The people living in these communities, or colonies, belong to the largest, oldest, and most successful communal societies in the Western World. Named after Jakob Hutter, an Anabaptist leader during the Protestant Reformation in 16th century Austria and Moravia, Hutterites are one of four surviving Anabaptist groups - the others are the Mennonites, the Amish, and the Brethren in Christ. While these groups have similar beliefs, including adult believers' baptism and pacifism, the Hutterites differ primarily in their practice of communal ownership of property and communal living. In fact, they believe that salvation lies in communal living as practiced in the New Testament, Acts 2. Since their beginnings, their search for religious freedom and exemption from military service has taken them from Moravia to Hungary, Romania, the Ukraine, America, and Canada.
Hutterite society is different from mainstream North American society in obvious ways.
The close-knit cultural and religious communities follow unique traditions and dress in fashions that appear outlandish to outsiders. However, look past the appearance and you discover that their cultural and religious affiliations are not that much different from western orthodox traditions after all. Furthermore, meet individuals from these communities and you find they are hardly mysterious people as many people think. What makes the Hutterites so striking in North America, in spite of their own modern communities, are their appearance and customs reminiscent of centuries long past. But their lifestyle and religion should not be considered merely the eccentricities of a folk group that has not yet caught up with the times.