Amish and the Rest of the World:
-Amish believe in serving their community. About half of the volunteer firefighters in Lancaster County are Amish.  In Lancaster, there is a mud sale once a year (this is held in April during the rainy season) where the Amish bring their goods (quilts, baskets, jams, etc) and even auction off old buggies with proceeds going to the firehouse.

The Amish Way of Life:
-Families average about 7 children each. But you generally see anywhere from 6-12 children per Amish household. As a result, the Amish population is doubling every 20 years.

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-The bride and groom do not receive gifts on the day of their wedding. Instead, during the weeks that follow, they visit members of their community and receive their gifts at that time. This is done as a way to further encourage the face-to-face the Amish hold so sacred.

 

-The main forms of communication for the Amish are visiting and letter writing. A telephone is allowed but not in the home. When there is a phone, it is often shared by several homes. It is only to be used for business or emergencies. No other use is acceptable as it may promote idle time and gossip. It is also felt that using phones would eliminate “visiting” which the Amish see as crucial to the community

The topic of Shunning:
-The act of Shunning happens if a member of the community breaks the rules. The first time it happens, the one who witnesses the infraction talks to the person. The second time it happens, the witness plus another talks to the person. The third time it is reported to the bishop and the person is brought in front of the congregation to repent. If they don’t promise to behave or ask for forgiveness, they are shunned.

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-To be “shunned” includes:  Not being able to do business with each other, not being able to attend church, not sitting at the same table as other Amish when eating (with backs turned to the offender). The goal of the shunning is to apply social pressure so the person will come back to the church and ask for forgiveness.