TV series condemned by leaders of Anabaptist faith

The Associated Press, Thursday, June 14, 2012, 10:43am (PDT)

A TV documentary series about members of an Anabaptist community in Montana is coming under fire from the faith's bishops.

The three bishops, who represent Hutterite colonies in the U.S. and Canada, said Thursday they are "deeply disappointed" in National Geographic Channel's "American Colony: Meet the Hutterites."

The 10-part series that began airing last month provided a rare inside look at Hutterite life, focusing on the King Ranch Colony in Montana.

But Hutterite bishops, who represent the roughly 50,000 U.S. and Canadian Hutterites, called the series a "distorted and exploitative image" of Hutterites with allegedly contrived scenes and dialogue.

The channel and the production company, who had not seen the statement from bishops John Stahl, Peter Entz and John Waldner, did not have immediate comment.