Non-Amish friendships? The allure of technology? Religious strife? These and other factors may very well play into individual decisions to leave behind an Amish faith and background. Caroline Faulkner, a professor of sociology at Lancaster’s Franklin & Marshall College, is trying to shed some light on this and related questions in a new study. In today’s guest post, Caroline examines depictions of Amish people leaving their faith and…
Reader Brad of the Brethren recently raised the question of common ownership of goods among the Amish. Amish are not like Hutterites where the vast majority of property is shared in common. Amish individuals own private property like anyone else. Amish households operate independently in a commercial sense, though within a web of church and community support galvanized in times of need. But what about the handful of…
Too often, we hear stories of criminals seeking out Amish victims. Their crimes include: Burglary when homeowners are known to be absent (eg, Sunday morning) Swiping cash from roadside stands (both manned and unmanned) Assault and robbery Last Thursday, Amish once again fell prey to wrongdoers, this time in Lawrence County, Tennessee. One woman has been captured, and two more suspects are being sought, following what…
You may have heard the term affiliation used to describe this or that Amish group. So just what is an “Amish affiliation”? Broadly speaking, affiliations describe groupings of Amish churches of similar practice, identity, and lifestyle. The best discussion of Amish affiliations I’ve come across is in Chapter 8 of The Amish by Donald Kraybill, Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven Nolt. The authors describe the concept:…
Callie Wiser wrote, directed, and produced PBS’ new film The Amish: Shunned, which airs for the first time tonight. Callie has produced other programs for the American Experience series, including two episodes of God in America and 2012’s The Amish. For today’s post, I asked Callie five questions about The Amish: Shunned. I think she gives some very interesting insight into the filmmaking process and on the…
I just had a chance to watch an advance copy of the new PBS film The Amish: Shunned. I’ve never been, and never will be, an excommunicated Amish person, and so don’t know what that’s like. But I’ve heard enough stories from both sides to know that it can’t be easy. That’s why I was curious about this film. I think this is a difficult…
Reader Jim asks: I am puzzled about how the twice-yearly ‘review’ of the Ordnung takes place if it is not a written document. By ‘not written’ I am wondering if you mean ‘not published’; that is to say it remains ‘in-house’,not something for sale, etc. I am thinking along these lines because a review would require some reference, something to refer to. Or what if…
The Amish Workshops website has an interesting feature called Ask Viola. Viola is a young Amish woman who answers reader questions on many topics. Below you’ll find Viola’s answer to a question from a seeker. Joining the Amish has been covered here multiple times before. On this topic especially, the words of an Amish person or former seeker are going to be the most powerful….
What if, instead of simply getting up, dressing in your Sunday best and driving to church, church came to you? What if your home was flooded with 150 people for a three-hour service followed by a couple of hours of eating and visiting? This would be the picture once a year if you were Amish. Your other church Sundays would be spent as one of…
Over the past few months, one of our readers in the Midwest has gotten to know an Amish family dealing with a trying circumstance. He shares an interesting observation/question: I know that the father… told me that the Amish he is with believe they are supposed to be the light of the world but that they should not try and blind a person’s eyes with…