The Amish of Lancaster

[The_Catholic]

I have been in Lancaster P.A. for 7 days now and I want to live here! It is such a peaceful place. Yes, on rt. 340 and rt. 30 there are so many awesome resturaunts and busy travel, but there are still so many back roads which are still deep Amish territory. There is even a great Catholic Church around here.

I just want to say that, while the Amish from time to time have their problems like all people, God really has seemed to blessed them and I think it is because of their lifestyle. They are rich, happy, hard working, take loving care of their families AND their animals and farmland, and make a good living. In some ways, they are a head of us, or the modern world with the types of inventions they come up with, and they are extremely intellegent when it comes to the housing market and other additional buisness.’

I love these people and among Protestants, or non-Catholoics, I love the Amish Church the most.

Yes, God really has seemed to bless the community in Lancaster.

Just my random thoughts.

P.S. I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE TOMORROW :’(

 

[gelsbern]

Is God Blessing them, or is He just saying “I might as well go easy on them while they are on earth, because it’s as close to heaven as they’ll ever get.”?

 

[Epistemes]

I had a crush on an Amish girl once. It was a five minute crush. She worked at one of the local markets in there in Lancaster, and her face was just so pure and earthy. I carried the thought of her beautiful face for many days.

 

[Christy_Beth]

Do you really believe that? The Amish have alot to teach us. If we would only pay attention. They don’t fancy up their houses, which save a ton of money. They take care of themselves, each other and their animals. We’ve gotten away from that as well. I mean, helping each other out. Remember the parable of the good samaritan (sp?)? Only the Samaritan took the time to help one in need.

I know there are some who are very rigid in their way of life. Like how much of a beard can a man have. It doesn’t really cover the face. Just goes around it. Then the women have to wear those caps. As far as I know, the “strings” need to be neatly tied. But I think their belief in God is strong. Unless some have gotten to where they only “go trhough the motions.”

 

[Mahogany]

Lancaster is incredibly beautiful. I am a very simplistic person so their simplicity attracts my eye all the time when I am there for a visit. One of my family members is of German-Amish decent and her dad has a farm and a lot of land there in Lancaster. I still visit from time to time.

They do openly practice a lot of great Christian beliefs, such as forgivness and loving your neighbor, being kind to animals and the earth, etc. Those are great lessons to be learned and followed.

I hope you enjoyed your time there, and I hope you visit again! Did you have the pleasure of attending one of the auctions? You must!
Mahogany

 

[withwind]

I just went there to visit my parents for 6 days. I miss Lancaster and its weather but I like to live in Texas though.

 

[The_Catholic]

Lancaster is incredibly beautiful. I am a very simplistic person so their simplicity attracts my eye all the time when I am there for a visit. One of my family members is of German-Amish decent and her dad has a farm and a lot of land there in Lancaster. I still visit from time to time.

They do openly practice a lot of great Christian beliefs, such as forgivness and loving your neighbor, being kind to animals and the earth, etc. Those are great lessons to be learned and followed.

I hope you enjoyed your time there, and I hope you visit again! Did you have the pleasure of attending one of the auctions? You must!
Mahogany

No, but drove by one today

I went to an Amish farm to buy root beer and chated with a few a little, very very nice and respectful.

 

[The_Catholic]

Is God Blessing them, or is He just saying “I might as well go easy on them while they are on earth, because it’s as close to heaven as they’ll ever get.”?

thumbs down

Not my God. My God doesn’t play a guessing game.

 

[The_Catholic]

I just went there to visit my parents for 6 days. I miss Lancaster and its weather but I like to live in Texas though.

I probably drove past their house. I’ve driven everywhere around here. Oh, and Iove the Shady Maple.

 

[The_Catholic]

Do you really believe that? The Amish have alot to teach us. If we would only pay attention. They don’t fancy up their houses, which save a ton of money. They take care of themselves, each other and their animals. We’ve gotten away from that as well. I mean, helping each other out. Remember the parable of the good samaritan (sp?)? Only the Samaritan took the time to help one in need.

I know there are some who are very rigid in their way of life. Like how much of a beard can a man have. It doesn’t really cover the face. Just goes around it. Then the women have to wear those caps. As far as I know, the “strings” need to be neatly tied. But I think their belief in God is strong. Unless some have gotten to where they only “go trhough the motions.”

Like 90% of Catolics.

 

[Eucharisted]

The amish aren’t as good as everyone considers them. You guys mostly judge them from appearance.

The amish are taught to stay away from non-amish, that advanced technology is evil or impure, and that - unless I’m mistaken - if they leave the amish community, they’ll go to hell.

 

[slyboots]

I have heard the countryside is very beautiful there.
However before we start believing the Amish have made a “simple life utopia” it would be good to study up on their faith and on the reality of their lives.
amish.net/faq.asp
This seems a fun place to start.

 

[dachsiemom]

The amish aren’t as good as everyone considers them. You guys mostly judge them from appearance.

The amish are taught to stay away from non-amish, that advanced technology is evil or impure, and that - unless I’m mistaken - if they leave the amish community, they’ll go to hell.

