Teaching Amish to Drive a Car

Horse and buggy are his daily mode of transportation.

He wanted to drive. A car!

In his uber strict - Swartzentruber - order, vehicles are verboten! Cars are worldly.

The Ordnung says he may use an English driver only in the case of a medical emergency. And using anything with rubber wheels - a bicycle - is verboten. Inflated tires are wrong.

He could face public discipline. Put in the bann (temporary shunning) if discovered.

Determined to drive, he arranged to ride with an ex-Amish (also verboten) to the DMV for his Learner's Permit. Afterward, he called me. "I need practice," he explained.

Amish Shunning, What's It all About?

I talked a little about shunning in my interview with Josh. More specifically, it was in an answer to a reader's question below that post. Always be sure to read the candid comments.

I admit it! At first, I generalized this practice. Thought I understood. Then I discovered how complex the practice is among Amish. Just as the Amish cannot be generalized, shunning is broader and deeper than most outsiders think.

In my December 12 post It's Sad. Breaks my Heart, I share about a married Swartzentruber Amish man who is desperate to leave. He's held by fears - intimidating consequences to himself, his wife, and kids. As a Church member, he and his family must be shunned for leaving the fold.

Breaking Amish Stereotypes Every Day

I have never heard of the Swartzentruber Amish which is very interesting to me, she emailed. 

She's a college Religious Studies major. I hope professors and other "experts" teach that today's Amish are diverse.