Secrets of our Swartzentruber Amish Culture

[Mennogingerich]

Ok maybe I was to harsh but after all the point off the Amish is to live a simple life and as a prior Amish I can certainly say a simple life is something to cherish. You for whatever reason are trying to take this away. Any kind of child abuse is horrible but you can't judge an entire community by the actions of 1 or 2. FYI I know of a swartzentruber Amish man who went to prison!!

[Mennogingerich]

Hipocrit! I grew up Amish in a community of 2+ thousand family's the only case of child abuse I heard of the guy was punished by a court if law.

[Derby2009city]

I am appalled at your information! Shame on Wisconsin!Gods Children - all children should be protected. You are a brave person to come forward. thank you for doing this. I know it has to be hard.What can we do to help is my question?

[mcusa77]

I know first hand what you speak of regarding the Amish life. However, the corruptness and the psychological warfare exists in every culture. Glad to see you came out. Equally sorrowed to see you attack freedoms that most wish they had. Or some still do, like myself. For the hearers sake, I just want to say that I hope I've known a few Amishmen who weren't/aren't supporting child abuse. Wish you well on your journey.

[MrMenachemK]

Great talk. I have a question. Why don't you leave. Instead you can become a Noahide and have a beter life

[tamarine11]

I am so sorry that the Amish are experiencing the scourge of child abuse. I admire these people for stepping forward. This terrible thing happens in almost every group of people, but in my understanding it is the groups who experience either extreme poverty OR extreme repression, whether religious or psychological. Those of us who went thru child sex abuse suffer every day. We struggle to fulfill our responsibilities as adults with families while we are dealing with depression and bad memories.

[DanOblacksmith]

I find it absolutely repugnant that the authorities refuse to investigate allegations of rape, incest and murder in the amish community.

It is difficult to decide which is worse, murder or raping your own daughter. How this can occur in any community and be allowed to continue because of conspiracy within that community to cover it up is beyond comprehension but what is worse still is the authorities knowing of this and yet doing nothing. That makes them just as guilty if not even more.

[oakridgemerv]

Your culture sounds really F-ed up. I would not be proud to be part of something that stupid. Plus you dont play taxes, while Im building my shed. Have you ever listened to the Oakridge boys. Well I HAVE.

[eileenrose629]

What does the Oakridge Boys have to do with the Amish children rights?

[sartte]

@oakridgemerv You are not forced to pay Taxes.

[JGGrowing]

@sartte Are you kidding? Yes you are forced to pay all normal taxes, including property, school, and state/national income tax, along with social security if working for a corporation with fewer than a certain percentage of Amish workers. I have many Amish friends are they are all required to pay them.

[healthnbeauty1]

I'm sorry that the health dept. won't do anything about that. But don't you guys pay taxes too? If so, you pay the governments salaries... so you should be able to get help.

[StabbyTheClown]

You seem like a good an honorable man, I'm glad you left a situation that wasn't good for you. I hope the wider world outside your Amish community has treated you well thus far.

[cloudberry121]

From what you say about the bad leaders it's like the fox being in charge of the hen house.

Do the Swartzentruber believe in rumspringa?

[wickeym]

I believe what he had to say. The amish tend to focus on the wrong thing, instead of leading a good christian life they will tend to focus most of their attention on rules. Now this may be true for a lot of Amish but not nearly all of them.

[wickeym]

No there are some serious flaws in some amish churchs ordunung (e.g. Guidelines). That is a big reason I left.

[trackudown1]

All men are born with a sin nature. All men have to fight their sin everyday. It doesn't surprise me that these crimes or any crimes happen within a group. Amish, Christian, secular, etc. These are still just men and women who are as flawed as any other man or woman. Only one man who walked this earth was perfect, he was the standard for mankind to achieve and he died because of our sins. We should not to judge ourselves by the sins of others so that we feel better about ourselves.

[xsweetheartforux]

His beard looks a tad fake....

I don't know if this whole thing is true...but I have a fishy feeling that it's not. I'm not going to write on their petition on their website...since I'm not fully convinced this is true.

