How can an outsider become amish

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Cookie Policy. Lancaster PA Blog. Questions About the Amish Throughout this website we have provided extensive information on the Amish , their faith , lifestyle , schools , weddings , their history , and more. Advertise With Us. Lancaster County Mud Sales Mud sales are a Lancaster County tradition - social events and auctions that raise funds for local volunteer fire departments. See the current mud sale schedule for this year as well as images and videos. The location is an idyllic farm outside an Amish community in Tennessee.

Posted in : Family Law Show details. Then the best product distributed at the lowest price will win. The customer is king. Government regulations force the business to instead butter up the government officials as well as serve the customers. The cost of doing so is passed on in higher prices and lower quality products.

Just Now 3. Yes, the Old Order Mennonites horse and buggy would be equally difficult to join. There are car driving Old Order Mennonites as well. The same obstacles as with the Amish would be present with the OOM. I believe that is one of the so much vital information for me. However want to observation on few common things, The web site style is ideal, the articles is in point of fact nice :D.

Just right task, cheers. It does help to become a part of an Amish family to have acceptance in there faith. I am from north central Indiana and there is a certain Amish Gal I once knew who had an interest in me but at the time, the time was not right for me.

She was kind of tall, frequently wore light colors, dark hair, and big beautiful smile. By now she is probably in her 40s. Last I knew, she was still not married. She did act very Christian and committed in her faith. It would probably not start as anything serious but who knows. Just have dinner, walks in the park, and some devotional time.

If anyone thinks they know who I am talking about then respond or even let her know about this so that contact can be made. Is there a bishop in Indiana near Topeka, Honeyville, or Millersburg that is understanding about people converting to the Amish faith and willing to help make it possible for me. I am sick of waiting!!! Is there even one person who can introduce me to some Amish people who would be open to me? I especially need help because I am extremely shy. Please, someone help me to become Amish!!!

It is not an easy change to make and overcoming shyness is just the beginning. Why such a remark, Sir? And I have known since I was 9 that the Amish will not come to me, nor did I write in my previous post that I thought that they would, so you need not have mentioned that. On that note, you admonished me about what you must have thought was a statement saying that I could not overcome shyness at all, and can see in your comment, according to my best guess, that you thought you were helping me.

But you did not at all. I also do not know anyone in the US other than my nuclear family, and they are vehemently opposed to my Anabaptist beliefs, and hate that I want to become Amish. So, it really would have been nice if, instead of semi-scolding me—a complete stranger to you—you had first asked me some non-judgmental questions about shyness, and about the rest of my post, before going ahead and chastising me.

Before you shake your finger at someone like you did to me, the only moral, helpful, and friendly thing to do is find out WAY more information first. I sent an email to them, but it was returned because the address could not be found or is unable to receive mail. Debt free, no electricity, no car, conservative, plain clothes. I actually had a minnonitte friend to make me some conservative dresses like the Amish wear as my friend also wore.

Also my husband is not in agreement with how I believe. I have my phone still but no other technology. I have lived the simple life almost 5 years now.

I feel out of place so much of the time. Our lives are so different. There is no way the Amish will accept any person that has been divorced and remarried. If they do accept a person who has been divorced, they will never allow that person to get married to one of there own.

Where is the fellow from Georgia who wrote sometime ago about visiting the Amish, etc. The largest Amish community is in Holmes County, Ohio; although there are other sizable Amish populations in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Indiana and smaller communities across the Eastern and Mid-Western states, as well as in Canada.

Amish is a stricter branch of the Mennonite Anabaptist Church, with which it shares many beliefs and practices. The Amish, with other Anabaptists, reject infant baptism in favor of adult baptism, giving an adult the right to choose their religion and commit to joining the Amish community.

The Amish refer to themselves as the "plain people" and to anyone outside of the Amish community, regardless of religion or race, as "Englishers" or "high people". There are many informative websites and books available that cover every aspect of Amish life.

Visit an Amish community. You should do your best to visit an Amish community as part of your research. This will give you some insight into what the day-to-day life of an Amish person is like. Despite popular belief, there are no restrictions on "English" people visiting Amish communities.

You can visit Amish businesses and converse with the people, most of whom will be willing to answer any questions you might have. This will give you an even closer look at the Amish way of life, which places God and family above all else. If possible, try to visit several communities on your trip, as different Amish communities will vary slightly in terms of their customs, traditions, and level of strictness and you will need to find the one to which you are best suited.

If you cannot travel to an Amish community, you may be able to set up correspondence with an Amish person to gain an insight into their beliefs and way of life. The Amish do not allow computers or, in most cases, telephones, so communicating by post will be your only option. Remember to respect their beliefs and do not take any identifiable photographs of them the Second Commandment, Exodus - "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image They may allow you to take pictures of their buggy or farms if you ask politely, however.

