Amish with a camcorder?

[MosMom]

I'm watching the news and there was a bank robbery/hostage/sherrif shooting and as they were covering the story, they showed an amish couple and the woman was video taping all the happenings with a camcorder.

 

[Tikicampers]

They may have been Mennonites. There are many different factions of this group, and they allow varying degrees of modern life. Many of them do still dress in more old fashioned clothes, and the women wear bonnets. We used to live in an Amish area, and you could spot the Mennonites because they had electric wires running to thier homes while the Amish did not.

 

[MosMom]

Well, I figured that. The man had the full amish garb on though. The hat, beard, suspenders. The woman was wearing a dress with a bonnet. They must have been mennonite.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Well, I figured that. The man had the full amish garb on though. The hat, beard, suspenders. The woman was wearing a dress with a bonnet. They must have been mennonite.

Did you see what the bonnet looked like? If it just covered the hair in a bun it was a Mennonite women. The Amish bonnets are in the shape of a heart and fit much looser.

Also the three main Amish groups are Old-Order, New-Order and Beechy Amish. If they were Amish my guess would be New-Order Amish.

 

[Laz]

Many Amish use modern tools and equipment. It depends what their church will allow and what it is used for. The Old Order Amish in my area are not allowed to put roofs on their buggies. However, I see many using cell phones and modern equipment when building houses in our area. Many families hire Amish Nannies and house keepers. They will use all the modern equipment in the house. They may have had the camcorder for another reason than enjoyment.

 

[MosMom]

Isn't it interesting that even the Amish are loosening their beliefs to change with the times.

 

[simba928]

I work in an airport and I have had several customers that *appeared* to be amish. I always thought it was interesting, to say the least, that they would be in an airport buying ice cream. I have since changed jobs and now I work at a store in the airport that sells high-tech accessories and have yet to see any in there.

 

[BabyTigger99]

I worked at a local amusement park for 5 years, and every year, near the end of the summer, we would always have a large group of Mennonites come in for the day. I loved to watch them on the bumper cars!!!

 

[bicker]

There is a logic to it AFIAC. As far as I understand it, one of the principles is to not be "flashy" -- to wear the plainest clothes, for example. Well, that's fine for clothes: There is a choice. Plain clothes cover the body as well as flashy clothes, so they feel that they should wear plain. However, you cannot capture the moment with clothing -- you need a camera for that, and there is a fundamental difference between video and still photography. If choosing between cameras, I suspect that they'd choose the dull matte finish instead of the designer cranberry case (chosing the plainest looking camera they can find).

 

[disney junky]

Isn't it interesting that even the Amish are loosening their beliefs to change with the times.

They really aren't loosening their beliefs. They look at every convenience differently than we do. For example, they don't reject telephones. They just won't have one in the home. Therefore, they won't have the family dinner interrupted by a phone call. Most of their farm houses have skylights. These are rather complex designed and shed a great deal of light inside. They know, then , that when it's dark outside, it's time for bed. It's really a lot about pretention as has been said before. It's about humility and never placing yourself over someone else in a materialistic sense.

In Lancaster county, PA, you'll find very conservative Mennonites who also drive horse and buggies. There are over 50 different sects of Mennonites, so they are at times easily confused with Amish. There are also Mennonites who dress and worship very much like anyone else and wouldn't stand out in a crowd based on their attire. The Amish, however, are pretty consistent. Many of them vacation in Florida. There are particular areas which are owned by the Amish where they visit. You won't find them on the internet. It is a fascinating culture.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

I think this thread would be a good place to ask this question:

I was in the French Quarter a few weekends ago with some girlfriends, and we saw a large group of what appeared to be Amish people (men and women) walking around (near Jackson Square, not on Bourbon or anything).

We wondered how they got there - I was under the assumption that Amish did not travel in motorized vehicles. As far as I know, there are no Amish communities close enough to New Orleans to walk/bike, etc., so we wondered how they got there.

Any ideas?

 

[mssocks]

Sure - while the Amish will not own a car they will gladly accept a ride from neighbors ( who offer often ). Plus there is the train too.....also acceptable.

 

[mattsdragon]

I grew up in DC, and we used to see Amish all the time at the Smithsonian. Union Station in DC is always thick with them. A very interesting culture, and one that really isn't so bad when all things are considered.

 

[Laz]

Sure - while the Amish will not own a car they will gladly accept a ride from neighbors ( who offer often ). Plus there is the train too.....also acceptable.

The Amish communities in my area own large passenger vans. They just do not drive them. They hire a driver.

We had one non Amish farmer living among an Amish community. He was getting very tired of them comming to his home to use his phone. He got fed up when other Amish called him asking him to take messages to the Amish near him, so he had the phone company come out and install an old style pay phone booth in the area. The Amish love it and are very grateful to him.

 

[sunee]

Living around Amish folks, I guess it never dawned on me that people wouldn't understand them.

A friend of mine was surprised to see them riding in a van and when she saw the hitching post at the grocery store, she was surprised to hear that Amish people could go to grocery stores. When I said that of course they could and why wouldn't they, she thought they couldn't because the stores had electricity. At the time, I thought she was a dope. But it makes sense, I guess...if you don't live near something, why would you know about it??

Amish people can do most everything everyone else can do. The jobs, though, have to be purposeful - manual labor, necessary things. The clothes are fairly plain and their homes don't have all the conveniences we do...but they go places, use things, and have fun just like everyone else.

I like the Amish a lot. We eat in their restaurants, drink in their bars, etc. If I could, I'd get them to drive cars (because I hate being stuck behind the damned horses for miles ), but there is a lot I admire about their culture...they're just as nice as anyone and often a lot less phony.

 

[Laz]

They built most of my house. They are excellent craftsmen. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Amish do not have to pay into Social Security and unemployment because it is against their religion.

 

[Aisling]

They built most of my house. They are excellent craftsmen. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Amish do not have to pay into Social Security and unemployment because it is against their religion.

I have a good friend who was born and raised Amish, and decided to leave the community.

Anyway, about paying into SS, etc., he said thay pay based on the biblical reference of Jesus to give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give unto God what belongs to God. They just don't accept any government help, unless in extreme emergencies.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Has anyone else ready plain truth by Jody picot (sp?) I thought it was an interesting fictional read into the Amish culture and what it means to be plain.

My parents have always been fascinating by Mennonites and Amish. They have a number of friends that in both groups and enjoy visiting Ohio and Pennsylvania (we live in Michigan.)

 

[Tikicampers]

My parents have always been fascinating by Mennonites and Amish. They have a number of friends that in both groups and enjoy visiting Ohio and Pennsylvania (we live in Michigan.)

There is a large Amish community near Ft. Wayne, IN. Have they gone there?