Amish Controversies

The Amish smoke alarm issue has been ongoing for a number of years in New York state. David Belton, who made the PBS Amish documentary, has written an article on the topic for BBC. Swartzentruber Amish in northern New York have violated building codes by not installing smoke alarms in their homes, leading to fines [...]

Continue Reading Amish, smoke alarms, and eternity

This is just a heartbreaker.  A 2-year-old boy in Ohio died after severe scalding last week. Following the burn (hot water tipped onto him from the kitchen stove) he was first taken to be treated with an “Amish home burn treatment” of B and W ointment and burdock leaves. When he began going into shock [...]

Continue Reading Amish burn treatment or the emergency room?

The WANE news channel has aired a second report, of Indiana politicians discussing the Amish child buggy driver issue (see video below). The station interviewed 2 Hoosier state lawmakers. One seems a little flustered by the issue, as if he’d like to do something but can’t for reasons like religious rights. The second says that [...]

Continue Reading Amish child buggy drivers: Indiana lawmakers’ response

Is this the next road battle for the Amish?  A local news station did an investigative piece on young Amish drivers in Indiana (the Swiss Amish settlements in Allen and Adams Counties).  They discovered children aged 12, 11, and even 10 driving horse-drawn vehicles. If you’ve spent time in Amish communities, that shouldn’t come as [...]

Continue Reading Should 10-year-old Amish buggy drivers get off the road?

Sixteen defendants in the Amish beard-cutting incidents were arraigned in federal court in Cleveland yesterday. The indictments include charges of kidnapping, conspiracy, and assault.  All pleaded not guilty.  One account is here. Reading through the various media stories a few things jumped out: Six women are among the defendants. The seven men who are being [...]

Continue Reading 16 arraigned in Amish beard-cutting case

National Geographic has developed Amish: Out of the Order (you may remember this program from late 2010, featuring ex-Amishman Mose Gingerich) into a full-fledged series.  It will air in 10 parts this spring and is named, nearly identically, Amish: Out of Order. I found the original program interesting but wonder if they’ll be able to get [...]

Continue Reading Amish: Out of Order (new Nat Geo series)

Conflict over the SMV safety triangle, which has seen numerous Amish sent to jail in Kentucky, has ended. Governor Steve Beshear signed Senate Bill 75 into law yesterday.  The new law allows reflective tape to be substituted for the Slow Moving Vehicle emblem.  Amish reaction from the AP story: Atlee Miller, an Amish farmer from Franklin, [...]

Continue Reading SMV law changed for Kentucky Amish

“The flag is fine, but we’re the only nation that worships the flag. It’s very heathen. The kingdom we live in, we pledge our allegiance to God, not the flag.” That’s a quote from an Amishman in the PBS film “The Amish”. This struck me as I’ve never really thought about it in those terms. [...]

Continue Reading Pledging allegiance to the flag – or God?

Amish people can seem a little health-obsessed. At least that’s the impression you get when perusing Amish publications, filled as they often are with advertisements for a wide range of health-enhancing products.  Many Amish purchase piles of vitamins and supplements via local dealers and mail order. You can also point to the organic food movement, [...]

Continue Reading Are vitamins and supplements worth it?

Energy extraction techniques such as directional drilling and “fracking” (short for hydraulic fracturing) have become a hot issue in both Amish and mass society.  These techniques, some of which have been around for quite a while, have been hailed for their potential to transform the energy industry. Recent developments combining fracking with horizontal drilling have [...]

Continue Reading Amish, Fracking, and the Energy Industry