Mr Yoder said that one of his friends was in the middle of a visit with community elders to discuss a shunning for different reasons when the alert on his phone went off.
I know this is a terrible day for that person, but it is really hard not to find the humor in this little snippet of the story.
As "innocent" as they are portrayed, the hypocrisy is the least of their problems. Their abuse of both people and animals is extremely widespread and rarely talked about.
The man they mention in this article (Eli Yoder) regularly brings it up and confronts it.
He interviewed a woman one time who was raped by her brothers and she got in trouble right along with them for being “tempting” and not modest enough.
The abuse started when she was a small child.
They don’t go to the police when they catch people, they take them to the elders and punish them within the group. They usually just get shunned for a bit.
Wives regularly get blamed when their daughters are abused by their husbands. “You should do your wifely duties so he isn’t tempted.”
I’ve heard some wild stories watching this guy.
He really works hard to bring education and information to people who are trapped in that reality. He also provides resources and support when people want to escape.
Not that this isn't possible, but the entire article is based off one guy talking about it on TikTok . Which is probably about as reliable as a bunch of those creative writing exercises on AITA.
I have followed Eli on YouTube forever and I believe him.
He does all of the things he says he’s going to do. He films himself dropping packages (phones in plastic bags usually) to the Amish. He films the people he frees from the cult. He interviews people who got out regularly. He and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things (religious views, political views), but I trust what he says.
Some of the people he’s interviewed have made me raise my eyebrows, but he hasn’t.
I mean, your point is still valid, but I believe him.
Being shunned in Amish culture is VERY aggressive. You’re basically cut off from the community and family. You can’t get rides, you have to eat alone, etc. It’s pretty fucked up.
Mormons also have versions of this that are notoriously fucked up. Stay in line or lose contact with everyone you love.
A couple of decades ago I worked with an ex-mormon. Shunned by his family, his sister would still call to wish him merry Christmas etc.. I remember overhearing one of those calls; "merry Christmas sis, and tell mom and dad I'm very glad I'm not there".
Technically all Christians have a version of this. Though even in "Bible Churches" it is usually tempered by the second bit below, and processes of repentance and whatnot.
9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister[c] but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”
I Corinthians 5
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Matthew 18
As an aside, that Corinthians bit spells it out in plain-ass English that any "Christian" screaming at non-Christians about being gay, trans, or whatever either do not know their Bible or only use it when it supports the actions they already want to take.
As a second aside, it is kind of funny what one still remembers even after being out of the church for a couple decades.
The Mormons do not "have versions of this." Their official policy is quite the opposite. However, for many Mormons, their religion is their whole identity so when a family member chooses another lifestyle they are personally offended and can't find any way to relate to them anymore.
I once called a guy about something he was advertising in the classifieds. I called him on Easter Sunday. He answered, but said he needed a second before he could talk.
Turns out he was Amish. I called an Amish man on the phone... on Easter Sunday. He answered... while he was in church.
I called an Amish man on his cellphone, which he answered in the middle of Easter mass, to talk about his classified ad.
This was the most tame interaction I've had with Amish folk. They're fucking hardcore.
You know that scene in Parks and Rec where Ron Swanson tips a jug of moonshine up onto his shoulder and pours it down his gullet? I've fucking seen a bearded guy with a big hat and no buttons do that IRL.
Not all Amish view technology as entirely something against their religion. Peter Santenello has a bunch of great videos where he interviews Amish people and understands their culture. This is a good one on that topic: https://youtu.be/EgY1SVXiBrU?si=E2zTNOhQxm6Qcgff
Correct. Amish are Mennonites who shun other Mennonites. The elders of their church decide for the local congregation what is and isn't appropriate conduct. If you disagree, you are shunned.
If the congregation down the road disagrees, those folks are shunned.
So you get very customized, local, specific lists about what is and isn't allowable.
Really, it looks more extreme, but it's no different than independent baptist churches or churches of christ 'disfellowship'-ing with other congregations over doctrinal minutia.
In all cases you will get a few congregations thinking that only their congregation of 20-50 folks are the only ones in the world who "go to heaven". 😂
So, all Amish might not agree what technologies are worth shunning over, but they all agree that some technologies are worth restricting their members access to, upon penalty of shunning.
Yeah, the dude I called lived in a much more progressive sect. He was actually the "cab driver" for his community, which is why he had a cellphone. He also had a computer and a very rudimentary website for the stuff he was selling in the classifieds.
Even worse is for example domestic violence and abuse victims who might have a secret phone stashed away which could be located with the very loud emergency alert. I seem to recall posts going around to notify those people to have their phone turned off during that time.
My wife found my burner that I use to sext with her, and she discovered that Im not just her husband, but Im also her secret boyfriend she met on tinder.
Shunning, in those sects that still practice it, generally isn't a permanent affair, nor was is originally specified to be. The shunning isn't the problem for you and I, its that lgbtq lifestyles are usually(depends on the community - even among the amish) a "living in sin"/shunnable affair no one should have to repent or hide.
