old. She left school two years ago. Since then, she's been working with her father. If you have only girls, that's why she have to do jobs like this. If you had boys, big boys in that age, I think she would have to work inside, and the boys would have to do this job. This is probably a job for boys. The roles in a Mennonite household are clearly established. The women take care of the home, the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry. And they are also in charge of sewing clothes for the whole family. But even in this domain, the rules are very strict. William, the leader of the community, is equivalent to the mayor. He also has seven children.

16:20 he agreed to explain their doctrine to us he invited us to his home for a meal the only source of light is the oil lamp in his house electricity is forbidden that's great yeah awesome really i would also love to live like that if i could somehow have a farm or survive yeah that's how it used to be not long ago just a hundred years ago most places on earth didn't have electricity it's good that they don't go along with the satanic system the decor is sparse there are no paintings on the walls only the bare minimum i would love to know what they eat but i guess that they won't show that like i said before some kind of soup a thicker soup maybe with the cream dairy probably some meat bones cartilage whatever

17:21 some kind of yeah some kind of plant puree is something really hard to say it's not the best but compared to what children eat today it's going to be better i would strongly assume the girls are seated on both sides while the leader Look, I would rather pray as a child to God and thank him for my dinner than not do that and get fries made in vegetable oils with pizza or something, toast and some kind of stuff. Okay, they probably also eat bread. I don't see it right now, but you get what I'm saying.

[video] 18:06 and his son sit at the head of the table. The meal is conducted in silence. This is a tradition that the Mennonites have carried on for centuries. On the menu, beans, a simple vegetable soup.

18:16 Ah, beans, okay. Because they just don't have enough food probably for everyone. I don't think that they actually believe that beans are ideal for humans. Vegetable soup? Really just made out of vegetables only? I don't think so. Nobody who's religious does that. A vegetable soup with meat inside. That's realistic.

[video] 18:36 and sausages. It's like living in the 19th century.

18:39 Sausages, but there's good stuff in the sausages compared to the sausages of today, if they make them themselves. So that's okay.

19:07 basically this is from nature's perspective true that you shouldn't have any contact with this stuff because it's not gonna make you happy that's why not because it's about the heaven on the surf not because you're not going to go to heaven in your afterlife that sounds danish to me the law is absolute either you obey the rules or you are banished from the community

[video] 19:49 But in this day and age, is it still possible to maintain this austerity?

[video] 19:56 When he had to buy a telephone for work, he's taking a huge risk by showing it to us.

[video] 20:03 Before when I saw a phone or something or I had used it a little bit, I feel very guilty. I feel very guilty. Now I know the reality. Now I do not feel guilty. I see there are so many good things in it. Franz discovered the internet and a new love for music. The rhythm of country music has revolutionized his family's life. Is that very fascinating? They really like their new life. It's a new life.

20:32 Look at the eyes, how focused she is on it, because it's so foreign. It's like alien technology. It's so abnormal to have something in your hand and have images and sound coming out of it. It's just so abnormal to our natural mind. That's why the fascination.

[video] 20:52 For us, really. Before, we had never seen any music, so... We could never have any...

21:02 I wouldn't say that there's necessarily anything wrong with music as such, seeing as all kinds of tribes also sing. That's a sort of music by definition. It's when you get down to listening to the crazy frequency music or call it whatever you want, but there's just music out there, which really alters your state of being. I know this from experience.

21:33 It's as if some music is pure depression, especially pop music.

[video] 21:38 Pleasure. It's a good pleasure for them.

[video] 21:43 But suddenly, Franz has to switch off his phone.

21:52 Why would he do that? Oh, because they would never watch it, so they would never see the documentary. That's interesting, because otherwise he would have never done that for the documentary.

[video] 22:05 For my brother, yes, I have to hide my phone because, not really, but I don't like to see them mad. If they don't see the phone, they will be more happy to me. Maybe in the future they will start to know more about the reality. Even around his brother, Franz has to be careful. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

22:32 You do notice some acne, but as we can see, the diets are not ideal by any means.

[video] 22:51 The young couple don't have many possessions, so they want to take everything with them. Bowls, pans, and all their wedding gifts. Everything has to fit into these two suitcases. They are not the only ones leaving the colony. Around 40 families are joining them on this slightly crazy project. The children savor their ice cream. They only eat it once or twice a year.

23:33 I thought more like once or twice a month, once or twice a year. That's good, although ice cream, I think, is better than eating beans. I know there's probably some artificial garbage in there, but still.

[video] 23:46 The children rarely leave their colony, so going into...

23:58 Overall, still the people seem happier, maybe more content, something like that. You just get a different kind of vibe from them. I don't think that it has to do with the religion. I know religious people who are super miserable.

[video] 24:18 Shops is a real spectacle for them.

[video] 24:23 This is the first time Sara, the youngest child, has ever been inside one.

[video] 24:29 She is astonished.

[video] 24:41 It's the first time that she had been in town. We have to go by to a chipped yard, but not stop in town and walk around like this. She feels happy, but she would like to carry the whole store.

