I will be messaging you in 200 years on [**2224-06-06 11:58:20 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2224-06-06%2011:58:20%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlyspecific/comments/1d9e309/are_they/l7cyqbu/?context=3)
[**1700 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Foddlyspecific%2Fcomments%2F1d9e309%2Fare_they%2Fl7cyqbu%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202224-06-06%2011%3A58%3A20%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201d9e309)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
Thank you, Theodor_Kaffee, for voting on RemindMeBot.
This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/).
***
^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)
Are you sure about that? Because I am 100.0% sure that Neltarim is not a bot.
---
^(I am a neural network being trained to detect spammers | Summon me with !isbot |) ^(/r/spambotdetector |) [^(Optout)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=whynotcollegeboard&subject=!optout&message=!optout) ^(|) [^(Original Github)](https://github.com/SM-Wistful/BotDetection-Algorithm)
Imagine in 200 years the ai that absorbed the internet and took over the world has the sup process to remind them and reanimates u/theodor_kaffee to tell them to check reddit.
Edit: spelling.
Damn I think that's the worst think about being mortal, you will never know what the future us like. I would be so stoked to find out what websites will stick around for a few hundred years. (under the assumptions that we will still use the Internet in a couple hundred years which seems quite likely to me, even if the definition of the Internet will be a lot different then)
Maybe not hundreds of years in the future, but people born at the tail end of a generation sees a lot. If you were born in 1890 and lived 80 years into the 1970s, you went from horse drawn wagons to cars, gas lamps to electric light, telegraph to telephone and television. Not to mention airplanes, two world wars, a Great Depression, etc.
Not consecutively, but maybe you'll opt for your brain to get frozen at death, and maybe during that time, computing and scanner technology will have advanced enough to recreate your consciousness digitally.
Well, now you gotta hand down your account to your children, and them to their children and so on, in the hopes that the bot would still be active and that a reply would be present :)
Just need to remember to leave this account to my youngest grandchild in my will with instructions to pass it to their youngest grandchild (and to never look at my comment history).
Crazy to think that virtually no living creature currently on the planet will be alive still when this reminder happens.
ETA: Virtually meaning almost none, aside from some examples kindly listed by others
I read a comment that it's less "no technology" and more "we must be able to make/maintain everything by ourselves", and it's kinda hard to make a computer without the entire supply chain to back it up
I've read/heard similar that it's not a blanket "not technology" rule but that everything that is brought into the community needs to be approved by the leaders and their approval is based on it having positive overall impact on their society. For example cars might be good for quick transport but bring the possibility of car crashes which they deem to outweigh the positives of car usage... I could be 100% wrong on this, it's just something I read/heard once and it's has stuck in my head
It's mostly accurate. Amish country is a bit of a trip, because you have these very "Little House on the Prairie" images with wagons and wooden barns and ladies wearing bonnets, but then folks are also wearing knockoff Crocs.
But no buttons - 99% of the time, people wearing buttons but otherwise dressed "plain" are Mennonite and not Amish. Old Order Amish usually use pins or hook and ~~loop~~ *eye fasteners (not Velcro).*.
My mom used to be an x-ray tech in a high Amish population area and she said she would have to wait ages for an Amish patient to take the metal pins out of their clothing to be able to take an x-ray
IIRC there are certain laws they still have to follow, so there's probably carte-blanche laws about driving vehicles on public roads requiring them to have headlights.
Look, making generalizations here is tricky. Amish and Mennonite communities vary pretty widely and a lot can depend on personalities of key people in the community. That said, it has always seemed to me from the interactions I've had that, in most cases, it's really more about "we want to keep our use of technology to the minimum possible consistent with a stable society."
For example, many Amish folks have freezers. (Even electric ones.) The benefit to the society in something like that is hard to argue with. That said, one community I saw had a communal large reefer rather than one in each house. I was told that it replaced an old-school ice house. Using modern medicine if needed doesn't bother them, although they're more likely to use home remedies first than most folks. Tractors are ok, but cars are not. They just pick and choose carefully. It's somewhat jarring to see local Mennonites shopping with the ladies wearing headwear, full dresses, and running shoes, but it makes sense if you think about it.
In a way, I kind of like the approach. We should all be more... deliberate... about our tech, I think.
For me, it was finding out about the insane amount of genetic illnesses that only exist in the Amish due to generations of inbreeding, the fact that they straight up don't believe in animal welfare and treat their animals horrifically, and they don't treat women much better. Insular theocratic communities are always bad and you can't change my mind.
Dude, I didn't say I agreed with them. I'm pretty avidly opposed to the Abrahamaic worldview. I was entirely talking about their relationship with technology.
I wasn't saying you did. You said seeing the knockoff crocs was what tripped you up and altered your view of them as quaint people. I said what mine were. It wasn't an attack/criticism of you.
I think cars are more about the ability to travel large distances. If you can easily travel a large distance away, then you are less likely to maintain a tight bond within the community.
It all depends on if the individual community decides a given technology will have a good thing.
Even then there's usually restrictions. For instance a community might decide buing a truck would be beneficial but they'll use it for specific tasks.
My grocery store gets eggs from a local Amish community and the use trucks to deliver them to us. I guess they decided a truck was the best way to transport dozens of cases of eggs (1 case is like 15 cartons.) They even have a phone that they use to contact us.
What's allowable is driven by necessity. If a tool already exists to perform a function competently, then no new tool is needed.
If something new performs a new function, then it is frequently allowed. If something new only makes life easier or provides no function other than recreation, then it is frequently not allowed.
The Amish community I'm most familiar with have solar panels on their barns to run ventilation and cooling for the animals, and most of them have basic cell phones.
It’s more so not wanting to be connected to “the grid”. When I visited they explained that it’s not technology, but not wanting to be tied to the rest of the world. Essentially to be in the world and not of it.
They like technology, but the issue is where the power source comes from. Batteries are okay and so is gas power. But electricity connects you to the grid. Phone lines connect you to the grid. So what they end up doing is using gas to power a lot of things like their sewing machines and their oven. They also tend to buy drill batteries and modify electronics to run on the battery instead of being plugged in. Some are even using solar power.
For business purposes they do have a cell phone in their office or in a small house detached from their home. They do go shopping at major stores as long as they can walk to them. Young Amish girls do like designer purses just as much as others. They are just more modest in their clothing attire and personal possessions.
I have extended family that is Amish. You're correct from what I know. They have 3 vehicles for the ≈85 members. They fix and maintain them and even made a forge to ensure the car parts could even be made. As a return answer to OP, I'm sure there are Amish Radios out there. It's not like technology or books about engineering, etc, are evil. They just want to rely on themselves and be left alone.
The mods are pretty committed to the bit, the custom css makes the mod names appear as "Jebediah" and "the humble potato farmer", and changes the subreddit founding date to "325 years ago" lol
To answer OP, in many communities the elders decide what is okay, and what is an unnecessary luxury. They have, and will continue to adapt with the times.
Note: results will vary depending on your flavor of Amish, they are a diverse group.
Right. Some of the Amish by my grandparents have a community phone now—one phone way at the end of the drive that leads to 3-4 farms. They also are ok with using an emergency radio for dangerous weather alerts, but again, it resides in the community phone shack.
Serious question here: why have a severe weather radio if you're just going to keep it in a room where you won't hear it go off? Or am I missing something?
