Reader Alyssa writes: I have one question about the Swartzentruber Amish: do they have assurance of salvation? To put it bluntly, do they have Jesus in their hearts in order to go to heaven? Are they true Christians? In fact, I think this is 2, or even 3 separate questions. Â I can take a shot at the first, though. Most Amish do not believe in…
29-year-old Eli Borntrager was killed on the road last year in Missouri. Â Borntrager’s buggy was rear-ended by a driver traveling at 70 mph. The Amish buggy is not the safest form of transport. Â For many reasons. Buggies can be difficult to see. Â Horses can spook. Â With their long bodies and front-set position, horses create a tougher sight angle when attempting to cross an intersection….
2010 was the 4th full year of this blog. Â I thought it’d be nice to look back at the year’s “best” posts. Â If you’re new here, it might also be a good way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Here, “best” means posts that got lots of responses from you, or lots of visitors, plus some personal favorites. Thanks to every one…
Florida Plain newspaper The Pinecraft Pauper gears up for season #2 The Pinecraft Pauper is a community newspaper of the Pinecraft neighborhood of Sarasota, Florida, home to a small but sturdy collection of Amish and Mennonites. The Pauper was founded by local writer Daniel Fisher, and features news, human interest stories, puzzles, cartoons, tips (“Make your own carryon luggage for pennies, by taping a cardboard…
The failure of A&M investments tests the Holmes County community A financial controversy has been playing out in the Holmes County, Ohio Amish settlement over the past few months. Â Amishman Monroe Beachy operated A&M Investments, a fund in which hundreds of locals, mainly Amish, invested money. One day early last summer, a sign appeared on the door of A&M Investments’ Sugarcreek office, reading simply: “Due…
A grab-bag of thoughts and stories for the weekend.  Enjoy! Rhymemaster B “Full of action, traction and a lot of satisfaction.”  So replied Amishman “Rhymie Aaron” when asked how he was feeling.  “Rhymie Aaron” was the nickname of Aaron Beiler, who lived most his life in Lancaster County before passing away in 1964.  I recently came across an article about him dating to last year.  Sounds…
Why do people leave the Amish? Charles Hurst and David McConnell identify two main reasons in An Amish Paradox, their study of the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio. Â According to the authors, these are “the desire for fewer lifestyle restrictions”, and “the desire for a more intense religious experience.” Ex-Amish have created a number of venues which provide support to former members. The Former Amish…
You asked some great questions. Â I originally said I would just choose some of them to answer. Â But in the end I decided to answer them all. Â It took about 5 hours, so I hope you enjoy it. Â I certainly did. But before we get to that, we have three winners of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive. Â As usual,…
“It’s like standing on the edge of a cliff with nothing but darkness…you don’t know what’s down there. Â But you just know you’re gonna jump.” National Geographic is currently airing “Amish: Out of the Order”, a program about leaving the Amish. Â I’ve posted a clip below. Â Curious to hear your comments. I’ll make two of my own: Â it’s not made clear, at least in this…
Though we’ve done quite a few book giveaways lately, I realized I’d never given away my own. Â So let’s do that! Win a copy of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive I’ve got 3 copies of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive to give away. Â If you somehow missed all the times I’ve gone on…