[KRISTYKATERI]

The Beard is fake.. but he was Amish.. (yes, the most conservitive is the Swartzentruber are), sorry that how you'd say it in Amish, but anyway, he dresses like that to show you how he'd look as what he was. Peace.

[KenGS333]

Amish Deception?!?!?!?! I'm very skeptical about the legitimacy of this video. First and foremost, the Swartzentrubers are I think the most conservative of the Amish sects, and I think are even considered somewhat too strict by the other sects, of which there are a number.

[14mm2]

the beard is fake

[mrddxoxo]

I am convinced these are ex-amish or some sort of plain based on his accent even though its not as dutchy as I would expect from a swartzentruber amish but his beard it totally fake.

[DanOblacksmith]

I have amish neighbors on my road and regularly see them around my town everyday. If not for the clothes they wear, if you were to have a conversation with one of them you would not have a clue that they were amish or bilingual. The amish here in allegany county NY have no noticable german accent but do in fact speak both german and english.

[sixstringpsyco]

Not to stray from this very important point but does this guys beard look fake to you?

[JunBug67]

I am really not convinced these people are really Amish. Amish have NO pictures, they would not have wall borders, and no carpet. I also know enough to know that if they were true members they would NOT make a video for the world to see and then return to the community. This is just crazy.

[marialgk]

i agree with you!! and if you watch tis man carefully his beard is fake...

[reefshadow]

They're EX Amish, quit being obtuse.

You can equate them with those who have escaped from the clutches of Scientology or the People's temple.

The things that many ex members describe can be equated with a cult. The face that the Amish present to outsiders is not the same face that they present to each other. The Church rules supreme. Crime "rates" are low, simply because crime is not reported to the authorities but handled within the church.

[thegirl44]

How is he stereotyping? There is nothing in the title or info text or the video itdself to lead anyone to believe that he is talking about any other order than the order that he and his wife came from.

[wickeym]

Yeah I guess I guess I forgot about that

[thegirl44]

The Amish can have pictures, they themselves prefer not to be photographed, but they can have the same oil painting landscape scenes that you and I have. They can decorate their house with anything provided that it's been made within the community.

This man and his wife are ex Amish, as in they've left the community.

[greeneyedsteamengine]

Are these stringent rules about keeping the children ignorant basically exclusive to the Swartzentrubers? Are they considered the "Old Order"?

[M1dnightSou1]

now thats a beard my friend! lmao i had a small amish beard but not so long just thick lol

[sesamonte]

I guess it should be clear that there are different groups of Amish, and some groups are more spiritual than others. Swartzentruber amish is but a small group within the amish tradition which have been extremely legalistic. Abuse and molestation are officially condemned within these groups considering that within the Mennonites/Amish tradition, nonconformity and living a righteous life, separated from the world, is a foundational doctrine.

[aks3788]

i am marrying a swartzentruber ex-amish! they are the most amazing plp you will ever meet! i am so blessed!

[AndreasAntoniusMaria]

Sie reden nur Negatif. Totaler frustrierter Quatsch.

[catherinetodd]

Making this video "would get you the same punishment as molesting your children..." Unbelievable. You are doing God's Work in trying to expose the abuses of the Amish culture. The world needs to know this. I am glad and sorry that you had to leave the Amish culture, but you are doing such a service to protect children enslaved by this "religious cult." God Bless you.

[catwomanrocks97]

oooohh you have a video camera and a computer

what would you do if the bishop came in?

[April791]

Please pay attention...he WAS Amish and just dresses like one to show you how it's done.

[catwomanrocks97]

oh,.. well, can anyone tell me what the amish do for periods?

i want to know soo bad

[reefshadow]

They are not allowed tampons or any commercial product, but instead usually tear up old sheets or any kind of material and wash and reuse.

[dogon3]

I do wish science would catch up to green technology, where it wouldn't at all be unnaturally treated septic systems. Someday, there may be a good compromise between green lifestyles and government regulation, but as yet I think some regulations are rather extreme and unnecessary.

