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Do you respect and admire the Amish people and their way of life?


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LouisWilliams

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The Amish people are an old and isolated community, descended from Germanic immigrants who settled in this country long ago, and who still honors some of their ancient traditions.

They are deeply religious, very conservative and family-oriented, distant from the secular world, and have the Bible in every possible aspect of their daily lives. Of course, they also live like from a hundred years ago - some avoiding almost all technology, although others use technology in their lives also.

On one hand, I am not very familiar with them - and I do not want to live without technology, indeed, I am frequently online for the past year because of the situation in real life. But I do think they have things that most of America have forgotten, or is perhaps missing today, such as the importance of earnest prayer and the centrality of family, things which do not necessarily rely on technology and materialism.

Do you respect and admire the Amish people? Do you think Christians should emulate or learn from them at all?

 

Rita

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I have mixed views , on the one hand I admire their ability to sustain themselves in ways that would throw most of us. They are not afraid to be starred at, observed by the ‘ curiosity ‘ of tourists or people when they travel to the towns ect.
I recently watched a film about an Amish girl who refused to go along with an arranged marriage..she was shunned by the whole community , not even her parents could talk to her. It was based on a true story, but obviously I don’t know what was added to make it dramatic. Eventually she felt that the only way she could survive was to leave.
To me living a Godly life should be reflected in our lives, but we are also called to come alongside people. I am not sure we are called to be separate as such. Also where does personal faith come in if you grow up in that environment, do you believe because you are taught to believe , repent ect.
How many of the Amish people are going through the motions as opposed to actually coming to faith and desiring to reflect it……..
I am not aware we have an Amish people in the U.K. , but I often have the same concerns about monks that live in retreats and Nuns who live in their own communities.
 

2ndRateMind

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I voted, 'It depends'. I certainly admire the depth of their Christianity, but, like many I suspect, I'm not so sure about their ambivalent attitude towards technology. I regard technology as both a blessing and a curse. A balanced individual will discriminate between the two, and accept the blessings and reject the curses.

Best wishes, 2RM.
 
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Pathfinder7

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Origin of 'Amish' can be traced to..
'Anabaptist'..Radical Reformation.
- They were persecuted..
- Many came to North America.
---
Lancaster, PA (US).
- I visited there..several times.
- Amish area.
---
I respect their stance, view, etc..
- Even though, I do not agree..
 
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Lifelong_sinner

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I admire them. To be able to live like that, while is an earnest living, i dont think i could resist technology. But, i do want to add that i know what trips me up in life, and i have often wondered if my sinning would decrease significantly living the way they do, or even joining a monastery and becoming a monk.
I think a person has a better chance of getting salvation living the way they do as compared to how the rest of us do.
 

Abaxvahl

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The Amish people are an old and isolated community, descended from Germanic immigrants who settled in this country long ago, and who still honors some of their ancient traditions.

They are deeply religious, very conservative and family-oriented, distant from the secular world, and have the Bible in every possible aspect of their daily lives. Of course, they also live like from a hundred years ago - some avoiding almost all technology, although others use technology in their lives also.

On one hand, I am not very familiar with them - and I do not want to live without technology, indeed, I am frequently online for the past year because of the situation in real life. But I do think they have things that most of America have forgotten, or is perhaps missing today, such as the importance of earnest prayer and the centrality of family, things which do not necessarily rely on technology and materialism.

Do you respect and admire the Amish people? Do you think Christians should emulate or learn from them at all?


I admire them and think more people should emulate them in general. The peace that sort of life provides for prayer is amazing, and the separation from the world can give rest from undue influences. It's kind of like living a monastic life except for people with families.
 

LouisWilliams

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I admire them and think more people should emulate them in general. The peace that sort of life provides for prayer is amazing, and the separation from the world can give rest from undue influences. It's kind of like living a monastic life except for people with families.

Have you considered such, my friend? A monastery? I mean, I wish I could live in one sometimes (perhaps because I've lived in very urban and populated areas in the past, the noise and chaos can be overwhelming to anyone, not just Christians).

The Amish seem so happy. So laid-back and relaxed in their own little world, helping each other, teaching their children the Word of God without any of the complicated culture wars and distractions and social media we have today. And of course, we cannot serve both God and Mammon.

Perhaps their lifestyle in the end is NOT the highest possible vision for America, for Christianity, or for the future of this world. We are all called to be in the world, but not of the world. But given the mess that America seems to be in, with everything seeming to stagnate and become becoming more and more hateful and divided on all sides, I still cannot help but yearn for the simple sense of family and the pervasive sense of...inner peace that they seem to have.
 

michaelvpardo

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The Amish people are an old and isolated community, descended from Germanic immigrants who settled in this country long ago, and who still honors some of their ancient traditions.

They are deeply religious, very conservative and family-oriented, distant from the secular world, and have the Bible in every possible aspect of their daily lives. Of course, they also live like from a hundred years ago - some avoiding almost all technology, although others use technology in their lives also.

On one hand, I am not very familiar with them - and I do not want to live without technology, indeed, I am frequently online for the past year because of the situation in real life. But I do think they have things that most of America have forgotten, or is perhaps missing today, such as the importance of earnest prayer and the centrality of family, things which do not necessarily rely on technology and materialism.

Do you respect and admire the Amish people? Do you think Christians should emulate or learn from them at all?

I haven't had much contact with the Amish beyond having a slice of Dutch apple pie in restaurants in Lancaster PA, but I would like to have opportunity to discuss theology with some of their elders. They have traditionally kept themselves separate from "the English", a term they use much the same as the way that Jews use the word "goyim."

Their views on separation are not that different from the idea of "monastic" life as applied by the church for two millennia. I've heard it said that "it's easy to live a holy life when you live on a mountain top."

If your primary concern in life is to avoid sin, then isolation certainly helps avoid sinning against others, but does nothing to free the mind of sin. The larger problem with life in isolation is that it makes evangelism difficult to say the least.

Christians are to live in the world without being of the world so that "as we go", we can make disciples of men. If you play in the pig pen, you're bound to get dirty. We have a spiritual laver to wash in, the word of God. We have the blood of Christ to cover our sin. We have the grace of God to forgive others for their offenses against us, as He has forgiven all of our sin. We have the love of God engendered by His mercy, that we may shed abroad on others because His supply is endless.

The Amish may have these things as well if their faith is true, but it is easy to be self deceived when living "according to law" and feeling confident in your own righteousness. Those who are "well", have no need of a doctor. Those who are confident in their own righteousness do not seek the righteousness of God in the person of His Son, failing to see their own sin (we all sin in some manner and self righteousness can be lethal.)

When the travail of the Earth reduces our technology to naught, when the power grid fails, and the refineries are abandoned, and our infrastructure for the distribution of food and durable goods comes to a sudden halt, most of the modern world will devolve to turmoil and the struggle to survive. But people like the Amish who are largely self sufficient, would barely notice the change if not for becoming the target of others willing to murder and steal for their provisions.
 
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michaelvpardo

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I admire them. To be able to live like that, while is an earnest living, i dont think i could resist technology. But, i do want to add that i know what trips me up in life, and i have often wondered if my sinning would decrease significantly living the way they do, or even joining a monastery and becoming a monk.
I think a person has a better chance of getting salvation living the way they do as compared to how the rest of us do.
As no one earns salvation, such a lifestyle can have the opposite effect, leaving people blind to the need of a savior. However, anyone that lives long enough under the teaching of scripture is bound to see their own sin eventually.
 

michaelvpardo

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Have you considered such, my friend? A monastery? I mean, I wish I could live in one sometimes (perhaps because I've lived in very urban and populated areas in the past, the noise and chaos can be overwhelming to anyone, not just Christians).

The Amish seem so happy. So laid-back and relaxed in their own little world, helping each other, teaching their children the Word of God without any of the complicated culture wars and distractions and social media we have today. And of course, we cannot serve both God and Mammon.

Perhaps their lifestyle in the end is NOT the highest possible vision for America, for Christianity, or for the future of this world. We are all called to be in the world, but not of the world. But given the mess that America seems to be in, with everything seeming to stagnate and become becoming more and more hateful and divided on all sides, I still cannot help but yearn for the simple sense of family and the pervasive sense of...inner peace that they seem to have.
Scripture suggests that the first century church in Jerusalem lived communally, sometimes selling property for the provision of all, and sharing with each other to meet the needs of this new extended and divine family. This was very beneficial in the face of persecutions.

As western society moved toward independent living, the concept of private ownership, and most recently to the rise of "nuclear" families (as opposed to extended families), we've embraced crass consumerism and class stratification defined by wealth. The way that the modern world lives, driven by the clever schemes of the ruler of this world, promotes sin of every kind and reduces discipleship in the way of Christ to brief moments of common prayer and occasional bible studies or shared ministries.

My apologies to the survivalists among us, but it is impossible to live godly lives in Christ Jesus when totally separated from the body of Christ. We are chosen in Christ to serve the body, to serve each other, and to be a royal priesthood to the world. If we don't understand this now and apply our faith to fellowship and service, how will we stand through the tribulation? If we think solely in terms of "I" rather than "we", we've already failed the Lord.
 

Taken

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I admire the intent and purpose of their disciplined religious and daily lifestyle.

Glory to God,
Taken
 
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farouk

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I admire the intent and purpose of their disciplined religious and daily lifestyle.

Glory to God,
Taken
@Taken I guess the wider question, standing back and not personalizing the matter, is: does it represent the 'obedience of faith' (Romans 16.26) or the rule of legalism?
 

Taken

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@Taken I guess the wider question, standing back and not personalizing the matter, is: does it represent the 'obedience of faith' (Romans 16.26) or the rule of legalism?

My knowdge of the Amish is from the outside looking in by what I have read, and though friends who had friendships and dealings with the Amish.
I am not qualified to speak beyond that about more indepth practices.

Glory to God,
Take
 

michaelvpardo

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@Taken I guess the wider question, standing back and not personalizing the matter, is: does it represent the 'obedience of faith' (Romans 16.26) or the rule of legalism?
Certain aspects of Amish culture seem a little "over the top" and hard to reconcile to scripture. I question any church discipline that separates an unrepentant sinner completely from a community as in "shunning", because the goal of church discipline is restoration, not condemnation. However, what little we know about Amish culture typically comes to us through film documentary and fictions that are not created by the Amish themselves and are influenced by the biases of the creators of such media.
It would take time spent living in one of their communities, like a field anthropologist, in order to make any truly informed opinion about the relationship between their practice and faith, but for practical purposes they would appear to live Holy lives under the covenants of God.
 

farouk

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Certain aspects of Amish culture seem a little "over the top" and hard to reconcile to scripture. I question any church discipline that separates an unrepentant sinner completely from a community as in "shunning", because the goal of church discipline is restoration, not condemnation. However, what little we know about Amish culture typically comes to us through film documentary and fictions that are not created by the Amish themselves and are influenced by the biases of the creators of such media.
It would take time spent living in one of their communities, like a field anthropologist, in order to make any truly informed opinion about the relationship between their practice and faith, but for practical purposes they would appear to live Holy lives under the covenants of God.
My point was as mentioned not to personalize issues but to ask whether legalism / lawkeeping is really a Biblical path; this has much wider application than with the named group.
 

Taken

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Certain aspects of Amish culture seem a little "over the top" and hard to reconcile to scripture. I question any church discipline that separates an unrepentant sinner completely from a community as in "shunning", because the goal of church discipline is restoration, not condemnation. However, what little we know about Amish culture typically comes to us through film documentary and fictions that are not created by the Amish themselves and are influenced by the biases of the creators of such media.
It would take time spent living in one of their communities, like a field anthropologist, in order to make any truly informed opinion about the relationship between their practice and faith, but for practical purposes they would appear to live Holy lives under the covenants of God.