The great majority of the Amish I have met here in OH have been very nice folks. However the one thing that bothers me is the way some treat animals - thinking of puppy mills and how the dogs are treated as livestock, stuck in cages to have one litter after another and no human contact, little food, veterinary care, etc. Any that are not sold are disgarded - buried under or drowned. Being a dog lover, the puppy mill issue bothers me. From what I hear, the Amish have social problems just like the outside world - the problems are well hidden. Also, anyone who leaves the community is shunned - never to be seen or heard from again.

 

[The_Catholic]

The amish aren’t as good as everyone considers them. You guys mostly judge them from appearance.

The amish are taught to stay away from non-amish, that advanced technology is evil or impure, and that - unless I’m mistaken - if they leave the amish community, they’ll go to hell.

The amish are not “taught” to "stay away from the “englishers,” as what they call the non-Amish, many befriend the non-Amish. But they are required the stay closer to their community.

If they leave the amish community they are shunned by their families, whether or not they will go to hell is another matter, although many Christians will tell others that they are going to hell for certain (sometimes ridiculous) reasons as well.

Technology is not forbidden. In many ways, the Amish are WAY a head of us “modern” folks. Visit Lancaster, read a few books about why they stay away from electricity, you may be surprised. The reasons are interesting and understandable. I completely understand why they refrain from it. But again, they are not against technology, only “technology” that they feel will cause distance between God and mankind, husband and wife, parents and children.

There is alot to learn about the Amish.

 

[The_Catholic]

The great majority of the Amish I have met here in OH have been very nice folks. However the one thing that bothers me is the way some treat animals - thinking of puppy mills and how the dogs are treated as livestock, stuck in cages to have one litter after another and no human contact, little food, veterinary care, etc. Any that are not sold are disgarded - buried under or drowned. Being a dog lover, the puppy mill issue bothers me. From what I hear, the Amish have social problems just like the outside world - the problems are well hidden. Also, anyone who leaves the community is shunned - never to be seen or heard from again.

There has been cases of ill treatment from the puppymills, and I d onot like that neither! I own 3 dogs. But that is no Amish code, to ill treat dogs.

Also, for some, it may be that the dogs are really no different than livestock (and the livestock get a bundle of freedom) In some countries people eat dogs. Now I myself do not admire this, but, is it sin? I do not think so. A dog, as magnificent as it is, is an animal, a very great animal, but still, an animal, and those who in other cultures eat them, or as in some Amish farms treat them as livestock, I do not think is sin–AS LONG AS THERE IS NO ILL-TREATMENT! Then it involves sin.

The Amish are in no way perfect, they have lots of problems, just like modern folks, but they also have a great respectful community and spirituality by their choice of lifestyle.

 

[Christy_Beth]

It’s my understanding that if someone is shunned, there is a way for them to rejoin their church. They have to admit their wrong doing, of course, and I think they have to do some kind of penance.

 

[Jennifer_G]

I just went there to visit my parents for 6 days. I miss Lancaster and its weather but I like to live in Texas though.

Lancaster/Maryland/Southern Pennsylvanian weather is interesting to put it simply. You get different weather each month.

Anyway, We often go through Lancaster on day trips, and usually wind up getting lost on the little side roads - which sometimes freaks out my little sister who watched one too many “Children of the Corn” movies.

 

[The_Catholic]

Lancaster/Maryland/Southern Pennsylvanian weather is interesting to put it simply. You get different weather each month.

Anyway, We often go through Lancaster on day trips, and usually wind up getting lost on the little side roads - which sometimes freaks out my little sister who watched one too many “Children of the Corn” movies.

LOL! Yeah, if that movie frightened you then those back Lancaster roads definetly will

I know all those backroads, well most of them, by heart now. I even cruised around at 5 A.M. just enjoying an early morning drive. I love that county, for so many reasons. Sadly though, my wife likes NY better, well, upstate NY

 

[withwind]

Anyway, We often go through Lancaster on day trips, and usually wind up getting lost on the little side roads - which sometimes freaks out my little sister who watched one too many “Children of the Corn” movies.

, When I was still living there, I only knew a few roads and highway - just enough to get me to work, school, and supermarket.

I had a chance to visit my brother’s friend, who is an Amish - this guy’s house is neat and clean.

 

[Sarabande]

I grew up about an hour from Lancaster, but we visited there often. As a child I was very much intrigued by the Amish way of life because I LOVED everything old-fashioned and simple. I cried for a days when the Nickel Mines school shooting murders and suicide happened a few years ago. We were all grieving for them. But what I was so taken and inspired by was their openness to forgive and how they reached out to the family of the murderer. That was something everyone could be inspired by.

At the same time, the Amish are just like everyone else. You have good ones and bad ones and you have to take them individually like any other person. My uncle had some work on his house a number of years back and that particular owner totally raked him over the coals and was pretty dishonest. So, again, you have to take each one by who they are personally and not because of how we view them as a whole. Sort of like we can’t assume that all Christians or a certain denomination are good and holy because they are Christian.