What's God Got To Do With It?: Examining the Role of Religious Beliefs in the Secular Discipline of Mennonite History

Abstract

As a starting point for my work on Canadian Mennonite women this article examines various approaches to the issue of religion in modern historical works. It addresses the historian's dilemma of recognizing the sincerity of religion convictions while also analyzing their implications, and asks whether it is possible to fulfil one's responsibility as an historian while simultaneously recognizing the legitimacy of a religious group's faith and the role it plays in their daily lives.