Featured The Shunning of the Amish

Some ex-Amish go to my church, wonderful family. He tells me that we cannot lump them all into the same group. There are denominations so to speak within each community, tensions over traditions and such, what should be allowed, and so forth. He said some are truly saved and some are not, just the same as the rest of the Christian world. But they do stress tow the line or else in many circles.

 

My experience as well. We have a little spread about 20 minutes from the house that we call hunting camp. Our Amish neighbors plant the tillable, tiled off a few fields and keep our cabin well supplied with firewood. Over the past 10 years we've become close with the community and are on a first name basis with their bishop.

You would be hard pressed to find much difference between this particular community and any Bible believing church when it came to matters of salvation. I've sat with the neighbor and spoke at length about being Amish and being saved. He contends his way of life is how he chooses to live out the Christian life not a means to attain it.

I didn't watch the show on PBS. It is my understanding that shunning is rare but purposeful. It is used to dis-fellowship an individual with the goal of repentance and restoration.

 

I live in the heart of Amish country and it's been my experience that their brand of Christianity is much more akin to the cultural Christianity practiced in the South, than any kind of Biblical Christianity.

It's far more about adherence to the rules and loyalty to the group than it is about salvation by grace through faith.

Their doctrines aren't terrible, but I don't think most of them are outside the bounds of orthodoxy. It's kind of like the Pharisees, where it isn't so much their doctrine that's the problem, but their execution.

One of the things I've learned from my Amish friends that I find so amusing is that, for every rule (and there are about a bazillion of them), there are a thousand loopholes.

For instance, you're not allowed to have a telephone, because that's modern, but you can have a cell phone, which is even "more" modern, as long as you don't keep it in the house. You can only have electricity if it comes from a generator, unless it's in the barn. Amish buggies aren't allowed to have rubber tires, but Amish boys can play with toy trucks that have rubber tires.

Often, when you drive past an Amish farm, you'll see a little building by the road that looks like an outhouse, but it's not an outhouse. That's where they have to keep the telephone.

Add to that, the fact that every local group has different rules, and it gets very confusing.

 

Curious.....have you observed how they treat their animals?

 

I've observed how the ones I know treat their animals.

"And" what? You asked if I've seen the way they treat animals and I answered your question.

 

Yes & .......??

 

The question is quite clear. Answer it.

 

I lived in up-state New York for many years. I lived in an area with several Amish sects. Several sects with varying beliefs. It is my understanding that the 'Beachy Amish' have much more of an evangelical (Mennonite) belief and stress coming to faith in Christ as savior & Lord. The “Amish-Mennonites” are the car- driving, outreach focused cousin of the more broadly known horse-and-buggy Amish.

 

BTW, I witnessed what I considered horrible animal abuse among the Amish I lived near. I objected loudly when I saw it and let them know what I thought of their 'witness'. I have heard that because they know that animals have no souls that they use that as an excuse to treat them in anyway that gets the desired response out of an animal. For this reason alone, I'm not a big fan of Amish! I'm betting this what the brother is referring to in the above post about 'the treatment of animals'.

 

My wife is involved in animal rescue, focusing on both dogs & horses. I'm very close to the Pennsylvania Eastern border & so we interact frequently with the SPCA and other rescue organizations. While there are good people among the Amish who treat their animals humanely, there are a whole lot of dems that dont.


Try some Google Searches related to The Amish & Animal cruelty for your self if interested. Be forewarned, its not pretty.

Suggestions to start with:

amish puppy mills

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amish horse abuse

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how do the amish treat their animals

 

Dont sweat it.....point noted.

 

I really don't know what to tell you. You asked if I have seen how the Amish treat their animals. I haven't. I have only seen the six or seven Amish families I know, personally, and I told you as much. I have seen how they treat their animals and I've seen nothing wrong.

I understand that you're trying to pick a fight, but I'm just not going to answer you according to your folly. You asked, I answered. If you don't like the answer, if my answer didn't play into the point you were trying to make, that's not my problem.

 

I would have to agree with what some of the previous posts have stated that some (but probably not all) Amish groups tend to cling more to some of their traditions that may have been the "norms" for the society(-ies) in which they lived several years ago.

I grew up in what was then considered the "fringe area" of the Lancaster, PA, Amish peoples. Although I would not say that none of the Amish people in that part of PA were not saved people, there seemed to be a tendency by some of them to cling more to some of what we'd call "traditions" than what were Biblical doctrines. [NOTE: The Amish sprang from an offshoot of the Mennonite segment of European Anabaptists. Today's Baptists also have some connection with the European Anabaptist movement--how much of a connection the Baptists have with them would probably depend on one's view of Baptist history. {That's a topic for a different BB section!!}]

The very strict Amish do not even believe that a person should wear clothing that has buttons!!

Why? According to these kind of Amish, the reason why they are opposed to people wearing clothes with buttons is because buttons were first used on military uniforms, and, since these kind of Amish are opposed to the military, buttons are therefore viewed as sinful and ungodly!!

(Well, I guess if some Baptist churches can split over such childish things as the color of their auditorium's carpets [and some have done this], I guess some Amish people can [and do] shun some of their own folks for being so worldly as to wear buttons!! :tonofbricks

 

What do you do with a dog without any legs? Take him for a drag.

What goes mark, mark, mark? A hair lip dog

 

Look if I wanted to pick a fight with you brother, you would know it. Here you really are on the wrong wavelength.....no skin of my nose. :smilewinkgrin:

Have a donut :laugh:

 

Oh lord .......OK, what do you call a guy without legs & arms?

Answer: Matt (LOL.....kinda sick though)

Have a donut.... on me. Bought them with money from the sandy budget :laugh:

 

Again, same experience here. Horses are for working in the Amish world not for little prances through the woods for the Audi crowd or endless circles for the suburbs. I've never seen an Amish horse with a braided mane but I've seen them well-feed, groomed and in good hoof health. madre and I were invited to a family feed a few Saturdays ago. All the horses, while kept outside in the snow and cold, had blankets and hay.

Listen, the same farmer that would mistreat a horse will misuse his equipment. A farmer that depends on his equipment takes care of it. I'm thinking if you had an Amish mistreating any animal he would continue to do so if you shaved his beard and changed him into blue jean and a T shirt.

 

The nice thing is you can arrest & charge both types of schmucks in the good ole US of A. We have a list of names as proof .....and if you prefer, we will give you a donut...or take two, cause plenty of jelly ones left. Outa the BridgeGate Toll takers retirement fund! :thumbs: :laugh: