Wow.

Society is being steered towards dependency on the state and government but the Amish continues to move towards self sufficiency and Independence. They self educate with their own school system. They don't buy into technology. They don't partake in big pharmaceutical agendas. pic.twitter.com/tugjcxaQh8

— Trump Girl 🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲 (@MAGA__Patriot) September 23, 2023

Pretty much mandatory to add this to the discussion.

Outside of body builders, most "Popeye-sized" forearms belong to Amish middle-aged men.

Years of manual labor making a living from the land.

I like their music……

They're occasionally a tad hypocritical as they've found ways to skirt their own beliefs, but I have much respect for most of their principles.

The Amish use modern medicine when they have to and make a large part of their living by selling to "English" folks. Also half of them have cell phones - they just aren't "allowed" to use the Internet on them.

They aren't as self sufficient as they make out to be.

pdc093 said:

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Wow.

Society is being steered towards dependency on the state and government but the Amish continues to move towards self sufficiency and Independence. They self educate with their own school system. They don't buy into technology. They don't partake in big pharmaceutical agendas. pic.twitter.com/tugjcxaQh8

— Trump Girl 🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲 (@MAGA__Patriot) September 23, 2023

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Do they make their own paint? Because that is a red barn.

Red roof/wall paneling.

pdc093 said:

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Wow.

Society is being steered towards dependency on the state and government but the Amish continues to move towards self sufficiency and Independence. They self educate with their own school system. They don't buy into technology. They don't partake in big pharmaceutical agendas. pic.twitter.com/tugjcxaQh8

— Trump Girl 🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲 (@MAGA__Patriot) September 23, 2023

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I invite this person to ditch all modern amenities and choose the Amish lifestyle. I'm sure they will love it!

As someone here posted the other day:
"If the Amish ever accept air conditioning, I'm in"

pdc093 said:

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Wow.

Society is being steered towards dependency on the state and government but the Amish continues to move towards self sufficiency and Independence. They self educate with their own school system. They don't buy into technology. They don't partake in big pharmaceutical agendas. pic.twitter.com/tugjcxaQh8

— Trump Girl 🇺🇲🦅🇺🇲 (@MAGA__Patriot) September 23, 2023

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Considering travel time there and back at $100/hr that's a $30,000 barn move. Not the most expensive thing ever, but not as cheap as it first seems either.

As nice as this sounds on its face, even the Amish aren't really self sufficient. Someone else pointed out the paint earlier, but the same goes for most materials. They're not mining and smelting iron into steel, and I doubt they're weaving the fabric they use for clothes. There's plenty of things they buy from the outside world that are integral to their lives

I've worked as architect with several Amish Framers/Builders.

Last builder was/is a father and sons team from Cochranville PA, paid a dude that happened to be black, to drive them down and just sit around until it's time to go home in the evening. They were repairing a timber frame barn from the late 1700's to adaptively re-use it as a B$B, near Hillsboro, VA. They used battery electric tools and modern equipment, even have a website...but their sandwich bread was homemade! If you want to call them, the office # rings at a neighbor's house to leave a message.

My #1 took me and the kids UpState NY , St Laurence University for one of #2 son's soccer camp back in the day. We stayed in an almost finished B&B built by an Amish carpenter. He built the entire bungalow style house of green lumber. He was building the stairs down to the basement...a simple straight run with open sides and risers, all green lumber.

All his tools were hand tools except the table saw he assembled in the basement...but it was lawnmower type diesel powered.

Genuine Amish all the way down to the horse and buggy. Wonderful person for the week I helped him.

They live in their own shelters culture, they'd rather only deal within their own and don't trust the outside world including our justice system, they have their own theocracy going... If they get screwed by an "English", they won't deal with them again but won't use our justice system for justice.

Nice folk mostly.

Amazing how many Amish are using electric bikes. These young girls dress in their blue dresses and bonnets flying down the roads. Apparently there has been a number of accidents as well.

Spore Ag said:

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Amazing how many Amish are using electric bikes. These young girls dress in their blue dresses and bonnets flying down the roads. Apparently there has been a number of accidents as well.

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Is my sarcasm meter on the fritz again? Amish and electric bikes? Powered by what? Kerosene?

I've seen them generate their own electricity using the rear wheel of a diesel powered John Deere tractor.

