3/30/14

Do Amish Keep their Anabaptist Heritage?

Educator, former pastor, volunteer chaplain, devoted reader and learner, and new friend Jim Dorough commented to me one day about the Amish. “From what I’m seeing, they seem to have moved away from their Anabaptist roots.”

“You know, Jim, that’d make a terrific blog post. Not all have moved away but most of the orders no longer practice their original Anabaptist tenets.”

“Many world religions emerged out of disagreement to another religion, or oppression of a ruling religion. I’ve done some research on the Anabaptist Movement. It arose in resistance to the Roman Catholic Church that ruled both civil and religious life.”

“Yes, they suffered tremendous persecution and torture from both Catholics and some Protestants at that time. Since you’ve done some research, why don’t you pen a guest post for my blog?”

Well, dear Jim agreed. I respect his knowledge, experiences, and heart for truth. So please read this rare guest blog post. I hope you learn a thing or two from Jim Dorough of Ohio:

3/21/14

Is TV's Amish Mafia True?

Is there any truth to if an Amish boy gives an Amish girl a goat it shows he's interested in her? And if he gives her a pregnant goat he's interested in her long term...or did Amish Mafia pull the wool over my eyes again? he asked.

Months ago the network record-breaking TV series aired a segment where the main character, Levi, bought co-character, Esther, a goat, took it into her house, and gave it to her. 

Is the goat-giving practice accurate or more mythinformation about this culture?

I'm asked similar questions all the time. Living with former Amish and having helped a dozen or so, I prefer to go to the SOURCE for my answers. My wonderful son-in-love - who grew up Amish - never heard of it. Others I asked rolled their eyes and denied this practice. 

3/13/14

Amish Spring Break Activities

Happy Spring! I'm blessed with former-Amish friends. Some have a crazy sense of humor. They're witty. See the goofiness in life. A tad irreverent.

Take my bud Ed. He and his brother left the Amish years ago. Today Ed is married, works, and participates in a Facebook closed group for those who've left Amish. Wow, do I ever learn inside, authentic info when I read the discussions! And they've been so good to take me in as a group member.

Ed posted these Top Amish Spring Break Activities he'd found somewhere on the internet at an Amish joke page. Since we're into Spring and the notoriously wild college spring break stories, I thought I'd share...

3/5/14

Amish: What's It Really Like?

Amish have many admirable qualities -- hard work ethic, self-reliant, and determined. Like many country residents, they garden and provide food for their family. Children are assigned chores and expected to contribute to the family.

There's also something deeper. Ominous.