Does the stork make home deliveries? Â For many Amish families, the answer is yes. Birth at home, or in Amish-oriented birthing centers, is preferred for a few reasons. Â They include cost, comfort, and closeness to family. Â Midwives, some licensed, and others not, often handle deliveries in lieu of a doctor. Midwives may be non-Amish, or in some cases come from within the Amish community. Â In…
Reader Brett shares some photos of Amish in Western Kentucky. Â Graves County is home to a pair of settlements, one of which is a Swartzentruber Amish community. Kentucky Amish settlements range from Swartzentruber to New Order communities. Â Amish have moved into the state in large numbers in recent decades. Â In fact, all present Kentucky Amish settlements (except one) have been founded over the past 40…
Which Bible do Amish use? Â Typically, the Amish use the German Martin Luther version, particularly for church readings. Â For an English version, the most favored translation is the King James edition (KJV). Some Amish use the New International Version (NIV) as well. Â Often, the Bible Amish read in the home will have a dual format-German on one side of the page, English on the other….
Roselen’s Coffee & Delights 1045 E Columbia St Arthur, IL 61911 (217) 543-3106 In last Friday’s brain dump I mentioned Roselen’s Coffees and Delights, a drive-thru coffee shop in the Arthur, Illinois Amish community. Roselen’s is operated by Amish sisters Rose Plank and Lena Otto. Â I guess we can figure out where the shop’s name comes from (but why did poor Lena have to lose…
The concept of “Amish community” has a number of meanings The term “Amish community” is often used to refer to the Amish in general.  For instance, you might hear the questions, “What does the Amish community do when a barn burns down?” or  “What does the Amish community believe about technology?” Sometimes the term is used appropriately, ie “My friend Lavern comes from the Nappanee Amish…
Since the mid-1800s, the Hutterites have comprised 3 main groups–the Lehrerleut, the Dariusleut, and the Schmiedeleut. The Lehrerleut are considered the most conservative, with the Schmiedeluet being the most progressive, and Dariusleut somewhere in between. However, in 1992, The Schmiedeleut experienced an internal division, creating 2 separate Schmiedeleut groups. Donald Kraybill’s Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites gives some background on the Hutterites…
We use them all the time, but ever wonder how reference books and resources get put together? In a guest post today, Donald Kraybill offers a peek into the writing and research process for the Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites: Compiling the Concise Encyclopedia was a daunting task. In fact if I had known at the beginning what I know now about…
Donald Kraybill just had a busy month. Most people would consider releasing one book an event, but in October Kraybill released two–The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World, co-authored with Steven Nolt and David Weaver-Zercher, and the Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites, and Mennonites. Timing of the release was something of a coincidence; while The Amish Way was a more recent project,…
Sunday is the day Amish youth groups gather, and when dating couples traditionally meet. Â So I thought it would be a good day to share this. National Geographic is airing a new show called “Amish at the Altar”. They describe the show as: Three couples–two Amish and one ex-Amish–reveal courtship, engagement, and marriage among the Amish. Interviews with the couples, family members, and current and…
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…