Could you live in an Amish community?

[hellokittymania]

Could you adapt to that way of life after living life with technology and everything else? What do you think would be the hardest part?

I would not like to have to make all of my food and store it like that. I came across this video of an Amish house, and I was really surprised. I don't know what I pictured an Amish house to look like, but I didn't think it would look so modern.

I think I would miss things like running hot water and electricity. And technology.

[angryladyboobs]

No

[backtowork2015]

working in the NHS i can say the last week has felt like an amish community however we have IT today, hurrah!

[Adarajames]

Witness has always been one of my favourite films and I've always been fascinated by the Amish; I love the idea of supportive community, self sufficiency and strong family bonds and more simple way of life, would love to be able to make quilts and woodwork to that standard too; but would have major issues with the abuse / religious aspects / treatment of females. / shunning oh and am gay so that would be a major issue too! But still many aspects Id love to have in my life

[Kursk]

CainDinglesLeatherJacket

I don't even think you would need money, they seem to trade for everything.

It's somewhat of a perfect lifestyle fir me anyway.

[user1491572121]

Light they do sing actually. Four part harmony sometimes...and it's quite beautiful. But no instruments I believe. Only their voices.

[user1491572121]

Kursk no, they do use money. They get paid for their crafts and they do shop in fabric shops and buy some groceries...they also pay the younger people for smaller jobs like looking after the elderly. The young people hand the money to their parents.

[CricketRuntAndRashers]

user

and usually (always?) only to give glory to God. It's somewhat restrictive.

Plus, no dancing.

[Eolian]

No way. If it just meant 'taking a break from devices and the internet and living in a peaceful, simple home and growung ypuf own veg', then yeah great. But it doesn't, does it? You could happily choose to do all that without antly need to be part of a community with hypocritical religious views, unacceptable gender rules, daft arbitrary rules about lifestyle, risk of abuse etc.

[user1491572121]

Cricket, yeah...I couldn't fancy it myself. Just correcting misconceptions.

[BaDumShh]

I had a friend at uni who was Amish and I went to visit her community. The people there were all absolutely lovely and made me feel very welcome, but it's all very patriarchal. The women do as they are told and all decisions are made by the men. I couldn't live like that.

[LightYears]

user I've just had a listen on Youtube, at least they have that.
Can you imagine never listening to music then hearing it for the first time. I don't think I could go back once I'd heard it.

[user1491572121]

I watched the documentary about Amish teens coming to the UK...they stayed a week with different people...over 4 weeks.

Their naivete was astonishing. The girls were worried and upset at a club and I really felt for them. One of them kept asking one of the young Amish men on the trip "We don't do that do we?" about some aspect of the behaviour they'd encountered...she was desperate for "guidance".

On the other hand, they were so self assured...they knew what they were comfortable with and still pushed themselves to challenge themselves. For eg...they'd never seen the ocean but one of the girls felt she should surf with the hosts as she'd never get the chance again...this meant wearing a wetsuit which worried her as they're tight...but she did it anyway.

[ijustwannadance]

Not a fucking chance.

To the poster who said girls aren't married underage and so not illegal, those girls are brought up to do as they are bloody told by men so do not actually have a choice do they? It is so entrenched that it is normal.

It's disgusting that in some of these religious groups that teenage girls have to marry old men and their lives consist of breeding and being a slave to the menfolk.

There was one show that was helping the teens escape the fundamentalist latter day saints. Two of them were sons of one of the Jeffs brothers. He had about 40 siblings from his dad's many slaves wives.

Another show was a woman who had left years ago and was helping other women and families escape. The stories were horrific.

[CricketRuntAndRashers]

Tbh, I hate it when peoply glorify this and similar cults.

My grandfather grew up in a very similar community. No technology, no hair on your upper lip, no dancing etc... If you look at the origins they are closely related to the Amish, there is actually an unbroken line between the Amish and their shared origins.

His upbringing was horrific. Physical abuse, malnutrition, indentured servitude, most likely sexual abuse (Happened in the 20th century, btw).

Anyhow. He also raped his sister. Not a whole lot seemed to have happend.

He was temporarily excommunicated BUT he could have returned after redemption etc. However, he ultimately converted to Catholicism and married my unsuspecting grandmother.
Which is when his family went NC for a time, seeing as he couldn't "come back" from that. (they did however agree to look after his children, unfortunately....)

Nobody ever went to the police btw... Because temporary excommunication with an offer of redemption was obviously enough for raping his own sister...

[ErrolTheDragon]

We lived in PA for a couple of years, we'd sometimes drive further out along route 30 into Amish country ... it was quite funny seeing a horse buggy at a gas pump - after a bit of a double-take we realised the bloke was filling a jerrycan. We took DH's visiting aunt and uncle on a tour, she did a lot of exclaiming over household equipment like mangles and washtubs, saying that they were exactly like the ones they'd had growing up in prewar rural Somerset .... and clearly thought that eschewing mod cons was rather daft.