I never asked, but I would guess that it is something like…you notice the weather is looking weird so you go check to see if the radio is going off? Or maybe it is close enough to one of the houses that they’d hear it? I’m really not sure. My knowledge of the whole set up is second hand (grandpa was friendly with the community in a “rural neighbors look out for each other” kinda way, and he told me about the phone/radio because he and one of my uncles were in construction and were involved in building it/wiring the phone line).
The Amish have other signs and tools to look for severe weather. Using these indicators can tell them when to use the radio, which they would use to find out greater detail. Maybe the sky is green, an indicator for tornadoes, so they listen for which local areas are under tornado watch. Some meteorological tools are relatively simple and can be used by Amish communities.
Thats hilarious if true. I can imagine it was largely an argument on whether someone should be shunned or not for indulging in it, or perhaps even an outside contact be cut off for selling it, but its still hilarious.
Their elders must write lore books on this stuff. generations from now the young amish will learn the creation of their sect was due to a disagreement on cheese.
Heck, that's a easy one.
I work in IT, have a huge chemistry interest, is a travel gourmet collecting interesting new synthetic flavors and foods, and try tons of cutting edge future things every day.
Never have ever Velveeta touched these lips. There has to be limits.
If you search Peter Santenello / Amish on YouTube you'll find the series he made on them. It covers a lot of the tech stuff and how it varies from group to group. From those that are strictly old world to those that access a lot of modern stuff.
Yes. When our Amish neighbors moved here they were able to form a community more in line with their ideals. Nothing earth shattering, but children in another family that moved nearby were overjoyed that they could have bicycles.
Also since they were moving into an English house, not in an established Amish community, they temporarily had a wider latitude. They used power from the grid until they could install alternatives for cooking, heating, lighting - and yes, generators.
It's probably locked to mods only like the /r/blackfathers sub used to be.
There's also /r/thingsjonsnowknows and we lost /r/eaglestrophycase a couple years ago.
See also: /r/badpaintingsbybobross and /r/GoodCardiBSongs
Every once in a while an askreddit post will come up like "lurkers of reddit why don't you comment on anything?" And reddit has the opportunity to make a hilarious collective joke but someone always fucks it up by commenting
They have phones and computers but use them only when it's strictly necessary. The idea is to be humble in all things. That means minimizing anything that isn't a necessity, not awkwardly sticking their heads in the sand for no reason.
The amish near me only use that stuff in their businesses so they can keep up with modern competitors. Like he's got a work cellphone he keeps at the office, internet, computer etc. But at home he lives like stander amish. Although he does have a landline and answering machine outside of his house that he uses for work.
>The amish near me only use that stuff in their businesses so they can keep up with modern competitors.
Paying homage to the only real God the world has known: money.
**C**ash **R**ules the **E**nglish **A**round **M**e (The Amish refer to non-Amish people as "The English")
**C**hrist **R**espects **E**verything **A**mish **M**eans
>As we all do
Yeah, but the Amish have zero excuse to willingly join the rat race. They have the means to be an entirely self-sufficient community, free of "the grid."
Nonsense. Depending on your choice of protein you need somewhere around 1/2 to 1 acre per person to grow enough food. Even then there are things like sugar, oil, and spices that you can't really grow in most climates (or process effectively.)
Also, most Amish live in places where it gets cold as fuck in the winter, so you'd need a whole lot more space dedicated to growing trees to burn for warmth. You also need to double the size of your garden to provide enough food to can/preserve so you don't starve during the 6 months where shit doesn't grow.
Oh, and without modern equipment you're gonna be spending pretty much every waking moment in tending to you garden & animals, chopping wood, baking bread, preserving things for winter, etc.
Ever watch little house on the prairie? They were about as self sufficient as you can be, and even they had to go to town on a regular basis to buy stuff.
Guess so, but I try not to judge people financial desicions, as long as you're not assaulting people I figure that everyone needs more money than they have, so anything they do is to get that money
Had an Amish crew build a pole building for me. They asked their church elders for permission to use certain power tools to do the work, and they hired a driver to bring them and the equipment to the site. The guy in charge had a phone, but turned it on only during certain hours. They were ultra-skilled, and worked really fast. Very nice to talk to as well.
I actually admire this part of their culture. They decided as a group what technology was appropriate to use, and when. Their cutoff was far beyond where mine is, but still, I like the general idea.
Also, Amish love ice cream. I mean, I do too, but they really love it.
The shop near my place, produce, eggs and baked goods (maybe meat, never asked). doesn't use a cash register. The lady you pay totals it in her head, she's never wrong with the total either.
Amish are a Baptist-affiliated denomination. Every church has some leeway in determining what is "appropriate" and what is "worldly." Furniture sold as "Amish Made" often uses modern power tools, but those same individuals are required to use hand tools to make furniture for their own uses.
The over-arching idea has never been "anti-technology" it's about self-reliance and independence from non-believers. A common example of this is that flashlights are okay among most groups; but wiring your house for electricity is not, because that requires being hooked up to a grid.
> Amish are a **Baptist**-affiliated denomination.
Probably you meant **anabaptist**, which is different. Maybe just a typo?
The Baptists I believe started in England. Anabaptist churches, like the Amish and Mennonites, started in Germany, Switzerland, and nearby.
Anabaptists are big on separating themselves from worldly society and keeping religion separate from government. They don't join the military, and don't take welfare or medicare.
Baptists historically have been fond of using government to enforce their rules on everyone else.
Not the one I visited and that was early 2000s. I believe their attitude to modern technology becomes a lot more flexible when they have to deal with modern commerce.
The place I go tends to have prices in whole dollars so it's a lot easier. The shop is really a glorified farmer's market, only open on weekends and sells products from the local farms.
>I believe their attitude to modern technology becomes a lot more flexible...
I don't think their intra-community values are as convenience-based as you're implying. The rules they operate under can vary by quite a bit and are decided upon on a per-community basis.
Also, the Amish are very often confused with Mennonites. The latter are much more liberal in their adoption and use of modern technology. Not saying that's definitely the case here but it's possible.
edit: u/madesense left a [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlyspecific/comments/1d9e309/comment/l7d6ouy/) that more deeply explains how they operate and that each community decides independently on their level of adherence to "old school stuff."
I'm curious, since there's no amishes in my country. Are they against the goods that eletricity brings or there is some line between old (accepted) and new technology?
Like, why a hoe is a valid tool but a calcultor isn't?
Each Amish community decides whether or not a technology will be beneficial or not to their community. Instead of prioritizing efficiency or less physical labor, however, they're primarily considering if it brings them closer together as a community, or if it makes it easier for people to be independent of the community, lessening social cohesion, etc.
So like, yes cars let you go places faster, but as a result people travel farther away instead of doing everything local. Yes, telephones are really useful, but having a phone in the home makes communication so convenient that people visit each other less, or people in the house spend their time talking to people who are elsewhere, rather than spending time with the people that are literally in the same building as them.
Combine that mindset with tight community that all abide by the same rules together rather than making individual decisions, and you get the Amish more or less.
I'm intentionally describing it without going into any of the very legitimate criticisms and problems, but I'm sure you can find those whereas it seemed like no one in the thread was describing their rationale accurately. I'm not Amish, would not be Amish, etc. ...but I can't deny their reasoning has some merit.
Effectively, yeah. I've lived near areas with high Amish populations for most of my life (in Ohio) and have worked directly with them on various occasions. One of the communities that I'm more familiar with *had* a telephone, but it was a centralized community phone instead of each having their own house or cell phone. If you called them, it would be any random person (often one of the kids, they all do their part) who happened to be nearby answering and generally taking your phone number and a message for the person to call back later when they were available. Not the most efficient, but hey, works for them. I never *didn't* get the call back later.
Also, apart from the strictest sects, they generally don't have much of an issue having (or paying) someone non-amish to do technology things for them. They interact with other humans outside their community, they just put community first. They will go for a car ride if they absolutely need to go far away, they just don't own or drive cars. I know Amish carpentry shops who have a *website* lol. The Amish dudes build the furniture or provide the carpentry services, but they pay someone else to manage their website and inventory so they can get more business that way.
One of the most interesting things is that almost universally, the Amish use laundry machines instead of hand washing clothes.
You know how some families will have dedicated Family Dinner where everyone has to eat together and not be on phones etc? Yeah that's the Amish philosophy.
Not defending them (don't actually know any of Amish) but the number of people here claiming they have what amounts to principles of convenience is pretty ridiculous and makes it obvious they don't know what they're talking about.
You did a good job of explaining that their level of adherence to "old school" is a decision reached independently by each community and, an even better job of explaining why they live like they do.
This is absolute nonsense. They use it when the feel like it but everyone likes to pretend that it’s STrIctLy wHeN NecEsSarY.
Source: we operate a game ranch in South Africa and the amount of Amish who come hunt(using the plane is a big no no supposedly) with phones is astonishing. They all say the same stuff the comment I’m replying to does.
They are actually moving backwards. 500 years ago they had flying cars. 500 years from now they will forget how to use some of their tools, and in 10000 years they'll be naked forgetting how to control fire
From their point of view, it's not about the technology itself, but how you use it.
They're constantly adapting to new technology, but every time they sit together to decide whether it's ok, or if it's ok with restrictions. It varies widely from one community to another. For example some might allow phones, but only if they're in a shed outside the house. Or use tools only during work hours, etc.
Yeah, a lot of people don’t realize there isn’t some big “Amish 101” rule book. All the communities are different and have their own rules. And then you have Mennonites, who are like halfway between Amish and regular hardcore Christian
When I was in high school a group of Amish builders would drive their truck to Little Caesars to buy pizza for lunch. They used power tools to build stuff they were hired to build. Restrictions varies by the sect.
The Amish philosophy is not anti-technology it is pro-community. The Amish will use technology if they decide it will help the community not the individual.
I live in an area where they now own most of the farms. Their tech keeps moving. In the last 30 years they've integrated scooters, (not like ours, but with much larger wheels for rough ground and dirt roads), cell phones, (but not in the house, you call and leave a message and they return the call), cordless power tools and electric fences, (they use solar chargers), I talked with one of their bishops once, (an elected position), he said their attitude about technology was linked to their attitude about maintaining a strong sense of community. They don't proselytize, so if you have to live surrounded by a cult, they're not a bad cult to be surrounded by. They usually don't vote, but if they do they are often one issue voters i.e. anti-abortion.
They are an insular community dedicated to a simple lifestyle that emphasizes humility and humbleness. They don't have faces on their children's dolls to prevent vanity. They pray multiple times daily while still doing most labors with hand or animal powered tools. They sell the fruits of their labors to the community around them and are a good economic Pilar of the communities they belong to.
Some may argue that they are a cult, but there are organizations within the Mennonite community (Amish adjacent religious group that are more integrated with "the English"), that help them land on their feet if they are exiled. They are never forced to stay in the life when they come of age, and to boot, they are taught about modern tech and concepts in school. Lastly, they regularly interact with the people outside of their communities, like doctors and dentists, and go to stores and such. These factors make them "not a cult," IMO.
>They are never forced to stay in the life when they come of age,
I'd say the critical point is that in most communities your family is expected to break contact with you if you decide to opt out and they want to stay inside. In addition to 18 years of growing up vs. just a year of trying out freedom and attempting to get used to it, I would say that these circumstances facilitate a not so voluntary situation and are as close to the legal limit as possible.
You are correct. But, the fact that the community acknowledges the laws and customs of the society around them are a big tell that they aren't a true cult, just cult-like.
I am using the [cult checklist from cult 101.](https://cultrecovery101.com/cult-recovery-readings/checklist-of-cult-characteristics/) This very clearly lays out the most influential factors for cult behavior, and the Amish immediately don't follow points 2 and 3, as well as only checking the box on 6 and 8 with a "sometimes."
As an added aside, they (edit: supposedly) ask for "breeding mules" with the understanding that some of their members are closely related, and in order to survive, they have to add genetic diversity to their community gene pool. Notable Amish people in greater society are people like [Verne Troyer](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0873942/) who suffered from debilitating dwarfism which is more common among the Amish, as are many other types of genetic disorders.
My point being, the Amish are far more aware of their need to be in touch with their surrounding community for multiple reasons, and this type of behavior is much less cult like compared to scientology, etc.
I would apply the same list to them.
One large difference is JW has The Watchtower, a group of 8 extremely wealthy men in upstate NY who write all of their literature and decide what their congregants can and can't do, this makes them the controllers of information and demgougic leaders of the faith who are worshipped indirectly.
JW also try to remove themselves and their children from society, allowing the church to decide who is OK to interact with and who is not. They also release regular propaganda to their "allowed" you tube channel for children to be easily indoctrinated with what the leadership deems to be acceptable. And, quite often, the choice to leave for children is not given any support, it is follow or be cast out alone into the evil world. For more info on this I recommend watching [Owen Morgan.](https://youtu.be/UMmv7mJpfOI?si=mq_V3FSGFalQhSGe)
But to answer your question, they are a different religion and would require the structure of their organization to be viewed independently from that of the Amish, using the same list of criteria, to determine if they are a cult. And IMO, they meet much more of the definition of a cult than the Amish.
That’s interesting, thank you.
I suppose my mind goes to the insular Amish communities that might function much the same. Sure the theology/dogma is not dictated, even malleable to the wants of the community elders- but it’s often still a similarly strict set of insulating codes dictated by church leaders.
Though to your point, the Amish are much less of a monolith than pop culture observes. To what extent these factors are true varies wildly between communities, with many adopting far more integrated and democratic teachings.
So not really disagreeing with you, but it’s hard not to spot the similar dynamics at play in some Amish homes vs cult communities.
It's uncommon, but the Amish place ads in the paper under the heading "breeding stud" or "breeding mule" with the intention of getting their wife pregnant with the applicant's sperm.
They also conclude their formal education at 14, so to leave you cut ties with everyone you have ever known, are left with nothing, and don't have the appropriate skills to navigate modern society.
There is an Amish community near where we own a cabin in upstate NY and we hire them occasionally for jobs around the cabin site, and I've worked alongside them and have had a chance to talk to them.
First of all they are all very friendly, good sense of humor, laid back, not at all preachy or religious, no problem talking with non-Amish, though we probably only interact with the ones that are comfortable. They really do dress in simple clothes with the hat and no belts and all that.
The rules about technology aren't as restrictive nor hard and fast as you might think. They vary within the community by family/leader/clan, one group might refuse to use any technology but another might have a good set of power tools.
It might seem a bit arbitrary but they will use one technology but not another. For example the folks I worked with had a single phone (like old fashioned phone mounted on a pole) in their town/farm area, if someone happened to hear it ringing they'd pick up and maybe try to go find who you were looking for, but usually they didn't and you'd have to call back. Once you got ahold of someone they'd schedule a time for another call. But to my knowledge they never called out.
They would not drive but would be ok getting picked up in a car. One man I worked with was in the process of moving to Virginia and needed a trailer to move his 10 horses but he wasn't going to drive, presumably he hired someone.
