The lifestyles of horse and buggy Mennonites will be examined next month at the annual Mennonite history conference at the University of Winnipeg.

Professor Royden Loewen says there are some 4 thousand Old Order Mennonites in southern Ontario and another 70 thousand in Central and South America who have descended from Canada. They live in close-knit agrarian communities.

He notes these people have chosen to maintain a very simple way of life, although they have adopted some modern technologies. Loewen says, "Of course they always have to make decisions. Is the cell phone okay? Is it okay if you don't ask about it? It's kind of like a don't ask, don't tell policy on cell phones and so there's constant adaptations. But one thing that these particular folks are very, very stringent on is only horse and buggy for transportation, only steel wheels on tractors and no electricity. There are some things that seem to be non negotiable and other things that, of course, they always have to ask about whether or not this is a compromise to their faith."

Loewen says the commitment to simplicity and self reliance is fascinating amidst our rat race society. He adds they don't run to governments to seek help whenever they encounter challenges. They believe simplicity is the Christian way of living.

The purpose of the conference is to better understand these horse and buggy Mennonites. Loewen says, "It's a conference that truly tries to understand who they are. We're not trying to romanticize them but we're certainly not going in there trying to criticize them either." Anthropologists, historians, linguists, economists, people specializing in women's studies and sociologists will examine their way of life.

The conference is called "Anti-Modern Pathways" and will take place October 21st and 22nd at the U of W. It is open to the public.

Here is the complete interview with Royden: