Amish
Lancaster County Exhibits an Amish Spirit
Rick Gray, Mayor of the city of Lancaster in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, said that welcoming refugees is a way of supporting religious diversity and toleration. That attitude is “in [the city’s] genes,” according to Mr. Gray. Last week he explained to a reporter from Deutsche Welle, the prominent international German media organization, that refugees are […]
Amish Adopt, but Question, Modern Technology
Young Amish people are increasingly being drawn into the use of smartphones and computers, yet they are still trying to maintain their traditional horse-drawn culture. An article credited to the New York Times but published on the CNBC website on September 15th explored the efforts of many of the traditional Amish to retain barriers with […]
Highway Accidents with Amish Vehicles
Almost every week a familiar story pops up while searching for news about peaceful societies: an Amish buggy was hit by a motor vehicle and several people were injured—or worse. On Wednesday last week, a motorist in Wayne County, Ohio, hit a buggy, seriously injured a child and, the unique aspect of that story, quickly […]
Amish Diapers—for Horses
Over a dozen Amish men are scheduled to appear in a Logan County, Kentucky, court on August 2, 2017, for ignoring a local ordinance requiring diapers on their horses. An article last week in the News-Democrat & Leader of Russellville, the county seat of Logan County, described the refusal of some Amish to put the […]
Amish Safety on Public Roads
Some Ohio Swartzentrubers, probably the most conservative of the Amish groups, have decided to make changes in their buggies to improve their safety on the public roads. The Akron Beacon Journal last week published an interesting report on how the Swartzentrubers (also sometimes spelled Schwartzentrubers) in three northeastern Ohio counties are trying to lessen the […]
Amish Hunters Refuse Blaze Orange
In most U.S. states, hunters are required to wear florescent orange hats and clothing, usually referred to as “blaze orange,” as protection against being accidentally shot by other hunters. The regulations vary from state to state but the requirements are generally based on the hunting season and whether hunters are carrying rifles or other types […]
Amish Weddings
Some Amish entrepreneurs in Lancaster County have started businesses that erect temporary buildings for Amish weddings, which are often held at this time of year. On December 25, the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story explaining the ways the Amish handle their large wedding parties. With much of the farm work concluded, late fall and early […]
Why the Amish Relocate [journal article review]
Because of the high growth rate of Amish society—their population doubles every 20.5 years—they are always on the lookout for more land to expand onto. Since they prefer to remain a rural society, they are generally interested in moving as groups of families to new farming areas. A recent research article by Cory Anderson and […]
Amish Forgiveness on the Tenth Anniversary of a Tragedy
Numerous news stories at the end of last week focused on forgiveness, unusual in an autumn dominated, in the United States at least, by unforgiving attacks on political opponents. The occasion was the 10th anniversary, on Sunday October 2, of the Nickel Mines tragedy, when a deranged man murdered five Amish girls in a one-room […]
Ohio Police Arrest 73 Amish People
Early last week some people in Ohio organized a wild weekend party in a farm field that was attended by about 1,000 Amish youngsters, of whom 73 were arrested for underage drinking. One news story reported that over 40 police officers converged on the field in Hardy Township, west of Millersburg in Holmes County, Ohio, […]
