The Amish Keep to Themselves. And They're Hiding a Horrifying Secret

[wnylib]

43. Nonsense. Abusive people in general

tend to form friendship connections with other abusive people and families in their community whether that community is secular or religious. Many are not religious at all. But, in spite of being "out in the world," meaning not in a religious group or community, abusive people are secretive and their crimes often go undetected for many years. They threaten their victims into silence. They often keep.to themselves or keep their children as isolated as possible to avoid detection. These are common behaviors in abusive families regardless of where they are or whether they are secular or religious.

I did some work with abused children for a few years. They did not come from any particular background regarding religion or secularism, ethnicity or income level.

There are many Amish people in my region, in a couple of different communities. I see them around often, in town and in the countryside, and have many occasions to interact with them. They are as varied as people in any community. I have had discussions with some of the women about religion, cooking recipes, sewing techniques. I've chatted with some of the men about farming when I mention my grandfather's farm, and about language (Amish Plattdeutsch vs. other German dialects) because my grandparents were German immigrants as young children and I studied German in school.

I have found some to be very open and friendly, others not so much. I have seen/heard some young Amish women assert themselves firmly on some issues with their husbands. I have never seen a maltreated or undernourished Amish horse - or other Amish animal.

They are not perfect. Abuse probably occurs among them as in other communities. They are just people who follow their own customs and religion, which originated during the Reformation as Anabaptists.

They are not as isolated as you might think. They shop in supermarkets and Walmart. Young Amish women around here do housekeeping for incomes and some Amish families have stalls in the local farmers' markets in summer. They ride local buses. I've had them borrow my phone to contact a driver (often a Mennonite) for a lift home at the end of a bus route.

It's not a life style thatI could live, but there are aspects of it that I can admire.