Having lived on an Old Amish farm for well over 6 years, I have first-hand experience with this cult. I believe they are a cult because they cut themselves off from the outside world, church elders enact and enforce social laws, members are forced to abide by social rules or they’re shunned or excommunicated, members are required to give complete loyalty to being Amish, and children are brainwashed to believe their way of life is better than the “fancy” folk. Therefore, children are taught to shun worldly things, including associations with non-Amish children. The best way I know how to describe it is social engineering.
(There is much more in the OP but too long to post here ]
80 comments
Oooh, now, wait a minute, that reminds me of something else ... 's on the tip of my tongue ... don't go away, now ... I'll remember it in a minute ...
Who's calling WHO a cult?
Why don't you look over the shit you Raptards post on your site. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, you bloody hypocrite.
I'm sure this sounds strange coming from an avowed atheist like myself, but I actually gained a lot of respect for the Amish a couple of years ago in the way they handled the aftermath of that shooting in one of their schoolhouses. They actually did what Jesus taught them to do, which is to say, they turned the other cheek and forgave the shooter.
I'm not trying to argue that the Amish lifestyle is for me, but for once it was refreshing to see Christians, you know, living as Jesus supposedly taught. Nice contrast with the people on RR....
@Mudak: I agree, I was amazed when I saw how the Amish dealt with the aftermath of the shooting. My respect for them grew exponentially when I saw how they handled it and forgave the shooter.
As for the OP, Everlasting Peace, are you sure you aren't projecting your beliefs on to the Amish? Because that's what it sure sounds like to me.
I seriously doubt you lived with the Amish. They don't brainwash their children into hating the outside world. They give them a choice to stay or go when they turn 18. Some of them even allow driving cars now to get to a job outside of their community. And unlike fundies, they don't just pray when someone is sick, they get taken to a real hospital. So fuck you.
"I believe they are a cult because they cut themselves off from the outside world"
"church elders enact and enforce social laws, members are forced to abide by social rules or they’re shunned or excommunicated, members are required to give complete loyalty"
"The best way I know how to describe it is social engineering."
My mirror is becoming extremely shiny with all the polishing it's had of late. As are that pot & kettle. Unfortunately I now have the forearms of Precious McKenzie(!).
"Having posted on a Fundie Death Cult forum"
"we are a cult because we cut ourselves off from reason and logic"
"children are brainwashed to believe their way of life is better than the “educated” folk"
"Therefore, children are taught to shun worldly things, including associations with non-fundie children"
fixed
You know what, why don't you just leave the Amish alone? They may have some strange beliefs but at least they keep to themselves and don't try to force their views on other people. And I've never heard any reports of abuse in the Amish world. You know you're a really shitty excuse for a human being when you have nothing better to do than pick on the Amish.
Oh, and I don't believe you ever lived with the Amish. I think you're lying like all your comrades that are ex-gay, ex-wiccan, ad nauseam.
Amish people are actually less fanatical than fundie, thus the hate.
I wonder if they appreciate a tourist giving them a helpin' hand when it comes to physical work.
I've never had an Amish person banging on my door on a Saturday morning.
I've never seen an Amish person haranguing passersby on a street corner.
I've never heard of an Amish person gunning down an abortion doctor.
I've never had any of my gay friends beaten up by Amish thugs.
I've never been treated with anything other than peaceful respect by any Amish person I've ever met.
Fundies, on the other hand...
Yeah, of course it's a cult. They don't try to indoctrinate anyone but their own kids. The "choice" at 18 is a false test with a stacked deck, given to kids who are, for the most part, wholly unprepared to live life outside their home culture.
That said, their lifestyle is healthy, the food is great, they make good neighbors, as was already pointed out, and you should really pick on people who can and will defend themselves. Amish have no computers.
Is that the kind of "rip" you were expecting from an atheist?
*boom*
Damn, there goes another irony meter.
At any rate, I don't have much of a problem with the Amish- they're certainly one of the nicer religions out there, and at least they're not hypocrites. Plus, as many others here have said, I have a lot of respect for them for their behavior after the Amish school shooting- it takes a lot of strength to forgive a person who's caused you so much pain. Plus, they do allow their children an open opportunity to leave for the outside world, and they don't try to evangelize others. Granted, I think their beliefs are, for the most part, a load of crap, but I think that of nearly every other religion, too, and the Amish are certainly much better than the RR nutjobs.
I watched a TV program just last night about the Amish.
I don't agree with them but they all seemed happy enough.
One thing that did impress me though, is the fact that they are not concerned in the least about 'ousiders'.
In other words, they are not judgemental of others, unlike fundies with their unhealthy obsession with homosexuality and child abuse.
As for the brainwashing of kids, fucking hell, the hypocricy is staggering..
And as for living on an 'Old Amish' farm, I think you are lying.
While I don't necessarily agree with the Amish lifestyle as a whole (being disingaged from the world rather than in it , which is what I think the world is becoming and everyone should be to better it) they also neither asked for my opinion nor force others to join their beliefs. They also took a stand against slavery and adopted runaway slaves as one of their own. They also have peaceful, family-centered communities with a great deal of community service ingrained within them, due to the lack of modern technology.
In short, I think they are everything Jesus wanted real Christians to be.