I sort of look at "shunning" in respect to the complete opposite of "embracing", and "restoration" as somewhere in-between.
It's sort of like hearing a half-story.
We pretty much hear the The rule is this, this person was shunned...without the counciling initially or consistently repeated violations (ie the restoration attempts in-between).

I believe Scripture gives us guidelines (per Precepts), acceptable behaviors between people. Love your enemy. Then knowing your enemy, is one who is who not only rejects your principled beliefs, but encourages others to do the same.
(US secular society, IMO, says "tolerate" but in action "promotes" "embracing" that which goes against ones principled beliefs...and "implies", that is the definition of "love", which is false.)

Glory to God,
Taken
 

michaelvpardo

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My point was as mentioned not to personalize issues but to ask whether legalism / lawkeeping is really a Biblical path; this has much wider application than with the named group.
I understand your point, but orthopraxy is defined by church leadership, typically through the pastors and elders. While I accept scripture as a last word and standard, I have yet to attend a church that doesn't set their own standards of behavior and responsibility, and these vary widely as many churches have no form of church discipline beyond a few strong arms to guide people out the door when disrupting an active worship service or other ministry.
One of the most common abuses of law in the churches is the practice of tithing, with some churches making tithing a requirement of membership. I understand the modern necessity of budgeting church finances in the interest of sound stewardship of church funds, but making tithing a requirement of membership as a "proof of commitment " to a body is dangerously close to establishing a works based righteousness as a requirement of membership and also makes church membership exclusive of those with little means of survival and little more than an economic based social club.
 

michaelvpardo

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I sort of look at "shunning" in respect to the complete opposite of "embracing", and "restoration" as somewhere in-between.
It's sort of like hearing a half-story.
We pretty much hear the The rule is this, this person was shunned...without the counciling initially or consistently repeated violations (ie the restoration attempts in-between).

I believe Scripture gives us guidelines (per Precepts), acceptable behaviors between people. Love your enemy. Then knowing your enemy, is one who is who not only rejects your principled beliefs, but encourages others to do the same.
(US secular society, IMO, says "tolerate" but in action "promotes" "embracing" that which goes against ones principled beliefs...and "implies", that is the definition of "love", which is false.)

Glory to God,
Taken
As I attempted to point out, I don't really know the practices of the Amish beyond what those outside their community have to say about them, which in legal terms would be called hearsay witnessing and considered invalid.
I do however admire them as a Christian community, because they are one of the few still in existence that practices church discipline in accordance to their understanding of scripture and guidance through their elders.
In our times attendees whose sin draws the attention of a congregation, usually just leave the congregation for another where they are unknown or that is more liberal in their acceptance of societally acceptable sin.
 
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Pythagorean12

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The Amish people are an old and isolated community, descended from Germanic immigrants who settled in this country long ago, and who still honors some of their ancient traditions.

They are deeply religious, very conservative and family-oriented, distant from the secular world, and have the Bible in every possible aspect of their daily lives. Of course, they also live like from a hundred years ago - some avoiding almost all technology, although others use technology in their lives also.

On one hand, I am not very familiar with them - and I do not want to live without technology, indeed, I am frequently online for the past year because of the situation in real life. But I do think they have things that most of America have forgotten, or is perhaps missing today, such as the importance of earnest prayer and the centrality of family, things which do not necessarily rely on technology and materialism.

Do you respect and admire the Amish people? Do you think Christians should emulate or learn from them at all?

They are not isolated.
They are clanish, which is entirely removed from that of being isolated.
Amish say they cannot partake of the modern conveniences of the English world. But they will partake when it avails them to ride in a vehicle, rather than ready their horse and buggy.

They shop in grocery stores. And many, as I have witnessed this in those areas where Amish are in community, purchase eggs, milk, butter, desserts, and meats.
The young people will listen to radios and even watch TV when able. And this is before their time of schadenfreude.