It is no secret that the Amish live off the land. This of course extends to the forests nearby, where tasty critters live their days. Therefore, Amish men like to hunt to provide for their families.
Commonly a male past time, the women traditionally stay at home and wait for the men to return with some nice game meat for dinner! Sometimes women can join in on the hunt too, though this is more common in families where there are more boys than girls.
Not Your Typical Honeymoon
If you ever pictured yourself on a sandy white beach sipping champagne for your honeymoon, don’t ever go Amish! Why? Because the Amish tradition is to celebrate honeymoons at their parents’ house.
Privacy takes a back seat, and the wedding celebration happens with family, as well as the honeymoon. The honeymoon, in fact, starts at the bride’s parents’ place – and the next morning, they clean their house as their thanks. Unbelievable, right?
The Light of the World
For the Amish, the most important calling is that of being a light to the world. The light that’s referred to in the Holy Bible is not one “of the media, but rather the truth of Christ.”
So, to better understand the Amish, one must understand their relationship with God, and their commitment to serving Him and spreading his word, at least within their community.
On Being Amish
The final question asked was “if you weren’t Amish, what do you think you would miss the most about being Amish?” The Lancaster Amishman answered quite simply and profoundly.
The man answered, “The family being together at home without interference from an electronic cacophony. Living with a devoted wife who is also your best friend, without the specter of divorce looming just over the horizon."
Not a Fan of Birth Control
Just as it is within similarly strict religious communities, the Amish strongly believe that birth control is completely unethical and unnecessary. In the bedroom, the Amish again look to their tenet of “letting be” – so whatever happens is what God intended. They do not believe that they can play God and choose to not interfere with the natural order and way of things.
Contraception is something the Amish don't believe in. In fact, for them, it’s important to have a big family. Being pregnant is a miracle and is viewed as God’s blessing. The average Amish couple can have as many as 7 children! That’s quite a lot of mouths to feed.