Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 284 - The Amish Life: Quaint or Terrible?

Episode Date: February 21, 2022

A lot to unpack today! Who are the Amish? Why do they dress and live like it's still the 17th century? How are they related to Mennonites? What interpretation of Christianity led to them to the lifestyle they live today? Are they happy? Are they a cult? Today we'll explore the Anabaptist, Protestant Reformation  origins of the Amish and how they differ from Mennonites. We'll look at their practices of Rumspringa and shunning. We'll examine why the refuse to drive cars or use computers. We'll also dig into some examples of their communities not handling sexual abuse in an even remotely appropriate way. Are they really just a harmless, simple, live-off-the-land group of Christians? Or is there something sinister about many of their core beliefs? All this and more in today's episode of Timesuck! The Bad Magic Charity of the month is SEO: Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. SEO's mission is to create a more equitable society by closing the opportunity gap for young people from historically excluded communities. To find out more, go to seo-use.orgWe're donating $13,680 to this great charity, which is 90% of the Patreon donation for this month.The other 10% - $1520 is going to the Cummins Family Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. (Will Probably Change Its Name) By the end of the year, hoping 10% of all of 2022's charitable contributions adds up to several great Bad Magician scholarships for 2023.Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nNJvYtrl40IMerch - https://badmagicmerch.com/  Discord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: [e-mail] (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.

Want to live like people did in the 1600s? Like very, very religious people did in the 1600s. Then you listen to this podcast, I'm gonna guess absolutely not. I doubt this is the only modern convenience you enjoy. For a simple life of farming and praying and well, mostly farming and praying, would you be willing to give up smartphones, laptops, espresso, all restaurants, all movies and TV shows, modern music, any sense of fashion, most modern conveniences like microwave Central

AC and heated car seats and cars and all other modern modes of transportation and so much more damn near everything Even if you're critical of some modern technology of say social media It's likely you can't imagine life completely without it many of us like this guy O.R. Careers in livelihoods to technology, but not the Amish. Who are they? What are they practice? Why in God's name do they dress like they lost a bet, like they're headed to a funeral a couple centuries ago? Why does it look like their hair was cut by a bunch of moths? While many of us think we might know a thing or two about the Amish, they've been a peculiar object of media fascination in the US for several decades.

What do you really know about them? Did you know that the Amish trace their cultural heritage back to Europe? Switzerland in particular hundreds of years ago, and that they still live like people did in Switzerland hundreds of years ago. Farming, carpentry, raising barns, making quilts, eating food from their gardens, drinking milk from their cows, churning their own butter, it's like they probably knew a lot of these things about the Amish already. But do you know why they live this way? In short, the Amish lived the way they do because they interpret scripture, at least some of it, very literally, as the word of God, taking very seriously certain biblical commands to

separate themselves from the things of this world. They believe worldliness keeps one from being close to God and introduces secular, possibly Satanic influences. They're a destructor for their community and to their way of life. Influences that can lead to damnation. By restricting access to television, radio, the internet, the telephones, the omnis believe they are better able to keep the modern world from intruding into their lives. Less room for podcasts.

Boo! More room for God. Ah, still boo, at least for me. At least when it comes to their idea of God, their version of God seems like a real fun color. Let's get to know these curious people today. They're Protestant Reformation and Anabaptist Origins, their association with the Mennonites, their interesting fashion choices, their horrific practice of shunning, their problems with rum springing and sheltering and abuse of members. Let's head back in time and explore the Amish in another

Is this a religion or a cult and either way is it a good or terrible group to be a member of addition of time suck? This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to time suck. Happy Monday meet sack! Welcome to the Coat to the Curriettes! What if I sang like that for the whole show? That'd be fucking annoying. Uh, I came in to know where I'm Dan Cummins, a suck master, suck nasty, Amish IT support supervisor, Minonite, bikini designer, and you're listening to TimeSuck. Hail Nimrod, don't appear and give any Amish,

any heart attack, Susaphina, praiseable jangles, maybe we'll make sure that butter is totally turned and sing a little barn raisin, diddy, triple M. For you Google, couple quick announcements. For you Google podcast app listeners, thank you for sending in emails, letting us know that TimeSuck

has not been playing correctly. Turns out our feed on Google was hijacked. It was hacked again, just like it was last April. Google has a very interesting way of determining who a podcast belongs to, a super shitty dumb way. And they've made their platform the easiest to hijack, you know, and hack by far. We now have the feedback.

I highly recommend that if you're an Android user, you use a third party app like a cast box, very reliable, instead of the Google podcast app to listen to this on, but if you don't want to, all right, I get it. But this stuff doesn't sound like weird ad breaks, et cetera, jumping around, please send us an email to both janglesatimesugpodcast.com. We'll hit them up, we'll contact their AI bots, we'll talk to a new show, then we'll get it sorted out as quick as they allow us to. And maybe you can listen to the podcast somewhere else in the interim.

Now for a happier announcement. Meet Sack Start Your Engines. Brand new 90s inspired racing team in the store now featuring your favorite driver, the Succinator. What is this design referencing? Fucking nothing. Logan just wanted to make a race car driver shirt. And I got to say, I feel like I have the right face for it

The way he put it in there it feels like it does look like me and I do look like a NASCAR driver from the 90s Use code fast facts for 10% off this tea just for hearing this visit badmagicmerch.com today to grab this new tea and then one more thing I hope I had fun in Orlando this past weekend with a symphony of insanity stand-up tour next stop Oklahoma City then I'm off to Atlanta Charlotte Tempe, Mizzula, Raleigh, Davenport and Chicago We added a show in Salt Lake City in May so tickets are available there again We did not add a show in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We did not have a show there after this episode I don't know if it's gonna hurt my brain. I'm gonna hurt my turnout if I were to try and have a show there Fuck yeah bro. Now onto a topic that our white space lizards have voted me to suck at the panneth.

Something to look sort of on the outside like another cult. I mean at the very least it looks cult-ish bare minimum super insular religious community that teeters on being a cult. As we've seen with our LDS and Jehovah's Witnesses sucks, sometimes it's difficult to draw the line between cult and very conservative religious community. In the community we're looking at today, no one is claiming to be a prophet of God, no one is claiming definite knowledge of when the world is gonna end alongside some instructions that you'll only survive the impending apocalypse and possibly be rewarded, you know, after you die in it if you're a part of their inner circle. So that's good. You don't have to suck anybody's deck to make it into the inner circle either. So that part not too culty.

However, many conservative Amish communities, and there are many different Amish communities, they do dictate who you can talk to, what you can wear, what you're allowed to do on a day-to to day basis. And if you don't like living by there many, many very strict rules, well, you can go get fucked. You'll be shunned and be treated, you know, by your family and friends and everyone else

you've ever known like you no longer exist. You'll be banished from the only community, the only life you've ever had. And you'll stay banished until you agree to live by their strict rules again. That's pretty cult-like, but does the practice of shunning automatically make a group occult? No, not technically. Not according to those who study cults. Although, as we've discussed, numerous times before, the definition of occult is a bit slippery. You don't have to be as hardcore as heavens gates, you know, commit mass suicide to board Jesus' spaceship behind a comet. You don't have to be as hardcore as heavens gates, you know commit mass suicide to board Jesus a spaceship behind a comet

You don't have to think that want to be rock stars David Kuresh is the Messiah and prep a militia for End time battles like in the branch to Vittians cult You know, you don't have to be a street preacher, you know or follow the street preaching like you know Tony or Susan Alamo and Trick dissolution youth and to get not a bus headed to your compound and then strongly pressure them to break ties Their families and give all their earthly belongings to your cult. They've just joined and be your slave labor. You don't have to feel pressured to fuck your leader, you know, because that's what God

wants, which happens in so many cults. But as I mentioned in the O'Nighted Community cult, one dictionary definition of the word cult is a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. And just like many felt that the United Community was strange because they were so fucking strange, a lot of people think the Amish are strange too. Me included. I used to think the Amish lifestyle was cute,

quaint maybe, right? A part of me envied. How happy they must be in moments to be living simple lives in our increasingly complex and often frustrating world. On days like today, when I wrote this section of notes, I thought about the appeal of simple living when I was going back and forth with tech support between my ad agency and Google bots trying to get Google

to restore the feed for this podcast, you know, because they're AI bots fucked up and let the, you know, hacked version of TimeSuck for place time suck. Same day, couldn't get Dropbox to sync on a new laptop. I bought with the bigger screen because I need new glasses, but the eye doctor is backed up for months because too many people move in the corner lane too fast. Same day, I'm not using the desktop. I'm at, I now prefer to use it at the office because it hasn't even bigger screen than

either laptop, but my emails still aren't on there and I have too much prep to get done with this episode, to find time to set those email accounts accounts up and I'm having signing issues on a variety of accounts on all the computers because when another computer was set up here in the office something happened in the passwords between Joe and me and everything got like switched up and Joe thinks it's a Google Chrome syncing issue but he's not sure on days like this you know I might think yeah maybe a simpler technology free life would be better. Maybe fuck technology. Maybe it'd be nice just to mostly worry about harvests in the crops, trimming the beard.

You know, milk in the cows, give my hands in the soil, he's a man's soil. Not care about social media or Wi-Fi or even got a damn phone, just out there with my suspenders, getting that vitamin D from the heaven's vitamin factory, the sun. But I've been doing a lot of research and coming over Sophie Evans research who did the that vitamin D from the heaven's vitamin factory, the sun. But I've been doing a lot of research and coming over Sophie Evans research who did the initial pass on the note for this topic, I don't think the simple life, many of these omniscience,

their living is actually less stressful than the lives most of the rest of us are living. I mean, sure they never get pissed about their Wi-Fi, because even though they've upgraded to the highest internet speed spectrum has to offer, call of Duty still sometimes drops out mid-game and Netflix sometimes streams on standard definition. But they're still feeling stressed. For starters, many of them seem very stressed out trying to please the real rule happy angry

god they've chosen to worship. Lindsey grown up in Ohio, my wife, she would see Amish somewhat often and she was commenting when I was talking about this subject to her, she doesn't remember ever seen one smile. Didn't seem happy. And I gotta say, the ones I've seen same and watching a lot of docs and things same. Don't seem very happy.

Seem stressed, worried about Satan's outside world, bringing damnation into their communities and homes. They seem worried about losing one or some or all of their many children to a life of sinful hedonism. And worried about how long their son's beard is, how long their daughter's dress is. So many rules, worried about the crops, cows, et cetera. The lifestyle seems hard.

A lot of people I watch in this video is talking about how hard the life is, how frustrating, and confusing it can be to follow so, so many rules that have no biblical basis. But you do it because you've been taught, it's God's will. And you don't even remember why it's been taught that way. Simpler, is it really simpler? And even if it is, not always easier or better,

less stressful, and connecting back with that cold definition I tossed out, many do think the kind of simple life the Amateur associated with is super strange. But is it also sinister? I would say no if it wasn't for that damn shunning situation they have going on. The homage do allow members to leave if they choose. Amish communities want to create a community singly, singly or lily devoted to God.

In that sense, I get why you can't have half-assers muddying up your devotional ranks. But cutting off children from their families just because they refuse to worship God or worship God in the same way, get their fucking haircut the same way Where the same color of suspenders? That's more than strange. I think that's a bit sinister It's for sure extremely controlling and concerning. I mean if a friend of yours Relative whatever started dating someone who wanted to control their behavior to that degree. That's strictly. Tell them what they can wear. How to have their hair cut. What to do? Who they can talk to? How to spend their money on and on and on. What do you think they had started to date a fucking psychopath?

That it was a real negative relationship, abusive, bad for them, sinister even. I would. And if someone I knew decided to become honest after what I've learned, I wouldn't approve. I would feel terrible for them. I think they were making an absolutely horrific choice for the same reasons. So cult or religious group, even though according to the definition I gave, they could be considered a cult. I don't think any cult experts are labeling them as a cult. So I guess I won't either. I'll label them an extremely insular, extremely religious, extremely socially controlling group.

I wouldn't want to see anyone I know become a part of. I'm curious how you'll see them by the end of this suck. We got a lot of information to cover. Now let's go churn some podcast butter. Before we really learn about who the Amish actually are, let's go over first, you know, what most of us were taught about the Amish, then I'll lay out what we're going to learn, rest the episode, and we'll plow ahead. I'm guessing the vast majority of you probably think you know a little something about the Amish, right?

I thought so too, before looking into today's research. And I did know a little, you probably do too. And I bet like me, your understanding of the Amish, you know, came from pop culture and or reality TV depictions. Based on those depictions, I knew they don't dress like anyone, I've ever hung out with. Pretty fucking distinctive looking group. Ever watched that 1996 Fairly Brothers film, Kingpin?

Holy shit, this is so good. Cult, classic. I finally have enough money. I can buy my way out of anything. I can do anything I want. And I'll walk. Finally, Big Earn is above the law. Fucking so many great Bill Murray quotes that movie. So many great quotes period. On Kingpin Woody Harrelson plays Roy Munson.

Washed up, one handed has been Boulder who is once a promising young Boulder whose career was savagely derailed by pro-Boulder and hustler Big Earn McCracken played by living fucking legend. Bill Murray. Then there's Randy Quaid. And he's got a lot of money. who's career was savagely derailed by pro-bola and hustler bigger and McCracken played by living fucking legend Bill Murray Then there's Randy Quaid as isch mail bork young omeshman with the golden arm who months and things he can make a lot of money off of You know hustling other boulders and cash games a lot of the comedy based off how little isch mail knows about the outside world He has no idea how almost anything works outside of the omesh community

He even takes a dump in a urinal in a public restroom at one point. He's clueless, pretty asexual, a child, a man's body in many ways. A lot of jokes about barn raisin, milk and cows, simple living, pure tanical sexual beliefs, etc. Everyone has really bad haircuts, you know, like terrible bull cuts. They're all riding around in horses and buggies and they don't use phones, watch TV, listen to the radio, they don't seem to have much fun, they don't smile a lot. And I assumed a lot of that was wildly exaggerated.

But in some of the more conservative homage communities and most of them seem to be pretty conservative, you know, not so much. The homage for sure, for sure, do wear extremely outdated clothing. They do zip around in horses and buggies. There is a technology band. They do have distract and horses and buckies. There is a technology ban. They do have distractingly bad haircuts in my opinion. And that's not something I even notice in most people, but it looks like a fucking raccoon having muscle spasms. Got a hold of some pruning sheers and it's got turn loose on some of these motherfuckers heads. Like,

I would have a hard time taking them seriously if speaking face to face. It looks like they're trying to be outrageously distracting, like they're begging you to comment on their hair Uh ever see the video for weird owls homage paradise that parody of kuleos ganks his paradise weird owls hair in that video looks way cooler Than many actual omnishoots That song also came out in 1996 1996 uh big year for poking fun at the homage for whatever reason All right, here's a refresher of an amazing song if you don't remember it. Oh, another living legend. Weird out. So good.

And the lyrics do describe the Amish fairly well. As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain, I take a look at my wife and realize she's very plain, but that's just perfect for an amish like me, who know I shun fancy things like electricity. At 4.30 in the morning I'm milking cows, Jeb a dia feeds the chickens and jake of plows, fool if I've been milking and plowin' so long that even osicial things that my mind has gone. I'm a man of the land

I'm into discipline, got a Bible in my hand and appeared on my chin, but if I finish all of my chores and you finish time, then tonight we're going to party like at 1699. That song was probably the, well I should play it, to complete the loop,, here tiny bit of the chorus. Band and most our lives living in an homage paradise. Okay, that song was probably the first bit of cultural exposure to the Amish for many of us. Second for me right behind Kingpin. And like Kingpin is ridiculous as it is, it actually does get quite a bit right.

You don't have to work very hard to parody the Amish. They naturally come across, as mean as this may sound, you know, it's a bit of a parody. They elicit a, what the fuck you guys doing? Is this cosplay? Like, what's happening here? Reaction for me. This is the fucking Renaissance fare, you know, the, you guys just currently living in. Al Song mentions how the homage get up early in the morning, really early to milk cows, plot the fields, turn butter, goes on, you know, talking about selling quilts, you know, feeding the chickens, leaving living plainly, you know, be super biblical, the fields turned butter, goes on, you're talking about selling quilts, feeding the chickens, leaving plainly,

be super biblical, boring, quick to forgive, also be super focused on not burning in hell. All very true for many Amish. I haven't made an Amish-churning butter reference in a stand-up bit years ago, in a bit called Permission to Swear. And I always got big laughs because people did associate that with the Amish.

Oh, freak, the time of the day. You tell us equal a day. There'll be no fresh butter this morning. Amish and butter turning almost everybody gets the association. Stand up actually led to my first Amish sightings actually. I did not grow up around any Amish. There are some men and nights around Spokane where I went to college and lived for years afterwards. I'm not too far from Spokane now.

I still see him at the airport. We will learn that the metanites, not averse to technology, the overwhelming majority of them, and they don't dress that weird, plane, but not quite like they walked out of a time machine. I did a few standup shows in the heart of Amish country years ago, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the biggest Amish community in the US.

No open to the public performances. I was doing some NACA showcases, National Association for Campus Activities. Yeah, you put on a short standup comedy show preview of your full show for campus activity board members for schools in the big region. And they decided to bring you to their school for a full show or not. You used to do a lot of those. Me, singer songwriters, magicians, motivational speakers, poets, all competing for the chance

to perform in mostly empty college student union buildings or at noon in the cafeteria. Which I was kidding. I had some real soul crush and shows. But I know this isn't about standup. All competing for the chance to perform and mostly empty college student union buildings or at noon in the cafeteria. Which house, Katie? I had some real soul crush and shows. But I know this isn't about stand up. Definitely did not see any Amish in the audience when I did some showcases in Lancaster. They would not have enjoyed my show or any show.

Not the old order Amish adults who've chosen to commit to that shit for life. If any Amish listing are listed in my shit right now, they're doing it on the down low, or doing it during rum springa. They're not sharing here come the spoons, motherfucker with a mon pop. Traveling to Lancaster, I saw those horses and buckies

for the first time, and I did it at first, I was like, wait, is this like some kind of like reenactment? I saw stern looking dudes with long beards and no mustaches. Why no mustaches, by the way? But because the mustaches, the devil's pussy and ball tickler. It will not be worn by the righteous man's face. Ah, man brother, Hank and Jeopardy, I think you'll love it.

But for real, I'd never seen those guys wearing their black, felt brimmed hats before. Those plain black, not fitted very well, homemade suits with suspenders, no belts. So women in plain long dresses, bonnets, no one seem real carefree and full of joy. Seriously looking crew. And I was surprised that they actually did look like the people in Kingpin or in Weird

Owls music video. Like it was, they didn't care, they didn't care, could sure they're looks. Also before I move on to more pop culture depictions of the Amish, I didn't start telling bullshit stories to trick people on the show. It's something I've been doing since I was a little kid. Start to fuck with my little sister, then neighbor kids, friends, coworkers. Here we are. One of my favorite lies was about the homage in Lancaster County. I got my college agent at the time to fall for some serious bullshit. Stu Golfman, good dude. Same guy went to Vegas with for that

big acid and so many other drugs, fear and loading recreation trip. I talked about years ago on Comedy Central's, this is not happening. Stu and I were driving back to the airport in Philadelphia. I just passed some homage folk, and then in the distance, we saw several big hot air blooms. You know, just coincidence, I'm sure that nothing to do with the homage. Does that happen to also be in Lancaster County?

And I told Stu, when he's like, ah, what's going on over there? I told him that the homage were real big into hot air blooms, told him that while they weren't allowed to drive cars or fly in planes, if they did need to travel long distances, they were allowed to use hot air balloons because they weren't that high tech. And I told him that hot air balloons were sometimes called Amish jets,

and he totally bought it. And he thought that was really cool. And to this day, I regret later telling him that was bullshit before we flew out. He bought it 100% I had him and I felt bad and I ruined it. I should have let him carry that lie around for a while, bringing up a party and I don't have people talk about him after we left. What was that shit about, almost jets? Is he serious? It's still a fucking idiot. That's absurd.

Alright, so outside of Kingpin and Weird House, I'm as paradise. How have the homage been depicted in pop culture? How else have they been introduced to many, if not most of us? Well, the homage has been a focus of a lot of reality TV shows over the years. Probably the most well-known of these shows is Breaking Amish. An American reality show on the TLC television network debuted September 9th, 2012, wrapped up in 2014 after four seasons. Did you know that TLC no longer stands for anything? Seriously, you should stand for the learning channel,

but they stopped talking about learning, back around 1998, realized there was way more money in trash to be than there was in education. Breaking Amish pulled in enough ratings that it spun off into return to Amish, also on TLC, showed that ran six seasons and counting. From 2014 to the present, series deals with some of the original cast members

of Breaking Amish, you know, why not just continue the original show? Strongly assuming because of money, probably able to pay the producers and or talent of the spin-off way less than the people who came up with the original show idea, speculating though. The spin-off was supposed to be about the cast members returning to their hometowns,

trying to adjust to live in their homage communities once again after getting a taste to modern life, but mostly it ended up, uh, you know, being about them not returning and or being shunned by their families and not allowed to return. And it seems as if most of it was made up bullshit. It seems as if they pulled the wall over his a kaya sanula bbanula diazis. More than that in just a bit. Before either of these, there was the one and done 2004 UPN series, Amish in the city. That first show revolved around five Amish teens living in a house with six mainstream American teenagers during the run spring period when Amish teens are allowed to get a taste of experiencing life outside the Amish community with little to no repercussions. If they then

choose to return, I'll dig into run spring a lot more later. But the show never really made it clear who returned to the Amish community. She chose to live life free from Amish rules. Again, they weren't that concerned with, you know, wasn't like a true docuseries. Breaking Amish revolved around four young Amish adults, talking about that one again, and one men a night. You'll see in the timeline how closely these two groups are related,

who moved in New York City in order to experience a different life. This was not Rommesh spring, though, because the cast members were told for that. This was some younger Amish living their old lives, leaving their old lives behind. But the show presented the move to NYC as being totally in line with Rommas Pringer

because most reality TV and networks like TLC don't actually give a fuck about reality or facts. This show followed the cast members as they experienced life in New York, they situations of only work, friendship, romance, lifestyle, you know, other drama, and apparently most, if not almost all of it was manufactured and not authentic. In breaking homage, these young adults do things like go to buy modern clothes called English clothes by many homage communities, get tattoos, take driving lessons where bikinis,

but allegedly very scripted. Also in 2012, the Discovery Channel produced an Amish series called Amish Mafia. Amish Mafia aired for four seasons, 35 episodes before being canceled in 2015. It followed Lebanon, Levi, and his assistants as they supposedly kept the peace in the Amish community and protected the Amish from outsiders. And that particular show is absolute horseshit. Complete and total fucking nonsense. There is no Amish Mafia mafia get the fuck out of here This show is presented as a docu series as true reality TV by the Discovery Channel

The scholars local journalists local law enforcement in Lancaster County all refuted the existence of this supposed mafia They're like what the fuck are you talking about? Would the Discovery Channel pay to completely fake something and present it as truth? Fuck yeah bro. Actually, no this first hand. Back around 2013, I worked on a Discovery project. I won't name because more and more people listen to the show and I don't want to be sued. And latent forgery. Everybody knew it.

A bunch of producers, you know, taking small elements of truth to store it in the fuck out of it until the actual show was extremely loosely based. And quote unquote, reality, like very loosely. All the armor shows I've mentioned have been accused of greatly fabricating the truth to the point of not being authentic and greatly misrepresented armor's life. By the early 2000s, if not before,

the days of reality shows like the simple life, reality TV was no longer real in most cases. I know I've covered this some of this before, but it's been a long time. I think it's relevant to today's topic. Early 90s, like the real world, that was somewhat real from what producers have told me. But production companies, networks quickly figured out

it was way too expensive to just plant cameras all over the place. Roll tape for fucking months, pay a bunch of editors later to build the shows and post from thousands of hours of footage, much better to soft script them. Twist real people into caricatures, manufacture drama, establish network-approved plotlines before field crews even make it to locations.

Get a more structured episode every few days that's actually watchable. Early on, everyone in the industry figured out that if you don't massage real people's choices and escalate real people's conflicts, most of the time their real life is really fucking boring and Uneventful like almost everyone else's One producer I worked with told me how on one of those real housewives shows He worked on from its inception One of those wives shows I don't want to say it's part of that franchise, but he helped manipulate cast members into a physically fighting

Right to launch a show they cast the most dramatic volatile people they could find, then lied to them over and over, manipulated them, showed them footage of other characters talking shit about them when those people were fed lines by producers, and they get these people so worked up that then they put them in a room, rolled the cameras, and you know, get them fighting physically, like some Jerry Springer shit. Another producer I worked with, you know,

said he worked on numerous paranormal, paranormal ghost hunter shows in the first decade of the 2000s He said that he and other producers regularly planted all sorts of shit to manufacture scares fake EVP recordings creepy dolls and occult objects producers planted an addicts and basements as if they'd been left there They'd scribble pentagrams into the into the walls pretend they found it producers would hide in basements and addicts and truly scare ghost hunters who weren't really ghost hunters. They were people who had been cast to play ghost hunters like a fucking boy band just put

into this, you know, a manufactured team. So fake, fake, fake. And the same shit has been done with Amish reality shows apparently. Of course it has. Manufactured drama. Exaggerated characters. Clever edits to create moments that never actually happened. That's a big one. I watched some of those moments be created in editing rooms on some shows, right? Cut up some dialogue, present it out of order,

present a cast member talking to one person and when a reality they were talking about someone else, take shit out of context, franken bite it, then create a reality no one ever experienced for the viewer to watch. Not all of reality TV's manufactured their habit exceptions. I've also worked with people who really you know are who they are portrayed to be ghost hunters who take it seriously, etc. But a lot of shit has been fake and it seems you know with the omnis concerned. It's been mostly bullshit. One woman who commented on some of these omnis reality shows went by the name of Abigail on Reddit. She grew up in a men and a night community in Ohio. Abigail would say that the 2004 TV series,

Amish in the city was a load of crap. Sentiment shared by a lot of others on Reddit. She said, they acted as if they had never seen parking meters, the beach, etc. It was so ridiculous because the town in which that girl was from has parking meters. My sister knew several of them and they played it up so much for TV. She claimed. Also outside of teenagers on a rum springer, real old school homage, they're not gonna agree to do a reality TV show.

