answers to some questions about the amish

Recently I had asked folks over on my Facebook page if anyone had any questions regarding the Amish. I received several questions and will attempt to answer them in my own words and experience, but would love if others chimed in as we know some subjects might have various answers as not all Amish do things the same way. It depends on what type of Amish you are and which church district you live in as to how you do things. 

Bed Courtship or Bundling

I am interested in the practice of bundling. I know that not all Amish practice it..but some still do, altho it's not commonly talked about, right? And you had put in one of your blogs that you and your now husband had done the bed courtship. Now..here is what I'm not clear about....what is the purpose of that? I always thought it was to test the couple's self control..am I right or no? And I've read that with some bundling, there is a 'board' put between the couple..I can't see that really being a barrier tho. Perhaps a blog on the subject might make it a bit clearer to me and to others who might be curious about this practice. And, no, it's not a sadistic streak of mine to wonder..LOL..it's just that although the practice has been spoken about in several of the Amish fiction books I've read, I am still not very clear on the subject. and just exactly what the purpose of it is.

My answer

Thank you for that question. It is probably about the most embarrassing one to have to answer, and yes, I did refer to having practiced it in a prior post. You are correct that not all Amish practice this method of dating, but some still do. 

The reason for it? I have been told by various folks it was simply because back in the day, the Amish lived further apart from each other and when the boy went to see his girl it was too far to make the trek back home in the same evening, the horse would have needed to rest up before returning home. Because the houses were smaller and beds not many, it was the "obvious" thing to do, to have the boy sleep with his date. I have never been told that there was some for board used between the two, but have read about that version though. 

The Amish are so good at citing this common phrase..."If it was good for our fore-fathers, it is good for us today." There are many Amish who don't believe this way of dating is right or good and some parents and churches really take a stand on it. But others would almost "shun" someone if they chose to date any other way. 

I don't know the statistic of having babies out of wedlock or even an abortion rate among the Amish youth. I know it happens, just not how much.

I am really hoping others will comment either here or over on Facebook about what their experiences have been and what they might know about this practice. 

Celery at Weddings

So nice of you to take the time to do this. I have two questions...1)what is the significance of celery at wedding in some Amish communities? Does it have a meaning? The NY Amish don't do this (no celery can grow until autumn in the cold temps there.) But I know other Amish do.

My Answer

I don't know why some Amish serve(d) celery at weddings to be honest. In the past 20-30 years or so that has kind of gone by the wayside in my area.  I cannot speak for the sect we call the "Swartzentruber Amish". Those folks might still have celery at their weddings. I do remember trays of fresh vegetables being passed at weddings when I was younger. 

Indoor Plumbing

 2) Do all old Order Amish not have indoor plumbing? Can they keep a pitcher of water and a small basin indoors to freshen up in the morning? And is it true that they have one bath night a week, where the whole family uses the same bath water? Thanks for your replies.


My Answer

Very good question. This answer is layered. One first has to understand the various sects of Amish and what they allow and don't allow. There are three pretty big sects of Amish here in Amish Country, Ohio. 

New Order Amish vary a little bit in what they can and can't do. They do NOT tolerate bed courtship or bundling. They are the most advanced in farming practices out of all the Amish sects I know about, allowing tractors in the fields and milkers, they have electricity and phones and cell phones and washers and dryers and running water and indoor plumbing. They believe in the Holy Bible and believe one must accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. They teach that and preach it.

Personally, sometimes I have more questions about this sect than any other because they "allow" for people to have tractors with cabs to run all over the place, so when you see a tractor on the road and a husband and wife and sometimes even a small family piled into the cab of a tractor going down the road...those are the New Order Amish. I question why they don't allow cars and be done with it???? They have electricity and all the modern conveniences, some even have computers and eh hem...wifi in their homes...but it is kept secret.