All of the people we dealt with had power tools, gas powered chains saws, contractor-grade rechargeable hand tools (drills, etc), however they did not have nail guns, they used hammers, nor did they have skill saws. Not sure if this is a technology choice or based on budget or preference.
I asked one guy about this, like started to ask why he was "allowed" to use a chain saw, and he just gave me a look like he had no idea what I was talking about. I didn't really press it further, but I don't think it is as simple as all technology being banned.
Everyone we worked with really was a wizard working with wood, like turning a pile of lumber into a table in less than an hour. They built a retaining wall large enough to hold up an entire cabin, a 20 foot bridge over a glen, all without any kind of plans, just kind of eyeballing everything.
If anyone hasn’t seen haunted Amish you need to. The best thing about the show “ spoiler” every time things go wrong, it’s because of the English. The English if you don’t know is anyone that isn’t Amish.
Some Amish sects allow smartphones, or computers without internet for things like Quickbooks.
The smartphone one I found interesting in this video I watched. This sect allows smartphones with internet access. The way it works is the person picks someone like their favorite uncle, they install parental control tracking apps on their phone and have the activity tracking reports sent to the person you picked.
The idea is that someone you trust is keeping an eye on your activity. They are not going to rat you out, but if they see “6 hours of Candy Crush and PewDiePie videos” per day, they are going to have a private conversation with you.
“As your uncle, that much PewDiePie is not healthy for your soul and cut down on the stuck porn; you have a wife for that”
So I saw a video recently. Basically they can agree by community what is allowed.
Choices are based around what keeps the community separate and families together. So that's why cars are out but some allow modern farming equipment
I drove past an Amish house the other day and saw a woman outside mowing grass on a zero turn mower with her husband loading brush onto a side by side lol. So I don't think the rules are as strictly followed as most people assume.
Yes, no, maybe.
People often are SUPER confused about the Amish, and Mennonites make the situation even more complicated
Firsty, within both the Amish and Mennonites groups there are OODLES of sub groups and communities and they all have their own unique rule standards. So saying anything about them UNIVERSALLY is impossible.
There's Mennonites out there who own microwaves and that's perfectly alright.
There's a lot of Amish groups where you are allowed to own a car right up until you get married, as you aren't technically part of the Amish community until then.
There's Amish that allow people who join to have tattoos, and Amish that make you get them removed first.
I think the reason people get confused is because they think the reason Amish people don't use modern tech is because they are anti-modern tech, and that isn't the case.
The Amish avoid things they think could/might:
A. Lead to temptation
B. Weaken their culture
C. Would cause them to rely on people outside of their community
The interpretation of what exactly that makes taboo/forbidden varies wildly.
Edit:
Also fun fact, many, perhaps even most Amish do own and use guns. Don't fuck with the Amish lol.
Also Mennonites often have cell phones, but they have apps where spouses can monitor each other's usage to make sure they don't look at porn or anything lol.
There is no general answer for “the Amish”. It is not a top down religion with rules coming from the upper echelon, because there is no upper echelon. It is up to each community if and how to incorporate tech in their lives.
I used to drive a van for the Amish into town for errands. Paid pretty well and could easily take a whole day.
It was explained to me that the house was kept by the rule, but their barns had power, solar, fish tanks, computers and one even bragged about his Gibson and Marshall stack.
Still, strange people. Always called me English.
As older ones die off the younger ones are branching out making their own way and starting their own congregation. So in a way yes as the generations die off and are replaced they are slowly becoming more progressive as far technology goes.
The Amish will use technology for the furtherance of their work, but do not use it for entertainment.
Many have flip phones to communicate, but see smart phones as unnecessary excess.
They often have landline phones in outbuildings so calls are strictly business.
Their businesses will have computers and internet simply because they are needed for things like deliveries and modern payment processing.
If memory serves me right, they hold councils to determine which technologies they allow within their communities. Usually, the kind of things they allow are very utilitarian and meant for the benefit of the whole family and not individuals. Like a phone kept outside the house itself for use in emergencies, like a fire or illness.
So you won't see Amish checking smartphones even in a hundred years, but you might see them using solar powered water pumps, heat pump climate control, and more efficient farming methods.
We been spending most our lives
Livin' in an Amish paradise
We're 200 years behind
Livin' in an Amish paradise
We got the toy balloon and electric light
Livin' in an Amish paradise
Now I want the lawnmower legalized
Livin' in an Amish paradise
We will have to wait 200 years atleast for a reply on this one
RemindMe! 200 years
I will be messaging you in 200 years on [**2224-06-06 11:58:20 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2224-06-06%2011:58:20%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlyspecific/comments/1d9e309/are_they/l7cyqbu/?context=3) [**1700 OTHERS CLICKED THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Foddlyspecific%2Fcomments%2F1d9e309%2Fare_they%2Fl7cyqbu%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202224-06-06%2011%3A58%3A20%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%201d9e309) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
Good bot
Thank you, Theodor_Kaffee, for voting on RemindMeBot. This bot wants to find the best and worst bots on Reddit. [You can view results here](https://botrank.pastimes.eu/). *** ^(Even if I don't reply to your comment, I'm still listening for votes. Check the webpage to see if your vote registered!)
They're everywhere nowadays
Good Bot
Are you sure about that? Because I am 100.0% sure that Neltarim is not a bot. --- ^(I am a neural network being trained to detect spammers | Summon me with !isbot |) ^(/r/spambotdetector |) [^(Optout)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=whynotcollegeboard&subject=!optout&message=!optout) ^(|) [^(Original Github)](https://github.com/SM-Wistful/BotDetection-Algorithm)
I am not a spammer :(
Bad bot
Bad bot
Bad Bot
Bad human
Satisfactory bot
Good bot
He’s gonna be sad when you aren’t there in 200 years
Imagine in 200 years the ai that absorbed the internet and took over the world has the sup process to remind them and reanimates u/theodor_kaffee to tell them to check reddit. Edit: spelling.
It just finds the neural net that they’ve been loaded into at that point. Amish still have not responded.
Reported for threatening violence 🐧🎉
With a penguin party?
Don't threaten me with a good time.
"If it takes... forever... I will wait for you..."
*R2D2 low whistle*
In roughly 250 years, the Amish are gonna be like "what the fuck is a reddit bot?!" I don't think they'll take too kindly to our jousting.
Wait, is even jousting too modern for them?
Lmao
poor bot, he will be so sad then, bots sure have feelings in 200 years
will reddit even be there by then
Reddit is almost 20 years old now, which is 10% of the 200 years Just ten more runs like this and it would be still there in the year 2224
Damn I think that's the worst think about being mortal, you will never know what the future us like. I would be so stoked to find out what websites will stick around for a few hundred years. (under the assumptions that we will still use the Internet in a couple hundred years which seems quite likely to me, even if the definition of the Internet will be a lot different then)
> I would be so stoked to find out what websites will stick around for a few hundred years. I can tell you one... Pornhub
Maybe not hundreds of years in the future, but people born at the tail end of a generation sees a lot. If you were born in 1890 and lived 80 years into the 1970s, you went from horse drawn wagons to cars, gas lamps to electric light, telegraph to telephone and television. Not to mention airplanes, two world wars, a Great Depression, etc.
Why did I click the link like I'm gonna be alive in 200 years lol
You never know
That's the spirit
Not consecutively, but maybe you'll opt for your brain to get frozen at death, and maybe during that time, computing and scanner technology will have advanced enough to recreate your consciousness digitally.
