Before Friday's decision to go dark, all I really knew about Bruderhof was (1) that they were a group of Christian communities who lived together in various parts of the world, and (2) they maintained a rich online presence, offering access through daily mailings, online articles, and free e-books to the ideas of such great men and women as Dorothy Day, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and Oscar Romero.
Both aspects of Bruderhof are, I think, very important in the larger world in which the “Place of Brothers” finds itself. Without a doubt, community is in short supply in this Western Civilization of ours, and perspectives on Christianity that are more than a cultural veneer are perhaps even more scarce.
But the more I dig into the story behind Bruderhof’s decision to go dark, the more troubled I am. Yesterday I posted the question "Why did Bruderhof shut down everything web-related?" on a couple of Usenet forums (most Bruderhof-related discussion sites disappeared yesterday with everything else). Among the responses, one in particular struck me:
Mr. Underwood, let me try to make sense of this. Those of us who grew up on the Bruderhof have had many experiences of this kind. - As a passionate soccer player I well remember that, upon renewed contact with the Hutterites, soccer was forbidden; yet later it was once again allowed.
- VCR movies were permitted; then the privilege was revoked.
- When money aplenty was around (Rifton Aviation Service) youth were sent to Ivy Legue Schools, only to be abruptly called back home.
- My wife, children and I once were welcome guests, and we truly appreciated our visits "home"; now we are shunned.
- Kopftuchs (head covers for women) could once be tied in the back of the neck(admittedly, a more appealing, slightly "fashionable" look!); now deacons [sic] stand outside meeting room doors to make sure all women have their K-tuchs tied under the chin. Men must have shirts tucked into trousers.
The list goes on and on. One thing is certain: Christoph's wife, Verena, has her heart-surgery- recovering husband's attention! I hope shutdown of the Bhof internet site signals serious, inhouse, soul searching: Internet articles, even those that inspire the multitudes, are relatively easy to write. Living those words is infinitely harder.
Judging by the author’s experiences, Bruderhof has a long history of laying down firm rules in order to maintain their particular standards of purity. As an outsider, it’s hard to understand why soccer is a moral issue or how a community could act in such sweeping (and alternating) ways.
Obviously participation in a community such as Bruderhof comes with the loss of personal authority. One must at times submit to the will of the community, even if that will differs from the conviction of the individual. That happens at different levels in all parts of life (family, small group or intentional community, neighborhood, city, state, nation). But it seems to me that if a community has such authority, and means to use it, they had better be careful about the laws they lay down.
It’s natural for man to want clear rules to live by. We don’t do well with uncertainties, with mystery, with the loss of control that comes with not knowing. Uncertainty produces anxiety, the psychological equivalent of pain. And it’s bad enough when individuals, in an attempt to ease that pain, block out huge portions of their world in order to find a sense of control. But when a community does that on behalf of individuals? Well, then it’s plain tragic, if not abusive.
One of the reasons I think posting to
Bring Back Bruderhof is important is because it needs to be said that Bruderhof’s decision to go dark is, in effect, a selfish decision to protect themselves from whatever dangers they see in technology at the cost of relationships with others.
Have a look at where people are posting from and what they have to say. These are real people, from all over the world, who looked to Bruderhof.com for support and inspiration. Did Bruderhof consider how their decision would affect those who have found strength and food-for-growth in the Community’s existence and encouragement? Or were they merely focusing on alleviating their own anxiety?
