A Win for the Amish

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Bootstrap
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Re: A Win for the Amish

Post by Bootstrap »

MaxPC wrote:Negativity in comments, particularly regarding non-doctrinal choices aren't very conducive to encouraging seekers.
If you trumpet something as "a win for the Amish", that invites people to say whether they agree that it is a win for the Amish. Why not listen and ask clarifying questions instead of labeling everything as negativity if people don't agree with your impressions of something your read on the Internet? I think you have started several threads where you see something about the Amish on the Internet and post here expecting a particular response, and are frustrated when you get a different response. That's mostly because it's hard to really learn about the Amish on the internet. They aren't exactly an internet phenomenon.

Most people here are positive about the Amish. Don't bash what we say or be negative about our participation - we really aren't trashing the Schwarzentruber, but we don't agree with everything they do either.
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KingdomBuilder
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Re: A Win for the Amish

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Valerie wrote:it seems wherever Amish relocate people seem so happy about it they tend to want to give them exceptions. Probably because they are quiet and don't bother anyone-
I think people are more or less caught up in the image they've defeloped around the Amish (Hollywood and tourism can take some blame I'm sure). I imagine if many actually looked at some Amish beliefs, the Amish "fan base" wouldn't be so large. :roll:
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Josh
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Re: A Win for the Amish

Post by Josh »

KingdomBuilder wrote:
Valerie wrote:it seems wherever Amish relocate people seem so happy about it they tend to want to give them exceptions. Probably because they are quiet and don't bother anyone-
I think people are more or less caught up in the image they've defeloped around the Amish (Hollywood and tourism can take some blame I'm sure). I imagine if many actually looked at some Amish beliefs, the Amish "fan base" wouldn't be so large. :roll:
Especially that loving your enemies stuff, a high degree of submission to church leadership, and choosing to live this way out of a desire to perpetuate the ideals of non-resistance. Not all join for spiritual reasons, but many do, and whilst I don't agree with their opinions many of them honestly believe they are doing the right thing.

(I don't know any Swartzies other than ex-Swartzies in Charity type settings. I'm speaking mostly of "mainstream" OO Amish.)
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Valerie
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Re: A Win for the Amish

Post by Valerie »

KingdomBuilder wrote:
Valerie wrote:it seems wherever Amish relocate people seem so happy about it they tend to want to give them exceptions. Probably because they are quiet and don't bother anyone-
I think people are more or less caught up in the image they've defeloped around the Amish (Hollywood and tourism can take some blame I'm sure). I imagine if many actually looked at some Amish beliefs, the Amish "fan base" wouldn't be so large. :roll:
There are several communities that have moved into Maine, and in each community, they have been widely received in a positive way, and I know in Smyrna Mills community, many 'outsiders' have moved in and joined them, become members, gave up careers and brought their families. A good friend lived there several years so I was getting first hand information about how positively they affected the area. They grew, and then started another church in Unity Maine, and one of the deacons there was invited to speak at the local college-here's an interesting article:

http://bangordailynews.com/2015/07/04/h ... -in-unity/
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Valerie
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Re: A Win for the Amish

Post by Valerie »

Max, I am not sure you have really read the history of the Anabaptists, and the split of the Amish from the Mennonites, it may help you understand where some of the opinions they have of 'each other' stem from- while recognizing they all are under the Anabaptist umbrella, it is unlike the difference between the Hutterities- which was not a 'split' from Mennonites- where Amish really were. To this day, the Amish do not see the Mennonites really as 'brethren' I do not think- I know one of my friends who was Old Order Amish, when two of his brothers left, one married Mennonite, one Beach Amish Mennonite- the father said "I was hoping we would all go to heaven together" in other words- his sons leaving for Mennonite sects was as to him, as 'falling away'. That is not uncommon thinking among Amish I know of.

This group in Maine that you posted about is one of the strictest groups of Amish out there- and even Old Order Amish do not agree with them taking these kinds of positions on things- so I think this is where alot of Anabaptists outside of the Swartzentrubers, would prefer they not take these kinds of stands against such things as refusing to wear orange hunting vests- to others, saying it is 'religious persecution' is not really 'religious persecution' and same with refusing the orange smv triangles, those are asked of them for 'safetey' reasons, do we see an orange SMV triangle on a buggy as 'evil'? When the intention of them, is to save lives on the road? When they take these kinds of positions, it doesn't always prove to be a 'witness for Christ' and that is where we would not all agree that this is the kind of 'win' a Christian is to fight for.
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