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 seen it from two angles. First, as someone visiting Amish…
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 least not the type that exalts the individual. He looks…
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 adjustment in the switch to the Gregorian calendar. Here’s the…
In this new video I share 5 ways Amish celebrate Christmas (based on Rebecca Miller’s guest post of several years ago), plus additional Amish Christmas-related observations and info, including from my recent trip to Amish in Kentucky and Ohio. I also discuss an additional holiday related to Christmas which you may or may not have heard of, and which many Amish observe. Merry Christmas, I…
It was 15 years ago – October 2, 2006 – that the school shooting at the West Nickel Mines School took place. I made a video looking back at that day, but especially focusing on what came afterwards – the forgiveness shown by the Amish. The forgiveness story went around the world, covered in media far and wide. In the book Amish Grace: How Forgiveness…
In this new video I look at a simple question: can Amish people marry non-Amish people? I also discuss a couple of related situations, which fall under the same or similar umbrella. Those two situations are cases when someone joins the Amish, and cases when someone in a married couple leaves the Amish. I hope you enjoy the video (length – 4:18).
In this video I talk about Amish friendships and the idea of “separation from the world”. What’s the Biblical basis of this idea and what does it translate into in practice? Do Amish people have non-Amish friendships? Can you attend Amish church service as a non-Amish person? I also share a couple of photos from the market stand of my friends the Riehl family. I…
Gloria Yoder writes an introspective Amish Cook column this week, on why she is Amish. As she often does, Gloria first notes that there are many different types of Amish people and that she can only speak for her community (Gloria belongs to a New Order Amish church). She then explains: Of the thousands of denominations out there, there is no other I’d rather spend…
“Amish Atheist” certainly feels like an oxymoron. That’s what I thought when first hearing about the turn in Kenneth Copp’s life in a story four years ago. Copp originally appeared on this site even earlier than that, when he was still with the Amish and living in the Unity, Maine community. In 2013 one of our readers contributed a guest post on Unity, much of…
It’s been a while since we had an Amish singing clip. I think it’s a nice time to post this one. This is described as an “Amish Hymn-Sing at the Historic Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead”. It’s a good time because the homestead just celebrated its 250th anniversary this past week, with a gathering and benefit auction. Former Stoltzfus Homestead caretaker Nic Stoltzfus with current caretaker &…