why do Amish ppl go to walmart??

Question

I though the Amish did not believe in store and stuff??
I just went to wal mart and saw several of them. DO you ever see Amish ppl?

no i am not racist.. i just never seen amish ppl at wal mart.. its pretty cool that they do shop there.

btw.. im in indiana

Answer 1

First, there are many groups of Anabaptists. A few orders of Mennonites and a few orders of Amish. Many Mennonites dress a lot like Amish. It's hard to tell them apart sometimes.
Second, yes Amish people do shop at Wal Mart. Their beliefs are against things that separate them from their families, including anything that makes them live too "fast." Cars would speed them up too much, and take away from the time they spend with their Maker while doing things the old (slow) way. They will ride in cars if they need to though. For long trips, they take busses and trains. They will pay their neighbors to drive them somewhere if there's an emergency. During the "rumspringe" when teenagers are allowed to run wild for a time so they can be sure they're ready to settle down and join the church, some teenagers do own cars. Electricity isn't seen as evil, just unnecessary and another connection to the world that they don't want or need. They do have gas powered refrigerators, stoves, a few other appliances, and some have running water and inside toilets. They have gas lighting in their homes. Some New Order Amish do allow electricity.
Wal Mart, while not being a very wholesome place to shop lately, is acceptable, and some Wal Mart's do have places to tie horses. : )

We don't have Amish here, but we do have a lot of Holdeman Mennonites. They drive cars, but they have to be plain cars, and they dress in dresses made of pretty floral prints and wear black cup-shaped bun covers. The men wear plaid shirts and whatever pants they want. They're nice people. : )

YES it's true they do NOT educate their children past 8th grade, BUT they learn as much or more in those 8 years than our children do in 12!!

I do not agree with their works-based beliefs, but I admire them for holding onto their values, their work-ethic, and the fact that they live so simply while the rest of us are in a constant rat-race just to survive.

To clarify....their "running-around" time starts at 16, not 18. They can leave the community if they want during that time, and they are welcome back. If they join the church and take their "kneeling vow" though, they cannot break that vow by going against the People. If they do, they are put on a probationary shun. After a set length of time, if they haven't reformed and changed their ways, they may be permanently banned. I think it's cruel, but it's their way of punishing wrong-doers...........or at least what they consider to be wrong-doers. Sometimes that idea is way skewed.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

You live in Indiana and you've never seen Amish people in Wal-Mart? We're surrounded by Amish families where we live. They are always in Wal-Mart. We have an Amish boy who came to live with us because he'd decided to leave the Amish community and go mainstream. He says Amish people need stuff just like we do. Regardless of whether they're strict or not, they still have to buy the items to make what they need like fabric for clothing and such. There aren't many general stores to go to anymore. We do have an Amish run store next door to us, but they don't have all the stuff they need. Wal-Mart has everything and they're really, really inexpensive, so it would be the logical choice for them.

Answer 4

I live 10 minutes from an Amish community, and the families are at Wal-Mart quite often. I believe they go there to do their shopping, just like anyone else.

Answer 5

I've seen plenty of Amish people in Lancaster, PA. Maybe there are less strict sects out there, but I'm very doubtful that the person you saw in Walmart is Amish. They're probably Mennonite. Mennonites dress similarly, but are not anywhere near as restrictive.

Answer 6

Actually, there are several sects of the Amish, some who firmly stick to the stereotypical simple lifestyle of the Mennonite church/religion and others who have adopted somewhat more mainstream lifestyles.

Some of these spin-off sects don't even call themselves Amish anymore, instead preferring to call themselves simply Mennonites (a reference to their religion, not the name of a group).

Answer 7

Were they Amish or Mennonites? And would you know the difference? And yes some Amish are less strict than others. It depends on their bishop and what is and isn't allowed. Their ways are quite interesting. Bet ya didn't know they only marry in November....

Answer 8

Hello, Now I have heard everything. Why should you care? I lived in Cleveland, Ohio which is very close to a large Amish community. We saw them in lots of places. I will tell you why you saw them in WallMart, they wanted to buy something, or they were window shopping> Nothing in this world of ours stays the same. Get it?

Answer 9

cutemamma330,
I'm on the West Coast. Really? They go to Walmart? God Bless Walmart.

I admire the Amish. They made a stand for their religious freedom. And the Great USA is gracious enough to leave them alone. This country is the best!

Answer 10

I see mennonites at the zoo and in the hospital. They are not as strict as Amish.

I do not admire the Amish. It's one thing to hold on to traditional values, quite another the way they do it. For one thing, they do not educate their children past eighth grade. When they are 18, they are allowed in the real world to experience it if they like, but most Amish return. NO doubt because they have no education and no way to really make it in the "real" world. Also, if you do leave you are shunned, and your family will act like you're dead. Very loving.