When did the Amish start using modern technology?

[DaveCole]

I didn't think the Amish were allowed to use any form of modern technology. However, I went up to the local Farmer's Market yesterday and they brought in their stand in an Suv and used what looks like computer generated labels for the bread they were selling. Have the rules changed and if they have when?

[FinkPish]

Are you sure they were Amish or were they maybe Mennonite?

[RoQuEr]

while they may adhere to certain principles, i don't think they blindly forsake all the modern items. You will see their old fashioned carriages equipped with car batteries so that they have lights which make them street legal. If law forced them to have printed nutritional info on any bread they sold, I imagine that wouldn't stop them. But then again you are talking about SUVS, so they could be locals dressing up, or any number of things.

[OldDude]

My understanding is that for many sects, it is OK to use modern things in business (or to comply with law), but not in their personal lives.

[mikehunt]

either:
A) Mennonite
or
B) a non-Amish drove the truck

[silentbob007]

The rules that the Amish live by vary from congregation to congregation.. With that being said, they can often hire out other people to use technology for them, such as driving the SUV or printing labels.

[DVD Polizei]

Great, so now you're saying the Amish also outsource.

[Thor Simpson]

Originally Posted by DVD Polizei

Great, so now you're saying the Amish also outsource.

I needed my shoes repaired by an official Amish expert shoemaster. I hiked 15 miles, opened the door, and there before me was this room full of Indians.

[atlantamoi]

Where do Amish draw the line? Why not draw the line at tools? Or wheels? Or fire making technology?

[Tommy Ceez]

The Amish forsake technology not for technologies sake, but because it distracts from concentration on family and god.

So the amish are not allowed to have TV's and radio's because it would take away from thier family cohesivness, but they buy the latest wood burning stoves from Sears that impliment advanced safety features and use machines to milk thier cows.

Many Amish work in the 'real word' using power tools and equipment.

Each community has a group of elders who evaluate new technology, and decide wether it is necessary, or would be a distraction to thier chosen lifestyle, and therefore banned.

Most amish owned a car or TV at one point in thier lives...during thier rumspoura(sp?), the time between 14 and whenever where they are released upon the modern world, and are free to make the decision wether or not they want to live Amish.

[Heat]

Originally Posted by Tommy Ceez

...
Most amish owned a car or TV at one point in thier lives...during thier rumspoura(sp?), the time between 14 and whenever where they are released upon the modern world, and are free to make the decision wether or not they want to live Amish.

There's a very good documentary called Devil's Playground
review: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=5679 *
about rumspringa, quite educational. Basically, the Amish believe that children cannot be baptized, that only an adult who wants to be baptized can. Thus, when their kids turn 16 (what they consider to be adults) they are literally turned loose and can do whatever they want, experience life in the non-Amish community, or what they call the devil's playground. The kids usually spend a few years in the "real world" and the majority then choose to be baptized and live the rest of their life in the Amish lifestyle, but not all do. This period is called rumspringa. Rent the DVD, it's very educational.

Anyway, yes, the people in the SUV were not Amish. They couldn't be. They were either Mennonites (similar to Amish, but can drive, watch TV (I think), etc), or kids during rumspringa.

The thing I don't like about the Amish is that they don't believe in education (don't go past the 8th grade) since, if I remember right, education builds pride, and pride is a sin. But, by the same token, the Amish are very good with their hands because they've been working with their hands since they've been very young.

* if you do a search for the review of "Devil's Playground", there's also an adult title by the same name but a very different story...

[mikehunt]

or a non amish drove them
amish can ride in cars, I've seen it many many times in the Amish areas of western NY

[Dr_Evil]

Here's an interesting (although slightly old and long) article on the amish and how they evaluate new technologies. Basically they don't like things that take away from family. So the have phones, but they are outside of the house and shared by several families. That way they aren't getting calls during dinner, etc...

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7...ic=&topic_set=

[NORML54601]

There's a store near to where I live in WI that caters to the large Amish community. They sell the newest wood burning stoves but also sell many modern items such as radios. The catch is all of the items (not the stove of course) run on a crank and not electricity. Apparently at least some of the sects here have no problem with technology so long as you don't have to plug it in. Wisconsin Public Television did a show on this store and some of the Amish in the area but I don't know what it was called.

[atlantamoi]

"Devil's Playground" is definitely worth renting. So, they want crank instead of electricity... which takes more time away from God?

[mikehunt]

Amish here are known to use kerosene and diesel motors to run the pulleys for the saw mills

[Dr_Evil]

Originally Posted by atlantamoi

"Devil's Playground" is definitely worth renting. So, they want crank instead of electricity... which takes more time away from God?

One man gave his explanation of this in the article I linked

To the obvious question why allow Amish electricity but not public electricity, Amos answered slowly and deliberately, "The Bible teaches us not to conform to the world, to keep a separation. Connecting to the electric lines would make too many things too easy. Pretty soon, people would start plugging in radios and televisions, and that's like a hot line to the modern world. We use batteries and generators because you can use the batteries for only a short time and because you have to fuel and maintain the generator yourself. It's a way of controlling our use of electricity. We try to restrict things that would lead to us losing that sense of being separate, to put the brakes on how fast we change."

[NCMojo]

When did the Amish start using modern technology?

When they discovered... rock 'n' roll !!!

[darkflounder]

Shortly after I moved to Pennsylvania years ago, I happened to be in a Wal-Mart. A mennonite family in front of us in line was buying 12 packs of soda, batteries, TV Guide, among other items.

At the time, I didn't know the difference between mennonite and amish, so I was absolutely blown away.

[DaveCole]

They may have been Mennonite. I based my belief that they are Amish on a couple things. 1. A local talk radio show talking about local events is always talking about the Amish family selling Jalapeno cheddar bread at the market. (My whole reason for going, and it is tasty.) 2. They looked Amish, and while I have heard of Mennonites I had no who they were.

[Fok]

Who can live without computers? I know I can't

[Brain Stew]

Originally Posted by DaveCole

I had no who they were.

Oh, that explains it.

[Tommy Ceez]

Alot of times, when the children decide to not be amish, they stay in the area and join the Menonite church...its almost as strict as the amish, and the amish are very comfortable dealing with Menonites as 'middle men' in thier business deals with the outside world.

[Quatermass]

Perhaps you missed this news story (about halfway down the page):

http://www.craigslist.org/about/onion.party.html