You know, if they're against watching TV, why the fuck would they agree to be on a TV show? I mean, I know many of them are people who have left for a little bit, but I don't know. It's a bunch of bullshit. Abigail also spoke at length about something I'll get more into as we go forward, not all Amish communities are the same. That's important to keep in mind today. You know, Amish communities not the same as men and nights. Similar. Both can be traced back to the same religious groups eventually, but not the same now.

Men and nights also have a decent amount of variation in what rules they have to follow from men and night community to community. And Abigail said that some men and nights are allowed access to almost all technology. Others allow to drive cars, but only certain kinds. Others have TVs, but can't watch shows on cable. That kind of thing. The religious leaders of a lot of these communities, you know, they get to decide a lot of these rules, they get to adapt them. And just like a lot of, you know, reality TV producers, they seem to make a lot of shit

up as they go along. Abigail talked about how the idea of Amish young adults encountering the world for the first time and being so confused, disturbed, or blown away by things like cars or stoplights is absurd. However, and some old-order communities, like the Schwarzen Truber, Amish communities, reportedly the most conservative of the old-order conservative Amish groups, that is life, how life can be, when someone leaves a community, or is shunned and has to leave. The Schwarzenegger Amish formed as the result of a division that occurred among the Amish of Holmes County, Ohio. In the years 1913 to 1917, they've split further since, right, the history of

Christianity. Split after split after split, as we've covered before, never ends. Outside of the Catholic Church, not a lot of stability. To show why the Schwarzenegger Amish are deemed the most conservative Amish group, there are these of stability. To show why the Schwarzenegger Amish are deemed the most conservative Amish group, there are these charts online. To show what technology each group is not allowed to use. You know, that is allowed to be used by at least one other old order group. And the Schwarzenegger Amish, they are against the following technology, all of which again is accepted by at least one other group of Amish communities. Tractors, rotatillers, power lawn mowers, propane gas, bulk milk tanks, mechanical refrigerators,

jelly realistic dill those suction cups, pick up balers, indoor flushing toilets, running water bath tubs, chainsaws, orgy machine vibrating pussy and tongue combos, pneumatic tools, get hard premium power pumps, pressurize lamps, the only thing that they allow that some other groups don't are booty thruster remote controlled vibrating anal plugs. I mean motorized washing machines. Sorry, the sex stuff was obviously nonsense.

I was reading product descriptions of a sex toy site I may or may not shop for them in real life, but the rest was real. I love that yes, you can have a motorized washing machine, that's obviously godly, but you can't have one of Satan's chainsaws. He's fucking Satan's chainsawd here! You know, you can't have a running water bath tub. That's devil.

Well, you can't, you can't have as it's supposed to be based on essentially what keeps you focused on a godly life, on what distracts from it. What am I talking about this group? Because people who have left this group sometimes do talk about being blown away and confused by things like stoplights woman named Emma Gingrich highly recommend if you're interested more in the Amish after this episode you look her up Emma Gingrich she left her Swarchon Troubber Amish community just outside the tiny 275 person town at Eagleville, Missouri in 2006 when she was 18 and she left for the very first time and she didn't have a fucking clue how the world worked She had an eighth grade education All that was allowed you know for her to have and not even a good normal eighth grade education

She could barely speak English when she left the only language. She was flown in was Pennsylvania Dutch Which is actually a variation of West central German only spoken by old order Amish and old order men and knights and Some of their descendants. They don't even speak this dialect in Germany. It evolved in the US. When Emma ran away, she could only speak a language that was fucking useless outside of the religious community. She was running away from and others like it.

She was also taught some basic English in school, but not allowed to use it outside of her lessons, so she could barely speak a rudimentary version. Even though she was born and raised in the US, she was taught virtually nothing about the world around her, not the language, not the culture, not the history, nothing. She didn't know who any president was, like any ever. She said, surely after running away with nothing to call her own other than the clothes she was wearing, she saw a picture in someone's house of founding father George Washington, right?

First, she was present. She actually thought it was her grandpa. Think about how crazy that is. To think that, that means she had likely never seen a dollar bill before. And she was 18 years old and grew up in America for fuck's sake. Some homage communities interact plenty with the modern world on a daily basis by having small businesses, you know, going to non-omage businesses like banks, but other communities like Emma's, they do have virtually no interaction with the outside of the world. Very insular, very cult-like in that way, I think.

And when they do interact with the outside world in most very patriarchal, old-order communities, it's only the men who are doing the interacting with outsiders. Women are very sheltered, none more so than girls, right? Unmarried women. Young unmarried women often ridiculously ignorant of what life is like in the world around them. Emma against all odds thrived in the outside world. So you know, she ended up writing a popular book

about her escape, run away Amish girl, the great escape, got a job, earned her GED, she had no family, she knew nobody out there. Learned to use dating apps, got her bachelor's degree, got a job in the medical field, you know, family, she knew nobody out there. Learned to use dating apps, got our bachelor's degree, got a job in the medical field, even MBA, but she is the exception to the rule. Okay, now back to those Amish reality shows. How fake they are has been talked about

by some of the people who worked on the shows. In a 2019 SA Claire J. Harris described work on a New York City-based Amish reality show. She alludes strongly to another Amish reality show without naming it for legal reasons. Nat Geo's 2012 Amish Reality Show. And she alludes strongly to another Amish Reality Show without naming it for legal reasons. Nat Geo's 2012 Amish Out of Order, a breaking Amish knockoff by the looks of it. Claire worked as a low paid production assistant, PA.

She's written about the dynamics behind the show. How she was bothered by the motives and methods of the show's bosses. She described the showrunner as a man with a vacuum in place of a soul. Love it. I worked with some really good people in that business, but yeah, those people exist too. A lot of them. Claire describes how the young Amish raised people recruiting to the show were basically

characters in a scripted drama orchestrated from afar. She said producers didn't talk about right and wrong so much as what they could get away with legally. She said a comment or a frame around the production office was, well, the Amish don't sue. Right? And Amish don't sue. Right? And because they wouldn't sue, they crossed a lot of legal lines. She said the show had a dilemma early on.

Amish youth were reluctant to speak about juicier topics, needed to build tension, drive the narrative. So producers, you know, created drama to manufacture plot lines, huh? She said that by the time she started working on the show, it was already pretty scripted because none of the Amish youth were willing to talk about, you know, things that were exceptionally dramatic.

Some had traumatic paths, caused them to leave their communities, but didn't want to talk about it. So the producer started steering the ship, doing things like pressuring cast members to, you know, encourage other Amish friends to run away from their families, producers would provide them with cars, film them going to steal away their friends in the dead of night. Some of these friends were underage, Claire said producers fudged their birth dates and documents to avoid trying to get parental permission. They wouldn't get.

And they risked these people getting shunned for doing this kind of stuff. They're true. I don't doubt it's possibly true. That's pretty shady even for reality TV. She said that when Amish cast members refused to do certain things, producers showed them contracts they'd signed. And some of these people were barely literate. They knew they didn't understand the fine print because they hadn't gone to school past

the eighth grade. Producers made them feel like they would be sued if they didn't play long. That pressure led to some tragic results. Amish youth, Seth Asjandr was 19-year-old on the show. He died in a car crash, allegedly driving recklessly for some show-related reason. 17-year-old cast member had already survived a major car accident, featured in an earlier episode, and the producers didn't discourage any of this reckless behavior on the contrary.

Footage was coming back to the production office from the back seat of cars being driven by these, you know, almost teenagers were racing well over the speed limit. Producers knew they were dealing with teens who were being incredibly reckless teens who had just lost their families, connections to their past lives who didn't know much

about living in the modern world, and they encouraged them to do dangerous shit for better ratings. To advantage them, I believe it. Claire came to the office to the news that sephids have been killed during the night and the production team was already plotting how to work sephids' death into dramatic storyline for better ratings. She said they chose to make him a centerpiece for the rest of the season. After that show wrapped up according to Claire, producers did nothing to help heal the fractured relationships between youths and their communities. And then Claire was given an offer to continue working with the company in a promoted position on another reality show about gypsies, the Roma people, as she decided, you know, instead

to teach English in Mexico for less money, but more peace of mind. And to bring all this up, not to just show that the Amish have been portrayed, you know, poorly in reality TV, but because it illustrates to me the much bigger problem of what happens to Amish youth who leave their communities when they're shunned, right? They just don't know how the outside world works. Of course, they're gonna be taken advantage of, right? They're ripe for the taking.

That's a real problem with the Amish in my mind. Okay, some little detours there I know. But if reality TV and pop culture is given, I'm guessing the overwhelming majority of us, an image of who the Amish are, While some elements of this presentation has been true, much of it has been fabricated, distorted, exaggerated. Who are the Amish really? To figure this out, let's now dive into the history of the Amish, how they evolved out of a small Protestant group called the Anabaptists during the Protestant Reformation in Europe. After going

over their history, we'll dive into their culture, lifestyle, ways of dress, and more, we'll spend a lot of time talking about rum springa. That time when Amish teens could do experiment with the outside world, including debunking, submiss, that reality TV shows and documentaries have peddled and sensationalized. We'll talk about serious problems in the Amish community,

how certain communities have struggled with drug use despite strong efforts to keep their distance from the outside world. We'll talk about sadly a lot of sexual abuse allegations and pattern of cover-ups that reminds me more of the Jehovah's Witnesses, their sexual abuse scandals than I would like it to. And we'll talk about the horrific practice of shunning. So let's start with that history, much of which will be covered chronologically in today's

time, so timeline, but first some primer info. The Amish originated in the late 17th century. Their earliest adherents were followers of Jacob Aman, the man who the Amish get their name from. We'll dig into the super fun, heart party, and very wise and logical man in the timeline for right now, Jacob Aman, was an anabaptist leader who took a harder, more conservative line, read even less fun than other fund haters on many religious practices than a lot of his already anti-fond

and abaptist contemporaries. Who are the anabaptists? The anabaptist started out as one of many small, Protestant sex born out of the Protestant Reformation, and the Protestant Reformation was a huge, religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of the gigantic branch of Christianity known as Protestantism,

a name used collectively to refer to the many, many, many different religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine. And in some cases due to the support of leaders who wanted to get out from the thumb of the incredibly powerful and oppressive Catholic Church. Let the Protestants flourish in your land and you don't have to deal with the Pope. Telling you how to live your life anymore. It was a big hashtag, nope, Pope movement.

Back in the 16th century in Europe, a lot of biblical scholars decided that the Catholic church was doing a lot of shit wrong. And because they got some rulers to agree with them, they felt okay publicly rallying against the Catholic church. They weren't as worried about being burned alive anymore. But of course, you know, many would be burned alive, not just by Catholics, but also by other Protestants who also thought the Catholic Church was doing shit way wrong, but also thought that these other reformers were wrong

about God's will as well. So, you know, you got to burn them or stone them or drown them. For most of Europe's history, since the first few centuries C, there has never been a time when quite a few people were not being killed in ways reminiscent of how some people died in last week's Prison Riot Sack. The Protestant Reformation began in Wittenberg, Vittenberg, Germany, August 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, former male stripper, Newtie Mac photographer, became a teacher in the monk, maybe a light about the first two jobs, and published a document he called Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, or 95 Thesises.

Or Thesis, 95 Thesises. The document was a series of 95 ideas about Christianity that he invited people to debate with him. These ideas were controversial because they directly contradicted the Catholic Church's teachings. And the Pope loved this document. He was like, finally, all I've ever wanted was to be theologically challenged.

Yeah! Let's have a logical discussion about God's will. Discourse, that's what I love. Right, so sick of everyone just doing what I say because they're worried about being brutally tortured, or murdered, I like this Martin Luther guy. He's got I love. So sick of everyone just doing what I say because they're worried about being brutally tortured, murdered. I like this Martin Luther guy. He's got some balls. And God loves a man with a big ol' set of balls.

No he fucking hated it. And he invited Luther to come talk to him about it. It's come talk. And had Luther done that, he would have almost certainly been burned alive. Had Luther left Germany, where some nobility backed him, including some powerful princes, he would have certainly been killed. Luther statements challenged the Catholic Church's role as an intermediary between people and God, specifically when it came to this indulgent system, which impart allowed people to purchase a certificate of pardon for a punishment of their sins.