Old May Banker said:

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I've seen them generate their own electricity using the rear wheel of a diesel powered John Deere tractor.

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Guess they were watching TV in the 60s and watching Gilligan's Island. LOL.

"Amish" is not a unitary group. There are different "orders" or groups that local congregations affiliate with. And each individual church sets their own rules as to what is acceptable.

Amish will use modern tools and equipment if they're working for someone else. Some will use horses to pull equipment, but engines to run the equipment. For example, horses will pull a hay baler, but the baling mechanism may have an engine. And maybe it's a diesel engine because diesels don't use electricity.

Some will use pneumatic tools, if the compressed air comes from a windmill, not electricity or gas.

I've even seen some Amish (or maybe Mennonite) groups who will use modern tractors, but no cabs, and steel wheels, not rubber. Their take is that technology for work is fine, but not for comfort.

And as said above, they will use phones and cars of others for pay, but not own them.


I admire some of their ways and their devotion. But modern technology is not going to bypass them forever. It leads to some twisted logic and hypocrisy, as others have said.

And inbreeding may kill them before technology does.

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Considering travel time there and back at $100/hr that's a $30,000 barn move. Not the most expensive thing ever, but not as cheap as it first seems either.

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Who's getting $100 an hour?

I'm sure the labor is all donated.

My math shows 10 tons to be an average of 66 pounds per person. Not an excessive amount, but quite a bit to lift and carry in such an awkward way over rough terrain.

aggiehawg said:

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Spore Ag said:

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Amazing how many Amish are using electric bikes. These young girls dress in their blue dresses and bonnets flying down the roads. Apparently there has been a number of accidents as well.

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Is my sarcasm meter on the fritz again? Amish and electric bikes? Powered by what? Kerosene?

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I lived right outside an Amish community in Ohio. They could use all the technology but a non-Amish had to turn it on for them. So one of the bigger restaurants had a modern kitchen, cash register, etc. a non-Amish person would turn on the register and cooktops. I assume this is a similar situation where the Amish person just uses the electric bike.

A narrow loophole that defeats the whole purpose worthy of a Perkins Coie election law attorney? Probably

Damn, maybe I should become Amish.

But... I really like my truck and my electric toothbrush.

Good explanation of Amish electric bikes

https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/amish-transportation-e-bikes-lancaster-pennsylvania/

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"When a new technology comes along, its effect on the church and community is examined," the tourism site states. "The technology should not be an intrusion into the home, but rather serve the social purposes and goals of the group. With that in mind, the Amish often re-purpose the technology, in a sense, to align with their community beliefs."

In the case of e-bikes, several churches have now decided that the benefits outweigh the costs.

"It's a lot quicker to jump on your bike and go into town than it is to bring your horse into the barn, harness it to the buggy, and go," David Mullett, a member of the Old Order Amish Church and owner of an e-bike shop in Ohio, told the blog This E-Bike Life.

Generally speaking, Amish communities are most likely to avoid a new technology if they believe that it will make them too reliant on the outside world. This has also led some of them to make use of electricity derived from solar panels, which they can own and maintain. The e-bikes, as well, can often be charged by small solar panels.

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So, as many have said, Amish will accept some technology, especially if they can use it without relying too much on the technology. They have e-bikes, but are off the grid.

A compromise they will accept.

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I've even seen some Amish (or maybe Mennonite) groups who will use modern tractors, but no cabs, and steel wheels, not rubber. Their take is that technology for work is fine, but not for comfort.

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From my understanding, Amish and Mennonite are different in their approaches to modern conveniences. Mennonites are far more accepting of the "inventions being the mother of invention" than Amish.

If I have been been misinformed, please correct me.

I have nothing against them in general, but I have never understood the rejection of technology part of it. It seems completely arbitrary. Electricity is not magic, and a hammer is human technology just as much as a computer. And also, their society can only exist as it does within the protection of a larger host society. To me it's like hearing the Woodstock hippies bellow about how they set an example of how people can live together peacefully when in reality the only reason they even made it three days is because local farmers and the army supplied them. It works in a vacuum but let the Hell's Angels show up at their door and see how long it lasts.

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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I've even seen some Amish (or maybe Mennonite) groups who will use modern tractors, but no cabs, and steel wheels, not rubber. Their take is that technology for work is fine, but not for comfort.

