created by Dark_Swordfish2520 on 02/03/2025 at 01:17 UTC
30 upvotes, 9 top-level comments (showing 9)
Sometimes you can find comments from jokes to real criticism about how the Amish and other "Anti-Technology" Anabaptists aren't fully immersed with the times of Jesus since they live as if it was the 1800s and not the 1st Century when Jesus actually lived. What if they lived liked it was the 1st Century? Let's say that when the first Amish and Anabaptist Settlements were formed, their leaders unanimously decided that they should live as if they were in the 1st Century because that was when Jesus lived. This means that everything will be according to the 1st Century, from outfits, architecture, methods of transportation, etc., How would things be different?
Comment by jpowell180 at 02/03/2025 at 01:41 UTC
11 upvotes, 4 direct replies
Apparently, I think some of the groups got together and decided that the late 1800s was where they drew the line; I wonder if some later luddite communities got together and decided to live a late 1980s lifestyle? I mean actually CRT televisions, VCR‘s, NTSC standard definition over the air, broadcasting and cable, no video game console more advanced than an NES, no home computer more advanced than an Amiga 500?
Comment by DaddyCatALSO at 02/03/2025 at 03:55 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That Wasn't the idea; the idea was to be independent from the larger society which 1- drafted them into armies 2- made it hard for them to work and shop. (I recall explaining to my daughter when she was little why the local Wenger or Wissler Mennonites used horse and buggy.0
Comment by jckipps at 02/03/2025 at 14:05 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
If you think they're 'anti-technology', then you're missing the point.
Each group decides for themselves what tech to allow and what not to allow. And it all comes down to a weird mix of tradition and what's best for the long-term health of their community.
For example, the decision to not allow cars is a deliberate attempt to keep the community close-knit and not spread out over a large area. If you're being pulled behind a horse everywhere you go, then you won't even consider buying that farm that's twenty miles away from the main community.
But similarly, many of those groups are not opposed to their menfolk being driven by an English person to roofing jobs in neighboring cities, since that's the most-effective method of providing an income for their families.
In response to your question, the 'tradition' aspect could be rooted in the 1st century, but those traditions would still be moderated by decisions about general community well-being. About the only change you'd see would be in clothing styles; they'd still allow about the same amount of technology that you see them using today.
Comment by Previous_Yard5795 at 02/03/2025 at 05:57 UTC
2 upvotes, 1 direct replies
As I understand it (and admittedly I have only a cursory understanding of it), it's not a "live in the 1800s" edict. Rather it's an edict to separate their communities from the outside (sinful) world. So, having electricity come in via power lines from the outside world would be anathema, but technically if they could make their own electric generators, it'd be OK.
Now, like how different Rabbinic Jewish communities might have different interpretations of the law (eg what is considered "work" on the sabbath?), different Amish and Mennonite communities might have very different interpretations and allowances. Some communities might strive for complete community self sufficiency, where they make all of their own food, clothes, lumber, nails, etc. Others might bend the rules slightly and allow people to import necessary items that they can't make themselves (like lumber in an area without convenient forests) as long as what it is doesn't create some kind of permanent connection to the outside.
Some communities allow members to work or set up shop in a local town outside their community and conduct business with outsiders normally - using electricity, gas, etc. But they can't bring any of that back to the community. Some go as far as allowing homes to have their own gas powered electric generators to run minor things around the house like simpler washing machines. I don't know where the exact line is drawn in such communities. It could be a case-by-case accommodation by the elders.
And of course, the outside world sometimes imposes itself on communities when it comes to things like taxes, regulations, health and safety, etc. Such communities often get a lot of leeway because of religious exemptions, but there are some unavoidable cases where the outside world may have to intervene. I'm not sure what the common rules are when it comes to medicines, vaccinations, and hospitalizations. I imagine that there are many accommodations and exceptions that vary from community to community.
Comment by KaiserSozes-brother at 02/03/2025 at 13:46 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Having grown up in Amish communities as “an English”,
I can tell you they would compromise further with technology if they could just manage to make a living without it.
There is a certain amount of technology just necessary to make a farm, profitable or carpentry, business or furniture business functional. If you move to the first century, you simply couldn’t afford to live.
Comment by provocative_bear at 02/03/2025 at 17:39 UTC
2 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Well, things would be even harder for them. A lack of proper ploughs would make them susceptible to starvation in bad times, for instance. A lack of printing press would mean that they would be mostly illiterate, which I think would be a tough pill to swallow even for the Amish.
The Amish are not explicitly against all technology. Their philosophy is that the wrong technology can allow for too much independence and compromise the communal bond (and given the isolating effect of our modern society, I’ll be damned if they don’t have a point). The Amish incorporate some more modern technology such as phones for emergencies, albeit with strict rules about how they’re used.
Comment by zippyspinhead at 02/03/2025 at 19:00 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
They are not anti-technology, they are against dependency on outside the community, against aggrandizing the self, and against laziness. Some groups are adopting solar power for instance.
Comment by RandomYT05 at 03/03/2025 at 08:46 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Because technology and lifestyle between the 1800s and first century wasn't that different compared to the 1800s and now.
Comment by AlanMorlock at 03/03/2025 at 21:54 UTC
1 upvotes, 0 direct replies
My understanding of the Amish at least is that the ban on electricity is about the required connection to various grids rather than attempting to live like Jesus's period. Some Amish communities and business make use of things like gas lamps and pneumatic tools they just need to be powered by tanks.