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,

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.