I am not familiar with the Amish lifestyle details so a search turned up the result that there are various affiliations and so not one set lifestyle. Further research shows increasing use of technology including Internet by some Amish.

Amish

I admire some of what I read, as far as their modesty, hard working habits, and devotion to family, but I myself would not easily fit into a world where behavioral and career expectations were so heavily prescribed. I am not a pacifist, and value my individualism.

No. I couldn't give up electricity, my car, air conditioner, cellphone, computer, my favorite music & That Home Site

Had I not grown up with these luxuries, then yes. But that type of farm life isn't for me.

Have never watched the show, but have to say it's REALITY TV?!? Would have to doubt ANYTHING that might "make your jaw drop" on the show... man, that phrase irks me! I have an Amish Market at Columbus Farmer's Market. In my somewhat twisted head, picture the boys with the bowl hair cuts quickly gelling hair into some funky style once quitting time arrives & girls throwing those little white hats into back seat of SPORTS CARS as they peel out of parking lots... sick, huh!?!

No way would I live that lifestyle nor want to. No way would I spend the day in a garment fastened with straight pins! The lack of individuality would be a real issue for me. The lack of education would be another. While I'm sure their reasons make sense to them, their approach to technology would make me crazy.

A lot of people aren't aware that the Amish run puppy mills.

I'm not sure how you do a reality show about the Amish when so many of them won't allow themselves to be photographed because they liken it to graven images and think it leads to pride.

No, definitely not a lifestyle for me....love driving through the area to see the quaint countryside and buggies and all, but to live it? No way.

I had no idea about the puppy mills, that is horrifying.

The puppy mills make me sick!! A few years ago I was in Lancaster PA, they do travel in the horse buggies, they are also in shops making beautiful quilts on modern, electric sewing machines. They all appeared happy, especially the children walking to & from school.

I had no idea that they used electric sewing machines. I thought they did not use electricity.

I have read several Amish novels, no I could not live their life style. I think I would enjoy visiting one of their communities. I know I would enjoy the food! :)

Apparently they do not use electricity that comes from power lines.

electricity

But yet it's OK to run stores that have all the modern conveniences?

Interesting article, Lucille.

IMO, every religion suffers with some hypocrisy so I don't see the Amish as being much different.

I live around Amish and used to admire them for their principles. I could not live that way for an hour. Now I'm full of disdain for them getting to know them. They are very cruel people when it comes to their animals and especially dogs. They run the most horrendous puppy mills around and after the breeding dogs are done, they shoot them and throw them in the pile. The puppies never ever touch grass, are in cages for their whole lives having litter after litter. They are given no vet care. They are heartless cruel people. Google PA Amish puppy mills if you want your eyes open up, the dogs are a commodity. No love at all for them. They are a product. You can judge a people by how they treat their animals.

Google our local dog, Libre who is close to death and has received national press for the horrendous care the Amish breeder gave her. It's a boston Terrier totoally unrecognised by the mange and maggots all over it and is being treated at a vet hospital, survival iffy. Heartbreaking but not to the cruel Amish. .

>> IMO, every religion suffers with some hypocrisy so I don't see the Amish as being much different.

Perhaps, but not every religion supports cruelty. Puppy mills are cruel. That's not opinion, by the way ....

Do you think that it's fair to associate all Amish with the cruelty puppy mill breeders? Surely they don't all act like that! But honestly I don't know...I can only assume.

"Do you think that it's fair to associate all Amish with the cruelty puppy mill breeders? "

That is a fair question, but it comes from your background of being an individual. The Amish seem to have more of a community mentality, with prescribed behavior. Sort of like the Borg. So perhaps it might be somewhat understandable to judge the behavior of a group of them, to all of them.

NOT NOT NOT defending puppy mills BUT!! A person who has a grand champion (or whatever title might be) from so=me prestigious dog show will breed their dog. Those puppies are NOT pets,to the owners... they are a commodity. If a puppy isn't PERFECT, in many cases it is put down IMMEDIATELY. Bought a pure breed Doberman from a PA breeder. Dog ended up having a hereditary skin disease. Breeders solution was ... bring dog back and pick out another one... like it was a defective toaster?!?

klseiverd, I'm not sure that you're talking about puppy mills when you're talking about breeders. I agree that a lot of show dogs are commodities (certainly not all). But if you are considering that puppy mills and reputable breeders are the same, I suggest you read up on the horrors of puppy mills.

lily316....I hadn't heard of Libre. WOW! Poor little thing.....

