What do you think about the Amish?

[Archivist]

You have never ate much Amish baking and deserts I wager. LOL. Red-meat, sugar and butter are the three main food groups!

I used to have Amish neighbors when I lived in PA, so yes I have. But they usually save sugary desserts for special occasions. Red meat and butter on the other hand, oh yes—they eat lots of both, along with fresh-baked bread. But that doesn’t destroy their teeth. BTW, since you have tried Amish cooking, have you ever had roasht? It is traditional among the Lancaster Amish.

 

[Not David]

Another interesting and weird thing, from a Christian perspective, about the Amish is that as far as I know they lack an evangelical outreach. For all the emphasis God's Word puts on sharing the Gospel and being missionaries the Amish seem to eschew all of that in order to support their separation from the world in an extreme manner. I would think they'd have some kind of evangelical outreach if they are so concerned with carrying out God's Will but they seem to ignore this completely.

People say the same thing about monks.

 

[Archivist]

People say the same thing about monks.

Of course their worship services are in German, and not a modern version of German, so you have to do a little learning.

 

[NeedyFollower]

I can't ask them anything since they don't use the Internet.

I lived with the Amish for quite a while . In my opinion , SteveIndy has the most edifying answer . There are many Amish who are just as carnal as any other not born again person and some are born again. It is not uncommon for a born again amish person to be accused of following a "new teaching" and be excommunicated . ( They practice the ban . ) But sadly , some amish who are born again , drift into modernism even going so far as to own televisions and smart phones ...in one generation . From horse and buggie to smart phones in one generation ! I think this is a huge mistake ..I am obviously not a luddite but I have seen what happens to the children .
The ones I know who are serious ( that is another euphemism when one gets born again ) , may drive cars but do not watch tv , nor movies , nor listen to radio , etc. It is in agreement with not loving the world and not being unequally yoked with unbelievers . They understand that their lives are dedicated to Jesus Christ and endeavor not to be led astray by the god of this world . Sober and serious ....as if eternity depended on it . ( It does . ) Often they can be men of few words knowing that the scripture says that by their words they will be justified and by their words they will be condemned .
They are apolitical and will not go to war nor serve on a jury . All these things are biblical and in accordance with loving others .
Many people are drawn to the life style ...a simpler way of life , etc. but of course anything can become an idol or another Jesus ...even a life style ....maybe especially a life style .

 

[Rescued One]

So did David sin less before being born?

He said "But they sin less even before being born again, because..."

 

[Rescued One]

Too many false prophets around today. Cutting yourself off from technology makes you rather vunerable to questionable teachings.

If people aren't vulnerable, how do you think the false teachers gain followers? I became a Mormon way before the internet due to lack of Bible knowledge.

 

[Darkhorse]

I used to wonder why they considered technology before some indistinct time to be acceptable, but not technology after that time. I found an answer in a childrens' book about the Amish. It said they used technology that was time-tested and found to be reliable, but avoided "new" technologies until enough time passed to evaluate them.

We encounter some Amish here in Virginia. Their children seem very innocent and trusting.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

I've never hear that about their teeth.

Yeah, it's sad. They don't all do it but a large number of them do.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Actually Amish tend to have healthier teeth and gums than most people because they eat fewer sweets. I have heard about Amish in some groups having healthy teeth pulled and getting dentures because it is more cost effective, but I don't think that is the norm among the Amish.

Yes, that's true that they tend to have healthier teeth. That's why it's even more a shame when they get them pulled while at a young age and the teeth are healthy. It may not be quite "the norm" among all Amish but it's somewhat the norm and especially with certain groups more than others.

Why Do the Amish Have Their Teeth Pulled Out?

I have a lot of family and friends in Lancaster, PA and they confirm to me that this is not unusual among the Amish and for some reason especially young women. Sad.

 

[Rescued One]

Actually Amish tend to have healthier teeth and gums than most people because they eat fewer sweets. I have heard about Amish in some groups having healthy teeth pulled and getting dentures because it is more cost effective, but I don't think that is the norm among the Amish.

Why do they make their peanut butter sweet?

"This is a tasty peanut butter spread, sometimes known as 'church spread' that is common among the Amish and Mennonite communities. Great on bread, bananas, ice cream, etc." ... In a bowl, mix corn syrup, peanut butter and marshmallow creme until thoroughly combined.
Amish Peanut Butter Recipe

Amish Salad Dressing(for Macaroni Salad):

• 2 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon celery seed

Shoofly pie is a molasses pie or cake that developed its traditional form among the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1880s, who ate it with strong black coffee for breakfast. It is called Melassich Riwwelboi or Melassichriwwelkuche in the Pennsylvania Dutch language. Wikipedia

Pickled Beets
1 No. 2 can beets
1 c. vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 cloves
2-in. stick cinnamon

Drain and measure juice from beets. Add enough water to make 1 cup. To this juice add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices, then bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over beets. Let stand 24 hours.

