The Protestant Reformation in the 1500s was a major split from the Catholic church. A further split occurred as some Christians believe the Protestants were not faithful enough to the New Testament.
These became known as the Anabaptists, meaning “rebaptizers,” insisting on baptizing adults who made a profession of faith. This rattled both Protestants and Catholics, who insisted that infant baptism was the norm. The Anabaptists stated—correctly—that infant baptism is never mentioned in the Bible.
They insisted that in other areas the New Testament teachings should be obeyed, so they followed a high moral standard based on the Sermon on the Mount. They were harshly persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants.
The Mennonites were a subgroup of the Anabaptists, and the best known group of Mennonites are the Amish (see 315).