Yes I can bake bread from scratch, weed my garden by hand, sew & mend my own clothes if I need to.....but that's about it.

Puppy mills and reputable breeders are not the same at all. Amish keep their puppies in stacked wirecages, never touch them, barely feed them, not vet care. Treated beyond horrible. They have no human contact except when someone throws food in the wire cages where they stand every day of their miserable lives. Concentrations camps for dogs. Totally inhumane. And one farmer a few years ago when he was told to treat his 80 dogs with flea meds , shot every one of them. These dogs IF saved when they are old and not producing, are so scared and sad.

Not my thing although I do share certain of the hobbies. In some ways it's a simpler life, but I wouldn't want to live like that.

I know this is a bit of a tangent. I've always kind of wondered about the money they make. Do they get taxed like the rest of us? If they don't spend extra money on conveniences like we do and they are more self sufficient and their money is staying more within their community. Are they bankrolling all of that? Some goes to charity, but what is the point of the rest? Are they secretly getting rich or buying up land or what?

I live in Mennonite country. Horse and buggy, men dressed in black, women in bonnets and long dresses. Modern Mennonites live in the area as well, and drive black cars. The kids walk to school carrying lunch boxes. Churches are filled with horse and buggies. They sell their garden produce at the end of the lane, most farms sell eggs, chickens, homemade salamis, etc etc.

They also run puppy mills. They advertise on Kijiji, but will use a friend in town where the intended prospect will go and admire the puppy, thinking it's coming from that family.

This topic reminded me of the Discover/History channel show called Frontier, where modern-day families had to live the lifestyle of 1800's settlers. We thoroughly enjoyed it. It's on Youtube.

A lot of people aren't aware that the Amish run puppy mills.

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Yes, it's not all rustic charm and barn raisings.

They're cults in the worst sense of the word.

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Any way of life or religion that calls for shunning of individuals, your own children for heaven's sakes, is cult-ish.

I too live near large Mennonite settlements. I don't know anything about their treatment of animals, but I do frequent their retail businesses - particularly bakeries, greenhouses and furniture/wood products and grocery stores.

The Mennonites I come into contact with are very, very friendly, polite, and eager to please. Most speak un-accented English, but I have heard them speak German among themselves. They work hard and provide excellent products for sale. I have seen quite young children (6 or so) work in the greenhouses, but they don't seem abused nor mind the work.

When we had a large house and sizeable acreage for sale, some Mennonites came to look at it. They arrived in a large black van (driven by a non-Mennonite) and ALL were male, I assume since males were completely in charge of this particular decision-making process. (They did not end up buying our place.) The older males, those appearing to be over the age of 60, seem stern and foreboding. I don't think I have ever talked to an older male - maybe because they wouldn't talk to me as I am a female.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that my favorite Mennonite greenhouse and grocery store both have air conditioning and they take debit cards! And once when I was waiting to check out they were having trouble with their card machine so the Mennonite lady behind the counter called someone on a cell phone to see if she could fix it. So obviously they are using electricity and phones. I never thought to look to see if they get their electricity from power lines or from somewhere else.

Mennonites aren't as strict as Amish. Some Amish get away by having electricity in their barns. My paternal grandfather was Mennonite, but I guess got away from it. He died when I was five, but my grandmother wasn't mennonite although some of his relatives wore the black garb.

Suzieque,,, a little correction on what I said. NOT saying "reputable breeders" are puppy mills. AM saying that the puppies (reputable or from puppy mill) are often a commodity/product to their owners. If a pup/product is "defective", it is general not something that gets fixed.

My experience with Mennonites are via our farmers markets and they are among my favorite producers.

Sometimes when I'm around certain people, I will feel bad vibes coming from them and get a really creepy feeling. I feel this a lot of times when I'm around the Amish men. There was one man that was shopping at a flea market that I had to actually get away from because of such a negative feeling I got...I know that sounds corny, but he felt evil to me.

Yes, I know there are variances between Amish and Mennonite. The ones I see regularly wear the dark blue or black garb, the women have their hair/heads covered, and the mature men have beards. They use horse and buggy transportation.

I just thought it was funny to see a lady wearing her bonnet, barefoot, and her dress closed along the front with straight pins TALKING ON A CELL PHONE.