Luther argued against the practice of buying or earning forgiveness, believing instead the salvation as a gift God gives to those who have faith. And since the Pope couldn't get ahold of him and kill him, he had him excommunicated. By his death in 1546, his ideas had significantly altered the course of Western thought. These indulgences where you could pay to have your family member, you know, get into heaven or yourself, having priests as a mediator between normal people's relationship with God, they were rubbing more and more people in Europe the wrong way. I kind of like the indulgences part, right? Pay to play, baby! Live how you want to live. Hail to Stafina. And you give a priest, slip him a little cash, and bada boom bada bing! You got a golden ticket to heaven.

Fuck yeah, bro. Protestant reform in England began with King Henry the 8th and 1534, because the Pope would not grant him the marriage enolment. Subsequently, King Henry rejected the Pope's authority, instead creating an assuming authority over the Church of England, kind of a hybrid church combined Catholic doctrine and Protestant ideals. Over the next 20 years, there was religious turbulence in England as Queen Mary reinstated Catholicism, you know, while persecuted in killing Protestants, only have Queen Elizabeth, the first in her parliament, attempt to lead the country back towards Protestantism during her reign.

Some English citizens did not believe Queen Elizabeth's efforts to restore England to Protestantism. Protestinism went far enough. These citizens fell into two groups, right? It starts to fracture early on. Both labeled Puritans by their opponents. The first group known as Separatists believed the Church of England was so corrupt, their only choice was to leave England. Separate from the church, start a new church.

Other group became the Calvinists. And the fracturing really gets going. Some people break away from the Catholic church, you create a new way of worshiping the Christian God, then those people can't agree on how to do that. So they split into more groups of Christians with slightly different doctrines. Then their descendants disagree further,

more denominations bring up, more denominations have never stopped springing up, and one of them is the Amish, right? Some other anabaptist denominations were menonites, the brethren, hudderites. Outside of the Amish, we'll only really explain who the menonites are, and say, most often, you know, mixed up with the Amish. Now today, we have more than 45,000 different Christian denominations, including over a dozen different Amish subgroups, because the Amish have been unable to agree on how you're supposed to be Amish. The Protestant

Reformation gave the world planer, less ornate Christian churches. So worshipers and theory can focus more on the relationship with God, not on the scenery. The Reformation led to many worshipers having more personal religious experiences instead of relying on priests, telling them, you know, whether or not they were saved. So where do the anabaptists fit into all this?

Well, there are some different beliefs as to their origin that very slightly, I'll give the most accepted version. That a specific beef with the Catholic Church, they did not like at all how small Pope Clement the Seventh's balls were. It was that simple. They didn't find it to be godly, right? If you don't know, the Catholic Church has always weighed their Pope's balls during their

first day on the job. There's a book and a secure section of the Vatican Library that lists the weight of every pair of Pope's balls, the book of God's balls. They've averaged around four ounces, just slightly over, around four point one ounces, which I know isn't much, but we're not talking about the dick, just the balls and the sack, but not the taint, just the ball sack, which is hard to set on a scale alone obviously because it's attached to the body and the dick, so some of the weight isn't being measured properly, but early Catholics developed some sort of infallible

God ball scale device that I guess is fairly accurate. And how big was Pope Clement the seventh ball sack just under two ounces. That's not big. Real small balls and from what I've read, also had a super tight sack. And about this, we're like how how can this man speak for God his balls are too small His second to tight Right he doesn't command respect His words don't care enough weight the pitch of his voice is too high The bullet behind his Pope robe is not existent. This is ridiculous. Of course, he didn't say that. That's not the reason I just said that because you know, I'm probably mentally ill.

Just four years after Martin Luther published a disputation on the power of indulgences, the document that kicked off the Reformation. The same year, the Lutheranism was being formed. Some Swiss German guys were like, we like breaking away from the Catholic Church to Oheckiap, bro. But we don't like all the same shoot.

Those Lutheran mother truckers like, which I was an exact quote. One of those guys was Ulrich Zwingli, unfortunately name. The Swiss Martin Luther, born around the same time, started to rebel against Catholicism around the same time, by 1522, a man who had long studied theology and philosophy, 40-year-old pastor and Swiss nationalist, Livin Zirk, Zwingli was on a path of reform,

openly criticizing such Catholic practices as ties, the mass. And especially infant baptism. Right? He thought there should not be saintly images in church, idolatry. He thought pastors should marry, no more celibacy, time to get those godly weans cleaned. He also didn't make a lot of friends outside of Zurich, had no Lutheran allies, and when he pushed Zurich officials into implementing a food blockade against the nearby pro-Catholic forces, those dudes broke up the blockade with force,

as Wingly died in 1531 at the age of 47 fighting them. He's listed on parts of the interwebs as the first enabaptist martyr, but that's not true. Others were killed before him. But the defining belief of the enabaptists, you know, he had a hand in creating that movement was that, yeah, belief concerning baptism, namely that it only applied to adults.

They didn't think it made sense to be baptized as a baby because babies don't choose to accept Christ or not as their savior, which is fair actually, logical, right in that sense. They believed that only an adult man can make that choice, or nice to man, adult person, which does make more sense. And also, to be fair, they fucking hated babies.

Early antibiotics reportedly killed about a third of their babies, that is sheer baby hate. The other two thirds of their babies raised by strangers. Babies would be taken from mothers by relatives who gave those babies to strangers, who then gave those babies to still other strangers. So the parents could never find them

because if they did holy shit, bloodthirsty antibiotics would fucking destroy those babies. But seriously, they believe that true baptism required a public confession of both sin and faith, which can only be accomplished as an adult exercise of free will. The Amas tradition of Rumspringham is actually based on this anabaptist belief. Turn 16, go have your fun, and then if you want to be saved, you have to choose to be baptized into the Amish lifestyle. So what happens to the souls of Amish children

who die then before baptism? Well, they obviously burn in hell forever, right? You don't wanna die before the age of 16, if you're Amish because God and his glory and wisdom will burn the ever-loving fuck out of you. No, early in a Baptist came to the conclusion, Amish babies, toddler children, young teens, they just, they just could go to heaven. Do all Amish still believe that?

Ah, not sure. Now, real problem with explaining Amish beliefs is the fact that the Amish have no central church government. I don't write a lot of shit down. Each assembly is autonomous, has its own governing authority, makes them very different from other conservative religious groups we've covered, who are somewhat fringe, like Jehovah's Witnesses, Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-day Saints. Thus every local church maintains

an individual set of rules that are hearing to its own ordnance, a set of rules, usually just verbal, which may vary from district to district, as each community administers its own guidelines. These rules largely, you know, yeah, unwritten. So super fun, not gonna be confusing at all when you're part of a religious order who doesn't like to write shit down and still has a lot of rules,

decided by bishops chosen randomly by their communities. I'll mention more on that later. Ordinung, by the way, Old German word for why the fuck are we doing this? This shit is silly. Unnecessary. No, it's an Old German word for order, discipline, rule, arrangement, organization or system. Another defining characteristic of early Antibaptists, their strong belief in the separation of church and state.

Antibaptists believe Christians are under the loyalty of Jesus Christ alone and your nationality comes a distant second to that loyalty. And that's your noise to me. Like that you hope is witness is the Amish do not they don't go fuck about the United States or any other country they live in but mostly the living united states uh... and i did not find that admirable right they directly benefit from living in america came here for religious freedom

a freedom that many you know other early americans died fighting for but they didn't they will never fight to defend the freedom they enjoy they won't serve in the military they do pay property income tax but uh... itself employed don't pay social security other taxes and i think all that's bullshit be part of the country or get the fuck out they they it feels parasitic to me

pay the same as everyone else uh... to enjoy the same freedoms or you know go get fucked get deported uh... after the anabaptist movement began in zirac as an off-sched of church reforms insigated by all rick swingley quickly spread to uh... maravia historical region east of checker of the Czech Republic, and throughout Germany.

And because we meet Saks at such a hard time getting along with each other historically, many other Protestants and Catholics, not big fans of this new group. Roman Catholics, other Protestants alike persecuted the Anabaptists in the 16th century, resorting to torture and execution, and attempts to curb the growth of this movement. Felix Mons became the first Anabaptist martyr in 1527. What led to his execution, to me epitomizes, so much of what scares me about organized religion. The veins of madness that seemed to almost always run inside of it. Felix was an early follower of Zwingli and Zerik. He was following him by 1519, three years before he was openly defined the

Catholic Church. Like Zwingli, he also didn't believe in infant baptism. Really wasn't a fan. And then in 1525, the Zurich city council was like, you guys have to baptize your kids, right? So he didn't baptize his. Enough of this wait until you're an adult bullshit. And Zwingli was like, okay, fine.

You know, I'll buy my tongue on this issue for a bit. I don't like it, but I'll follow the law of the land for the time being, but still grumble about it. But then Felix was like, no, uh-uh! Swingley, you're a boon-looking bitch. Fuck him. We're not baptizing our kids' period. And we are gonna re-baptize adults into our new shit.

And if you don't like that, you can suck our anabaptist dicks. And then Swingley was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, come on, easy, let's try a different way. I can't condone this attitude, right? There's got to be a better way to bring about change. And then Felix and two other dudes, we're now like, shut the fuck up Zwingley. Now you're out, we don't like you anymore.

We started following you, but now we're gonna do our own thing. You're in bed with City Hall. We're breaking away from your movement, which is not really a movement, it's just my easy man toss around, but we don't think you're committed enough to thoughts you're tinkering with, Viva La Revolution. And then the Zurich City Council was like what

the fuck is wrong with you guys everybody breathe calm sit on this for a second stop re-baptizing people right baptized your babies for right now we're baptizing babies not adults who are already baptizes babies and Felix made a fart noise and you're like who hey who was that was that you Felix and he's like no that wasn't me then he giggled. And he was you, get out of here, you're menace. And then he left, but not before making another fart noise. As you walk out of the door, or something like that,

that was a gist of how things went down. With some embellishments. March 7th, 1526, Zerrk Council passes an edict that makes adult re-baptism now punishable by drowning. They're sick of it. They're tired of Felix, and his friends backed his embullish shit, but the edict doesn't stop Felix They're sick of it. They're tired of Felix and his friends backed his embullish it. But the idiot doesn't stop Felix. He keeps doing it. And so, you know, if I can kill him, people didn't play with crowned punishment back then. January 5th,

1527 Felix was taken onto a boat onto the river Lamat, which flows out of Lake Zurich. His hands were bound, pulled behind his knees, a pole was placed between him and they fucking dipped him in the water and drowned him. Right? Better than burning, I guess, I think. I don't want to test either method. Now Felix considered the first anabaptist martyr and Amish, big Felix fans, they're like, yeah, you did the right thing. And on March 20th, 1527 Roman Catholic authorities execute another anabaptist, make another martyr, Michael Sattler.

Right? This guy got swept up in this whole baptizing baby's bullshit. Only adults should be baptized movement. Hashtag number of water for babies, right? He got caught up in a Zurich in 1526. Took those beliefs to Germany and Austria. Number of water for babies, keep babies dry. God forbids babies from ever touching water. I'm not giving the most accurate portrayal right now, just against baptizing babies, of course. Pretty fucked up to try and start a. Don't give babies any water movement. All right, that movement will reach its peak when all the babies are gone.

And then there's just a bunch of old people. And I'm like, yeah, we did it. Now, who's gonna take care of us? Michael Soutler was arrested in Austria under the orders of Archduke Ferdinand, future Holy Roman Emperor, big Pope guy, who had declared drowning, illegal also, right? Called satirically the third baptism.

He said the best antidote to anabaptism is to baptize him a third time. And that is pretty darkly funny. I mean, he had to have gotten whatever the 16th century equivalent to a high five was for saying that shit. He had been pretty proud of himself for joking about how the best way to get rid of re-baptizers was to give them a very aggressive third baptism. I bet when the Pope heard about that, he was like, ah, that's good shit, Felix. That's clever. I like it. I like you just turn yourself an indulgence. Until I say different, you got a golden ticket to heaven. In England, we

go with the reign of King Edward VI, any with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, from 1547 to 1603, the British also hardcore persecuted anabaptists. They redeemed too radical. They were a danger to religious stability. Thousands of anabaptists were persecuted and executed in various parts of Europe between 1525 and 1660. Roughly 4,000 were burned alive. Many others were stoned to death. All because, you know, mostly they disagreed on when people are supposed to be baptized.

Think about how fucking insane that is. That's the madness in religion I spoke of. If it wasn't for current secular laws, I wonder how much burning and stoning would go on around the world today, right? How much of that would be motivated by minor theological disagreements? I think quite a bit.

