Amish Beliefs

After 15+ years of writing a blog on the Amish, from time to time I still hear from people who wish to become Amish. I usually advise people to take a look at what is attracting them to want to join the Amish. Often, I suspect, the real reasons have little to do with the […]

Continue Reading Six Reasons Why People Fail To Join The Amish

In this video I share five reasons people either a) decide not to join the Amish (that is, decide not to be baptized), or b) leave the Amish church after joining. I call it “leaving” in either case (and explain that at the beginning), even though the consequences are different. Not everyone who is born […]

Continue Reading 5 Reasons People Leave the Amish

With an eye to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, Amish Cook Gloria Yoder devotes this week’s column to the idea of giving thanks. An excerpt: No human being (or at least not me) is naturally filled with thankfulness. There’s a person I know who has gone through more pain than any human could ever tell and […]

Continue Reading Amish Cook: Giving Thanks

In this video I explain why Amish don’t want – or maybe the better word is “need” – outsiders to join them. The Amish are not a group which seeks converts. That said, some churches are more seeker-friendly. For anyone considering joining the Amish, it’s always good to know what you are getting into. Most […]

Continue Reading 3 Reasons Why Amish Don’t Want You To Join Them

So this is a question that comes up every two-to-four years (not surprisingly, more frequently during presidential election years). I’ve covered it a lot here before (see this article: Do Amish vote? for one example), but a viewer on the YouTube channel requested a video on it. So here you have it. In the video […]

Continue Reading Do the Amish vote? (Video)

“Amish don’t read the Bible.” You might have heard this claim before. But is it true? I covered this question in a video. I based a good chunk of it on what’s covered in Chapter 3 of The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World on that subject. Here are a few excerpts from […]

Continue Reading Do Amish Read The Bible?

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ~John 3:3 (KJV) This question has come up a lot over the years and has been addressed here before (see this post from 11 years ago titled Are Swartzentruber Amish […]

Continue Reading Are the Amish “born again”? (Video)

If you’ve spent a little time in an Amish home or around Amish families, you may have noticed the children and their behavior. Many people comment that Amish children are – generally – especially well-behaved (at least in public or in the presence of non-Amish). I’d say that is generally the case as well. I’ve […]

Continue Reading The “Secret” To Well-behaved Amish Children

After a little hiatus, I’ve still got a couple more podcasts from Donald Kraybill’s “What I Learned From The Amish” series to share with you. In this eighth episode, he explores that characteristic trait espoused (and generally demonstrated) by Amish, humility. He starts with an example of why Amish don’t seek media attention – at […]

Continue Reading The Amish & Humility (Podcast)

The tradition of celebrating Old Christmas is happening today in some Amish communities. It’s a family, visiting, fasting and food day in those places. Businesses are closed and it’s a day off from work. Holmes County, Ohio is one place where Old Christmas is observed among the Amish. Old Christmas came about due to the […]

Continue Reading Some Amish Celebrate Old Christmas Today