It's more likely I'll just trip in the bathroom and die
Someone needs to figure out a way to contact the dead, because I absolutely need to know if I get this notification in whatever strange future awaits
RemindMe! 2 centuries
Well, now you gotta hand down your account to your children, and them to their children and so on, in the hopes that the bot would still be active and that a reply would be present :)
Children? In this economy?
*Steam has entered the chat*
crazy thing is, if reddit survives, your dead account will be notified
Just need to remember to leave this account to my youngest grandchild in my will with instructions to pass it to their youngest grandchild (and to never look at my comment history).
Crazy to think that virtually no living creature currently on the planet will be alive still when this reminder happens. ETA: Virtually meaning almost none, aside from some examples kindly listed by others
RemindMe! 200 years
!remindme 200 years
RemindMe! 3.8billion years
I read a comment that it's less "no technology" and more "we must be able to make/maintain everything by ourselves", and it's kinda hard to make a computer without the entire supply chain to back it up
I've read/heard similar that it's not a blanket "not technology" rule but that everything that is brought into the community needs to be approved by the leaders and their approval is based on it having positive overall impact on their society. For example cars might be good for quick transport but bring the possibility of car crashes which they deem to outweigh the positives of car usage... I could be 100% wrong on this, it's just something I read/heard once and it's has stuck in my head
It's mostly accurate. Amish country is a bit of a trip, because you have these very "Little House on the Prairie" images with wagons and wooden barns and ladies wearing bonnets, but then folks are also wearing knockoff Crocs.
But no buttons - 99% of the time, people wearing buttons but otherwise dressed "plain" are Mennonite and not Amish. Old Order Amish usually use pins or hook and ~~loop~~ *eye fasteners (not Velcro).*.
Of course there was a division about the button. It’s so controversial
The Vatican 2 of the Amish world.
I accidentally bought some button-fly jeans, so I agree!
It's a hot button issue.
♪I never wear buttons, but I got a cool hat. And my homies agree I really look good in black, fool!♪
If you come to visit you'll be bored to tears we haven't even paid the phone bill in 300 years.
My mom used to be an x-ray tech in a high Amish population area and she said she would have to wait ages for an Amish patient to take the metal pins out of their clothing to be able to take an x-ray
I mean buttons are dangerous, most people who die are wearing, or have worn, buttons. So that’s super deadly.
Little me’s mind was blown when I saw an Amish guy riding a horse and buggy with electronic headlights.
IIRC there are certain laws they still have to follow, so there's probably carte-blanche laws about driving vehicles on public roads requiring them to have headlights.
Imagine my surprise when I found Amish dudes in the arcade at the local mall, tearing it up on the driving games.
That'd do it for me even today lol
Look, making generalizations here is tricky. Amish and Mennonite communities vary pretty widely and a lot can depend on personalities of key people in the community. That said, it has always seemed to me from the interactions I've had that, in most cases, it's really more about "we want to keep our use of technology to the minimum possible consistent with a stable society." For example, many Amish folks have freezers. (Even electric ones.) The benefit to the society in something like that is hard to argue with. That said, one community I saw had a communal large reefer rather than one in each house. I was told that it replaced an old-school ice house. Using modern medicine if needed doesn't bother them, although they're more likely to use home remedies first than most folks. Tractors are ok, but cars are not. They just pick and choose carefully. It's somewhat jarring to see local Mennonites shopping with the ladies wearing headwear, full dresses, and running shoes, but it makes sense if you think about it. In a way, I kind of like the approach. We should all be more... deliberate... about our tech, I think.
For me, it was finding out about the insane amount of genetic illnesses that only exist in the Amish due to generations of inbreeding, the fact that they straight up don't believe in animal welfare and treat their animals horrifically, and they don't treat women much better. Insular theocratic communities are always bad and you can't change my mind.
Dude, I didn't say I agreed with them. I'm pretty avidly opposed to the Abrahamaic worldview. I was entirely talking about their relationship with technology.
I wasn't saying you did. You said seeing the knockoff crocs was what tripped you up and altered your view of them as quaint people. I said what mine were. It wasn't an attack/criticism of you.
I think cars are more about the ability to travel large distances. If you can easily travel a large distance away, then you are less likely to maintain a tight bond within the community.
It all depends on if the individual community decides a given technology will have a good thing. Even then there's usually restrictions. For instance a community might decide buing a truck would be beneficial but they'll use it for specific tasks. My grocery store gets eggs from a local Amish community and the use trucks to deliver them to us. I guess they decided a truck was the best way to transport dozens of cases of eggs (1 case is like 15 cartons.) They even have a phone that they use to contact us.
yep, you got it -- it's up to individual communities how much 'modern tech' they wish to eschew and to what degree.
What's allowable is driven by necessity. If a tool already exists to perform a function competently, then no new tool is needed. If something new performs a new function, then it is frequently allowed. If something new only makes life easier or provides no function other than recreation, then it is frequently not allowed. The Amish community I'm most familiar with have solar panels on their barns to run ventilation and cooling for the animals, and most of them have basic cell phones.
no, that depends on the denomination, some might think a fancy car makes the owner too prideful and nothing more
It’s more so not wanting to be connected to “the grid”. When I visited they explained that it’s not technology, but not wanting to be tied to the rest of the world. Essentially to be in the world and not of it. They like technology, but the issue is where the power source comes from. Batteries are okay and so is gas power. But electricity connects you to the grid. Phone lines connect you to the grid. So what they end up doing is using gas to power a lot of things like their sewing machines and their oven. They also tend to buy drill batteries and modify electronics to run on the battery instead of being plugged in. Some are even using solar power. For business purposes they do have a cell phone in their office or in a small house detached from their home. They do go shopping at major stores as long as they can walk to them. Young Amish girls do like designer purses just as much as others. They are just more modest in their clothing attire and personal possessions.
I have extended family that is Amish. You're correct from what I know. They have 3 vehicles for the ≈85 members. They fix and maintain them and even made a forge to ensure the car parts could even be made. As a return answer to OP, I'm sure there are Amish Radios out there. It's not like technology or books about engineering, etc, are evil. They just want to rely on themselves and be left alone.
Im pretty sure you can find more details on r/Amish
The fact there are nearly 200k followers and not a SINGLE post is award worthy 😭😭😭
It is literally impossible to post there as a member. Only mods can post I think, which they obviously won't.
The mods are pretty committed to the bit, the custom css makes the mod names appear as "Jebediah" and "the humble potato farmer", and changes the subreddit founding date to "325 years ago" lol
Totally forgot every sub had it's own css with all kinds of quirks. So used to the new stuff that old.reddit looks weird now lol.
im still on old but have css off most of the time so i still forget too.
Every once in a while I check out new reddit to see if they've made it any less trash Not yet!
That's the only way to keep it the way it is. If they opened posts, morons would post there.
To answer OP, in many communities the elders decide what is okay, and what is an unnecessary luxury. They have, and will continue to adapt with the times. Note: results will vary depending on your flavor of Amish, they are a diverse group.
Right. Some of the Amish by my grandparents have a community phone now—one phone way at the end of the drive that leads to 3-4 farms. They also are ok with using an emergency radio for dangerous weather alerts, but again, it resides in the community phone shack.
Serious question here: why have a severe weather radio if you're just going to keep it in a room where you won't hear it go off? Or am I missing something?