I think a savage heart still beats in many of us. Myself included, right? Fear of legal consequences. Certainly kept me from doing some crazy shit moments. Fear of theological consequences has led to so many other people doing so much crazy shit. It was this continuing persecution in Europe that was largely responsible for the mass immigration

to the new world of North America by the omission men and nights and other religious groups. Okay, let's break down the difference between omission men and nights now. Is it happened historically, let's break down the difference between omniscient men and nights now. Is it happened historically? Since those two groups, you know, still get confused all the time. Like the omniscient men and nights,

tracer roots back to early anabaptists. The omniscient morphed out of a group of Swiss and alcation men and night anabaptists in the late 17th century. The men and nights came first, a group founded by following the teachings of a former Catholic priest, Menno Simons, living in modern-day Netherlands, then the Holy Roman Empire. He became an anabaptist a few years after first hearing about all this rebaptism shit. He heard about it for

the first time in 1531. Menno was born around 1496 in a little village of Vittemarsen in the Dutch province of Friesland Historians think that his parents were probably dairy farmers and that his mom was a fucking smoke show holy shit thin Audrey Hepburn frame super perky a cup rest great legs long and thin But with some meat on the thighs curve and nicely up the back to her peach-shaped ass delicate ankles Love to wear stiletto heels lazy lacy panties under micro skirts, hail loose of fina. I have no idea how his mom looked.

Probably a pious and plain and very unattracted by today's standards. Menno didn't enter the priesthood until the age of 28. And at first this priest thought anabaptism was crazy talk. But then his brother converted to being an anabaptist, then his brother was killed. For his anabaptist's beliefs in 1535 killed for his anabaptist beliefs in 1535.

He was just mining his own, no water for babies business, and they killed him. Well, he was a mining his own business, actually. He was killed for being an anabaptist, not just that though. He was killed for being part of a violent anabaptist revolt in which a Catholic monastery was captured a bunch of monks were taking hostage.

And local Catholics, as you can imagine, didn't care for that. And that rebellion was squashed by pro-Catholic troops and the rebels were, you know, executed. And that pissed Menno the frick off. It made his priest heart sad and he had a spiritual crisis. And then in 1536, he converted to, excuse me, anabaptism as well. You know, why wouldn't he? I've just seen how well it worked out for his brother.

Unlike his brother, Menno was not a violent man. And maybe because he wasn't violent, he was never executed. He would live until 1561, spending his last 25 years on earth getting excommunicated, then married, then having three kids, helping form a new vision of Christianity based on adult baptism, pacifism, being able to fuck your wife, and simple, humble, pious living. And followers of his teachings would become the men and knights. During the 1700s and 1800s, many men and knights would flee religious turmoil in Europe and seek religious freedom in the new world. Most of those people settled in Pennsylvania, succeeding generations would move across the Midwest. Many men and

knights settled in Ohio for surviving during the early 1800s. They originally settled in modern day stark, wane homes homes, Knox counties, most men and nights they are living through agriculture. Today, there are more than 500,000 men and nights spread out across North America. Ethiopia has over 310,000. India has almost 260,000. Democratic Republic of the Congo has over 225,000. Canada has almost 150,000.

Indonesia has over 100,000. Drops off quite a bit from there. Thailand, Germany, Paraguay, Mexico, Bolivia, a few other countries have over 25,000. Outside of Germany, no European countries have a sizeable population. There are only a very few small congregations in the Netherlands where it all began. So many groups fled Europe in the 16th, 17th, 18th, even 19th centuries, and their numbers have never recovered. And again, in the late 17th century, as we're about to cover in the timeline, some menonites then became Amish, another one of those fractures.

Today the greatest difference between the Amish and menonites stems mainly from practice rather than beliefs. Amish groups tend to shy away from technology and evolve them with the greater world by addressing plain, using scooters and buggies for Transportation most men and I's have embraced some of the world's technologies and stressed the importance of missionary work Helping to spread their faith right to over 50 countries around the world Men and I's are more organized. They have more national get-togethers to talk about church policy missionary goals Education, you know fucking cool ass bonets, fun colors for suspenders, etc.

Think of them as just being much more traditionally Protestant than the Amish. They even have some colleges like Bethel College and North Newton, Kansas, you know, not anti-secular education like the Amish are. Very conservative, but not against, you know, some non-bible book learning. They're pacifists like the Amish, they do abstain from fighting, but will serve the military in other ways if drafted. They don't shun their youth, which I like a lot. They don't dress like the Amish, not, you know, usually,

traditional men and women will keep their hair tied back covered by a small white prayer cap to symbolize reverence and the importance of the spiritual life, but not all of them. Black bonnets are worn by female men and nights that are unmarried in many groups, signifying that they're trolling for that single hard dick. I mean, it signifies that they're open and interested

in obtaining a husband. Males and female men and nights tend to dress plainly, long dresses, suspenders, plain black slacks. They stress modesty and conformity. Don't try and stand out, look better than other men and nights, don't be vain, but from what I can gather, while that's strongly encouraged in many communities, you're not going to get kicked out for wearing

you know, Doc Martens or jeans. It varies a lot from church to church. Now many modern men and night churches actually have no dress codes, even for women. They're like Amish light, similar. A lot of the same core theological beliefs, but way less heavy. Not nearly as strict. They allow for more joy. Same great flavor, way less rules. And I'd explain more, but this is not a midnight suck. Gosh dang, it's about to yommage. So let's back up, take a look at our main subject. Time for today's short of the normal time suck timeline.

After a mid show sponsor break featuring ads that will appeal to zero omnisleasters. Hope you heard about something that appealed you. Sorry we have no sponsors that sell horses or lamps that run on whale oil. Let's now head to the 17th century. Shrap on those boots, soldier. We're marching down a time, sub-time line. February 12, 1644. Jacob Aman, born in Erlenbach. Erlenbach

instrumental. Switzerland. To Michael and Anna Aman. And Anna, hot as fuck. Real curvy. Sexy thick ass thighs. Her nickname for her thighs was Irmuss. She had a great big breasts. She'd often joke about how she was surprised at Jacob and her other children ever made it out of infancy. She was worried that they would starve, thanks to how much her husband Michael sucked on her titties.

JK. These conservative religious milk descriptions, just, you know, they made me laugh harder myself than it's probably healthy when I was putting that together late last night. I have no idea how on a looked. Probably like a female Randy Quaid in Kingpin. Jacob was third in a family of six children.

He probably didn't have much of a formal education on 37 official documents signed by Jacob. Only his initials appear with most of them having a nearby note that Jacob not able to write. So he could just make his mark. So likely that at least as a young man, he was a literate. And that's how you know that your religion was founded on solid intellectual principles. When your founder had, you know, what sounds like a second and third grade education. J. K. K. K. will get married to Verena Stoodler, very little known, you know, very little

is known, excuse me about her, beyond her name, some think that she invented the dildo and the micro-kini, though. I'll try and stop. These two had at least one daughter, one son, Bults. Not making that up. His real first name is Bults. As in Drought the Tea and his son's name was Bults. Because of these scarcity of materials, very little is actually known about Bals' father,

Jacob Amon's teachings and day-to-day life. Three letters comprise the whole of his first hand accounts of his thought. Good thing you learned how to write a little bit. His first letter was sent to a group of Swiss brethren. Another anabaptist variant, a starter in Zurich as well. Pretty similar to Mennonites. Actually, the anabaptist started out as a Swiss brethren. And then some became Mennonites.

Then some of those became Amish, you know, splits, splits, fracture, fracture, fracture, it gets a little dizzy. From Jacob's letters, historians have learned that he was a firm Disciplinarian uncompromised what he believed and expected others to conform to the teachings of Christ and his apostles So he sounds like super fun guy to spend time with probably love to joke around quick to laugh Probably hugged his kids a lot reminded them how much loved him I bet it was a super fun grandpa, right? It's not the kids candy when no one else is around He believed that whoever accepted the true saving faith would be baptized upon that faith, cost what it may.

They would forsake the world and practice a very practical total separation in their everyday life. Jacob was hardcore, right? He was quick to disregard long standing customs and practices. If he didn't think they were found on God's word. Well, he wasn't big on compromising his beliefs and his beliefs did differ from many of the enabaptists around him.

He was stricter. He also denied that he was trying to start a new faith, but he kind of was. He ended up doing that. He said he just really wanted to get salvation right, right? He believed in a new birth experience that would radically change a person. He wrote, if a miser does not turn from his fornication and a drunkard from his drunkenness or other immoralities, they are thereby separated from the kingdom of God and if he does not improve himself to apias, penicinate life such a person is no Christian and will not

inherit the kingdom of God. No boy. How much misery has been spread in the name of hardcore saving people from hell right? Fornicated and drinking are two of my favorite things to do. Irresponsible fornication drinking, yeah, that can ruin your life, but so can religion. All good things in moderation, including religion and drinking and fucking. But not for Jacob, you know, it would be very, very pious for sake the world or burn hell. Amen. Like a lot of these early anabaptists, you know, he ruffled a lot of feathers in Switzerland. June 1680, government correspondences from officials in the rural Swiss area of Oberhofen, where Jacob

lived, asked council from authorities in Bern, how to deal with the man who had quote, become infected with the anabaptist sect. That's not their big fans of anabaptists. The 36 year old was not quite about his beliefs. He was irritating the shit out a lot of others, right? A lot of Swiss had converted to Calvinism during the Reformation. There was a lot of Calvinist and anti-baptist tension. There had been violence on both sides, not all early metanites were pacifists. What did they disagree on? Well, I would fully explain it, but it would take forever.

And it's fucking boring. They basically had some different ideas about God's plan for the salvation of humanity, but the meaning and celebration of the sacraments on the spiritual real presence of Christ of the Lord's Supper, there's a worship, purpose and meaning of baptism, right? Yet another group of meat sacks historically willing to kill other meat sacks over slightly different interpretations of nonsensical scripture that meant everything to them. This is obviously what Matthew was saying in this verse, and if you don't agree, you're a goddess heretic, and you need to die.

Uh, this June 1680 correspondence is the first known reference to, uh, Amon as an anti-baptist. On March 12, 1671, a document notes him as the sponsor for a baptism baptism in the state church, which would have been Calvinist, meaning he converted sometime between 1671 and 1680. And then he would split off from the anti-baptist around him, right? The split began in 1693, when Jacob sent a general letter to people in Swiss anabaptist congregations asking for a meeting in which he wanted clarification about where they stood on three issues that were very important to him. One, shunning those who had been

banned. Two, whether liars should be excommunicated. And three, if people could be saved who did not follow God's word. Damn, did they want to excommunicate liars and get firmer on shunning? I'm just gonna say what I hope many of you are thinking. This guy sounds like a real cunt. This last issue was referring to a notion of God saving good-hearted people meaning that some anabaptists at that time felt that those who sympathized with anabaptists even helped them in times of Persecution, but who did not take the step of re-baptism?

Could they still receive God's grace a lot of anabaptists thought they could? But Jacob was like, fuck that shit. You're all in or you're down in the fire repaid I'm on also insisted that any excommunicated church member should be shunned socially Right? Don't just excommunicate them right never fucking talk to him again and that anyone who lied should be excommunicated church member should be shunned socially. Don't just excommunicate them, never fucking talk to them again. And that anyone who lied should be excommunicated. So very hardcore. No lies at all. What if someone of the thicker persuasion were to ask you if they're bonnet, may their

face look fat? And it really, really did. Undeniably. You get kicked out of the flock and those basically sent to hell or tell them, no, no, no, you look great. The people who sided with a mom felt that good-hearted people should not be looked upon and consoled as saved unless they took up the cross

and followed Christ and rebaptism and obedience to all of God's teachings, right? Being nice, not enough. Sure, you helped my family, not get killed. But God doesn't give a fuck about that snowflake. God wants you to be obedient so we can down on your knees and suck. God's cock. Or something like that. To solve these issues, that was pretty fun for the neighbors to hear. To solve these issues, Jacob Amann, another

anabaptist, Nicholas Augsberger, were chosen by a ministerial committee to travel to Switzerland for a meeting with church leaders to find out where the Swiss congregation stood on these topics. At first, few of the Swiss ministers agreed with Amon's view, but in a later meeting, another anabaptist named Hans Reist would not agree with social avoidance, citing Matthew chapter 15, verse 17, do not ye yet understand that whatsoever entruth in at the mouth, go with into the belly and is cast out into the draw. Okay, he got that message from that verse.

What the fuck does that verse even mean? I'm not sure what shitty now digestive food has to do with whether or not you should shun non-believers. I'm sure that's been interpreted to me in about a thousand different things. Another meaning was called, in which Hans Rice does not show up, said it was busy. Oh shit, Jacob just got dist.

Jacob gets irritated, proceeds to announce that Hans has now been excommunicated from a new church in charge of. So fuck yeah, bro. I'll rebuke you, Hans. Power move. If you don't agree with me, will you get banished, Dick? What? When I'm on questions, some of the other Swiss ministers of the meeting about where they stood on issues, they pleaded for time to consult with their congregations. This pissed him off more. He thought it was weak. So now he proceeds to announce the excommunication of six of the other ministers. Boom, take that.

You wish you wash your bitches. Do his hand out damn nation like Oprah, hand out cars. You go to hell. You go to hell and you go to hell and you. I'm on the four men with him then left quote without shaking hands with anyone sick burn mic drop Right those fox wouldn't play by his made up rules. He would take his toys and go home This is great. This is what God wants pompous dickheads. That is how you represent God's will All these excommunications created a definite breach within the Swiss anabaptist movement in the end.

