Everything I know about the Amish people.

I like the Amish people because they are the only Christians who mind their own business.

They are the only branch of Christianity that almost never lets anyone else get in. You have to be born into it.

They don't bother other people, they just want to live their way and not care too much about the rest of the world.

Most of them live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. They also live in Wisconsin, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. There are a very small number of them who live in other states.

Their chicken is excellent. I used to eat their chicken which was available in a wealthy suburb of Chicago.

The Amish are the best carpenters in the world. Some of them got a job building the ridiculous Noah's Ark in Kentucky. By the way the Noah's Ark story is about the bible god's love for genocide.

For some reason they don't have and don't use any electricity which means no internet and they can't use anything else that requires electricity.

To travel they use a horse and buggy. If they have to go somewhere that requires a car they have somebody who is not Amish give them a ride. They also travel by train.

The only time I saw the Amish was at train station in downtown Chicago. They were waiting for a train. I was also waiting for a train and I sat only about 10 feet from where they were. They speak English but they were talking in one of these languages: Pennsylvania German, Bernese German, Low Alemannic Alsatian German, and Amish High German. It was very interesting to listen to them even though I didn't understand anything they said.

It's possible to pay them to be able to join an Amish family dinner and ask them questions. My parents did this.

When Amish children are old enough they are allowed to experience the rest of the world for one weekend and then decide which life they prefer. I assume they almost always decide to continue the life they were born into.

They have their own schools and the students are done after 8th grade. No high school. The United States government usually requires students to be in school until at least age 16 but the Amish do not have to obey this rule.

Also the Amish got the government to agree they never have to pay social security taxes which means they can never collect social security when they get too old to work.

The Amish are creationists and they probably know nothing about evolution. Also this subject is something they don't talk about.

Like every other branch of Christianity they believe in a magical 2nd life in a magical heaven.

"While the Amish share the belief of most Protestants that salvation is an unearned gift from God, they don't believe that faith automatically guarantees salvation. Many reject the belief common to other Protestant denominations that anyone can be certain that his salvation is guaranteed. They consider such certainty to be arrogant."

"The Amish, who are well known for their horse-and-buggy lifestyle, live separately from the world and modern technology. That separation extends to foregoing electricity, since being tied into the electrical grid would constitute a connection to the outside word. This stems from the desire to avoid being 'polluted' by the sin they see as rampant in the modern world."

"Most Christians see spreading the word of God as a central responsibility of their faith. Many Amish, on the other hand, feel no obligation to evangelize, preferring to let their faith show by the way they live. In fact, the Amish rarely accept converts."

"Amish grant primary authority to the church and reject any civilian authority that contradicts it. Amish beliefs, for example, forbid acceptance of any public funds."

"Retired Amish receive no Social Security benefits. On the other hand, they're not legally obligated to pay Social Security taxes, either (per a 1961 Supreme Court Decision). They don't educate their children past eighth grade, and they avoid joining the military. In addition, when required to testify in court, they do not swear oaths. Instead, they make affirmations of truth."

"The Ordnung is an oral tradition of rules and expectations that govern every aspect of Amish life, private, public and ceremonial. Rather than being a written set of rules that must be memorized, the Ordnung is taught by living it, much like children absorb and learn their native tongue by living it. It's a code of conduct that evolved over decades, and it differs slightly from one Amish congregation to another."

There are tons of more information about the Amish people at Wikipedia - Amish.

Also these links are about the Amish:

Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center
Amish furniture
Amish music
Barn raising
Bank of Bird-in-Hand
Christian views on poverty and wealth
Fancy Dutch
List of Amish and their descendants
Martyrs Mirror
Pinecraft (Sarasota)
Plain people
West Nickel Mines School shooting

I found this at the West Nickel Mines School shooting. These Amish people are amazing.

On the day of the shooting, a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls was heard warning some young relatives not to hate the killer, saying, "We must not think evil of this man." Another Amish father noted, "He had a mother and a wife and a soul and now he's standing before a just God." Jack Meyer, a member of the Brethren community living near the Amish in Lancaster County, explained: "I don't think there's anybody here that wants to do anything but forgive and not only reach out to those who have suffered a loss in that way but to reach out to the family of the man who committed these acts."

A Roberts family spokesman said an Amish neighbor comforted the Roberts family hours after the shooting and extended forgiveness to them. Amish community members visited and comforted Roberts' widow, parents, and parents-in-law. One Amish man held Roberts' sobbing father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour, to comfort him. The Amish have also set up a charitable fund for the family of the shooter. About 30 members of the Amish community attended Roberts' funeral, and Marie Roberts, the widow of the killer, was one of the few outsiders invited to the funeral of one of the victims.

Marie Roberts wrote an open letter to her Amish neighbors thanking them for their forgiveness, grace, and mercy. She wrote, "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you." The Amish do not normally accept charity, but because of the extreme nature of the tragedy, donations were accepted. Richie Lauer, director of the Anabaptist Foundation, said the Amish community, whose religious beliefs prohibit them from having health insurance, will likely use the donations to help pay the medical costs of the hospitalized children.

Some commentators criticized the quick and complete forgiveness with which the Amish responded, arguing that forgiveness is inappropriate when no remorse has been expressed, and that such an attitude runs the risk of denying the existence of evil, while others were supportive. Donald Kraybill and two other scholars of Amish life noted that "letting go of grudges" is a deeply rooted value in Amish culture, which remembers forgiving martyrs including Dirk Willems and Jesus himself. They explained that the Amish willingness to forgo vengeance does not undo the tragedy or pardon the wrong, but rather constitutes a first step toward a future that is more hopeful.

An Amish family.