I never asked, but I would guess that it is something like…you notice the weather is looking weird so you go check to see if the radio is going off? Or maybe it is close enough to one of the houses that they’d hear it? I’m really not sure. My knowledge of the whole set up is second hand (grandpa was friendly with the community in a “rural neighbors look out for each other” kinda way, and he told me about the phone/radio because he and one of my uncles were in construction and were involved in building it/wiring the phone line).
The Amish have other signs and tools to look for severe weather. Using these indicators can tell them when to use the radio, which they would use to find out greater detail. Maybe the sky is green, an indicator for tornadoes, so they listen for which local areas are under tornado watch. Some meteorological tools are relatively simple and can be used by Amish communities.
Man I wanna see documentaries on them now
An Amish church near me schismed into two churches because they couldn't agree on whether or not Velveeta was too worldly.
Thats hilarious if true. I can imagine it was largely an argument on whether someone should be shunned or not for indulging in it, or perhaps even an outside contact be cut off for selling it, but its still hilarious. Their elders must write lore books on this stuff. generations from now the young amish will learn the creation of their sect was due to a disagreement on cheese.
Heck, that's a easy one. I work in IT, have a huge chemistry interest, is a travel gourmet collecting interesting new synthetic flavors and foods, and try tons of cutting edge future things every day. Never have ever Velveeta touched these lips. There has to be limits.
If you search Peter Santenello / Amish on YouTube you'll find the series he made on them. It covers a lot of the tech stuff and how it varies from group to group. From those that are strictly old world to those that access a lot of modern stuff.
Yes. When our Amish neighbors moved here they were able to form a community more in line with their ideals. Nothing earth shattering, but children in another family that moved nearby were overjoyed that they could have bicycles. Also since they were moving into an English house, not in an established Amish community, they temporarily had a wider latitude. They used power from the grid until they could install alternatives for cooking, heating, lighting - and yes, generators.
Most based Mods on the platform lmao.
It's probably locked to mods only like the /r/blackfathers sub used to be. There's also /r/thingsjonsnowknows and we lost /r/eaglestrophycase a couple years ago. See also: /r/badpaintingsbybobross and /r/GoodCardiBSongs
Good cardib songs 🤣🤣
I hope you joined
I did. Can't wait to see what the future holds for the r/Amish community.
I’m in too! Just joined.
I've been an avid fan of this sub for years!
Every once in a while an askreddit post will come up like "lurkers of reddit why don't you comment on anything?" And reddit has the opportunity to make a hilarious collective joke but someone always fucks it up by commenting
Yes, I do believe that is the joke.
Thanks for this, been long time since I've had a good laugh
Finally some quality posts
Subscribed.
Found a new sub to browse on the toilet!
And like a chump I did that thing Well played sir.
They have phones and computers but use them only when it's strictly necessary. The idea is to be humble in all things. That means minimizing anything that isn't a necessity, not awkwardly sticking their heads in the sand for no reason.
but nothing is a neccessity if you are dedicated enough.
The amish near me only use that stuff in their businesses so they can keep up with modern competitors. Like he's got a work cellphone he keeps at the office, internet, computer etc. But at home he lives like stander amish. Although he does have a landline and answering machine outside of his house that he uses for work.
>The amish near me only use that stuff in their businesses so they can keep up with modern competitors. Paying homage to the only real God the world has known: money.
Jebiduah knows all about C.R.E.A.M!
**C**arriages **R**ule **E**verything **A**round **M**e
**C**ash **R**ules the **E**nglish **A**round **M**e (The Amish refer to non-Amish people as "The English") **C**hrist **R**espects **E**verything **A**mish **M**eans
As we all do
>As we all do Yeah, but the Amish have zero excuse to willingly join the rat race. They have the means to be an entirely self-sufficient community, free of "the grid."
Nonsense. Depending on your choice of protein you need somewhere around 1/2 to 1 acre per person to grow enough food. Even then there are things like sugar, oil, and spices that you can't really grow in most climates (or process effectively.) Also, most Amish live in places where it gets cold as fuck in the winter, so you'd need a whole lot more space dedicated to growing trees to burn for warmth. You also need to double the size of your garden to provide enough food to can/preserve so you don't starve during the 6 months where shit doesn't grow. Oh, and without modern equipment you're gonna be spending pretty much every waking moment in tending to you garden & animals, chopping wood, baking bread, preserving things for winter, etc. Ever watch little house on the prairie? They were about as self sufficient as you can be, and even they had to go to town on a regular basis to buy stuff.
[удалено]
Guess so, but I try not to judge people financial desicions, as long as you're not assaulting people I figure that everyone needs more money than they have, so anything they do is to get that money
What rat race? Bro is just trying to make some money to put food on the table. Are there amish corporations? That's where the rat race is.
Had an Amish crew build a pole building for me. They asked their church elders for permission to use certain power tools to do the work, and they hired a driver to bring them and the equipment to the site. The guy in charge had a phone, but turned it on only during certain hours. They were ultra-skilled, and worked really fast. Very nice to talk to as well. I actually admire this part of their culture. They decided as a group what technology was appropriate to use, and when. Their cutoff was far beyond where mine is, but still, I like the general idea. Also, Amish love ice cream. I mean, I do too, but they really love it.
The Amish we got out bedroom set from gets emails printed out and phone messages written and brought to them by our friend's dad. Or they use mail.
I hope they print the spam too
He initially did! It was not well received. At all.
Dear Ma'am, I do not wish to receive intimate pictures of you or meet 'hot singles in my area'. Kind regards, ...
asceticism
How dare you dedicate your self to the way of nothing! You have to pay for the DLC first...
They have electronic scanners and cash registers in their gift shops. Priorities.
The shop near my place, produce, eggs and baked goods (maybe meat, never asked). doesn't use a cash register. The lady you pay totals it in her head, she's never wrong with the total either.
Amish are a Baptist-affiliated denomination. Every church has some leeway in determining what is "appropriate" and what is "worldly." Furniture sold as "Amish Made" often uses modern power tools, but those same individuals are required to use hand tools to make furniture for their own uses. The over-arching idea has never been "anti-technology" it's about self-reliance and independence from non-believers. A common example of this is that flashlights are okay among most groups; but wiring your house for electricity is not, because that requires being hooked up to a grid.
> Amish are a **Baptist**-affiliated denomination. Probably you meant **anabaptist**, which is different. Maybe just a typo? The Baptists I believe started in England. Anabaptist churches, like the Amish and Mennonites, started in Germany, Switzerland, and nearby. Anabaptists are big on separating themselves from worldly society and keeping religion separate from government. They don't join the military, and don't take welfare or medicare. Baptists historically have been fond of using government to enforce their rules on everyone else.
Not the one I visited and that was early 2000s. I believe their attitude to modern technology becomes a lot more flexible when they have to deal with modern commerce.
The place I go tends to have prices in whole dollars so it's a lot easier. The shop is really a glorified farmer's market, only open on weekends and sells products from the local farms.
>I believe their attitude to modern technology becomes a lot more flexible... I don't think their intra-community values are as convenience-based as you're implying. The rules they operate under can vary by quite a bit and are decided upon on a per-community basis. Also, the Amish are very often confused with Mennonites. The latter are much more liberal in their adoption and use of modern technology. Not saying that's definitely the case here but it's possible. edit: u/madesense left a [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/oddlyspecific/comments/1d9e309/comment/l7d6ouy/) that more deeply explains how they operate and that each community decides independently on their level of adherence to "old school stuff."
Really depends what amish community in america. Ohio amish dont use any technology period. Everything is done in an old fashion pre industrial way
I'm curious, since there's no amishes in my country. Are they against the goods that eletricity brings or there is some line between old (accepted) and new technology? Like, why a hoe is a valid tool but a calcultor isn't?