And, they genrally allow their children a period of relaxed standards as teenagers , something I wish all religions would cultivate, frankly. But especially fundamentalists.
I don't much approve of the Amish way of life, actually.
But I don't approve of the fundie way either.
Therefore, children are taught to shun worldly things, including associations with non-Amish children. The best way I know how to describe it is social engineering.
In other words the Amish take exactly the same stance on associating with "sinners" that Christians do.
I have the pleasure of knowing several Amish families and while I’d never choose to live as they do the ones I know are genuinely the nicest people I have ever met. And unlike most fundies they have the courage of their convictions. It’s true they don’t pay taxes to the government but they also take NOTHING from it. They reject the endless pursuit of possessions instead they create only enough to take care of their basic needs. If modern conveniences are necessary to this end (an old Amish man using a modern tractor if he has no sons to help him for example) they have no problem using them. And they are kind to everyone including the English (non-Amish.) I have been welcomed into their homes and treated like a friend, and I have learned much from their simple lifestyle.
You just don’t like that they are far better examples of Christ then you and it doesn’t make them miserable.
Oh and while I don’t agree with the practice of shunning people it’s worth mentioning they never shun someone who chooses not to live as they do. The only way you could be shunned is if you willingly joined (baptized) and then changed your mind. If one of their children chooses not to baptized Amish (after having time to decide) they are not shunned.
We have a lot of Amish around here, and they're really just ordinary people who choose to adhere to a more traditional lifestyle. They own their own property and manage their own finances. They're dating and marriage practices don't differ too much from their non-Amish counterparts, and they frequently conduct business and even have friendships with "Englisher". They are no more a cult than Methodists.
Of course like every religion different groups have different levels of strictness, and some live more isolated than others, and they have their fair share of abuse.
"children are brainwashed to believe their way of life is better than the “fancy” folk."
Hey! I had just replaced the batteries on my new irony meter, and this sentence drained them in a microsecond. Fancy that.
While I object to uh, pretty much all of the Amish philosophy, I have more respect for them than the average fundy. At least the Amish are far more realistic about young people's sex lives than the average fundy. They also allow you people to choose whether or not to be Amish through the tradition of Rumspringa.
"I believe they are a cult because they cut themselves off from the outside world, church elders enact and enforce social laws, members are forced to abide by social rules or they’re shunned or excommunicated, members are required to give complete loyalty to being Amish, and children are brainwashed to believe their way of life is better than the “fancy” folk. Therefore, children are taught to shun worldly things, including associations with non-Amish children. The best way I know how to describe it is social engineering. "
Okay he's either a poe or completely olivious to the decription of RR he just gave, but what about the rest of the topic? Did anyone get it? wait, if they did they'd be banned and shunned for not abiding by the social rules.
Sounds like Mormons, er, Baptists, er, Muslims, er, Jews, etc. ...
Another very, very shiny mirror.
I don't know much about the Amish, but I get the feeling that they are at least less hateful of other people and their lifestyles then you are.
They do recognize that children will want to run wild during there teen years and they accept a bit of wildness and breaks with tradition in their teenage children, which is a lot more then most of you fundies do.
If anyone is getting into heaven according to fundie rules, it`s the Amish. They actually practice what they preach. They live their Christian values rather than just sitting on the couch bitching about everyone else. Yes they have cut themselves off, but that`s from the line in the bible of "be in the world but not of it". Some of the younger men actually have jobs in industry.
If I lived in an Amish area, I probably would of considered joining them, especially when I was in my fundie faith crisis.
This pretty much proves that the Raptards are a bunch of ignorant bigots. Only one or two of them actually knew that the Amish use the same bible as them and pretty much have the same beliefs. The only real difference is that the Amish don't have cars or electricity. The only reason the Raptards question their faith is because they have a lifestyle that is foreign to the Raptards and, therefore, must be evil. So, either the 11th commandment is "thou shalt own an SUV" or the Raptard's knee-jerk reaction is to fear that which they don't immediately understand.
[I believe they are a cult because they cut themselves off from the outside world, church elders enact and enforce social laws, members are forced to abide by social rules or they’re shunned or excommunicated, members are required to give complete loyalty to being Amish, and children are brainwashed to believe their way of life is better than the “fancy” folk.]
Sounds a lot like Christianity.
[ Therefore, children are taught to shun worldly things, including associations with non-Amish children.]
Sounds a lot like Christianity too. How many non-christians do you let your children play with?
Umm...
First off we're all socially engineered. You wouldn't be able to function within a society without it.
Second...really the Amish? I thought you would like the fact that they cut themselves off from the rest of the world.
Haha I knew with all the anti-Catholics, anti-Mormons, and all the other "denominationists" there had to be some anti-Amish. But hey, at least we know no Amish were offended by this!
OK, the Amish are not without their troubles, and I'm sure they have some members whom they'd secretly like to hit repeatedly with a cluebat. But FUCKING HELL NO! You lot are the cult!
You have people on your side who boast about clogging up the air with exhaust from their precious SUVs and using up valuable energy for no reason other than to show they don't give a shit about this planet we live on. You'd sooner force your kids into marriage than let them even have one look at the outside world. AND, you are the ones who are so damn determined to make the US into a hell on earth for everyone who doesn't march lockstep with your loopy ideas.
The Amish are superior to you for the simple reason that they do none of those things.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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