Mennonites in Dexter are leaving Maine for religious reasons after the Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), headed by Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, refused an accommodation that would allow them to avoid violating their religious objections to commercial insurance.
Mark Nolt, a Mennonite father of 13 living in Dexter, spoke with The Maine Wire on Wednesday about his decision to leave the state along with other members of his religious community.
“We’ve been working with the state now for six-and-a-half years on that, and just finally chose to give up and move out of state to be able to hold to our convictions,” Nolt told The Maine Wire.
Nolt explained that their troubles with Maine’s state government stem from their religious prohibition on commercial insurance, including vehicle insurance, which Maine requires.
Mennonites eschew commercial insurance for a few reasons, he explained, including a belief that they should rely on their own community for support rather than on outside corporations. According to Nolt, they also believe that insurance takes away from trust in God and leads to a more careless outlook on life.
Mennonite Community in Maine Leaving the State Over Religious Beliefs, Intransigence from Secretary of State
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