All these excommunications created a definite breach within the Swiss Anabaptist movement. A lot of people didn't like what Jacob was doing. And he got some shit from other Anabaptists. So in February of 1700, he and several co-ministers of a new Anabaptist congregation, he's partially in charge of, remove their childish excommunications of other Swiss ministers and plot twists.

They now excommunicate themselves in recognition that they'd acted too rashly and had quote grievously aired. What? The excommunicated themselves? Is that is that a thing? I don't think that's a thing. Several sources state this and it feels like some bullshit. I'm guessing it was a mom's way of breaking away to have his own church. Basically, the religious equivalent of a classic breakup line. Not it's not you, it's not you, it's me. Some weird, I'm not dumping you, I'm dumping myself.

A mom of these buddies never actually come to an agreement, with other Swiss enabaptists on the matter of shunning, specifically, and the Amish, a mom's followers were born. And what a shitty origin story. They split off because as I see it, they were the most unreasonable tickets. They created a new group based on arguably the worst, most cult-like trait, right?

Not loving the Amish as a religious organization right now. I'm sure many of them are great people, but their faith seems pretty fucked. Not known when Jacob Amon died, but in 1730 his daughter requested baptism in the reformed church of Erdenbach and stated that her father had died. So, you know, the Amish not great record keepers.

You know, it's vanity to keep records. What do you, oh, you consider your deeds to be important? Okay, pride, pride pompous dickhead. After his death, Amish community, spring up in Switzerland, Alsace, Alsace, Germany, Russia, Holland, I think it's Alsace. Itace, Germany, Russia, Holland, I think it's Alsace. I don't know. There were different pronunciations online.

They were persecuted like many other weirdos. I mean religious groups. And like many Puritans before them, some of these groups started looking across the pond for a land of religious freedom, where they could take all their different kinds of crazy and infect a new country that is still dealing with, you know, way too much, you know,

hardcore conservative theological bullshit. Over three centuries later, we're still culturally riddled with sexual shame and guilt, a lot of concern over God's wrath. Many of us still can't understand that sexual persuasion is something you're born with, not a choice made because you let your spiritual guard down and Satan trick you into thinking you wanted to play with people's naughty bits that look like your naughty bits. Thanks, Jacob, and others like you for helping us uh, fuck up so much of our culture. Under a sigh, you insane zealot.

To hell, play the demo. Uh, in 1682, William Penn first arrived in America on the ship, welcome, founded Pennsylvania. As a quaker, Penn promoted religious freedom in the quality that he created as a holy experiment. Pennsylvania became a refuge for people of all kinds of different religious denominations, who were being persecuted elsewhere, including the 13 German men and night families who arrived in Pennsylvania,

seeking religious freedom in 1683, thought to be the first anabaptist headed on over here. They found a German town six miles north of Philadelphia. Then in 1737, the charming Nancy, fucking great ship name, set sail for North America from the Netherlands with 21 Amish families, America's first Amish. The Amish had only shown up in the Netherlands in 1711 after getting kicked the fuck out of Switzerland. Over the next three decades, about 100 Amish families would make the crossing. In 1749, Jacob Hartzler, the first well-known Amish Bishop in North America, settled in

North Kill Creek, Berks County, North Philadelphia, by 1850, 3,000 Amish will have immigrated to North America from Europe. Eventually literally all Amish people will leave Europe. By the mid 19th century, Amish communities in Pennsylvania and around the country established one-room public schools for their kids, which typically ran to the eighth grade, with one teacher for all students who wasn't teaching much. Many areas, Amish and English children attended the same schools, left around age 14 to work on their family farms, but that was not ideal, and they tried to avoid mixing the Amish with

other children. Schism and disruption occurs after 1850 in the Amish community because of some tension between a new order of Amish who were starting to accept social change in technological innovation and the old order or traditional Amish who were like fuck machines. June of 1862 in various Amish settlements, various churches debate over dress code, separation from society, use of technology like photography. The intensifying debates culminate in the first all church Amish ministers conference in Wayne County, Ohio, which would occur annually

until 1878 or nearly annually, the misdeeds, 1865, the more conservative Amish departed that year's annual conference dissatisfied. And their dissatisfaction triggers a gradual but major division within Amish communities in North America. For the first time, the more conservative flank really becomes known as old order Amish, because they cling to the old Ordenung. The more progressive Amish become Amish menonites, and slowly over several decades just become assimilated into menonite churches. But the real changes were soon to come with the advent of some major technology like

the phone, the automobile, the telegraph, Amish, you know, they didn't always show this technology actually. For example, in the early 1900s, about 1.4 million telephones are in service across the country, including some in Amish homes. Party lines were shared by multiple families, but then several Amish groups began debating the danger that these home telephones were presenting to their communities. Brother has a cadiet guy. We must remove Alexander Graham Bell's dialed devil from our homes before crank calls defile our families with filth talking lies.

Three times this week I have been called and asked if I have Prince Albert in the can. And if I say yes, they tell me to let him out. It's tobacco, not a man, but still they call. It must be one of Satan's tricks. On at least two occasions, I've been asked if my refrigerator was running. When I say I don't have a refrigerator, still they tell me to run and catch it. And one time I run, I didn't even know where or why I was running. More devil's lies, I was so scared. The funds were removed. At this time, the Amos population in America numbered around 6,000. Over the next 30 years,

it was more than double. All still concentrated in Pennsylvania in the Midwest. New Amish settlements are grown in Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Delaware. 1908 Henry Ford's Model T-Card debuts. It'll rapidly gain popularity in the coming years. Just a year later, about 20% of the old order church and landcaster Pennsylvania break away from a new peachy group of Amish, the peachy omelet.

The peachy omelet, which later joined a group called the peachy omelet. That's a weird coincidence. Oh, the peachy's and the peachy's. Now, in 1927, it was based on the last names. These omelet, these breakaways were basically like fuck horses and buggies. Come on, have you seen these cars? We need to drive. And they will embrace most technology other than TVs and radios in the 20th century.

They can use the internet today if it's filtered. Guessing porn hub is blocked, guessing, a low hot tube.com though. Mmm, that's a sneaky one. That one might not be. Pro tip for horny beachy Amish peeps who want to see what pro fucking can look like. Surprise, a brother Leviticus, a ding dong or a a sister, a Magdalena, a dyadie, deep throat with some new moves. And unlike old order Amish,

they stop speaking Pennsylvania Dutch as their first language. This new Amish group, others like them, also don't agree with the strict shunting policy, and they became more like men and nights. And that'll happen a fair amount over the last, you know, about a hundred, 200 years. Communities Amish, you know,

being like, add a mind where in bonnets, having a beard, I don't mind churning butter occasionally, but the shunning, I could do without that and fuck horses, and they just become basically men and nights. 1910s, old order homage communities across North America decide over several years to forbid telephones in their homes. Although using a public telephone is permitted in most cases,

they also be in the ownership of automobiles, citing the risk that car ownership could encourage urban contacts and pull their community apart. Most Amish can still ride in cars, passengers under certain circumstances, like if they need to go to the hospital, they weirdly do accept Western medicine,

but they may not own or drive one. And then World War I would make life more complicated for the Amish. Late spring in 1917, US begins a national conscription service. Some Amish boys receive exemptions for farm deferments as conscientious objectors, but others are required to report to Army camps. Drafted Amish who refuse to enter armed service are sent to the Army camps for non-combat service, often subjected to abuse. Some members of the Amish community express concern

over Amish boys being pulled away from the church, not returning to their home communities, following their service. Yeah, I bet a lot of non-Amish also worried about their boys, not returning home from war. Guesting parents of all belief systems, worried about that, since that's a rational thing to worry about in a time war.

And the Amish were not being singled out, so how about they shut the fuck up? Over the next 10 years, many Amish communities make the insane decision to ban connection to electrical grids. That's how the devil gets you, right? Well, Satan Kurnh. Hunked right into your home. First comes electricity, then comes the curling iron,

then comes dressing up like a harlot wearing blouses and slacks and no bonnets, then comes the radio with their 1920s big band sex songs and pretty soon You're having a dick train run on you behind the local bar. Choo choo dick train Next up Lancaster County last stop Sister Mary a day a guy of an e-sus for JJ But JJ They continue to use electricity from batteries though That was never forbidden right because God loves battery anybody knows anything about God

Those God loves a battery By this time the old order homage population North America is nearly 10,000 1921 Ohio's Bing act man mandaged the children through age 18 must attend school. This goes against God's plan for the Amish. God wants the Amish to be super dumb. Old order Amish resists this new law, right? Because they believe children only need basic scholastic knowledge, reading, writing, arithmetic. Right?

They should learn all their other values and morals at home, and they don't need history. Anything else, right? They don't want their other values and morals at home and they don't need history Anything else, right? They don't want their fucking kids to be touched, you know, or looked at or here filthy non-amish children Several homage parents keep their older children out of school prompting arrests, fines and jail sentences January of 1922, five homage fathers arrested in homes and Wayne counties in Ohio for disregarding the being act by keeping their teens at home Years later, the state will relax on this many years later. Home school has actually only been legal in all 50 US states since 1993. According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, home education was illegal in most

states as recently as the early 1980s. Obviously, it was legal like at the beginning of the country's history, but in the 20th century here. By 1989, only three states, Michigan, North Dakota, Iowa still considered homeschooling a crime. Over the next 20 years, many old-order Amish communities banned the use of tractors and other self-propelled farm equipment down their fields. New technology equipment may be used in the field only if pulled by horses or mules. So say it's the Lord. Yes, you can have some kind of mechanical tiller, of course, but a God

horse has to pull it. Go, God horse, go. Around this time, the beachy Amish, right, those hedonistic liberal motherfuckers, they begin buying, driving their own automobiles, oh, crossing this culture boundary excludes them from the horse and buggy driving Amish crew, who now shun them. Stay away from those beaches. This division will soon solidify the use of horse-drawn transportation as a key aspect of Amish identity for most Amish groups that has lasted until today. 1937, the Pennsylvania State Legislature's plan to close 10 one-room schools and replace them with the consolidated elementary building sparks outrage among the Amish community and the East Lampeter Township near Lancaster.

The same year, the legislature lengthens the school year by one month to nine months raises the age of compulsory attendance by year to 15 Amish students have typically left school by the age of 14 to do farm work and the Amish try to fight back brothers Jebadabadu and Mathusola Daya Dingdong are not going to take this line down On September 14th 1937 16 Amish delegates preachers layman from the delegation for common sense schooling Common sense could get a fuck out of here. Right, petition to regain control over the education of their children. They collect more than 3,000 signatures from people and surrounding communities who support their cause.

And it works sort of. In May of 1939, Pennsylvania state legislators passed a measure allowing 14-year-old sleeve school for farming domestic work, but they still must go to school most of time. But they can help on the farm a little bit of time. Around that time, the Amish opened their first two private schools in the state. Backing up just a bit for a moment, the last Amish settlement in Europe located in Germany merges with the local men and night congregation assimilates into the men and nights January 17, 1937.

Amish are in North America now for the moment all of them. 1940s and 1950s sociologists declared that the Amish are a culture and decline and will soon disintegrate under the pressure of technology and urbanization. Sadly this does not happen. Contrary to those predictions, Amish flourished in the second half of the 20th century. The old order Amish population in Lancaster County, a mere 4,150 grows exponentially to 22,300 by the year 2000. When World War II comes along, it goes better for the Amish than World War I. February of 1941, the US and Canadian government accept alternative service options for conscientious objectives. The American civilian public service and the Canadian alternative service work allow Amish Draftees to work non-military assignments and stay in special CO camps.

They will provide free labor and forestry projects, hospitals, social work on farms, excuse me, many also receive farm deferments and may work at home because agricultural production supports the national interest during the war. Then this changes again, and excuse me, 1950, with the beginning of the Korean War. With the US military entering into more combat, the draft system no longer exempts conscientious objectors. But they also don't consent to the front lines. Amish men can enter some type of alternative service as part of the IW program,

where CO spend two years working in government or nonprofit organizations that benefit society. Most of those organizations exist outside of the men's home communities. Clash over schooling resumes in 1955. On the early 1950s, hundreds of Amish fathers are imprisoned for refusing to send their kids to high school. Taking pity on these anti-education weirdos, in 1955 Pennsylvania agrees a new vocational

school option for the Amish. Children have to attend school through eighth grade, after which they can work at home and go to an Amish vocational class once a week until they're 15. Cool. Keep them stupid. Best way to also keep them omnis. The first vocational schools will be open in January of 1956, under the new structure, attendance records are still reported to the state, but students are under the vocational

guidance of their parents for most of the week. Things next get contentious in Iowa. And the fall of 1962, in Buchanan County, Iowa, and Amish community reopens this one-room schoolhouse and hires its own Amish teachers, refusing to send their sweet babies to heathen sin camps for kids, smoke cigarettes in the bathroom and finger and hand job each other in their cars at lunch right in the school parking lot. Local promise to take action against these new Amish schools.

