The Amish and their culture is interesting to study, and they are generally known to be nice, Godly people. But their way of life is not for everyone.

I can't pretend to know all that much about them ("Witness" is one of my favorite movies of the last 30 years, but that certainly doesn't qualify me as any kind of "expert" obviously). Long ago, there used to be a flea market in central NJ that was only open 2 days during the week (regrettably, it's been closed for a long time now), and the Amish would travel all the way from Pennsylvania to sell their food and baked goods; it was well worth the money I spent to partake of their baked goods, which were exceptional. I also must say, as someone who sadly doesn't have a tremendous amount of respect for a large portion of the people so vocally professing to be "Christians" (let me hasten to add...although I shouldn't have to...not all of them. I have friends and family members who are "Christians") that the Amish at least put their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and live out their principles rather than just talking about them. This was clearly demonstrated to me approximately a year ago, when a gunman went berserk and killed Amish school-children in a mass-murder spree before killing himself. The suffering Amish community charitably consoled the gunman's family, who were also victims. Certainly, this is more than most people could be expected to do. Thankfully, I've never been in that position, and I can't say that I'd be that magnanimous. Still, it was a clear-cut example of acting on your "Christian" ideals, and was behavior that should be commended and emulated, especially in a society increasingly becoming callous, apathetic, and "dog-eat-dog" even as it chatters on so tiresomely about its so-called "Christian ideals".

I have seen Amish all over the place in my travels. I have seen them in PA, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, even Kentucky. They are unique, I suppose, in rejecting much of modern America. They are hard-working and thrifty.

I live pretty much in the midst of Amish country in PA. Pretty much they are honest, hard-working, keep to themselves, and mind their own business. Sometimes you have to watch like a hawk when you have business dealings with them, because they can (despite their basic honesty and Christian charity) charge more than just a tad more than other businesses in the area (especially true of roadside fruit and vegetable stands during the summer).

To be commended for not contributing to America's dependency on fossil fuels and the resulting exacerbation of problems in the Middle East.