25:02 Even though France doesn't have all of these toys for children are made with these very bright colors on purpose because it's supposed to attract them to put it simply usually colors such as bright orange those would be dangerous colors really for the most part some dangerous toad or something but whatever the case it's very strange there's no such thing it's rare in nature not that there's no such thing at all and that's why when kids look at cartoons very colorful or all these toys they are fascinated by them they just want them they watch them during a music session with a new guitar that their father just bought them

[video] 25:53 This guitar is forbidden in the colony.

[video] 25:58 Their cousin Margaret is with them. She speaks English, so she acts as an interpreter for us. Would you like a home to live in, or would you like a house to live in? We would like a house, but not a house.

[video] 26:24 Before this, Margaret lived in a more open Mennonite colony in Canada. She'll soon be getting married here, so she'll have to make some sacrifices. Do you listen to music? Well, I only know Selena Gomez and Henrique Iglesias. And which one is the other one? Akon. It's... Oh, I know. There was some more, but I don't know it on the name. And you like it? Sometimes, yes, but now I can't listen to that anymore. Why? Because I want to get married, and first I have to... to tell the priestess that I will be a good girl. I will not do that anymore, and I will be a Christian. I have to say that all before I marry, because the priestess told us not to listen to music, or to drink, or everything.

27:16 really it's good recommendations overall because even though like i said before the music may seem joyful and it's made to be catchy and kind of addictive on purpose i don't know what it is really is it the frequencies or whatever when i listen to something like acorn from back in the day it it's like it kills my cells it depresses me so much i just need to shut it off it's so bad that kind of mainstream music them forbidding all of this stuff from satan is overall really good uh i know that all of this colorful stuff and these strange sounds are appealing to a young human being's mind because it's so abnormal what is going on it's like magic kind of really but uh the older ones who get it they are doing a good job

[video] 28:16 Alcohol. You can't drink alcohol or smoke or anything. It's a big workload, isn't it? Sometimes, but not all the time. For these girls, it's hard to break the rules, even if this family is slightly more open to modernity.

[video] 28:34 Apples, vitamins. That's funny, yeah.

[video] 28:47 Abram has booked a seat on the first boat to Tierra Blanca, the final village before the colony. Johan, another member of the community, is accompanying him. The trek begins. Ten minutes. We'll plant carrots and all the vegetables for this one will be very, very good. Abram can already picture his new life here. On one side, it will be the house. And on the other side, there will be a shelter. And the vegetables will be here in front. And the yard, front yard. So when people come and they see, oh, OK, right here is a pretty yard and pretty vegetables. Oh, OK, happy today. Abram dreams of rebuilding a community based on authentic Mennonite traditions. Like here, we will be more isolated and more

29:37 I skipped this part, but basically they went to Peru to build a new community without all the phones and everything, which kind of infiltrated the old community as far as I understood.

[video] 29:54 Helpful, more love and everything, it will be more together, people living.

30:01 That's actually a good point because phones and all technology disconnects you. I made a video about this on Telegram. Yep.

[video] 30:13 In a year's time, 40 families and nearly 300 people will have settled in this forest. The Amazon has become the last refuge for the Mennonites.

30:34 Just thinking about how I could have grown up like this. Not that I wanted to eat beans, but I ate beans anyway as a child. Just the rest of the food would have still been better. There's not even so much about that anyway. I still like... seeing this kind of a life better than the way people live today compared to natural living no this is not what i would have wanted of course but just the contrast still the way kids grow up today at the computer tv phone disconnected because instead of

31:13 telling your stories to your parents siblings you just sit on the phone like the father did in the other community before they went to peru and that alone disconnects you you all just stare at the screen together instead of communicating with each other and of course today it's even worse because your parents are in some small town you're in the city working you call them now and then you completely disconnect from them that's really what all of this technology does to people the internet and everything it's all to disconnect us do you guys know me the ones who are watching this video you don't know me i don't know you this is what is this yeah you can uh

32:07 Inform people about more natural living and everything. That's all cool. There's slight benefits to it, but it's overall not beneficial. It's detrimental to us humans health-wise, for our mental health especially, connection-wise. Overall, it's bad anyway.

32:34 There's all kinds of benefits to unnatural stuff, but overall, at the very best, it's just going to be neutral, like a hammer. It's just a neutral object. You can use it for whatever. But other stuff is actually really just bad for us, such as computers, phones and the Internet. There's very few benefits to it. We wouldn't even need to inform people about natural living if we would be naturally living in the first place, right? What's the point of me talking about raw meat to people and waking people up if without any of this we would be eating raw meat naturally because it's innate anyway? You get what I'm saying? It's just a way to try to inform people about nature even though there should be no such thing as this kind of unnatural system in the first place. You're just kind of fighting fire with fire when you do this.

33:35 The way they do it is better because at least they go back and try to live the way they want to. I don't agree with the way they live overall, but I just like it a lot better. They have a lot of children. They eat somewhat better food, at least they eat meat. There's even people who are vegan and plant-based today, although their meals are kind of plant-based also. Or 50-50, it seems like. Still, at least they have their own animals and slaughter the animals. They don't drink the blood, for sure, because of the religion. But still... And they do seem happier. they do have bigger families they have this community this connection yeah that's all still there so it's still closer to nature even though in a lot of ways it's really removed from nature thanks for watching