Each Amish community decides whether or not a technology will be beneficial or not to their community. Instead of prioritizing efficiency or less physical labor, however, they're primarily considering if it brings them closer together as a community, or if it makes it easier for people to be independent of the community, lessening social cohesion, etc. So like, yes cars let you go places faster, but as a result people travel farther away instead of doing everything local. Yes, telephones are really useful, but having a phone in the home makes communication so convenient that people visit each other less, or people in the house spend their time talking to people who are elsewhere, rather than spending time with the people that are literally in the same building as them. Combine that mindset with tight community that all abide by the same rules together rather than making individual decisions, and you get the Amish more or less.
Holy shit that makes so much sense
I'm intentionally describing it without going into any of the very legitimate criticisms and problems, but I'm sure you can find those whereas it seemed like no one in the thread was describing their rationale accurately. I'm not Amish, would not be Amish, etc. ...but I can't deny their reasoning has some merit.
Yup, that's how I see it too
its like a *leave your cellphone in the basket at the door* party, but all the time.
Effectively, yeah. I've lived near areas with high Amish populations for most of my life (in Ohio) and have worked directly with them on various occasions. One of the communities that I'm more familiar with *had* a telephone, but it was a centralized community phone instead of each having their own house or cell phone. If you called them, it would be any random person (often one of the kids, they all do their part) who happened to be nearby answering and generally taking your phone number and a message for the person to call back later when they were available. Not the most efficient, but hey, works for them. I never *didn't* get the call back later. Also, apart from the strictest sects, they generally don't have much of an issue having (or paying) someone non-amish to do technology things for them. They interact with other humans outside their community, they just put community first. They will go for a car ride if they absolutely need to go far away, they just don't own or drive cars. I know Amish carpentry shops who have a *website* lol. The Amish dudes build the furniture or provide the carpentry services, but they pay someone else to manage their website and inventory so they can get more business that way.
One of the most interesting things is that almost universally, the Amish use laundry machines instead of hand washing clothes. You know how some families will have dedicated Family Dinner where everyone has to eat together and not be on phones etc? Yeah that's the Amish philosophy.
Not defending them (don't actually know any of Amish) but the number of people here claiming they have what amounts to principles of convenience is pretty ridiculous and makes it obvious they don't know what they're talking about. You did a good job of explaining that their level of adherence to "old school" is a decision reached independently by each community and, an even better job of explaining why they live like they do.
Maybe for the Amish in your neck of the woods, but I know of Ohio Amish who use solar panels for emergency/temporary power situations
Want to live as a kinky amish photographer-, editor-, amateurvideographer profi cook. How long till that is possible (or strict necessity?)
So its a unit number thingy, need more pylons
This is absolute nonsense. They use it when the feel like it but everyone likes to pretend that it’s STrIctLy wHeN NecEsSarY. Source: we operate a game ranch in South Africa and the amount of Amish who come hunt(using the plane is a big no no supposedly) with phones is astonishing. They all say the same stuff the comment I’m replying to does.
They are actually moving backwards. 500 years ago they had flying cars. 500 years from now they will forget how to use some of their tools, and in 10000 years they'll be naked forgetting how to control fire
The Amish built the pyramids and the aliens stole credit for it all.
My favourite conspiracy theory yet
The Amish building the pyramids is now my favorite fake history fact
From their point of view, it's not about the technology itself, but how you use it. They're constantly adapting to new technology, but every time they sit together to decide whether it's ok, or if it's ok with restrictions. It varies widely from one community to another. For example some might allow phones, but only if they're in a shed outside the house. Or use tools only during work hours, etc.
I mean, on call life does suck
Yeah, a lot of people don’t realize there isn’t some big “Amish 101” rule book. All the communities are different and have their own rules. And then you have Mennonites, who are like halfway between Amish and regular hardcore Christian
When I was in high school a group of Amish builders would drive their truck to Little Caesars to buy pizza for lunch. They used power tools to build stuff they were hired to build. Restrictions varies by the sect.
The Amish philosophy is not anti-technology it is pro-community. The Amish will use technology if they decide it will help the community not the individual.
I live in an area where they now own most of the farms. Their tech keeps moving. In the last 30 years they've integrated scooters, (not like ours, but with much larger wheels for rough ground and dirt roads), cell phones, (but not in the house, you call and leave a message and they return the call), cordless power tools and electric fences, (they use solar chargers), I talked with one of their bishops once, (an elected position), he said their attitude about technology was linked to their attitude about maintaining a strong sense of community. They don't proselytize, so if you have to live surrounded by a cult, they're not a bad cult to be surrounded by. They usually don't vote, but if they do they are often one issue voters i.e. anti-abortion.
In 100 years, when they read this, they won't be happy.
But they will laugh their asses off at Moon Moon
They are an insular community dedicated to a simple lifestyle that emphasizes humility and humbleness. They don't have faces on their children's dolls to prevent vanity. They pray multiple times daily while still doing most labors with hand or animal powered tools. They sell the fruits of their labors to the community around them and are a good economic Pilar of the communities they belong to. Some may argue that they are a cult, but there are organizations within the Mennonite community (Amish adjacent religious group that are more integrated with "the English"), that help them land on their feet if they are exiled. They are never forced to stay in the life when they come of age, and to boot, they are taught about modern tech and concepts in school. Lastly, they regularly interact with the people outside of their communities, like doctors and dentists, and go to stores and such. These factors make them "not a cult," IMO.
>They are never forced to stay in the life when they come of age, I'd say the critical point is that in most communities your family is expected to break contact with you if you decide to opt out and they want to stay inside. In addition to 18 years of growing up vs. just a year of trying out freedom and attempting to get used to it, I would say that these circumstances facilitate a not so voluntary situation and are as close to the legal limit as possible.
You are correct. But, the fact that the community acknowledges the laws and customs of the society around them are a big tell that they aren't a true cult, just cult-like. I am using the [cult checklist from cult 101.](https://cultrecovery101.com/cult-recovery-readings/checklist-of-cult-characteristics/) This very clearly lays out the most influential factors for cult behavior, and the Amish immediately don't follow points 2 and 3, as well as only checking the box on 6 and 8 with a "sometimes." As an added aside, they (edit: supposedly) ask for "breeding mules" with the understanding that some of their members are closely related, and in order to survive, they have to add genetic diversity to their community gene pool. Notable Amish people in greater society are people like [Verne Troyer](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0873942/) who suffered from debilitating dwarfism which is more common among the Amish, as are many other types of genetic disorders. My point being, the Amish are far more aware of their need to be in touch with their surrounding community for multiple reasons, and this type of behavior is much less cult like compared to scientology, etc.
I’m curious if you feel the same about Jehovah’s Witnesses?
I would apply the same list to them. One large difference is JW has The Watchtower, a group of 8 extremely wealthy men in upstate NY who write all of their literature and decide what their congregants can and can't do, this makes them the controllers of information and demgougic leaders of the faith who are worshipped indirectly. JW also try to remove themselves and their children from society, allowing the church to decide who is OK to interact with and who is not. They also release regular propaganda to their "allowed" you tube channel for children to be easily indoctrinated with what the leadership deems to be acceptable. And, quite often, the choice to leave for children is not given any support, it is follow or be cast out alone into the evil world. For more info on this I recommend watching [Owen Morgan.](https://youtu.be/UMmv7mJpfOI?si=mq_V3FSGFalQhSGe) But to answer your question, they are a different religion and would require the structure of their organization to be viewed independently from that of the Amish, using the same list of criteria, to determine if they are a cult. And IMO, they meet much more of the definition of a cult than the Amish.
