We Respect The Amish Lifestyle
During a recent visit to the Lancaster, Pa. Amish country it became very evident to me that the Amish lifestyle appears difficult for non-Amish folks but certainly simple to understand.
A buggy ride with a Mennonite driver and a walk through an Amish home gave me a great respect for the Amish people and I came away with a little bit of the peace, tranquility, and contentment found among the Amish.
An Amish woman cutting up some beans said quietly to me that tourists, although sometimes bothersome, are very good for the economy.
An important role in the Amish life style is the separation between church and the state and the Amish live by basic rules which includes no permanent physical attachments to the outside world.
That means no telephone wires, no electrical wires and no water or gas lines connected to their residence or work place. Simply stated there is no TV or Radio in use by the Amish. They do read their own published newspapers.
I liked the part when told that the kitchen is the center of the family activities.....we have lost so much when it comes to family activities and today its everybody doing their own thing without family unity.
You certainly do not find the Amish worried about gasoline prices as their horse drawn buggies eliminate that concern and their sources of energy include water wheels, windmills and the diesel engine run by propane which is used mainly for their milking machines, the milk cooler and the pump for water.
Their washing machines are run by a gasoline engine and ironing by the use of a Coleman iron which runs on white gas.
Propane is also used to light their lamps. The kitchen in the winter is heated by a wood or coal stove. In the summer a gas stove (bottled gas) is used for cooking. There is running water in each home and bottled gas is used to heat the water.
Amish do not build expensive church buildings and worship services are held at their homes in districts made up of approximately 25 families with Sunday worship services lasting from 8 a.m. to noon followed by a meal. The services move to a different families home each week.
Amish are very religious and follow the Bible teachings as literally as possible and apply it to every facet of their lives. The Amish are a non-resistance group and practice non-resistance daily.
Education is only through the eight grade as Amish believe that education is only necessary to the point of being a good farmer, wife, mother or housekeeper. One room school houses is the norm here and they pay school taxes but do not accept any help from the government.
In the Lancaster area large farms dot the landscape which includes the growing and selling of tobacco, considered their main cash crop.
Large gardens feed the Amish family and some will rent a stand in a market place and sell fresh fruits and vegetables and many hand crafted articles.
Not many in our modern lifestyle would be able to adopt to the Amish way of life and one has to admire how well they do without all the modern conveniences available to us today.
Asked what motivates what they do we were told the Amish have a strong belief in the bible verse, 1 Thess, 4:11 which reads, "And that ye study to be quiet and to do your own business, and work with your own hands."
INFORMATION ON THE ABOVE PHOTO
Propane is used for lighting in the Amish home.
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