EDIT: Jesus Christ, Amish shunning for rape and icest is only six weeks, AND they forbid reporting of such crimes to law enforcement? WTF?
Noting that aiding and abetting a crime, including lying to hide another's crime, and the intimidation of witnesses and victims, are all well-established secular law, there is no grounds for how too many religious communities handle such things. Priests and Pastors should be mandatory reporters, not privileged to keep confidentiality where serious crimes are concerned, nevermind that these people are openly confessing to their entire congregations/communities.
Also there are a lot of different sects of Amish. On one extreme there are the Amish who use the internet with a few restrictions, and on the other are the Amish who won't touch anything that uses electricity. It's a broad society. They're pretty much all kinda shitty to women, but that's diverse too.
The amish are fucking awful dude. Theyre a cult that abuses and beats women and children, treating them like property. They run puppy mills churning out dogs in gorrible conditions. Not to mention the rampant incest and inbreeding. Fuck their cult. They arent just "cute old timey people" tourists think they are
lol anyone that has experience with Amish in Ohio knows phones are everywhere.
Hell I saw an amish dude ripping down the street on a one wheel just a few months ago. Some use side by sides and tractors. They also have a battery distributor with their own name on the label and a website, Miller Tech.
It depends on the community but in my experience it's not much of an issue at all these days.
I've lived near a few Amish communities, and they're all a little different on what tech is present but it's safe to say they all have some.
Generally you'll see electricity and phone lines to a special building, they won't all have it but a few will. Lately they've ditched the landlines for cell phones, and they'll have their spouses put parental blocks on them.
The philosophy doesn't really change much, it's not about rejecting technology, it's about being self sufficient, and not relying on the outside world for anything. The phones are mostly for business. But they'll use them for Internet to get to Facebook and YouTube too.
It's also worth noting that the horse and buggy thing is pretty common but I've never met an Amish adult who didn't at last have access to a pickup truck.
The Amish community I know aren't super strict. They use gas farm equipment and are fine with solar batteries. They just don't want to be on the power grid.
The main cruxes tend to be: having a wired connection to "the grid"/outside world. Not being fully independent. Adopting worldly & not practical practices.
Cell phones are practical. I've seen a few Amish with basic cell phones at farmer shows.
yeah I remember awhile back. talking decade or so. that they were creeping in (cell phones) but there had not been an official ruling. Some had them but kept them outside of the house and such. I had actually saw one thing that said they would have like phonebooths at the intersection of several family farms and that was considered all right because they could share and would not be tempted to use it for poor reasons.
Members of the Amish community have been “shunned” by their church after the recent test of an emergency alert system outed them as having procured forbidden mobile phones.
The alarms – part of the nationwide emergency alert drill that the US government carried out on 4 October – drew the attention of community elders in Ohio.
Eli Yoder, a former member of the Amish community, took to TikTok to share the story, in which he explained how three of his friends had gotten into trouble after the devices were discovered.
Mr Yoder said that one of his friends was in the middle of a visit with community elders to discuss a shunning for different reasons when the alert on his phone went off.
In the comments section of his video Mr Yoder added: “From now on, I guess I have to remember to give all my Amish buddies a heads up if there is a planned emergency alert test.”
It states that such devices including television, automobiles, telephones or tractors are “considered to be a temptation that could cause vanity, create inequality, or lead the Amish away from their close-knit community.”
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Hahahah oh man my thought of what funny stuff those sorts might lead to mostly centered around kids at school getting in trouble, but this is way, way better. :)
On the darker side of things I was also concerned about people in abusive situations with hidden phones getting outed, which probably also happened. :(
(I am not a bright guy so I can't take credit for coming up with that on my own, I saw someone post about it on Mastodon.)
By that thought process, wouldn't these people more likely to have their hidden phone discovered by spontaneous Amber Alerts? Those come with no warning, whereas the NAS did come with a heads up.
It's not relevant to me, i'm in a different country, but in i've seen daily completely turn off your hidden phones, and only turn them on when it is safe because the alert will still blare when you turn on you phone the entire week before the test and also months before. Certain circles take warning each other about 'Loud Day' seriously.
Have you been to a Mennonite community? Phones are no secret. They are not technophobes. They just do not adopt frivolous tech without considering how it would benefit society. Cars, for example, were determined to be mostly a tool for leaving home, which many old order communities thought would be damaging for their community.
Phones are not so. Phones let you contact a loved one in an emergency. Many people, depending on the community, will have one, and there's no shame about it. This article just focuses on a couple kids, but paints it like a widespread thing.
Headlines says Amish, so a phone should not be accepted. I stayed with a Mennonite before and she said Amish are no technology, then I think there was Old Order, which accepted technology up to like the Model T cars but nothing further, then Mennonites, which were essentially the same "group" (religion?) but the most advanced technologically, accepting all technology.
Shunning happens with all society now, for less than this. Except it's called ghosting. Or "cutting off" of family members. It's shameful and no different, except we do it whenever we want, for whatever reason seems justified to us, without caring for the party we are doing it to. At least with Amish, everyone knows the rules.
We can't point at another section of society until we fix ourselves.