Real Complexities of the Simple Life

I love the paradox of this title. There is great complexity behind the façade of the simple Amish life.

Frequently I'm asked about the Amish Anabaptist heritage. Amish and Mennonite are religious cousins - both coming from this 16th century European movement. At that time, Anabaptism was a radical Protestant departure from the dominant Roman Catholic Church, where the bishop was both the secular and spiritual ruler.

One Anabaptist thrust was separation of church and state. "State" meaning secular government and "Church" meaning the assembly of the redeemed. Well, that didn't go over. Anabaptists were persecuted, tortured, and terrorized by Roman Catholics and some Protestant states.

Amish Sex Education

To some this post is a sensitive subject.  

I was reading an Amish fiction book. The author wrote her characters talking about "pregnancy." Maybe in some Orders but, not across the board, I thought and emailed the author. She assured me she vetted some Amish and they spoke about such things. So I asked Josh, "When you were growing up, did you ever hear the word pregnancy?"

"No!" he answered. "If we saw a woman with a big belly we tried to figure it out." 

I asked our son-in-law Harvey and received the same answer. "You mean even if you had a married sister who was expecting, your parents didn't tell you she was going to have a baby?"

"No," said Harvey. "They didn't speak of such things." 

So when one of my ex-Amish groups kicked around the following question, I thought I'd post their answers for you to read. It's meant to neither criticize nor complement the Amish, just to give information. The question: How much did your Amish parents tell you in the way of sex ed? [Tweet That]

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,

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.

Privacy and Protection

Have you noticed I don't publish the last name of "my guys" who are ex-Amish? Never will.

Sensitive to the consequences, I discussed this topic previously with Mosie and Josh. My daughter suggested that I change names to a pseudonym to protect them.

Today we discussed it with Harvey, my son-in-law. I chatted on the phone with a lady who used to teach in an Amish school. She's givng me permission to share her experiences, firsthand observations, and spiritual compassion for the Amish. "Don't publish my name in your book," she warned. "They [Amish] don't like me."

"Why?" you ask.

Amish Gma

No, it's not Good Morning America as some suggested. Gma (pronounced G-maay) is their word for church. You’ll see a reference to this in Appendix C of my book. Mosie lived with us for a year and during that time he explained many Amish words and traditions to me.

From him and frequent contact with other ex-Amish of the Old or Swartzentruber Order, I learned that obeying the Ordnung (rule book), conforming to tradition, and submission to parents make them worthy of God’s favor and Heaven. His Swartzentruber order considers Englishers hopelessly doomed because they weren’t born Amish.

“So what was your church like?” I asked Mosie one day.

“We go every other Sunday to an Amish home but rotate homes. Sometimes it’s in a barn. The men and boys go in first, and most put their hats under the bench; following them are the women and girls. 

Mosie

He softly crept out the door of his farm house. It was a still, dark night. For two miles he walked along the shadowy country road and debated his decision to leave. 

Eighteen-year-old Mosie, born into a New York Amish family, one of twelve children, turned from his society and all he knew because “there had to be more.” Tears welled up in his eyes as he feared being caught and stopped, and dreaded the painful shunning if he succeeded. Wearing his handmade, Amish clothes, and with $50 tucked into his pocket, he made his stealth escape.

Join my Amish Learning Curve

Mosie & his Amish brother

I admit it; until three years ago, I knew little of  the Amish. I neither romanticized nor criticized this culture even though I live in Ohio, home to the largest number of Amish settlements nationwide.

Then, by divine ordinance, Mosie, Uria, Andy, Dan, Harvey, Levi, and Jonas came into our home. By mutual adoption, our "son" Mosie became a daily and valued family member.

Then Harvey - who grew up Amish and left - married our daughter. Marvin, Uriah, and John were brief relationships. Jonas (who prefers Josh) moved into our hearts and is a permanent family member now. And there's sweet Mary, Sarah, Martha, Noah, my pals in the Amish & Beyond group, and more via Twitter. I'm on a vertical learning curve about this society; those both inside and outside. I'll have stories and fascinating details in coming weeks. So follow by email (see right column) to stay informed.

Feel free to ask questions, leave comments, give suggestions. After all, the great minds are always learning, right?   ~ Brenda

(C)Copyright 2012, Brenda Nixon.

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9/17/14 Update - Thanks for reading this blog. What is 200,000? The number of readers worldwide who come to learn accurate details or entertaining stories about the Swartzentruber (and sometimes Old Order) Amish.

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