Another time, we were eating in a local Hispanic-owned and authentic Mexican restaurant when a large group of Mennonites came in to eat. "Mennonites eat Mexican food?" was my first thought. LOL

arkansas girl

Sometimes when I'm around certain people, I will feel bad vibes coming from them and get a really creepy feeling. I feel this a lot of times when I'm around the Amish men.

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OK, putting my shields up when I say I was going to mention above Re: Mennonites that I don't get a "children of the corn" vibe.

Go ahead. I deserve it ;-/

We frequently see Amish at a local flea market. They are pleasant, but don't speak unless someone else speaks to them or smiles first. I talked with a young woman dressed in semi-Amish fashion in a thrift store one day--traditional dress, but a light print. She was very friendly and out-going, and asked me about an electrical appliance--what I thought it was.

I really enjoyed this YouTube video, produced by the BBC. It's about a lovely young couple and their traditional life style, although they have abandoned some of the stricter dogma. Amish - A Secret Life

IIRC, they used a generator or battery to power the basement washing machine but did not use electricity for lighting.

I could live some of the elements of their life style, but would not adhere to some of the things that make life too severe. In fact, when I was a child living on a small farm, we did live similar as the Amish (and at that time, I had never heard about the Amish). I do remember some of the simple pleasures, but in general, it was no fun. It was too harsh and too worrisome. Also, the way my Dad farmed, we did not make enough to survive. When analyzed, it boiled down to not enough income per hour of labor spent. He could not see the "leakage" and would not change methods. The Amish are very industrious and work hard, but are productive. Their way of life is not so much due to shunning modern equipment, but because of their fine ethics and how they treat each other, and relate to the community. This is the glue that holds them together and makes them stand out.

I'm too much of an engine and machinery guy to be happy with mostly animal power. Also, I feel for the horses and some are worked hard and are not treated as nice as they could be. For example, I have seen meetings where a trotting horse was hitched to a buggy, stood at a hitching post for 2 to 4 hours in the blazing sun with temperature of 90F in the shade, having no water, and then be expected to trot the family back home after the meeting.

I could not be Amish and be happy, but Mennonite, that might be plausible.

There are no better neighbors than the Mennonite....always first to come and help people in need. In our area, there are a lot of tornados and they are always there from daylight to dark.

There are several sects of "Amish". I had a crew of Amish build my home...wore the navy "barn-door" britches....and the married ones had long beards...ladies wore plain longer dresses with a cape and white bonnets. The contractor drove a dark blue pick-up. He had a cell phone for business....although they read a lot, they do not have TV or computer. I have been around a lot of carpenters...so much smoking and drinking...along with filthy cuss words..not this crew!

I sat across the street in a drive-way when they started my house...at noon, they sat in a circle, took off their hats, and said a prayer. I felt my house was blessed. There were such a delight to work with...never a disagreement...gave me a honest day work...and stayed on the job until the house was completely done!

But, could I live that way?...I doubt it...but I do admire them being able to do so. As my contractor told me..."It is really getting hard for us to live a wholesome life in today's world".....and I truly believe it would be. It is getting hard for me at times, and I am not Amish.

Where we live we have Amish, Mennonites and Old Order Mennonites. Amish and Old Order Mennonites do not use electricity or cars or telephones (although they will use your telephone and ride in your car). They both moved here from Kentucky because our land was much cheaper. They've not been there all that long. The Mennonites have been here for "ever". They have gas powered farm equipment and drive cars (although they do have black tires). Those Mennonites are very wealthy as they are smart farmers. They have electric but I am not sure about phones.

What is interesting is that the Amish LOVE coca cola and you'll see an Amish woman leaving the grocery store with a 12 pack of coke in each hand! We have friends who have the Amish work for them and they'll drink a case of coke in a day -- and they LOVE cold coke!

The dress of the Amish is different than those of the Mennonites. The Amish women wear black, grey or dark blue solid color dresses with black hats. The Mennonites wear lighter print dresses with puffy leaves and white caps. They all seem to wear sneakers.

The Amish here do not raise dogs although I think their horses look a little thing but perhaps that is the breed. They are all brown or black horses (to go with their black buggies (and they have more than one kind of wagon).

I am surprised that the Amish women will come to market by themselves to sell baked goods and vegetables. Thinking that Amish women's place is in the home. (They make the baked goods and jams and maybe work in the garden).

We've heard nothing but good about both the Mennonites and the Amish.

Martha

I worked in a technical job with two Mennonite men and it seemed much different from Amish. They did not allow pictures but were fine with power and such. I am no expert so just my two cents.

I used to frequent an Amish market when it was close by.

