2/24/13

Amish Wannabe?

My buddy, Lester, was an Amish preacher when he left that life.

He shared "what I could remember" his list of what he was taught to "be a good Amish person."

What a rare treat to look deep inside the Amish membership requirements. This list isn't exhaustive but, here in Lester's own words:

In order to be an accepted member of the Amish Church - which to me means just a bit more than it does to be a member of the Amish community, although it is in large part the same thing - you must agree to and follow their standard practices and teachings. There are many things standard across all communities. One of these is the adoption of the 18 Articles of the Dordrecht Confession of Faith plus a few more,

2/19/13

Don't See It or Hear It? Then It Doesn't Exist!


Thanks for reading or subscribing to my blog. Evidently you've learned a bit about the complex Amish culture and discovered that I'm sharing my experiences with ex-Amish to help others see a truer picture of the culture than the rosy, everything-is-perfect Amish fiction books.

Although truth is better than fiction, many people choose to absorb themselves in the fantasy, half-truth that EVERYTHING Amish is splendid, they cannibalize romance books, and seek to emulate these most "Christian" people.

No truth please
When presented with truth that doesn't fit their image, these people remind me of the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys. Although non-fiction books and programs like AMERICAN EXPERIENCE "The Amish" or National Geographic provide a lens by which to learn more, it doesn't feed most publishers' ravenous demand for money via Amish romance. Consequently, I'm trudging uphill as an author trying to get my non-fiction Amish book published.

2/12/13

What? Why? How? An ex-Amish Interview

Amish Jonas (Josh)
English Josh
I interviewed 25-year-old Josh, asking the questions some of you might ask him. Josh is a valued part of our Nixon family; legally he’s my son-in-law’s cousin so we are related by marriage but, Josh has moved into our hearts; emotionally he belongs to us.

  What was the best part of growing up Amish?
 
"For me, the best part was sitting around the table to eat with family; Amish seem to value family. They all help each other such as barn raisings (nobody gets paid). Amish make a lot of their own things like food, clothes, and furniture. They work hard. Kids are taught to work for a living, no sitting around playing video games while expecting someone else to pay the bills."

  What do you feel was a challenge to being Amish?

2/5/13

Cost and Rules of Buggy Ownership


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Last week I was chatting with Josh (birth name, Jonas) about buggies. I had talked with Mosie about this before but, it was interesting to confirm the information or hear new stuff from Josh's perspective. Did you know the cost of a buggy ranges from $1,300 - $20,000? Josh said he used to build buggies, remove wheels and grease, wash, etc.