November of 1965, authorities go so far as to attempt to close Buchanan County, Iowa's Amish school houses by force. The operation gains national attention, public sympathy, grows for the Amish cause, which I think is fucking weak. Governor Harold E. Hughes asked the state legislature to address the situation. As schooling conflicts erupted more states around the US,

non-Amish lawyers, academics and religious leaders formed the national committee for Amish religious freedom. The group advocates on behalf of the Amish to defend and preserve their religious freedom and I don't like it. I truly think that sometimes we allow too much religious freedom. You want to school your kids at home? Okay, but they still should have to go to testing centers. And if they aren't in at least the D student range,

unless they're intellectually impaired, you should lose the right to teach them at home because you're clearly a fucking shitty teacher. I hate protecting religious freedom to the point that parents are free to fuck over their kids' futures. Right? Kids should have to go to school. And if the basic concept of a basic secular high school education clashes strongly with

your religion, then how about fuck your religion? If education is a threat to your religion, then maybe your religion is garbage. In Iowa, the General Assembly agrees to exempt any Amish who have been in the state for at least 10 years from certain public school requirements. Now, officially, the Amish can manage their own schools with their own teachers who will teach kids next to fuck and nothing in many cases.

Then a similar resolution will be reached about Amish men and military service. 1969, the Steering Committee and the Select the selective service and charge of the Vietnam draft Finalize an agreement to let young men serve their IW alternative service on Amish owned farms now instead of outside non-profit organizations when drafted Amish CEOs may now serve two years on farms leased by the Amish church so they don't have to fucking go anywhere They get to keep them within the church fold. You know, removes the temptations of the modern world forum. Why do we coddle these weirdos? No one's forcing them to believe this stuff.

It's like we're rewarding them now for being insular idiots. Two years later, 1971, the North American Amish population surpasses 50,000. And we'll hear after double every 19 to 20 years. 70s and A's would see a lot more disagreement about whether Amish families had to send their kids to public school Including a Supreme Court case was constant versus Yoda

1982 Nebraska will still not allow the Amish to use uncertified Amish teachers for their children good on you Nebraska go corn huskers go Deciding against taking further court action many Amish now leave the state in the 80s and move to Ohio and Pennsylvania Now moving rapidly up to the modern day. By 1991, there are about 123,000 Amish in North America. Then in 2006, something horrible will happen in an Amish community in Nickel mines, Pennsylvania. This event will shed an interest in insight into another characteristic of Amish culture, the incredible ability to forgive in some situations. It's interesting. No tolerance for their own who leave the fold, but incredible tolerance against outsiders who sin against them. They're

confusing bunch. On October 2nd, 2006, Charles Karl Robert IV, a milk truck driver, Roberts IV, decides to do something despicable. Before the event that would make him infamous, Charles had quite a bit of exposure to the English. He was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and in 2004 his father had applied to the state for a special license to provide para transit service to the Amish. Charles earned a diploma through a home school association, then went to work as a dishwasher at a good and plenty restaurant, smoked out Pennsylvania. And on October 2nd at approximately 9.51 AM,

Roberts entered a one-room West Nickel mines school at approximately 951 am with a 9 millimeter handgun 12 gauge shotgun 30 out six bold action rifle about 600 rounds of ammo cans of black powder stun gun two knives change a close box containing a hammer Hack saw pliers wire screws bolts and tape not good Now the sick fuck also brought provisions for an extended overnight stay candles, toilet tissue, change of clothes. Mr. Roberts arrived at the school. He showed his nine millimeter to the teacher and asked, have you seen anything like this? Right?

Referring to the weapon, then he uses two by sixes and two by fours with eye bolts and flex ties to barricade the school doors before binding the arms and legs of its hostages. He ordered the hostages to line up against the chalkboard. He had sent away from the classroom of pregnant woman, three parents with infants, and all 15 male students, right? Keeps the girls. One female student escaped, nine-year-old Emma Fisher, whose two older sisters stayed inside. The nine-year-old who had just started to learn English, even though she was born in Pennsylvania, left with the male students because she did not understand the gunman's orders, right? She just didn't understand the language.

She'd been sitting beside her brother, followed him out when he left. Roberts remained inside the schoolhouse with the remaining 10 female students. The school teacher Emma May Zook contacted the police upon escaping, upon escaping at approximately 1036 AM. The first police officers arrived about nine minutes later and attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with Roberts using PA broadcasters and their cruisers. The 9-11 call transcript shows Roberts ordered the police, minutes later and attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with Roberts using PA broadcasters and their cruisers. A 9-11 call transcript shows Roberts ordered a police or said, you know, demanded the police

that if they didn't pull back within two seconds, children will be dead. And then he began firing when they did not immediately comply. Police now have to break into the windows, you know, when they hear the shots, by the time they get inside, what they see is horrific. Roberts had killed himself and five of the girls and basically shot all the others. They found out later that the oldest girl, 13-year-old Marion Fisher appealed to Roberts asked to have him shoot her first in an effort to spare the younger girls, according to a younger sister who survived.

That younger sister, Barbie, had also appealed to him to shoot her next. These are some brave, ass kids, incredibly brave. Barbie received nine millimeter bullet wounds and her hand, leg, and shoulder, but lived. Three of the girls died of the scene. Two more died the next morning from related injuries to the hospital. Five girls ended up in the hospital in critical condition. The ages of the victims range from six to 13.

One kid died in the arms of a trooper as he rushed her out of the building to get medical help, how fucking extra tragic. Everyone was of course now wondering, why would Robert do this? He didn't appear to be religiously motivated against Yamash, didn't appear at first to be mentally ill. He's a pleased and things so right away,

didn't have a history of criminal behavior. While a county seemed to be a pretty normal husband, father to three kids. But there was something not surprisingly very dark going on beneath the surface. After his wife got home from walking their kids to the bus stop around 11 that morning, she discovered four notes Roberts had left to her

and their kids. His suicide notes stated that he was angry at God still for the death of a premature infant daughter nine years earlier. Note also cryptically stated that he had been having dreams for the past couple of years about doing what he did 20 years ago. And he has dreams of doing it again. So what the fuck did you do 20 years ago? Robert's reportedly also contact his wife, well still to schoolhouse stated that he had molested two young female relatives between the ages of three and five, 20 years earlier when he would have been 12th.

And he began day dreaming about molesting again. Both relatives in question denied those claims. However, among the items he brought to the school, there was a tube of KY jelly, investigators surmised, so you might have intended to use it as a sexual lubricant. So dude might not have had a history of mental illness people knew about.

Sure seems like he was mentally ill. You. So sure seems like mental illness had something to do with all this. Also, how terrible if you never did molest anyone to lose your mind and start believing you had. And now we're afraid to do it again. Something you never actually did. I'm surprised I didn't find a brain tumor. And this guy's autopsy or something. Something was going on. The police would later find out that Mr. Roberts co-workers had noticed changes in his behavior over the past several months. Well, he had long been known as an upbeat, outgoing dude.

You know, recently he began to appear stolen. His co-workers said. Then the week before the shooting, the week before the shooting, Mr. Roberts once again appeared upbeat at work. Investigator thought it was then he decided to go through with his horrible plan. Obviously, the crimes he committed were terrible, horrific, tragic, maybe especially to the Amish community who had tried to insulate themselves so hard against, you know, the modern world and violence for hundreds of years.

So how did the Amish community respond? That's why I chose to share the story. I don't know what I was expecting, but it surprised me. Although the Amish community grieved deeply, of course, about the terrible incident. Certainly, we're shocked about this tragedy. They also believed it was right to forgive Roberts. The Reverend Shek, Amish Reverend reported that a grandfather of one of the murdered Amish girls said of the killer on the day of the murder, we must not think evil of this man. Dwight Lafever, a Roberts family spokesman said an Amish neighbor comforted the Roberts family hours after the shooting and immediately extended forgiveness to them. The Amish definitely seemed to handle tragedy better than most. They seemed to believe it was

just part of God's plan. No point in worrying about it too much. This reminded me of one of several documentaries I watched. There was a set of Amish parents and they found out that their young daughter, no more than seven or eight, had cancer. leukemia. And they didn't seem to get that upset about the news. They didn't seem to see much downside. Dad said that if the cancer went into remission, well, then she'd live long-run Earth and be able to please God from Earth for longer. So that was a win. And if she died, then she'd go to heaven to be with God and please God there and that was also a win. You know, I can't stand certain aspects of how the Amish expressed her faith, but it must be really nice, really comforting to truly believe shit like that. A dozen of Amish neighbors attended Charles Roberts Funel, right?

The guy who murdered five Amish kids tried to kill more on October 7th, 2006. He was buried in an unmarked grave in his wife's family plot behind Georgetown United Methodist Church, female from the one room West nickel mine schoolhouse. One more stated that Roberts wife was touched by the outward gestures of forgiveness by the Amish community. The schoolhouse was torn down 11 days after the tragedy. The new Hope School was built near the original site opened on April 2nd 2007, six months after the shooting. I do think the Amish are fucking weirdos, but they're tough weirdos. Their faith is strong,

and it seems to provide many of them with great comfort. I guess I can't deny some value in that. Back to Amish history, just wrapping up now, Amish settlements are now scattered as far west as Colorado, South to Texas, Northeast, and domain. The US home to the overwhelming majority of Amish, 98.3% of Amish in the world live in the US. Canada has most of the rest of that 1.7%. Approximately 62.5% of the North American population live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. 2021, old old order communities were present in 31 US states, though no old order Amish exist in Europe. There are a number of those car driving computer using a beachy Amish mother fuckers congregating in Ukraine, Ireland and Belgium. These congregations are the result of beachy Amish missionary outreach. But the beachy Amish are almost closer to men and night than old order Amish.

Also in the fall of 2015, horse and buggy drive a new order Amish from the Midwest organized two settlements in South America. One in Bolivia, one in Argentina, each settlement has one congregation. Most of the members come from old calling men and night background. Today these settlements relate to a new order Amish communities in Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina. Many new order Amish communities again, though, more men a new order Amish communities in Ohio, Indiana, and North Carolina. Many new order Amish communities, again, though, more men and night than Amish. Okay, let's hop out of the timeline to learn more

about these very interesting people, right, right now. Good job, soldier. You've made it back, barely. Apparently. I want to zoom in on some demographics. Like I said, as of 2021, 31 U.S. states have significant omnis populations. Estimates showed there are about 344,670 omnis people in the U.S. right now. North American omnis population grew by an estimated 172,780 since 2000, increasing from approximately 177,885, right, to, yeah, 350,665.

So it increased 97%. Almost all of these people are old order Amish. The most insular kind, who do zero missionary work. So how are they growing? Motherfucking. The Amish are fucking themselves into a more formidable, but still goofy looking force. Amish typically marry in their early to mid 20s. The new family typically begins adding new members soon after. Amish do not sanction birth control, which means they have large families. The primary force

driving their growth by far is family size. They have over five kids on average. Less than 100 non-amish people, as far as like, you know, what records we have, have ever become Amish. Everyone else are just descendants. They were just born into it. That's crazy. Out of a group that has hundreds of thousands of members, right? They make it very painful to leave. They have a high retention rate, right? Around 85 percent. Very, yeah. And again, very few outsiders come. A come a largest on this population is found in the state of Pennsylvania About 81,500 Amish Ohio's next just slightly less right the border in state 78,200 and then right there Indiana almost 60,000

Other states may soon see sizable populations. They are branching out during the past year 33 new settlements have been established Seven existing settlements have been dissolved New settlements typically small with only a few families in a single church district, aka single congregation. The Amish established new settlements for a variety of reasons, including a desire for more sexy bonnets. No, fertile farmland at reasonable prices.

Non-farm work and specialized occupations, more access to beard oil. Okay, real isolation that supports their traditional family- based lifestyle, social and physical environments, climate, governments, services, economy, right conducive to their way of life, proximity to family or other similar Amish church groups and a way to resolve church or leadership conflicts.

50% of all Amish settlements contain only a single church district. Single church district has between 20 and 40 families. It's pretty damn small community. To sometimes spend your whole life in, to find a spousin. Some older settlements such as those in Holmes County, Iowa, Landcastle, Pennsylvania, you know, have contain more than 200 districts. So many hot-ass fucking bonnet bitches to choose from. Sorry, don't let me know what that bitch is in that context. It just flowed well from bonnets. Larger settlements may have Sorry, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, ancestry, language, culture. They marry within the Amish community.

