“It’s like standing on the edge of a cliff with nothing but darkness…you don’t know what’s down there. But you just know you’re gonna jump.” National Geographic is currently airing “Amish: Out of the Order”, a program about leaving the Amish. I’ve posted a clip below. Curious to hear your comments. I’ll make two of my own: it’s not made clear, at least in this…
I just read an article by Donald Kraybill which examines Amish and obedience (http://goo.gl/Sb7e7). In the piece, Kraybill explains why Amish use physical punishment to discipline children, citing an Amish mother named Hannah: Hannah explained that, when children are about two years old, their wills need to be broken. If it’s not done at that stage, she said, they will likely become disobedient, rebellious adults. The…
A couple more articles caught my eye over the past few days. Many people have likely already seen the article from yesterday’s NYT on Amish farms damaging the Chesapeake Bay through farm runoff. This issue has existed for a number of years, but this was interesting to see written about for a couple reasons: one in that it offers another example of an Amishman accepting…
One manner of thinking views Amish society as highly restrictive and devoid of most freedoms. By this view, Amish people are trapped in a harsh system which regulates nearly every aspect of their lives, leading to despair and misery. Amishman Aaron Miller previously discussed a pair of issues related to the idea of freedom–the Ordnung and Rumspringa. Today, Aaron shares his take on choice and…
Most Amish and some Mennonite farmers use steel wheels on their tractors, an aspect of church rules that encourages slower and less driving. It’s hard to get a fast (or at least a comfortable) ride when you feel every pebble in the road thanks to the unforgiving metal. Thus steel wheels deter unnecessary trips (in contrast, in a few Amish communities, rubber-tired tractors have meant…
Commercial dog breeders (also frequently described as puppy mills) have been in the news a lot lately. Recent changes in Pennsylvania law has made it difficult for breeders to operate, thus forcing many to begin to get out of the business. Opponents, most visibly in the form of activists such as Bill Smith of Main Line Animal Rescue, have made headlines with their sometimes dramatic…
Here’s a link to the BBC ‘Trouble in Amish Paradise’ documentary, now hosted on an Australian site (since removed). I don’t know how long it will be up, but if you’d like to view it, I’d go ahead and do it in case it is taken down. It’s not quite a full hour long. As to the narrative background, they get some things right, they…
I recently came across a transcript from George Bush senior’s 1989 meeting with Mennonite and Amish leaders in Lancaster County. It’s interesting to read not only for those seeking late 80s era nostalgia but for the interesting dynamic between the President and the typically spotlight-shunning Amish and Mennonites as they take the stage in a very high-profile context. The event is ostensibly about Bush meeting…
Outsiders often express an interest in joining the Amish. The Amish traditionally do not seek out converts. In one example related by John Hostetler in Amish Society, a particularly zealous outsider–though never actually formally joining an Amish congregation–did much to stir up Amish circles in the 1950s. As Hostetler writes: When outsiders join, or attempt to join, the Amish church, issues may arise that polarize…
In this second part of an interview with an anonymous Lancaster County Amishman, we look at the phenomenon of outsiders joining the Amish, using the Amish name to market and sell products to the public, Amish participation in the recent presidential election, and the meaning and purpose of shunning. (And if you missed the first part, here it is: An Amish America Q-and-A with a…