Klseiverd - thank you for the clarification. I understand your point perfectly now.

I'm all for simple lifestyles but ever since I found out how the Amish treat their horses (in particular) and about the puppy mills, I have no good feelings about them. (And those horses aren't thin because of their breed....which are mostly Standardbreds.)

I used to think being Amish would kinda neat, ive only been around the ones near Clarita Ok. , and that was at a green house and at a couple of auctions, one to help fund their school and one estate auction where we bought a tractor that used for their " daily driver", they had some nice big tractors that some drove to the sale...they had horse and buggies too. they don't have drivers license , cause they don't take pictures, their kids were very well behaved, our son went to the sale with us and he is about 6ft 4 in tall, and 230 pounds, with a head full of wavy beautiful hair, when he let's it down its almost to his mid back.(.one day it's going to the wigs for kids with cancer ) any way he took it out if the "man bun" and shook it out and the Amish girls and kids couldn't take their eyes off of him, I don't think they ever saw any thing like that lol.. I know they are very community oriented , and they have always been pleasant while we're around them...but after thinking it over , I like to wear my jeans and boots, and have my own opinions, and I'm not a group joiner....so I will just stay plain........by the way I named our tractor Amish with a long a sound...lol

I have gone to many auctions where Amish men would leave their horses tied up without food and water all day in the broiling sun. I remember getting a dish of water out of the creek for one. <<We buy our bees from a mennonite farmer and his children are so quiet and say nothing except when you speak to them. I asked a three or four year old if he was the baby of the house and his sister said , 'oh no ,there are three littler ones.' Turns out, as of last year , they had ten kids, five of each. The older ones are always working. The boys crack me up . They are dressed like little old men with their long pants and shirts with old fashioned men's hats on. They write up the bills if their dad is busy and they're under 10.

What I have read I wouldn't want to be amish, there are different ones and some of them seem harsh. And men like in so many religions put it in their own words and feel they can be harsh on their wives. Wives are expected to keep having babies. And the work they do without modern things we have would be so hard. Riding in their buggies are dangerous as vehicles drive way too fast and too many are getting hit and hurt or killed. They must grow food to feed their large size families. They must go a long ways to sell their goods they do. Churches they have at each others homes and its alot of families that come and so they have separate walls that can be moved to make room and so that means a ton of food the women must provide to feed all. The men work their farm machines, and they are dangerous too. They do have fridges but its all run on propane. Some are now allowed for their jobs cell phones but only for work. They must hire drivers to drive them to places. They have no medical or dental plans, nothing at all.

what about the shunning, they all wear black and won't talk or have anything to do with the shunned person.

The young are mixed up and some do not want to be amish and they want to be english but many don't fit in and they miss their families and hope that their families will start talking to them one day.

They are only allowed to go to eigth grade, further education and they are told what they must do like do family business.

Girls must marry young and then start having their babies.

There is too many intermarrying amongst relatives and its not good for babies to be born.

I would not like to be Amish.

I like to live like Amish, I don't think it is possible for me.

A person who has a grand champion (or whatever title might be) from
so=me prestigious dog show will breed their dog. Those puppies are NOT
pets,to the owners... they are a commodity. If a puppy isn't PERFECT,
in many cases it is put down IMMEDIATELY. Bought a pure breed Doberman
from a PA breeder. Dog ended up having a hereditary skin disease.
Breeders solution was ... bring dog back and pick out another one...
like it was a defective toaster?!?

How do you know they put them down? My puppy was "defective" and there was no way the breeder would have had her put down, but she wanted a guarantee that I wouldn't use her for breeding and would get her spayed because the "defect" could be passed on. When I was ready to go ahead with the spaying, the breeder arranged it through her vet so I could get her breeder discount on the surgery. Yes they show their dogs but they also make sure their dogs get good veterinary care and are well taken care of, so for most of them breeding is not profitable, it's a way to keep a good bloodline going and to select their next potential show dog from. They only breed them a few times and then stop breeding them. Unlike puppy mills, reputable breeders often will take a dog back if a health issue comes up.

When my old dog died I went back to the breeder for another dog, and she offered me one of ex show dogs (also a champion- the whole point of showing dogs and getting them to champion status is based on them being a good example of their breed). She had intended to breed her but couldn't get her pregnant. On the one hand that might seem like just discarding a dog, but the reality is she had about 10 dogs already, only one or two were her show dogs, most of them were retired, spayed and just living like regular dogs, but they were very happy dogs! She said she would never rehome her dogs with strangers, but if she felt it was the right home it was better for the dog to have "their own people" as she put it.