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From my understanding, Amish and Mennonite are different in their approaches to modern conveniences. Mennonites are far more accepting of the "inventions being the mother of invention" than Amish.

If I have been been misinformed, please correct me.

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You are correct, Mennonites and Mennonite Brethren have no restrictions on technology.

For those keeping track at home:

Kansas Kid said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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I've even seen some Amish (or maybe Mennonite) groups who will use modern tractors, but no cabs, and steel wheels, not rubber. Their take is that technology for work is fine, but not for comfort.

---

From my understanding, Amish and Mennonite are different in their approaches to modern conveniences. Mennonites are far more accepting of the "inventions being the mother of invention" than Amish.

If I have been been misinformed, please correct me.

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You are correct, Mennonites and Mennonite Brethren have no restrictions on technology.

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From personal experience, some do and some don't.

The Mennonites come in a large variety of flavors ranging from almost Amish to no restrictions on technology. Ive seen different groups that have restrictions on air inflated tires, chrome bumpers, televisions, am/fm radios, not doing farm work on sunday or even letting your irrigation systems run on sunday, and other groups who can use all available technology.

VitruvianAg said:

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I've worked as architect with several Amish Framers/Builders.

Last builder was/is a father and sons team from Cochranville PA, paid a dude that happened to be black, to drive them down and just sit around until it's time to go home in the evening. They were repairing a timber frame barn from the late 1700's to adaptively re-use it as a B$B, near Hillsboro, VA. They used battery electric tools and modern equipment, even have a website...but their sandwich bread was homemade! If you want to call them, the office # rings at a neighbor's house to leave a message.

My #1 took me and the kids UpState NY , St Laurence University for one of #2 son's soccer camp back in the day. We stayed in an almost finished B&B built by an Amish carpenter. He built the entire bungalow style house of green lumber. He was building the stairs down to the basement...a simple straight run with open sides and risers, all green lumber.

All his tools were hand tools except the table saw he assembled in the basement...but it was lawnmower type diesel powered.

Genuine Amish all the way down to the horse and buggy. Wonderful person for the week I helped him.

They live in their own shelters culture, they'd rather only deal within their own and don't trust the outside world including our justice system, they have their own theocracy going... If they get screwed by an "English", they won't deal with them again but won't use our justice system for justice.

Nice folk mostly.

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Why green lumber, easier to work with?

Had a summer home for a dozen or so years in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Huge Mennonite and Amish populations there. Mennonites are often confused with Amish, and are much more liberal in their use of technology. You may see one on an electric bike and using a cell phone and think that the Amish are suddenly getting more progressive.

That said, as some others have pointed out, the Amish have figured out plenty of ways to get around the "rules". They will hire English to use tractors to plow (THEY are not driving it), will use a neighbor's phone (THEY don't own it), take a bus down to Florida (THEY are not driving it), etc.

My wife used to joke that, when it got dark and no one was around, the roof opened up and a giant satellite dish came out for them to watch their big screen TVs. They just needed someone there to change the channel for them.

When I was younger I used to think they were insane for not integrating into society. Turns out they're the smartest people in the room. Geniuses!

I remember watching the documentary about the Amish teens going through Rumspringa. Devil's Playground. Some of those Amish teens really know how to party.

Surprisingly most of them chose to go back into the community after getting a taste of life outside.

With the Amish and acceptance/rejection of modern technology, I think there are two things in play. One, obviously they want to be as self-sufficient as possible. That means they won't hook their homes up to the electric grid.

I think the second part is them just wanting to live simple, humble lifestyles. Maybe one Amish guy can easily afford to wire his house for electricity and have air-conditioning, but his neighbor can't. The guy with power is proud and flaunting his status, and his neighbor becomes envious. That's just not in line with Amish beliefs or communities.

I was watching one of those Amish reality shows about teens on Rumspringa. One kid's father ran a furniture business. He had a plant making authentic hand-built Amish furniture with electric lights and power saws.. At home, they used gas lanterns.

In their eyes it was OK to use electricity in order to run a viable business, but they still had to live without it at home.

Probably more a religious board post...but the Amish/Mennonites are a prime example of falling deep in the pharisaical trap. Outward legalism in the extreme.