[believer1965]

not all amish or menonite families are abusive or bad i am sorry this guy had a tough life but for the most part being amish or menonite is heaven

[SepherStar]

No, not all are abusive or bad, some are probably very good, but apparently many of those people within the amish community that are bad are not being handled in accordance with the law.

So I applaud these people for speaking out and bringing the problem to light.

[KenGS333]

aren't those that are bad--ie. go against the Ordnung that this guy is talking about--banned and shunned?

[AutymnRosa]

Thanks so much for sharing your views and concerns. Wow, for the kind of money a person would pay for an outhouse, they may as well install a modern bathroom facility. But, like you said, it is the "English" who pay the fines. Not the "Amish." Why do you feel the law doesn't hold the Amish accountable? Doesn't their outhouse affect groundwater for everyone around, not just their property?

[Amishdeception]

Hello AutymnRose,human feces has the same E-Coli level weather you are Amish or not.However I wonder if if some of the local officials are aware of that. Perhaps they want us to think Amish human feces has less of a contamination factor due to the Amish being so religions.LOL!!

Or perhaps it is all about collecting moneny from us none Amish.

[pirbird14]

Thank you! My mother brought her mennonite values with her when she left her community; so, we were raised with the same aversions to "worldliness" and the same horror of having a sense of self. I am sick of hearing the non-fundamentalist community equate simplicity of lifestyle with moral purity.

Romans 1:24-32 tells us that pride is as bad a sin as murder is. That is a doctrine of masochism.

[AutymnRosa]

Thanks so much for sharing your views and concerns. Wow, for the kind of money a person would pay for an outhouse, they may as well install a modern bathroom facility. But, like you said, it is the "English" who pay the fines. Not the "Amish." Why do you feel the law doesn't hold the Amish accountable? Doesn't their outhouse affect groundwater for everyone around, not just their property?

[pirbird14]

Helo AutymnRosa. It appears you were trying to ask Amishdeception, but your question appeared under my comments.

I'm in Canada, but constitutional laws on separation of church and state are similar in most democracies. In general, governments favour religion despite the law, because churches -- especially the Catholic church -- hold a lot of secular power. They hold a lot of property, and they run a lot of businesses.

[AutymnRosa]

Thank you for your reply. Yes I can see how separation of church and state could fit in here.

[AutymnRosa]

So you weren't raised Mennonite? I see your point on the "non-fundamentalist community equate simplicity of lifestyle with moral purity." By saying "non-fundamentalist" you mean people not connected to Amish or Mennonite, correct? I was under the impression that the Amish and Mennonites themselves considered their simple lifestyle more morally pure. Am I wrong?

[pirbird14]

Fundamentalism, strictly speaking, refers to the set of principles developed by conservative Christians during a series of meetings, starting in 1884, called "The Chicago Conventions", which sought to return Christianity to what they saw as the fundamentals of the Bible. However, it can be seen that these fundamentals promote a defence of a very, very narrow understanding of the human soul. This same stultyfying view of human potential is found in all of the conservative forms of religion.

[pirbird14]

Like all fundamentalists, the Conservative Church Mennonites, of which my mother was a member, equate simplicity of lifestyle with moral purity. They actually attempt to live such a life. Non-fundamentalists tend to idealize this type of life without trying to live it. They should know better, because they are better educated.

The liberal branches of the Mennonite church still hod education in high esteem, as did Menno himself.

[ViewsTester]

Good video

[Amishdeception]

Hello Mr. deleted and erra404. I intentionly dressed up in my Swartzentruber Amish clothes. The sole purpose of this was to further drive my point home. Child abuse is a serious issue within our Swartzentruber Amish culture. My wife and I will be dressing up in our Amish clothes for two more videos.The next two videos will also be focused on the ordnung. But on a more happier note. I ask that you please be patient and bare with us.

[mrdeleted]

hey yes I knew that this was you, and it is good. I was not assuming it was somone that is still Amish... Maybe some day I will try that too on my videos.

[erra404]

This is a good educational video. You made some very good points.

[mrdeleted]

I keep coming here to check for your response to my comment, but it does not appear here. Youtube needs to fix this.

[mrdeleted]

hey Davie Yaduh