Odd, but when I read the OP yesterday, my first thought was about the puppy mills. I did some searching (Google puppy mills and/or Amish puppy mills) and found many sites of SPCA, NY Times, and others, about how horrendous they are, naming many as 'the worst' in the country, etc., but didn't post about them as I didn't want to rock the KT boat. Silly me. I'm glad it is out in the open.

Oooh, I forgot another reason I wouldn't want to be Amish. Having all those babies. I love little babies, but one was enough for me.

Although I live a very simple lifestyle, I wouldn't want to give up the modern conveniences (including my laptop).

After posting the link for the YouTube video, I watched a newer one about shunning, produced by PBS. In it is a clip, where a family is shown working together in a field. What crop do you think they are farming? Tobacco! I was as shocked to see that as I was to read about the puppy mills. I'm sure that not all Amish raise tobacco and/or run puppy mills, but neither fits my overall impression of the culture.

The Amish Shunned--clip at 59:27

I think many of the good things about Amish living could be embraced. Including growing your own food, community support, care for family members and neighbors and rejection of violence, profanity and over consumption. There are other values too that I admire. I've been to historical reenactments and lived in authentic clothing and lived without power. It's slower, calmer and you take care with everyday activities. I'm not saying we should all give up cars and electricity. It's good though to use less and conserve resources. I don't think we need a strict religion to embrace these things.

The pressure from the sellers to use more, buy the latest, toss out the clothes that are good but have become out of fashion.....this is not sustainable. Also the breakdown of family life, kids need direction and purpose and responsibility, older members need love, respect, care and inclusion. We could learn so much by looking back at early America.

Few want to admit it but most all "cults" are church-based. And in so many religions people go more with the "buffet Bible". They pick and choose which commandments and church rules they're going to follow. I think the term is hypocrisy.

I think a lot could be learned from them and I think society would be better served if some of their believes were more widely spread. Today, most people feel that so many things are "required" to live. So many of the "conveniences" really aren't when it comes down to it. Do you REALLY have to have a dedicated rice cooker? Putting water and rice in a pan is really too much work? How much labor does it actually save in the long run? I'm skeptical. Even a clothes dryer. A lot of people line dry their clothes or at least some of them. It's really not that much effort for a lot of people, however for many they don't have the ability to line dry conveniently. Anyone who has gone camping knows you don't need a $10,000.00 stove to heat a can of soup or warm up a hot dog. And people should put up a few groceries in the event of an emergency. But today people are so conditioned that all of these things are required or you can't breathe. I often wonder why cell phones don't have a nipple on them. It's really become today's pacifier for so many people.

And why wouldn't Amish/Mennonite people eat "Mexican" food? First of all, what restaurants pass off as "Mexican" food isn't. And if it's the spiciness you're confused about, I've read a lot of Amish/Mennonite cookbooks that are not unfamiliar with spicy foods and/or what many call Tex/Mex.

It's amusing to see people talk about how they shun family members. Yet how often is it commonplace for people to shun family, neighbors and friends. People who live in town often don't know their neighbors. Probably true in rural areas too. With the "individualism", aka self-centered society we've grown into, people don't communicate with friends and neighbors, they're glued to the TV or going out and driving for the sake of driving. Shunning isn't rare in our society.

I have no in-person experience with Amish families so it could taint my view. However the documentaries I've seen about the Amish shows well-behaved and happy kids. I've never seen the spoiled brats that plague the other groups. Most all have a work ethic that is admirable and we sure could use a lot more of that.

I just have to question if Amish means "puppy mill".

It's amusing to see people talk about how they shun family members. Yet how often is it commonplace for people to shun family, neighbors and friends.

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Rendering cloth? FORBIDDING contact? You may NEVER darken my door again? Not in my lifetime in my community have I ever witnessed shunning in the true sense of the world.

YMMV but no, I've NEVER witnessed formal shunning or rendering of cloth. I have witnessed fracturing of family and friends, but that's not something that is part of how any community that I've lived in lives by social or religious contract.

lol..if you knew my dh's brother you'd shun him, for sure and we finally have...last contact probably ever was at fil's funeral in may...and I really don' t know if they spoke then...(shared parent was dh's mom)

did I mention before they have gas fired fridges? the last young lady that worked for my sis, was given a choice...so they do get around some things...