12-03-2015, 10:10 AM
I've seen young women getting beat by their father for dressing outside of their religious rules. There is (was now, maybe) a pizzeria in a small town near here that was a favorite hangout for teenagers that were a bit more rural. Being a reluctant city kid (which is a joke really to call this a city) I would head over every now and then. Once a week they would have karaoke, dancing, and it was all pretty teen friendly. Well, without fail each week there would be 3-4 buggies parked outside and a gaggle of Old Order Mennonite (OOM) girls would pile out and they would head straight to the bathroom, coming out in jeans and tee shirts and no prayer caps/bonnets.
I witnessed this only once, but it had apparently happened on more than one occasion over the years, where one or more of the fathers of these young ladies would show up and drag them off. Sometimes it was by the hair, sometimes by a very strong grip on the arm that you immediately knew was bruising the girl, and at least one struck his daughter across the face.
The irony that this was being exhibited my members of a peace church was not lost on me, especially as a peace church member myself, but it was an all too real reality.
I witnessed this only once, but it had apparently happened on more than one occasion over the years, where one or more of the fathers of these young ladies would show up and drag them off. Sometimes it was by the hair, sometimes by a very strong grip on the arm that you immediately knew was bruising the girl, and at least one struck his daughter across the face.
The irony that this was being exhibited my members of a peace church was not lost on me, especially as a peace church member myself, but it was an all too real reality.
