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.
Are they really a religious and peaceful people behind closed doors? The answer is emphatically and unequivocally, no! They put on a good act for the public, but they are far from peaceful and religious.
Religion
Their church elders are selected by drawing lots, and not because of their knowledge of Scripture. They have no formal theology training, so the majority of what they preach is solely social behavior, and not God’s Word. Church services are held every other Sunday rotating amongst the homes of their members. They cart the benches back and forth. I was invited to service, but because it was conducted in Amish (or what is known as high German), I was unable to understand anything. This is one way they cut themselves off from the outside world. Over the several years I lived there, I attempted many times to engage the Amish in religious talks. For how religious they act, it would seem that they would enjoy talking about their beliefs, but they don’t. They will do everything in their power to divert conversation to something other than religion. Despite that, I was successful in getting several of the Amish, who I had befriended, to open up. I was told that while they do believe in salvation through faith, they also believe that good works is mandatory for eternal life in heaven. Each person told me that it would be “prideful” to think they knew they were going to heaven. When I pressed this subject, and quoted some Bible verses that contradicted their “good works” belief, I was always met with the same phrase that they trusted their elders to not lead them astray. Sadly, but not surprisingly, they were most familiar with Biblical verses that pertained to their social behavior and dress rather than salvation. I found their religious teachings to be equivalent to the Catholics, and that is if it suits the agenda of the elders, then it’s preached, and if not, then it’s never mentioned. Over the years, I surmised that diversion tactics, to avoid religious discussions, were used because they know very little about what they believe, and why. They’re told what to believe and how to act, and no questioning takes place because they are taught those actions would be both rebellious and prideful, which in turn is sinful.
Abuse
During the years I spent with them, I unfortunately witnessed numerous abusive situations towards women, children and animals. Women have no say, whatsoever, on financial or other important matters. If the lady of the house said something “out-of-line,” the man of the house was quick to put her in her place with either a sharp look or a tongue lashing, regardless of who was present. I can only imagine what took place behind closed doors. Being a woman, the Amish men spoke down to me like I was stupid or unworthy of being spoken to respectfully. Babies were pinched as punishment for not remaining quiet in church, and very young children were beaten. If tourists ever wonder why Amish children are so well behaved, it’s because they are physically abused into silence. I always wondered how Amish children (I’m talking 1 - 2 year olds) were never hit by cars because they are always standing, unattended, by the edge of the road. Well, I witnessed the raising of Amish children and saw these tots severely beaten each time they took a step off their property. The mother actually took them out for training sessions as one would do with a small puppy and watched for them to make a move off the property line. Very severe beatings ensured that the child would learn quickly not to step onto the road again, and the training continued until the child associated the property line with pain. Not only were the beatings harsh, but also the children were too young to understand what they were being set-up for, and didn’t understand what not to do. Beatings were not just reserved for young children, but older children were also beaten for minor infractions. Sexual abuse and incest is prevalent amongst Amish girls by Amish men and teenage boys. The girls have nobody to turn to. They would be beaten into silence if they told their mothers, and being cut off from the outside world, there is no help for them. I witnessed many cases of animal abuse, including the building of a puppy mill on our property, which was located in a flood zone that is well known by them to actually flood annually. The dogs were underfed, overcrowded, never played with, stood on wire, and their living conditions were filthy. One Amish farmer, that we shared land with, took a dog - who barked too much – behind the barn and repeatedly shot it with a BB gun until it died as punishment. Their barn cat was found to have rabies. The Amish also stick pipes down the throats of their breeder dogs, and knock their voice boxes out with a hammer, so they can’t bark. They are only a dollar to them, and nothing more. The horses were beaten when they could not walk on the icy roads, but they weren’t shoed.
Education
They refuse to teach their children to speak English until they’re five. German is their first language, and this is one way to isolate the children from the outside world. After they start school, they learn English in an Amish private one-room schoolhouse. This may seem “quaint” to a tourist, but it’s not. This is another way to isolate growing children from the outside, and brainwash them into staying in the cult. Children are forced to quit school, against their will in most cases, after they finish 8th grade. The boys are taught a career in farming, and the girls are taught how to be homemakers. Education beyond that age level is considered prideful and it’s forbidden. With no education beyond 8th grade, they ensure that their children will not be equipped to have a chance to succeed in the outside world. When a child is older, they are permitted to engage in a few worldly activities like swimming and going out. Additionally, they encourage them to throw drug and booze parties in the barn to “sow their wild” oats before joining the church. Once a decision to join the church is made, the worldly fun is over. No swimming, amusement park rides, flying in planes, and so forth. If they decide to not join the church, their family and the Amish community shun them. To make a decision to lose your family, and the only security (however abusive) you know, is not an easy one, especially when you have to make a decision to leave your siblings behind or stay in a cult. This is another way they maintain control over older Amish teens and very young adults.
Other
There are too many things to mention, but some things have already been said here, and they are true. They aren’t permitted to buy cars or anything with rubber tires, but they constantly nag their neighbors for rides to the store and chiropractor. Once they have you in the car, they ask to stop at numerous unplanned locations, and they talk in German with each other (which is quite rude) so you can’t understand them – totally ignoring you. You are merely a “driver” to them. They aren’t permitted to have electricity in their homes, but they sneak electricity in their barns so they can work more efficiently. The farmer we shared the land with used the mill to generate electricity and sold the electricity to the electric company for profit. They aren’t permitted to have telephones in their homes, but they are allowed to have them outside in the barn or shed. All these ordinances and prohibitions are geared toward social engineering, and isolation, to control them. Many of these prohibitions are made under the guise of the activity being prideful, such as children playing musical instruments. Therefore, individual creativity is squashed. They also inbreed, which creates rare genetic diseases in their children, and refuse real medical treatment for their children until it’s too late in some cases. As a side note, the authorities have been called to investigate over and over when abuses are witnessed, including violations of child labor laws. Rarely anything is done because they bring in millions of dollars in tourist money to our local economy. Sad, but true.
There are some good things I see in the Amish. They are very polite to people they are forced to speak with in the outside world, but of course they depend on the tourists for money in many instances. They work very hard, but of course they have nothing else to do with their time. They have a real sense of community, and take care of their old, but then again...how could they not since the community is their cult? They are fantastic farmers, cooks, and craftsmen. They also financially support the outside causes that benefit them, such as the fire company.
I took the time to type this out not because I want to bash them, but to raise awareness about this human rights issue that’s passed off as quaint and worthy of emulation. If you’d like to help, there are many ways. Here’s a link to a website of an Amish woman who escaped when she was a teen. She set this up to raise awareness and to help other Amish women who don’t have anywhere else to turn for help. If you click on her blog, you can read more about what is was like to grow up Amish.
http://www.tkbventures.com/index.php...d=13&Itemid=26
The Amish
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Originally Posted by Walker
wow you have just
me I had no idea
