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Mennonites are pacifists. This is a denomination that goes back to the 16th century. They have practiced non-violence for centuries. During the Protestant Reformation, they were persecuted by both Catholics and other Protestants because they believed in a strict separation of church and state. They were also persecuted because they were Anabaptist--they only baptized adults, not children or infants. Many were killed since they refused to defend themselves when attacked.

They are not anti-American. They just don't believe in using violence of any sort. They are conscientious objectors. When drafted into the armed services during past wars, they served in non-combantant roles.

This is a private college. My guess is that they take no government funding. Given their traditions, there is no reason why they would play the national anthem at sporting events.

I’d sooner see a private school choose to abstain from a song that it believes glorifies wrongful violence (even though that’s not at all the intended meaning in context, good grief the last line even qualifies it with “when our cause it is just”) than to teach that trampling flags and carrying out other obscene anti-patriotic street drama is cool.

Given their traditions, there is no reason why they would play the national anthem at sporting events.
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Correct...this is really ‘old news’. Even the article cites “Historically, playing the National Anthem has NOT been among Goshen Colleges practices...etc”
So this isn’t a practice that was thought up yesterday.

Go to a ball game with multiple fields and ‘the norm’ is if a game is in progress and another is just starting they DON’T stop the game in progress to observe the Anthem being played for the game just starting....(at least at the majority of the HS games I have been to this spring).
I really figure in this case better to let the kids get used to it. Oh yes, the kids do have a ‘team meeting’ prior to their games with no coaches present...heads bowed etc...don’t imagine they are praying now do you....

Few years back - as a civilian - I was exiting Fort Dietrick MD when Evening Colors were being observed...I exited my vehicle and stood at attention while the car behind me started blowing his horn. (I wasn’t impeding anything because the MP’s had ‘stopped’ what they were doing). Last I saw of the ‘horn blower’ was a couple of MP’s had him pulled over “inspecting his vehicle” etc...

Mennonites are pacifists.

I believe that strict pacifism is fundamentally evil. They depend upon others to protect them, while indulging in feelings moral superiority over the "violent" defenders.

Finally when a situation arises where one of them must use force to protect those he loves, he is proclaimed as being sinful for practicing violence. They give their members a choice between laying down their lives, or laying down their souls.