Amish rules

are there any? I saw a horse-drawn, gas powered lawn mower. Kind of got me wondering how they arrive at what's the Amish version of kosher. There's quite a large Amish community near me and I find them to be cordial people but I'm a bit mystified by them.

There's so many levels of Amish it's hard to keep track of who's who. Then the Amish museum is run by Mennonites...

There are around 2000 different Amish congregations. The Amish rules are set by the elders of that community. There is a bishop, 1 or more ministers and several deacons. Communities' rules can vary greatly even if they are right next to each other.

I have a surprising number of Amish people's phone numbers in my phone. I have phone numbers for other Amish people's "English" neighbors, who will get ahold of the Amish people for me. I know Amish people who drive trucks and who use computers. Most Amish people I know have freezers, cell phones and radios in their barns. I know some Amish people near Mt. Hope, Ohio, who drive solar powered vehicles.

Keith

each group picks elders , bishop and deacons those chosen decide the rules.

when a family moves from one community to another ( the Amish have figured out they need to move around or the gene pool gets very shallow) they expect rules to change they sell off those items that don't conform and then conform to their new community.

Passed an Amish girl in a buggy this week on her smart phone.

I don't even have a smart phone.

Below is a link that discusses the basic differences between old and new order Amish.

http://amishamerica.com/whats-the-difference-between-new-order-and-old-order-amish/

And as the above posts indicate you will have wide divergences from each within each order and even other lesser orders
Also the same divergence and differences occur within the Mennonites as well, so there are wide ranges of principles, and policies, which would not be much different as there are in many religious orders worldwide, just not as visible.

Bryce

most of the Amish men here have flip phones , they allowed phones in the past but not in the house , I suppose they decided as long as they leave the phone outside when they go in the house it is ok

they all have solar panels on the barn to charge cordless tools some now on the houses also running solar lights

Most of them around who have a big family have one kid that does all of the tech stuff including driving and even semi to haul grain to the elevator

noooo,groeny rules,wait--that's rocks

guess the Amish rule then.

I don't care for Amish, had trouble them before, ya there many different kinds Amish , hardcore ones. No power an just like many yrs back, not sure if them or Jehovah or both, no blood transfusion, there are white suprmacist or neo nazi, groups that are Amish, hardcore suprrmicist, that in prison, into meth mfg other stuff, I reading about

Not to paint with a broad brush or anything...

I personally admire the Amish. Their simple family and community lifestyle is awesome. I am so English I don't think I could make the transition. I also have no desire to learn Dutch. I have the opportunity to deer hunt with a group in northern Indiana. We met when they were here helping with hurricane Katrina restoration. I have had the privilege to attend functions at the school and family dinners. I've also been to many businesses and workshops both modern and not. It is correct as about their rules. I've personally been concern about it. I just enjoy the company of some really nice families with a different way of life.

Correction I have never been concerned about their rules.

Ever run into the Amish Mafia? Scarier than a Mexican with bulge in his pocket.

We have Mennonites around here. They are pretty much Amish Lite. A family of them lived near a farm which I hunted and fished. I was fishing a pond one day, and noticed a commotion in the knee high soybeans nearby. I took a closer look and saw that it was kids, dressed a little funny and no shoes. Looked like they were sitting in a circle playing some make believe game.
My first knee jerk reaction was, "Look at those weird kids playing in the beans without shoes on!"
Then, I thought back to when I was their age many moons ago. Turns out we must have been Mennonites, but no one bothered to tell me! Those kids aren't weird. We have become the weird ones.

Now kids sit in front of a TV while staring at their phones. No doubt we are the weird ones.

My uncle is a Yoder toter.
He spends nothing on food. They load him up with all that he could possibly eat plus gas money and more for driving them around.

I know 2 guys that used to drive for the Amish. A lot of people in Ohio make pretty decent livings chauffeuring the Amish around.

Keith

Most Amish I’ve know allowed d.c. in the milk barn for years to run the vacuum pumps, I could never figure out what the difference was, but they wouldn’t use A.C. Electricity. Mennonites to the north in Minnesota will use any kind of equipment as long as its got steel wheels on it, I know a guy that lives around them and wishes the county would ban the steel wheels, because they go down the road as fast as they can and it just pulverizes the limestone on the road.

Another one of my uncles sold his farm to some Amish when he quit milking.
At least that way nobody would tear out all of the fences for the ditch to ditch farming practices that seem to be all the rage nowadays.

I welded up the frame on a gas mower for an Amish young man. He was running on just the steel rims. I told him he must have mowed a lot to wear the tires off it. He said no he took them off when it was new.

I’m not sure about all of the beliefs of the Amish. I will tell you. We just had a garage built by the Amish. The price and the quality of work can’t be beat.

They are excellent craftsmen. I'm trying to talk an Amish fellow into putting a roof on my cabin. I'm too busy with everything else going on in my life right now and want to get it buttoned up.

some are good, some are bad. I've had lumber cut that I figure the Dutchman went under the tree and had his horse cut it! had them work on a kitchen that they sheetrocked over the electric outlets. the one I use for roofing is amazing. normally a roof in a day, metal or shingle.