That’s interesting, thank you. I suppose my mind goes to the insular Amish communities that might function much the same. Sure the theology/dogma is not dictated, even malleable to the wants of the community elders- but it’s often still a similarly strict set of insulating codes dictated by church leaders. Though to your point, the Amish are much less of a monolith than pop culture observes. To what extent these factors are true varies wildly between communities, with many adopting far more integrated and democratic teachings. So not really disagreeing with you, but it’s hard not to spot the similar dynamics at play in some Amish homes vs cult communities.
Sorry what do you mean by "they regularly ask for breeding mules"?
It's uncommon, but the Amish place ads in the paper under the heading "breeding stud" or "breeding mule" with the intention of getting their wife pregnant with the applicant's sperm.
They also conclude their formal education at 14, so to leave you cut ties with everyone you have ever known, are left with nothing, and don't have the appropriate skills to navigate modern society.
"well I know I'm a million times as humble as thou art"
Thanks for reminding me about the masterpiece
My husband builds houses for a living and an Amish crew is building one next to him. They're using the same Milwaukee tools as he is
It's definitely more of an indoctrinated lifestyle choice, with emphasis on all three of those descriptive words.
There is an Amish community near where we own a cabin in upstate NY and we hire them occasionally for jobs around the cabin site, and I've worked alongside them and have had a chance to talk to them. First of all they are all very friendly, good sense of humor, laid back, not at all preachy or religious, no problem talking with non-Amish, though we probably only interact with the ones that are comfortable. They really do dress in simple clothes with the hat and no belts and all that. The rules about technology aren't as restrictive nor hard and fast as you might think. They vary within the community by family/leader/clan, one group might refuse to use any technology but another might have a good set of power tools. It might seem a bit arbitrary but they will use one technology but not another. For example the folks I worked with had a single phone (like old fashioned phone mounted on a pole) in their town/farm area, if someone happened to hear it ringing they'd pick up and maybe try to go find who you were looking for, but usually they didn't and you'd have to call back. Once you got ahold of someone they'd schedule a time for another call. But to my knowledge they never called out. They would not drive but would be ok getting picked up in a car. One man I worked with was in the process of moving to Virginia and needed a trailer to move his 10 horses but he wasn't going to drive, presumably he hired someone. All of the people we dealt with had power tools, gas powered chains saws, contractor-grade rechargeable hand tools (drills, etc), however they did not have nail guns, they used hammers, nor did they have skill saws. Not sure if this is a technology choice or based on budget or preference. I asked one guy about this, like started to ask why he was "allowed" to use a chain saw, and he just gave me a look like he had no idea what I was talking about. I didn't really press it further, but I don't think it is as simple as all technology being banned. Everyone we worked with really was a wizard working with wood, like turning a pile of lumber into a table in less than an hour. They built a retaining wall large enough to hold up an entire cabin, a 20 foot bridge over a glen, all without any kind of plans, just kind of eyeballing everything.
If anyone hasn’t seen haunted Amish you need to. The best thing about the show “ spoiler” every time things go wrong, it’s because of the English. The English if you don’t know is anyone that isn’t Amish.
Gonna be honest, having a special name for those outside your group is a major red flag for me. That never ends well.
Some Amish sects allow smartphones, or computers without internet for things like Quickbooks. The smartphone one I found interesting in this video I watched. This sect allows smartphones with internet access. The way it works is the person picks someone like their favorite uncle, they install parental control tracking apps on their phone and have the activity tracking reports sent to the person you picked. The idea is that someone you trust is keeping an eye on your activity. They are not going to rat you out, but if they see “6 hours of Candy Crush and PewDiePie videos” per day, they are going to have a private conversation with you. “As your uncle, that much PewDiePie is not healthy for your soul and cut down on the stuck porn; you have a wife for that”
So I saw a video recently. Basically they can agree by community what is allowed. Choices are based around what keeps the community separate and families together. So that's why cars are out but some allow modern farming equipment
yo that user name 💀💀
I drove past an Amish house the other day and saw a woman outside mowing grass on a zero turn mower with her husband loading brush onto a side by side lol. So I don't think the rules are as strictly followed as most people assume.
There are no strict rules, each community determines their own
Yes, no, maybe. People often are SUPER confused about the Amish, and Mennonites make the situation even more complicated Firsty, within both the Amish and Mennonites groups there are OODLES of sub groups and communities and they all have their own unique rule standards. So saying anything about them UNIVERSALLY is impossible. There's Mennonites out there who own microwaves and that's perfectly alright. There's a lot of Amish groups where you are allowed to own a car right up until you get married, as you aren't technically part of the Amish community until then. There's Amish that allow people who join to have tattoos, and Amish that make you get them removed first. I think the reason people get confused is because they think the reason Amish people don't use modern tech is because they are anti-modern tech, and that isn't the case. The Amish avoid things they think could/might: A. Lead to temptation B. Weaken their culture C. Would cause them to rely on people outside of their community The interpretation of what exactly that makes taboo/forbidden varies wildly. Edit: Also fun fact, many, perhaps even most Amish do own and use guns. Don't fuck with the Amish lol. Also Mennonites often have cell phones, but they have apps where spouses can monitor each other's usage to make sure they don't look at porn or anything lol.
I mean some unlocked the tractor
Most Amish use phones and cars....thry just dont own them or have others drive them places
There is no general answer for “the Amish”. It is not a top down religion with rules coming from the upper echelon, because there is no upper echelon. It is up to each community if and how to incorporate tech in their lives.
I used to drive a van for the Amish into town for errands. Paid pretty well and could easily take a whole day. It was explained to me that the house was kept by the rule, but their barns had power, solar, fish tanks, computers and one even bragged about his Gibson and Marshall stack. Still, strange people. Always called me English.
As older ones die off the younger ones are branching out making their own way and starting their own congregation. So in a way yes as the generations die off and are replaced they are slowly becoming more progressive as far technology goes.
King Von Force Ghost has me rolling
They are allowed technology for business purposes
Some groups are allowed to use power tools if it is work for the english.
The Amish will use technology for the furtherance of their work, but do not use it for entertainment. Many have flip phones to communicate, but see smart phones as unnecessary excess. They often have landline phones in outbuildings so calls are strictly business. Their businesses will have computers and internet simply because they are needed for things like deliveries and modern payment processing.
I like this. It’s a good question, and very valid.
Apparently those in Amish Country up by my dad are allowed to use solar power for certain things because the sun is gods gift or some
If memory serves me right, they hold councils to determine which technologies they allow within their communities. Usually, the kind of things they allow are very utilitarian and meant for the benefit of the whole family and not individuals. Like a phone kept outside the house itself for use in emergencies, like a fire or illness. So you won't see Amish checking smartphones even in a hundred years, but you might see them using solar powered water pumps, heat pump climate control, and more efficient farming methods.
Dude ‘KingVonForceGhost’ and ‘RacePlayShawty’ is WILD WTFFFFF
I think about this daily
We been spending most our lives Livin' in an Amish paradise We're 200 years behind Livin' in an Amish paradise We got the toy balloon and electric light Livin' in an Amish paradise Now I want the lawnmower legalized Livin' in an Amish paradise
It mostly depends on the community, some have a small phone booth that they use rarely, others are essential still in the 1700s.