Amish Culture

As the last leaves of autumn tumble and twirl to the ground, John and Mary Miller* have finished preparations for winter. The potatoes have been dug, and winter squash gathered in from the garden. The basement shelves are lined with brightly colored fruits and vegetables sealed in glass jars. It is a time to be thankful for life and health, and for the earth's provision. The Miller family's thoughts begin to turn to the approaching holiday season.  Read Story.

For nearly 6,000 years, humans have been heating and shaping iron for both practical and artistic purposes. But it wasn't until the time of the Crusades in Europe (1096-1270) " when horses were used extensively for battle " that the process of horseshoeing became widespread.  Read Story.

First things first. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked, "Isn't taking photographs of the Amish against their religion?" Answer " NO, it's not against an Amish person's religion to be photographed. The Amish religion does, however, prohibit POSING for photographs.  Read Story. (1 comment)

1. Attitudes are caught -- not taught! 2. Always tell the truth. 3.  Read Story.

How do the Amish survive without telephones? Well, most New Order Amish do have phones in their homes. The rest manage to live without them! Nearly all Amish have access to phones. Little buildings, like phone booths, are here and there, at the end of the lane and in town, where the Amish may use the phone when needed.  Read Story.

Every Wednesday and Saturday, the small community of Mt. Hope, in Holmes County, Ohio, bustles with visitors, tourists and locals ready to buy livestock and produce. It's the Mt. Hope Auction, located on Ohio Route 241, that attracts hundreds of guests each of those days.  Read Story.

Editor's note: In the January/February issue, we discussed how the buggy is a simple, yet practical method of transportation for the Amish. In this issue, we will compare the operation of the horse and buggy versus the automobiles of the "English." If fuel prices in 2007 are anything like they've been the past few years, then they're on the verge of.  Read Story.

Social Time Spare time is quite rare in the busy life of an Amish woman, so when able, she often spends her extra time socializing with family and friends. The Amish discourage "entertainment," but heartily encourage visiting with others. An Amish woman might attend a quilting party.  Read Story.

"It comes in any color you want, so long as it's black." Surprisingly enough, there's still personal transportation manufactured to Henry Ford's most famous specification. While an Ohio Amishman can order his buggy with seating for two, or six or more, with a windshield or without, for hauling a large family to Sunday services or pigs to auction, with one "horsepower".  Read Story.

Visitors to the Amish Heartland may think of the Amish as "those people who dress funny and ride in buggies." Some people think Amish and Mennonite families live in closed communities or colonies, and rarely see the outside world. A few tourists have even mistaken Amish for costumed actors, portraying the "old days" for the amusement and education of visitors, who then go home to their televisions and computer games. There are many myths and misperceptions about the way the Amish have chosen to live. What are the principles that form the foundation of Amish life and belief? Why have the Amish been so successful in preserving those principles for more than three centuries?   Read Story.

Many things draw people to Holmes County -- shops, scenery and craftsmen, to name a few. And then there is the food. You know, it's talked about all the time.  Read Story.

It's hard to imagine the Amish as revolutionaries, and even more difficult to see them as a threat to the government. But that is the way the ancestors of today's Amish and Mennonite communities were described almost five centuries ago.  Read Story.

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2). This Scripture sums up the Amish willingness to stand apart from the rest of the world in appearance and way of living. But how does a person in 21st-century America live out such a pattern for life?  Read Story.

And you thought you were busy! Read what an Amish farmer considers the major things on his list of chores. If these are the major things, think of all the little things that adds to his workload.  Read Story.

Venturing through the back roads of Holmes County, it isn't uncommon to see a group of Amish children playing a game out in the yard. The games they play aren't much different than the outdoor games the "English" play. On most spring and summer days, the schoolyards are filled with softball players, and the parking lots are filled with buggies.  Read Story.

World War I -- "the war to end all wars" -- brought new challenges to the peace churches. The U.S. government issued bonds, promising the public an average four-percent return on their loans to support the war effort.  Read Story.

From the days of its Anabaptist beginnings in the 16th century, the Mennonite Church and its Amish descendants have had firmly rooted convictions about non-resistance to violence and living in peace with each other and the world. Their pacifist beliefs are based on Scripture and important church principles. Mennonites and Amish, as well as their religious "cousins," Hutterites and Brethren, try.  Read Story.

It is important to an Amish family their children enter into the season with an understanding of the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Read Story.

Step inside an Amish school, and you may feel as though you have been transported back in time to your childhood classroom -- if you were a child in the 1950s or before, that is. Rows of wooden desks face a long blackboard flanked by cork bulletin boards. The alphabet letters, capital and lower-case, march high around the walls of the.  Read Story.

"Oh, if I could go back again, back to the days of yore, I'd spend an afternoon or two down at the general store." No matter how old we are, we all have memories of "the good ol' days." But those of us who can remember back to the general store are indeed fortunate. Nearly every small town or neighborhood had.  Read Story.