I just watched this documentary about the Amish. Doesn't seem odd that they consider the outside world to be the work of the devil, yet they count on us to make money? I know they have needs just like us, but if we are really all that bad, why is it okay to make money off of us? Call me ignorant, because I am. I still have many questions regarding this religion.
2007-04-13 18:57:51 · 14 answers · asked by munkees81 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I think you're drawing overly broad conclusions about what you saw.
The Amish don't consider the outside world to be the work of the devil, they consider only certain aspects of it to be so. As a consequence of this, the Amish deliberately avoid many aspects of modern society (and to them, "modern" means many things created after about 1800). They find most of modern life--including Paris Hilton, shiny cars, blockbuster movies and bellybutton rings--to be a waste of time and a distraction from worshipping God in truth and spirit.
The Amish are not against supporting themselves or making a living, and they are not against trade with others. But they keep it simple in order to have plenty of time and energy to focus on their relationship with God.
Although we don't see it often these days, it is possible to have standards and to live by them. The Amish don't think that "the English" (their term for non-Amish) are evil; they only think that the English do things that do not promote a highly Christian lifestyle. They have specific ideas about what that lifestyle is, and what is required, and they've chosen to refuse anything that conflicts with that lifestyle.
2007-04-13 19:18:47 · answer #1 · answered by chuck 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Amish cannot help that they are a part of this world and so must participate in local economy. However, they do remain "outside" the world in a number of important factors. The Amish refuse to bear arms and seek to forgive and reconcile with their enemies. The Amish refuse to accept technological advancements as direct blessings from God, and discern the spiritual impact that every aspect of culture and technology will have on their ability to bear witness to the kingdom of God, which they patiently await.
That said, the Amish are hypocrites in that they strive for the kingdom of God, but they do so as Humans, which means that they do so imperfectly. The Amish are striving for a new world that is breaking through into this world by the power of God. In this new world, enemies are reconciled, the poor eat at the same table as the rich, the Jew and Gentile, black and white are reconciled, there are healthy relations between the sexes, and there is an economic system in which God's good creation provides a proper sustenance for all of God's creatures.
This is the vision that the Amish strive for, as do other Christians, yet they do so as humans, in need of great help, mercy and forgiveness. By God's grace, those who place their lives under God's sovereign Lordship, there is hope for the future for the people of God and the entire cosmos as God passionately seeks to bring redemption to all creation.
2007-04-13 19:20:59 · answer #2 · answered by christian_mennonite_pacifist 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ultimately- we're ALL hypocrites. It just boils down to where we ARE in the range from bad- to worse. Short of completely walling themselves off from the rest of the World- there's NO practical way that the Amish can avoid a certain amount of contact with the outside world. So are you really going to blame them for selling their homemade/handmade wares to tourists who are curious about THEM??? It's NOT like they're getting rich -or taking "advantage" of anyone. And I'm SURE they have their OWN brand of "vanity"... But compared to many of the OTHER religions that surround us, the Amish are pretty orthodox & harmless...
2007-04-13 19:13:10 · answer #3 · answered by Joseph, II 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think a couple points were missed here.
It's not that the outside world is the work of the Devil so much as the material culture tends to draw the heart of man away from God. The Amish communities, together and as each assembly, have opted out of 21st Century U.S. culture for the most part in an attempt to prevent arrogance based on possessions from springing up and causing dissention in the community.
The Amish will use modern tools and conveyances when necessary-- and they actually have a tremendous health insurance plan for members -- but they prefer to rent or hire such services as may require the use, say, of a car.
I suggest you use your own modern access and Google Amish and see what you come up with.
Peace.
2007-04-13 19:06:04 · answer #4 · answered by Babs 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Nope, no longer contained in the slightest. so a strategies as i'm in touch, they more effective than pay their value in taxes by technique of serving as an exemplary celebration of what Christianity should be -- loving, forgiving, and completely dedicated in God, with out stupidity. did you realize it really is custom for 16 year olds of the Amish faith to be compelled from their community to stay a minimum of 365 days contained in the exterior global (oftentimes with non-amish kinfolk or those who went out and did not go back)? that's so as that it really is *THEIR* determination to pursue the life they discover extra truth in. i replaced into born and raised Roman Catholic, and nevertheless imagine it really is the most glaring bring about case you settle for the Bible (which I now no longer do), notwithstanding the Amish are those who coach how the Bible and morality are to be lived.
2016-12-04 00:23:00 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't thinking making money is against their religion. They just don't live the same way as us, but we all need money to survive. I don't think they have much of choice, they'd probably like to shut away from us. We treat them like a bunch of circus animals and always want to take their pictures. They are treated like a tourist attraction. They sell food and other items, that is not really being hypocritical. It is surviving. And some of us are really that bad, the ones that won't leave them alone and let them live their lives.
2007-04-13 19:01:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I'm wondering what human is not a hypocrite?
I think we're all hypocrites, because we seem to want to know why every other religion are hypocrites.
Maybe we have the wrong definition.
2007-04-13 19:04:02 · answer #7 · answered by grey smily 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Jesus tells his people in the bible to get a bank account, to get a job, and to make money.
I guess the Amish just make with what they have, and the economy is in the outside world.
I think being Amish is a little extreme, but it's their life.
2007-04-13 19:01:14 · answer #8 · answered by Shauna O 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
What's wrong with that? Hec, most Christians consider Islam to be a false religion, but where do we get our oil?
2007-04-13 18:59:57 · answer #9 · answered by WWTSD? 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Everyone. Is. Hypocritical. Look at someone and you can safely say that they're a hypocrite, perhaps save for toddlers and younger.
2007-04-13 19:00:33 · answer #10 · answered by juhsayngul 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