Just like any other people, some are and some aren't. I've seen some cut corners whenever they could on buildings and concrete work. Just because they're Amish doesn't automatically guarantee quality work.

Well, my wife grew up in an Amish community and, no she’s not Amish nor Mennonite, her family is friends with a number of Amish families. I’ve learned a great deal about the Amish and am intrigued by them. Like all communities, there are good and bad. I’ve had them, replace our roof, replace and expand our deck , and build a 2.5 car garage attached to our home. Needless to say we’re very happy with this “families “ work. The speed and quality of this type of work is amazing to me, along with what they charge. Their work ethic is exceptional in my opinion, be it the 9-10 yr old or the 65 yr old grandfather. I’ve become good friends with one over the last few years. He’ll call every couple months to chat about trapping, discuss the economy, business in general or run some things past me regarding some of his employees.
There are several aspects of their community I am amazed by, examples are their tremendous ability to forgive along with their sense of community when a storm or tornado hits. They pull together and put things back to order in no time.
One unique thing we did was have our wedding rehearsal dinner inside an Old Order Amish home. The wife and her 5-6 daughters fixed an amazing meal, if you like a typical “country dinner” including homemade bread and pie. Most of our wedding party , including myself had never experienced that, kerosene lanterns, candles and all.
Just thought I’d share my experiences.

I have deal with one that talk about the Amish Mafia and he was try to see if he will spook me .I laugh at him I had been brought up when I was a kid next door to a place that was run by the Italian Mafia. The Amish guy just look at me and did not know what to say after.

My buddy always tells me how much money he makes hauling amish. I asked him what he gets and he told me it depends, 40-80 dollars a day. I thought not too bad until he told me what it consists of.
One time he picked one up and spent the day at the hospital with them, the person wasn't close to his residence either.
Took another one to auction, had to stay the whole day, his Caravan was so full you couldn't slide a popsicle stick in there (hard on a caravan suspension, they are light.) And to boot, guy was bidding against me the whole time.
I keep reminding him gas and wear & tear is over .50 a mile but he claims hes making money. On his behalf- he doesn't do it daily, just once in a while for certain ones.

LOL.

I bet you could a make a killing in a new Amish community hauling them around until you have local competition.

they are all rich here,looking for farms.sold a bunch of property in sw PA with the mineral rights in gas land.our area honestly can use the money and the reworking of a lot of old family farms that are falling by the way side.

I know a guy that hauls them literally all over the U.S. Seems funerals and weddings are the big thing. They also take vacations all over the west. He hauls them where ever they are going and while he is waiting he goes to sales and/or sees the sites. He told of one time he hauled them to a wedding that had a 160 people staying at one house. The women and kids slept in the house and the men slept outside. It was too far to a hotel so he slept in the air conditioned van. They feed him and he loves their cooking. Just imagine a house packed with people and no fans or air and hotter than all get out.

That was a broad-brush statement on my part and I knew it. They have a store not far from me where they sell their custom made furniture and the stuff is beautiful and expensive. I'd love to furnish my house and cabin with their stuff but I can't afford it.

I don't know about your part of the world but they are also known for their sheds. Amish sheds are everywhere around here. A lot of folks use them as cabins and some even live in them as their primary residence. They always seem to be very well constructed.

And as pcr2 mentioned, the Amish have bought up a lot of real estate in this area. Mostly farmland. They work it hard.

Some of the best carpenters I know are Amish, but by and large they are wood butchers. At the local lumber yard the bad checks on the wall are about 1/4 Amish names.

Some of you guys do tend to paint with a broad brush. The generalizations you make are the same as if you said something like, "Catholics are good readers" or "Protestants are excellent gardeners." Amish and Mennonite are people just like the rest of us. There are good and bad among them just like any other segment of society.

There is a large population of Amish in the area I live and I have dealt with them most of my life. For the most part they are hard-working honest people. They are shrewd businessmen and can drive a hard bargain but seem to enjoy negotiating. I've bought lots of lumber and equipment from them.

I have rarely been turned down when asking permission to hunt or trap an Amishman's property. They have bought up most of the old Dutch farms around here and I am very thankful for that. Many of the old Dutch farmers didn't seem to care whether their farms were sold to land developers or other farmers, whoever paid the most seemed to be their only concern. If not for the Amish, this whole area would be a giant suburb. Because of them, it is still fairly rural (as rural as you can get in southeast PA).

Amish fathers in my area buy farms for their sons to farm and the tradition continues.

There's an Amish man, and maybe his wife ?? and a coupe of daughters ?? who on occasion show up at the defense plant I work at here in CT, to sell their cookies and other food stuff.
It's quite a sight to see, and once in a while I'll see if I can make eye contact with any of them - but only the man will nod back at me.

