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Rob Nicholson's avatar

Bit like the Amish who did, of course, catch COVID-19 but they didn't lockdown, mask up, stop meeting at Church or take the vaccine in large numbers. A recent study in Lancaster showed they were x23 less likely to die of COVID. Of course, they're probably healthier than your average American but even that is telling.

https://stevekirsch.substack.com/p/breaking-the-us-covid-mitigation?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Famish&utm_medium=reader2

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Willing Spirit's avatar

I was surprised to learn that the Amish eat a lot of sugar and white flour. (Their pies are worth traveling for.). Many of the men smoke. I can’t remember if they drink some.

My daughter and her family live amongst them in Ohio.

They also live lives of various degrees of strictness of observance, depending on what particular order their community follows.

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Willing Spirit's avatar

They do all engage in levels of physical activity far beyond the English that surround them.

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Willing Spirit's avatar

Linda Costello is an author of a series of crime fiction novels set in the Amish world. (Imagine that). She is not Amish herself, but seems to have deep knowledge about them and great respect for their faith.

It kind of bothers me that my daughter’s church doesn’t consider them to be Christian and has several ‘former’ Amish in their community that they minister to.

I know we have a sort of idealistic notion of the Amish lifestyle, but I have trouble seeing how we English have anything better to offer.

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Sunnydaze's avatar

I understand what you are saying, but coming from knowing Amish families personally, and neighbors fist hand, having married into a family with Amish relatives (aunts, uncles and cousins present day) and having a mother in law and father in law that were both raised Amish but left the church before marrying so they could raise their kids Mennonite rather than Amish…… they aren’t Christians as we know what the Bible and Jesus say is a Christian. In fact I just spent Memorial Day weekend in Michigan at a family campout/reunion they do every year and many Amish family were there. They are some of the absolute nicest people around. They are friendly and caring. However, their belief system is classified as a cult because they don’t do what the Bible teaches or what Jesus teaches….they do what their preacher says. And each preacher independently tells his members what rules to follow. And it goes on from there. Most English don’t know the depths of the cult without knowing the depths of the rules and how/why the people do what they do. It’s too much to go into on here. Although their simplistic lifestyle is appealing at times…you would not want to be subject to the arbitrary rules of the preacher nor disciplined by the Bishop if you disobey. Shunning is a very real thing and it’s so destructive. My husbands aunt and uncle got married Amish and left the church afterwards. They were shunned for the better part of 20 years.

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S.P.H.'s avatar

Thank you for your insight Sunnydaze. Your description of the Amish sounds much like that of the Mormon cult. Fine people, but lost. I will add the Amish to my prayer list, that eyes and heart will be opened and they will never hear those dreadful words "depart from Me for I never knew you".

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Rob Nicholson's avatar

We don't have many (any?) Amish here in the UK so don't know much about their religious doctrine. But as a control, they're an important group. They don't totally shun modern medicine but it would be interesting to compare their levels of autism and vaccination status.

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Maggie Think of Me's avatar

They typically don't do vaccines and only two documented cases of autism. Believe I read that in one of Steve Kirsh's recent substacks or may have read a linked article.

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RunningLogic's avatar

Very legalistic. I am always leery of any religion with all kinds of detailed strict rules.

Thanks so much for your insights! Where I grew up a lot of Amish started moving in during the 80s so my family and friends have some experience with them. An insider's view (or very close to it) is always informative!

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Kitkat's avatar

I think you mean Linda Castillo. I've read all the "Kate Burkholder" books. I'm so excited #15 in the series is coming out next month. I can't wait to travel back to Painter's Mill for another adventure.

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S.P.H.'s avatar

Willing Spirit, I can't speak from a point of knowledge, but that won't keep me from opining. RE: Amish and smoking, if Dr. Brian Artis is on to something with snake venom and nicotine, that may be a partial answer to smokers having fewer cases of CV-19. We are still in the learning phase of this demonic trick played on humanity.

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JustANobody's avatar

He makes alot of sense and brings the receipt's!!!

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JustANobody's avatar

Smoking ( nicotine) kept ' Covid' away for many. Studies came out about this and how smokers were NOT affected as much!

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Peace's avatar

Willing Spirit - the Amish men who smoke may have actually helped the good Amish stats. I think it was Dr. Ardis who has postulated that nicotine has something to do with preventing COVID. My super casual interview of friends who smoke did show that a smaller percentage of them caught covid than my nonsmoking friends and family members.

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