Old Order Amish are much more advanced than they were when I was growing up. Some of my friends now carry cell phones, but they have to watch to "not have too much on their phone" meaning texting capabilities, having too much data available, etc. Some are allowed to check the weather on their phone, others are not. It just depends on their district and what their specific Bishop will allow. Some districts only allow a business owner to have a cell phone, if you are a poor schmuck who works in a factory or are a farmer, then you are not really allowed to own a cell phone. It all depends on who your Bishop is and what he will allow. 

Some of the Old Order Amish allow tractors, but not the cabs on the tractor like the New Order allows. When you see these on the road, they will oftentimes have a trailer hitched to the tractor and a little family sitting on the back on folding chairs. Especially in the evenings. Not so much on Sunday though. 

The Old Order Amish use solar powered appliances a lot. Even some of the newer homes are now wired so it is more convenient for a lady to run her blender, rather than have extension cords running through her house. Some also use a generator that they have to go out to the barn to start up so that they can use their appliances. Most of my Old Order Amish friends had vacuums, blenders, some even have microwaves in the basement. Notice, nothing is terribly convenient, but still convenient for them. :) 

The Old Order Amish also have indoor plumbing and bathrooms and kitchen sinks with drains.

Where the New Order and the Old Order differ is that the New Order believes you must be born again to get to Heaven. The Old Order "hopes" they can get to heaven. Many of them know what it means to be "born again", they know about Jesus, but they don't know about relationship with him so much. I'm speaking "in general" because there are those who know better and different. I have friends who actually have a radio and during the day they will listen to preachers on the radio and they know the gospel truth. 

Now, if one does know the gospel truth, they will most likely keep it to themselves. They might refer to the "good man", but not often will you hear them say God or Jesus. ("It is all up to the good man.")  

The Swartzentruber Amish are more a mystery to me. They do everything the old way. They do not give in to anything it seems and they are hard to get close to. They have a ton of rules and they watch their members closely and if as much as a pleat is not the right size in a lady's covering, she will be confronted. These are the folks with no indoor plumbing and they often live a hard life. They are also watched, to be sure they aren't making too much money. There was this story floating around a few years back that this family was making baskets and since they lived along a major highway in Amish Country they made a ton of money and the Bishop made them give money to other members...and I thought the story went that they also had to quit selling so many baskets. I can't remember the whole story anymore, but remember there was an issue of one family making too much money. (I guess you could say, on some levels, the Swartzentruber Amish are Socialists....they redistribute the wealth!) My understanding is that they very much have a works based gospel...they are constantly trying to do good enough so they can go to heaven one day. 

I really don't know how often these folks bathe, but I've been told it isn't very often. I am sure there are pitchers of water around the house, but I don't really know. Again, I hope some folks reading this and have had more experience with the Swartzentruber Amish will comment and tell us more. 

The New Order and Old Order Amish all bathe often, probably most bathe daily, just like you and I do.  

What Bible do the Amish use?

I'm a newbie so I don't know much about you. I have several questions but I will only ask a couple. On the spiritual aspect, is the Bible the Amish use similar to the King James Version only in their language? 

My Answer

Another great question. The Amish I rub shoulders with mostly use an English version to read the Bible. They like the King James Version, but I've seen the New International Version and the New King James Version laying around too. Some Amish still also use a German Bible, but I could never read in German, so I couldn't tell you anything about those versions. They do still read in German in their churches and I have a feeling the Swartzentruber Amish probably require their members to read in German, if they are even allowed to read a Bible. I'm not sure they are allowed to for fear they would know too much. 

Are there arranged marriages? 

My Answer

Not at all. Unless the Swartzentruber Amish would, but I don't think so. Never heard of it. 

Do some look outside their local group in order to keep blood lines from crossing?

Some do venture to other states and districts to find their partner, but I have never heard that it would be to keep blood lines from crossing. I can remember my mom telling me that I should not date or marry anyone who is as close as a second cousin to me, anybody further away than a second cousin would have been OK for me to marry. I suspect many young people were told the same thing. 

Thank you all for your questions. I will reiterate, if you have any input, please comment below or stop by my Facebook page and either leave me a message or comment on the page with anything you would have to add. I answered with what I know and what I've experienced, but I'm sure there is much one could add. 

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