Strange, because I a] wonder how they got all the way out here and b] question their selling of their wares in a defense plant, because I always thought those folks were anti-war.

But it is interesting the way they sit there - and just a few feet away the workers assemble in the cafeteria to eat, converse, watch Fox News [yes, the only TV the company allows]

I often wonder what goes though their minds, looking at the way the others are living................

we have a group around here that uses farm equipment with regular tired. I was shocked! I guess they get to make their own rules and use their religious beliefs to defend what they do

There are many orders and the individuals do not make their own rules but they can and do leave one order for another etc. Not many that I have ever seen are say a couple of two different orders however, but that may be just my limited experience. I have been on pasture walks with more that a couple Amish order attendees and 3 Mennonite orders at the same event. Makes for some interesting observations. Some came from short distances with horses and old order for sure. Some drove and some hired vans to bring a group. At least a couple times a group bought an Dutch and English speaking person along to interpret for those that did not understand English.
I knew one new order family well and they traveled a lot but settles for 6 years in our area and he milked 70 cows. His father was an old order member and the other old order members felt that he disrespected his father because he left the order, so there is indeed politics in their lives and in some cases more complicated than ours.
My brother had his old farm house remodeled by the Amish. They picked him and the crew up every day and drove them home and used a trailer for larger items as needed. I visited the farm they lived at, no power in the house but a large roughly 40 y 120 shed with two large generators at each end running building long shafts that had all the most modern and high quality wood and metal lathes I had seen in a long time and they had a trained crew there to use them all.
Many of the new order in our area utilized USDA Farm loans for their initial credit and debt was not something they were afraid of.

Bryce

A huge sect of them left Ohio and purchased land in Missouri because their Deacon deemed smoking against their law. While I admire the lifestyle and the connected conduit to nature, Amish are just like the rest of us, good and bad. Continuity with land does not make goodness a absolute.

Pity is my bet. And I can't help but agree sometimes.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too, because I see it as well................

I know of a group of Amish who own a Suburban, but pay an Englishman to drive it for them. They just can't DRIVE a vehicle.

One of my favorites.

I think some of the Amish thinking is crazy, but that is their business. I do know that they take care of themselves and the elderly. Look at how they help each other at a barn raising. But I find fault with not serving their country they enjoy in the armed forces. I hate the idea of "shunning" , or that they are limited how far they can go on education, however I never known an Amish person that was poor. I guess what I'm saying is live and let live.

Those horse an buggies are dangerous on road in traffic , horses get excited sometimez an can do things not want do like run out in traffic. The buggies are more dangerous than tracter on road

No more dangerous than a 4x4 S-10.

Because of the weight and speed any modern vehicle is capable of, they are far more dangerous than any horse and buggy.

When I see a horse and buggy on the road, and I see them a lot, I slow way down and give them a wide berth. It's just the right thing to do.

You’re right Lugnut, you are from a similar area as me. I live right in the middle of a decent size Amish/Mennonite area. I should have said “not as dangerous”.

I too give a wide berth, rural road safety is what we have been trying to promote for many years around here.

In my area the Amish community is growing fast. We went from none to more than 30 families in about two years. What I see is like the rest of society is some are hard workers others not so much .Some keep their farms very nice others look overgrown with junk scattered about .One place they put up a tower type tree stand .It looks like it leans about a foot or more from bottom. I do not know anyone I dislike so much as to put them in it for any reason. In this case a young boy hunts from it . So their skills are not always perfect But people are people no matter their religious views

I didn't realize there was an Amish population on the peninsula, interesting.

Hey its all good until they live close to you and your hunting grounds.Then forget about leaving deer for another year or two to grow.
just my two cents

More generalizations Ronaround? I hunt and trap dozens of Amish farms. More than half the families that live on them don't hunt at all.

I've always heard about the large gangs of outlaw Amish making huge deer drives and killing everything is sight. But I have never seen or heard any credible evidence of it in almost fifty years of interacting with them.

And, as I said above, I've rarely been denied permission to hunt or trap on an Amish farm.

Their show Amish mafia had to have been 90% made up.

No doubt.

Saw a large pile of horse manure at the gas station just the other day. I've seen they have small engines on their well pumps, a cross cut saw, and on the wood miser sawmill. Wood miser was being towed down the road by a team of horses on a cart with steel wheels. I personally don't get it. If the gas implement has steel wheels, were still just simple folk?

I wish I had Amish living closer to me. The nearest are about 50 minutes away. Overall Amish children have a better work ethic than most more modern US teens and I would be happy to employ several Amish teens on my farm.

Keith

Tell me about it. I saw two boys I know couldn't have been more than twelve years old driving two draft horses in a field. There wasn't an adult to be seen.

Yup
Have several Amish family farms around me. Just hired 2 Amish teens to move a bunch of heavy furniture down to my basement and bring more up today. They never complained once and got it done.
Rather live by the Amish than a bunch of hood rats or white trash. Least I can trust them in my house not to come back and steal me blind.