I really enjoyed church service today. This is the second weekend in a row I’ve gone with this group. Church in any particular district is normally held bi-weekly, the two consecutive Sundays in this case being due to a special situation. Many Amish are conscious of the differences that exist among their own people. I spent some time discussing this with church members today. Very…
I have a friend here in the Amish settlement at Holmes County. He’s relied on a wheelchair for some years. Whenever I stop by ‘Aden’s’,I get a fresh dose of perspective. I don’t think I know a more positive person. ‘We have so much’ Aden tells me. ‘You can’t walk’, I think to myself. ‘How can you be this upbeat about life?’ Aden makes a…
A recent blog post on Amish and autism I stumbled across takes on the controversial view that childhood vaccines and autism are linked. Many have pointed to the Amish, who often forgo vaccination, and according to some have low-to-nonexistent rates of autism, as evidence of the link. Seems like much of the attention has focused on Lancaster County, with those in the know saying the…
Shunning is controversial, but helps uphold Amish society For the Amish, shunning only happens among baptized members. Youth may bend or break rules during Rumspringa, though Amish parents do not necessarily condone or encourage such behavior.  But in practice, some Amish youth buy cars, wear ‘English’ clothes, and so on. If they cross the line too blatantly, they may get a ‘talking-to’, but they won’t…
One thing that sets the Amish apart from many Mennonite groups, and for that matter most other religious bodies: they don’t recruit. Amish typically neither condemn nor encourage attempts to join. They may seem a bit discouraging towards the idea. If the subject comes up, usually you hear something like ‘if you don’t grow up Amish, it’s really hard to do it.’ Occasionally, you run…
People sometimes pity the Amish, thinking that since they do not have a chance to go to university, they must live miserable lives. Not to mention:Â no car, no internet, no makeup, no golf. But maybe it depends a bit on what you value. If you value things like unrestricted choice, education, wealth, and consumption above all else, then yes, Amish life might not look…