Red Beet Eggs
After beets have pickled, remove them and replace with 6 peeled hard-cooked eggs. Let stand in juice 8 to 12 hours so that flavor penetrates whole egg.
Edna Eby Heller, The Art of Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking, p. 103 - 104.

I've avoided the peanut butter, but love the others (which I now also avoid).

 

[ArmenianJohn]

People say the same thing about monks.

Monks are different, though. Monks are a religious order within a Christian community so they are fulfilling a role that is different from the rest. So for example, my Church has monks, but we also have priests and bishops and deacons and lay people and missionaries so we as a community maintain evangelical outreaches. The Amish as a community have no evangelical outreaches. It's like everyone's a monk and nobody is anything else so they don't have evangelism. It's odd to me that a Christian community would completely leave out any evangelism.

 

[ArmenianJohn]

Why do they make their peanut butter sweet?

"This is a tasty peanut butter spread, sometimes known as 'church spread' that is common among the Amish and Mennonite communities. Great on bread, bananas, ice cream, etc." ... In a bowl, mix corn syrup, peanut butter and marshmallow creme until thoroughly combined.
Amish Peanut Butter Recipe

Amish Salad Dressing(for Macaroni Salad):

• 2 cups Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon celery seed

Shoofly pie is a molasses pie or cake that developed its traditional form among the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 1880s, who ate it with strong black coffee for breakfast. It is called Melassich Riwwelboi or Melassichriwwelkuche in the Pennsylvania Dutch language. Wikipedia

Pickled Beets
1 No. 2 can beets
1 c. vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 cloves
2-in. stick cinnamon

Drain and measure juice from beets. Add enough water to make 1 cup. To this juice add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices, then bring to a boil. Pour hot liquid over beets. Let stand 24 hours.

Red Beet Eggs
After beets have pickled, remove them and replace with 6 peeled hard-cooked eggs. Let stand in juice 8 to 12 hours so that flavor penetrates whole egg.
Edna Eby Heller, The Art of Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking, p. 103 - 104.

I've avoided the peanut butter, but love the others (which I now also avoid).

I don't believe they "eat fewer sweets" as Archivist said. Every time I go to Lancaster to see my family I load up on Shoo-fly pie and other extreme Amish sweets, LOL!!!

 

[W2L]

I dont know about their doctrine but i like their simple lifestyle.

 

[Rescued One]

I don't believe they "eat fewer sweets" as Archivist said. Every time I go to Lancaster to see my family I load up on Shoo-fly pie and other extreme Amish sweets, LOL!!!

Oh, I used to bake shoofly pie. Yummy!

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

I used to have Amish neighbors when I lived in PA, so yes I have. But they usually save sugary desserts for special occasions. Red meat and butter on the other hand, oh yes—they eat lots of both, along with fresh-baked bread. But that doesn’t destroy their teeth. BTW, since you have tried Amish cooking, have you ever had roasht? It is traditional among the Lancaster Amish.

I'm not familiar with the term Roasht, but after lookint it up, have have had something similar. We have a restaurant that was started by Anna Mae Kipfer who is Amish (I know her brother well) but a number of years back she sold it. However, the menu continues, and they employ Amish women almost exclusively: Anna Mae's Bakery and Restaurant In the same town; Millbank Ontario, there are a lot of Amish businesses; my wife and I buy most of our sausage at Zehr's Country Market in the same town: Zehrs Country Market - Millbank

The Amish produce most of the Maple Syrup in Ontario.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

I don't believe they "eat fewer sweets" as Archivist said. Every time I go to Lancaster to see my family I load up on Shoo-fly pie and other extreme Amish sweets, LOL!!!

Raisin Pie; Pecan Pie; Shoo-fly pie; cream buns; etc....

 

[Rescued One]

I used to have Amish neighbors when I lived in PA, so yes I have. But they usually save sugary desserts for special occasions. Red meat and butter on the other hand, oh yes—they eat lots of both, along with fresh-baked bread. But that doesn’t destroy their teeth. BTW, since you have tried Amish cooking, have you ever had roasht? It is traditional among the Lancaster Amish.

I never heard of it, but I like Schnitz un Knepp, wilted lettuce salad, and my Grandma Bower's Potato Soup with Rivels(aka rivvels).

 

[Rescued One]

One Mennonite restaurant has about 30 kinds of pie.
Over 30 varieties listed on your placemat 3.99 - 4.25
https://essenhaus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Lunch-Dinner-Menu-19.pdf

 

[GodLovesCats]

Sarah, I read online Pentacostals were the first to ordain women as pastors and church leaders.

What are the differences between Amish and Mennonites?

 

[bbbbbbb]

There is a spectrum of Anabaptists associated with Simon Menno and Jakob Amman. The simple difference between Mennonites and the Amish is that the Mennonites trace their origins to Simon Menno and the Amish trace their origins to Jakob Amman.