Decide if you still wish to join. After visiting one or several communities, you need to decide which community you would like to join. Once you have developed a short list of about 3 to 5 communities, you should begin contacting the leading bishop of each community to gauge whether you would be welcome to join their church.

Finding the leading bishop should not be too difficult; if the community is on your short list, you have probably already visited it and hopefully developed some contacts there who can help you. Although the Amish do not have any rules forbidding outsiders from joining, it is highly unusual and typically not encouraged, so contacting the bishop is a good way to judge what the community's reaction to a newcomer is likely to be.

You will need to demonstrate the strength of your faith, your willingness to renounce the ways of the modern world, and your commitment to the Amish way of life. As long as your motives are pure and you are fully aware of what life in an Amish community entails, there should be no objection to you coming to live in the community.

Move into an Amish community. Once you have made your decision and you have received the bishop's permission, you may begin your new life as a member of the Amish. You will first be placed with an Amish family, where you can learn their ways and participate in the household duties. During this time you must prove yourself to the Amish by living according to their religious principles and becoming a productive and valuable member of the community.

Once you have done this there is no set time period , you may be voted into the church and become a true member of the Amish community. Unless you are coming from another branch of the Anabaptist Church with a very similar lifestyle, you are likely to find the transition to Amish living somewhat difficult.

Living without electricity, cell phones and motor vehicles is a lot harder for someone who is used to having these luxuries, than it is for people who were brought up in the Amish community and don't know any differently.

Although some Amish may be very welcoming and helpful to you as you make your transition, others may be more distrustful of you and not expect you to last very long. Give them time. Once you prove your faith and commitment, they will grow to trust and accept you. Method 2. Purchase a house and some farmland, if possible. Once you have been voted into the church and no longer need to live with a host family, you may look for a place of your own.

Most Amish live in farmhouses surrounded by land that can be used for growing crops and raising animals, as the Amish try to be as self-sufficient as possible. Unfortunately, available farmland is becoming harder to find, due to urban sprawl, high demand for land from an ever-growing Amish community even though new people rarely join, the average Amish family has seven children and prohibitively high costs.

This will limit you to about a 10—15 mile 16—24 km radius. Learn Pennsylvania Dutch. Pennsylvania Dutch is a dialect of German, which is widely spoken by the Amish community. It is the main language spoken in the home and at Church, although Amish children do learn to speak English in school. Pennsylvania Dutch is primarily a spoken language, with no standardized form of writing or spelling, and must be learned to become fully immersed in the Amish community.

As a newcomer to the Amish community, learning to speak the new language will be difficult, but not impossible. You will pick it up just by listening to others, attending Church services and by making an effort to speak it whenever you get the opportunity.

It may also be possible to hire a Pennsylvania Dutch tutor who can help you to improve at a faster pace. It is, in fact, a dialect of German that was spoken in parts of Switzerland, Tyrol, and the Rhineland.

It is believed the term "Dutch" comes from an archaic form of English, which referred to any continental Germanic language. Learn to live without modern comforts. The Amish aim to live a life of simplicity, unfettered by the materialistic trappings of the modern world.

However, learning to live without modern comforts can be quite a challenge for people who haven't been brought up in the Amish way. Depending on the strictness of the Amish community you have joined, your new home may or may not have running water.

If it does not, you will need to use an old-fashioned hand-pump instead. Some homes will use natural gas to provide heat and light, whereas others will use wood or coal-fueled stoves. Telephones are not allowed in most Amish households, though some communities will allow for a shared phone to be installed in a shack or outhouse, which can be used by several families whenever necessary.

Get a horse and buggy. In addition to restrictions on electricity and modern plumbing systems, the Amish forbid ownership of motor cars. This is because Amish communities thrive on being close-knit and mutually dependent. A motor car would make cities and other "English" communities much more accessible and may tempt the Amish to leave their faith and families behind. They also believe that having a motor car might inspire feelings of pride in its owner, and pride is considered to be a serious sin.

As a result, Amish communities use a horse and buggy for transport, which is sufficient for covering the distance required to get to Church, visit neighbors and make the trip to Amish supply stores. Consult with your neighbors on where you can get a horse and buggy of your very own. While they can't own or drive a car, the Amish are willing to accept rides and even hire drivers if a necessary trip must be made - to visit far-flung relatives, receive medical treatment, or procure supplies unavailable in Amish stores.

Learn to dress appropriately. The Amish style of dress is very distinctive and must be strictly adhered to, by both men and women.