Philadelphia Daily News is reporting an arsonist’s work in Lancaster County. The result: one Amish schoolhouse burned, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage. Were these run-of-the-mill delinquents or someone with a grudge? The Amish are easy to go after. As Amish turn the other cheek rather than fight back, they make tempting targets for some troublemakers. Yet other incidents of harassment and violence have come…
What to do when you’re a retired Amish bishop? Maybe a lecture tour. That could be what one Amish leader has in mind in northern Indiana. Goshen News reports that ‘Atlee Dan’ Miller recently gave a talk on Amish history and the settlement of his region, Amish education, and church splits to an audience at the Topeka Historical Society. The talk was held in the…
The Nickel Mines kids start at their new school tomorrow, and it’s getting quite a bit of coverage in the media. It also happens to be exactly six months to the day since the school shooting. Here’s hoping this is the last we hear on Nickel Mines for awhile as local Amish try to make it back to normal.
‘The Amish don’t pay taxes. They’re freeloaders.’ Ryan Robinson of the Lancaster New Era writes (no longer available) that myths such as these persist, apparently even among long-time neighbors of the Amish. Why the confusion? Amish are generally exempt from paying Social Security taxes, a privilege negotiated some years ago with the federal government. But at the same time they also refrain from receiving benefits….
A hill, some snow, and a sled is all you need. Holmes County kids in the yard of an Amish school in winter.
The Amish often seek medical treatment across the border. Cost is the main reason why. Lacking health insurance as the Amish do, treatment in the US can be expensive. A new law requiring passports, complete with identifying photos, could stop trips to Canada and Mexico. The photo part is the problem. Most Amish avoid posing for photos. The group has usually been able to negotiate…
“We want to forgive him, but we have to not just do it one time. We have to do it again and again.” An anonymous Amish couple has spoken about the Nickel Mines shootings, and what’s come after. “I have to talk, get it out of my system. If not it would get the best of me “, said the Amish woman. They spoke about…
Work is well underway on a new Amish schoolhouse to replace the one demolished after the Nickel Mines shootings. As with most things Amish it has been a group effort, with many from the community pitching in. The school should be ready for classes by March. Thoughts and prayers for the community as they heal.
The Amish don’t use ‘thee’, ‘thine’, or ‘thou’, as you might think after watching Weird Al’s video. Neither do they speak like Alexander Godunov or Jan Rubes did in Witness. Check that, at least one Amishman today does–but he was born in Germany and converted to the faith in his 20’s. They mostly speak English like any rural Americans would. Though you could say there…
Three months on, and the accolades and articles continue to pour out lauding the Nickel Mines Amish. What a powerful example. Powerful because in their forgiveness of the killer, they gave up all claim of moral superiority. The Amish were essentially saying that yes, we hurt, but we will heal. We will forgive–that is always the first step. This was not the first time the…