An insider’s opinion on the Amish school

Byerik
6 Comments

The eight-grades-and-out system has been criticized by some.  One Amish teacher’s opinion, (taken from The Amish School, co-authored by Amish schoolteacher Sara E. Fisher and European Mennonite transplant Rachel K. Stahl): But do Amish schools prepare their children for life? Amish schools prepare their children to be God-fearing, hardworking, and self-supporting persons. They do not, however, teach them to be self-seeking, ambitious, and competitive. Amish…

Do the Amish care about politics?

Byerik
12 Comments

With the races for the presidential nominations heating up, seems you can’t turn around without hearing what so-and-so said about you-know-who, who’s waffling, flip-flopping or what-not.  Just 12 more months of it to go. So what do the Amish think about the political process? Well I can’t speak for all of them, but it seems to me that there are some closet political junkies among…

The Amish and hunting with guns

The Amish and hunting with guns

Byerik
24 Comments

Being a well-known non-resistant group, people sometimes wonder if the Amish use guns for hunting. John at the Spokesrider has posted a few questions on this topic, which I’ve been meaning to get to for a while (thanks John!). I remember while in the Arthur, Illinois settlement a few years ago being surprised to learn that the Amish do use guns for hunting.  Since that…

The Amish in Poland, again

Byerik
15 Comments

It looks like Anita and Jakub, the ‘Amish in Poland’, are back in the news again. The Pennsylvania/Indiana-transplant couple, who settled in a village not far from Warsaw 14 years ago, appeared on the national talk show ‘Rozmowy w Toku’ (roughly, ‘Conversations in Progress’) tonight.  Kind of an odd place to find an Amish family, but again, we’re not sure exactly what their particular brand…

Amish schooling issues

Byerik
8 Comments

The Amish commitment to restricting schooling to eight grades is well-known.  But what happens with those individuals who are driven to go further? In Amish Society, John Hostetler examines the issue. ‘Before the Amish operated their own schools, more Amish youths were exposed to the possibilities of higher education and to teachers who inspired them to continue their education than is the case today.  To…

Heading South in Holmes County

Byerik
5 Comments

As you venture further south in the Holmes County Amish settlement, towards the Coshocton County line, two things happen. The countryside gets more rugged, and the churches more conservative. The large Amish settlements–Holmes County, Lancaster County, northern Indiana–have their progressive and conservative factions.  In Holmes County, the area past Charm and Farmerstown, down around Becks Mills and New Bedford and on into Coshocton County is…

My Top Five Amish Settlements

My Top Five Amish Settlements

ByErik Wesner
37 Comments

Who loves rankings? (everyone loves rankings) – today I offer my personal top-five favorite Amish settlements.  I hope you’ll indulge my self-indulgence for this one day (I’ve been wanting to do this post for a long time!). I haven’t been everywhere, but of the 17-or-so communities I’ve visited, these are the ones I would most readily revisit (and do when I can), and why. For…

Amish singing

Byerik
5 Comments

I love hearing the Amish sing (and trying to hang with them, for that matter).  There is something very moving about sitting in the midst of 150 upraised voices, all giving glory to the Maker.  Those accustomed to musical accompaniment may find the drawn-out a capella hymnals tedious, but for me, they are eerily beautiful and uplifting. Sunday church gathering in Geauga County, Ohio Kraybill…

Amish People Raising Goats

Amish People Raising Goats

ByErik Wesner
11 Comments

Many Amish families like to keep goats. Goats make nice pets. Some Amish raise goats to sell the meat. A few I met in northern Indiana sell them to Mexican and Arabic clientele, for example. Apparently goat’s meat is big in traditional Mexican and Arabic cooking. The Amish around Kalona, Iowa, like to milk them. A goat can make a great grass trimmer. Chain to…

John Hostetler on Amish food

Byerik
7 Comments

From Amish Society, Fourth Edition: ‘…there are many myths about Amish foods.  There is the legend of “seven sweets and seven sours” on Amish tables.  The only place I have ever eaten seven sweets and sours is in a tourist hotel.  The tourist industry has done well in capitalizing on myths, judging by the number of restaurants that cater to “Amish” foods.  Advertised items such…