I wasn't able to find a single picture of a black or Asian or Latino Amish person online. Not a pick of someone who seemed like they were genuinely Amish, not just joking around. Again, almost no outsiders ever join the Amish. Menonites have racial variety, but not the Amish because the menonites will do some missionary work. Now, recently, the beachy Amish, I'm sure, are starting to branch into some racial diversity, but the Amish overall, so homogenous or homogenous, excuse me, is words so similar. They meet the sociological criteria of an ethnic group. However, the Amish themselves generally use the term Amish only to refer to accepted members of the church community and not as some

kind of ethnic designation. Those born into the group, which is pretty much all of them, who do not choose to join the church and live in Amish lifestyle or no longer considered Amish just as, um, wait, those born into the group who do not choose to join the church and live in Amish lifestyle, no longer considered Amish, just as those who live the plain lifestyle but are not baptizing Amish church, you know, not Amish. Amish children are given responsibility at an early age with most learning to strong work ethic, given the size of an Amish extended family. An Amish child surrounded by older, younger siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, who in many cases live, you know, very close by.

Amish children live at home, typically until marriage, right? Don't ever live alone. You might start thinking your own thoughts. A little bit cultish. Typical that Amish children contribute their paychecks to the household budget until the age of 21. Not weird. Admarriage Amish parents help their children get started in life. In some cases helping finance a home or farm purchase help that comes with strings. I'll buy you in your life, a nice farm of your own, Billy Cadietting Dong. It's time you

branched out and lived your own life. 80 to 100 feet away from our house. Amish parents have distinct roles in the Amish home. The male husband, father, considered the head of the household. A stance Amish fine support for inscripture. Also usually the main breadwinner, public voice the family. In some cases, it takes other leadership roles such as in the ministry, if chosen by the current community leaders or in lay leadership, like serving in a pro-curiel school board or on some other committee, women have numerous important roles to fulfill as well. Amish consider a man's wife his quote, help meet his primary support in this life. How sweet ladies, you get to be stand as little helpers. If you're a good, good girl someday, you might get to be vice principal of your own, of your own

family. Women raised children are almost always household managers, responsible for maintaining the home, cooking food, make sure it dinners on time, get the children canned vegetables and fruits with substantial gardens found at most omichomes. They might fulfill other roles such as help in handle finances for a home business,

farm chores, maintain a correspondence with other other Amish to be a letter writing. And I have no problem with women working in a traditional role, as long as that is what they want, as long as there is an option also not to do that. But that's not the case here. This is the only option afforded them. Amish homes generally large with numerous rooms spacious, common areas such as living rooms and kitchens, sizeable basements, which often provide a space for gatherings such as Sunday church services, which most Amish families host at least once a year. Amish homes may be heated and lit in a variety of ways depending on the local church rules, including using liquid propane or kerosene lighting, and with wood stoves commonly used for warmth. No AC

though, of course not, it's evil. The technology homes contain varies as well. For example, some Amish keep their food cold using propane or natural gas for fidurators, while others rely on ice boxes. Most have indoor plumbing and bathrooms, but some of the most conservative do not. Instead of technology, Amish homes typically contain

wholesome reading material for children, mostly Bible stories, Amish publications, other safe books, get that copy of the great Gatsby, out of here, Hezekiah Daya, loop de looper in the chimney shoot, it has less than it. I can feel the devil reaching out from its steamy pages.

So now that we know what a typical Amish home looks like, let's look at the Amish lifestyle on the whole, what makes the Amish, you know, probably most remarkable, and certainly most recognizable, you know, is that distinctive lifestyle. Two key concepts for understanding Amish probably most remarkable and certainly most recognizable is that distinctive lifestyle. Two key concepts for understanding Amish practices are the rejection of Huckmat, pride, arrogance, hotiness, and the high value placed on Demet, humility, and gleece and height, calmness, composure, placidity, often translated as submission or letting be, just submit to God's will as a

cadai abiding dung. The willingness to submit to the will of the God to God's will as a cadet, I am being done. The willingness to submit to the will of God to will God as expressed through church norms is at odds with individualism central to the wider American culture around them. The Amish anti individualist orientation is the main motive for it's rejecting labor saving technologies that might make one less dependent on the community, which might start a competition for status goods or cultivate individual or family vanity. Oh, you think you're so, you think you're hot-shoot? He's a good eye-abiding, Dung.

You and your tractor. Good down off your high tractor horse and talk with the rest of us. It's also related to the Amos tradition of rejecting education beyond the eighth grade, especially speculative study that's a little practical use for farm life, but may awaken personal and materialistic ambitions. Yuck! What do you mean you have dreams of your own, belly ding dong? Why can't you just be happy here and our coach, coach, coach?

The weird names I keep giving them, by the way, have nothing to do with anything Amish. It just amuses me. Now I wanna explore their theological beliefs. Are you curious about what beliefs led them into this unusual lifestyle? I am. I know we've talked about this a little bit,

but the Amish believe in one Christian God, they believe that their faith calls for them to lead a lifestyle that consists of hard work and discipline. In addition to discipline and hard work, they're religion also calls for them to lead a lifestyle in which they practice humility, calmness, placidity, standing out as an individual through self-promotion, promotion, self expression is forbidden.

A popular Amish school poem states, I must be a Christian child, general patient, meek and mild must be honest, simple, true in my words and actions too. I must cheerfully obey, giving up my will and way. That's just self-fucking sad and creepy to me. I have dreams and aspirations, but I must swallow them and push them down for God to love me and not be burning in hell. They closely follow the word of the Bible, which is seen as the word of God. Of course, importantly, people who are not in here to teach into the church subject to shunning. Old order church services generally held in the homes of members on a rotating basis. Can't that anybody, you know, get in their house

too often? Make them think they're cool. When a congregation becomes too large to fit in a single home a new congregation is formed to maintain this small scale of services and keep the community centric focus alive I'm sure congregational meaning that there's no formal religious structure organization beyond the local level Mass often involves communion and foot washing and as we said adult baptism is also a tradition. I get the baptism Why the fuck are they washing each other's feet? Well, I did a little digging and washing, and as we said, adult baptism is also a tradition. I get the baptism. Why the fuck are they washing each other's feet? Well, I did a little digging, and it seems obvious once I found it. It's how they come. You heard me.

That's how they come. All Amish have foot fetishes. It's the one kink allowed in their religion. Based on interpreting some biblical, you know, pastures, it's the only way outside of trying to conceive a child. They're allowed to come in a non-sinnful way. Some communities even allow female members to use their clits to wash other members' feet. Sounds weird, but Lindsay and I tried it, and she really likes it. It doesn't do a lot for me. I don't get the best foot massage out of the deal, but she

fucking loves it. All toe-pussed Jones. That's what I call her now. Can I get enough? She's going to kill me for that one. No, for real though. Why do they wash each other's feet? Well, and with her hands, of course. To teach humility, right? You're not above it. And to teach care for others,

so much, you know, community-centric focus. You gotta be dependent on some of the feet. I bet some of the omniscient getting boners in their home-made pants. Some omniscient getting wet in their homemade granny panties to touch nose feet. Religious services generally held every other Sunday, typically last from morning till early afternoon, long service.

Traditional hymns from the Osbund. An Amish book of songs dating back to the 1600s. Our song and several sermons, Bible readings are included. Then find a copy, I'm sure there's a bunch of sweetass songs. And there, oh please don't stand out. included. Then find a copy. I'm sure there's a bunch of sweetass songs and there. Oh, please don't stand out. Please do not do anything for pride. Or that's how the devil gets you. Don't use a toaster, my dear. That's how the devil gets you. The service is usually led by Bishop, which is a lifelong appointment chosen by drawing lots. Not sure that's the best way to pick a

spiritual leader at random. But okay. Okay. Okay. Virtual visiting also practice on Sundays after service. A visit is usually a low key affair spent discussing community issues and enjoying homemade treats. There's some, sorry, there's a thing in my head. It's not in my head itself, but there was so many things. It's already a huge episode. It's hard to pick what to like cut out. But now I'm just flashing on one of the traditions

of one of the most conservative communities in Missouri. This, you know, the Gingrich lady was talking about escaping from. She said that like when they date in her community, they had this weird thing. We turned 16. Between 11 PM, specifically, between 11 PM and 4 AM, young men, if a young man liked a certain girl in the community, other

young men would then sneak him into that girl's house, but the dad's knew that was going on. They were their courting practice and would go into the young girl's room unannounced, and then the boy would lay in the bed, but not touch the woman until four a.m. and then he would wake and sneak out before the dad and the mom woke up. And oftentimes it wouldn't even talk. And that's a courtship ritual. That's how you let a girl know you like to, you fucking sneak in her room,

like a weird rapy creep and got in bed with her while she's asleep, and then lay there and maybe if she woke up, you talked a little bit. That's the fuck, what the fuck. There were just so many weird little rituals and traditions at various communities. Popular holidays celebrated by all the Amish are unsurprisingly religious holidays, you know, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, Ascension Day, Pentecost, with Monday. Don't give a fuck about 4th July. Many of them don't even know that's a holiday. And now let's talk about shunning. Amish shunning, a long standing practice in which church members

isolate, ignore otherwise punished on one for breaking community rules. Some common reasons for shunning include owning automobiles or computers, failing to kneel during church service or drinking alcohol. Get out, get through all canis or dieting, don't slip it slide. First, you don't need a church last week. Now I catch you watching educational videos on your pewter. First, you don't need a church last week. Now, I catch you watching educational videos on your pewter. Flea, you'll respond. May we never see your evil face again. Ah, Amos churches cite multiple biblical passages.

They interpret as advocating, shunning. And the book of Matthew, for example, a passage advises privately correcting someone who is sinned. If they do not repent, they must be presented publicly before the church. If they still do not repent, the Bible states, let him be to you as a Gentile and tax collector. Bible also talks a lot about forgiveness, but they choose to not focus on that part when it comes to rule breakers. They also interpret Corinthians 5, 11 as an

endorsement for shunning. The passage reads, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother, if he is an immoral person or covetous or an idolater or a viola or a drunkard or a swindler. Not even to eat with such a one. Yeah, but again, forgiveness, right? A lot of pastures about that. Come on, Ephesians 432, be kind to compassion to one another, forgive each other. Just as in Christ, God forgave you, Matthew 614, for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. Luke 637, do not judge and you will not be judged, do not condemn and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgiven you will be forgiven. That one seems to strongly advocate against

shunning. But who gives a fuck? I guess. Crazy did a big book written by so many different authors over different centuries with so many contradictory messages would lead to a lot of confusion and 10,000 different denominations. While not all shunning results in homage, full on banishment, contact with friends and loved ones severely restricted for a shund individual. Yeah, again, it varies a little bit. The practice of shunning from community community. Some churches practice strong or strict shunning versus

those who follow a milder approach. Adherence of strict shunning maintain zero contact with the shund until they confess and return to their homage community It has to be their home community not another one Right, and if they don't do that they are shunned forever Milder forms of shunny allow acknowledging the existence of someone again when they join another Amish church or even a non-amish church with anabaptist roots and beliefs So maybe you can be the men and I to the part of the brethren

If they don't ever do that though, you know know, again, fuck them, fuck your kids. Don't ever talk to them again. Hearing some strict shunny include among other random groups, the Lancaster County Amish, the Schwarzen trooper, that group we met before, that Emma Gingrich ran away from that name I was trying to think of a second ago. The practices received considerable criticism from outsiders, as it should, but some Amish, you know, they didn't see all this is tough love. They believe a person's souls at risk,

if they violate the church's values, and basically being shunned is better than burning in hell for all eternity, because it's so strongly encourages one to return to the church. Oh boy. So how does that work to return? If the Amish community decides to shun an individual, the individual, or how far does, I mean,

so I'm sorry, I'm describing it to you anymore. The individual faces some serious repercussions, right? The shun person's name is announced publicly to all members of the church. Every community member expected to shun the person and those who don't could be shunned themselves. Again, very some church of church, but most churches do not allow members to buy or sell with the shunned individual. Church members not allowed to sit at the same table, share a meal, just talk to them.

Some churches forbid people from accepting gifts, visiting the homes under any circumstances, of course, the shun person. And, you know, again, this has led to a lot of criticism. You know, and as it should, it's a super fucked up form of social control. Fear of isolation means that homage people often stay in their home churches,

even if they really want to leave or experiment with other lifestyles, but they don't because they're so afraid of getting cut off from their families by this shunning process. And then you can also be excommunicated, which really doesn't seem like a harsher punishment. A shun member can return,

not if you're excommunicated though, kind of, but some do, we just have to have a unanimous vote from the congregation to allow the excommunicated individual to return. Talk about technology now, they're tech band, a little bit more. Most notably the Amish shun technology because, because according to their beliefs, they shouldn't conform to the secular world.

They should just keep shits simple and focus on God. For the most part, they do not use electricity, no televisions, computers, radios, any other modern electronics that have been invented since. This is very interesting to me because the definition of technology, it's always changing, right? So weird that the Amish field, that the technology of the 1600s is okay. That's the perfect amount of technology, I guess, is what got things. But what if like a hypothetical Amish person would have been born in 1000 CE or 800 CE,

right? Wouldn't they think that Amish using 1600's technology that they were conforming to the world? Like they're the core principles of their, it's really nonsensical. Right? A horse and buggy is a kind of technology. It's so much of this is just nonsense. The horse and buggy carriage considered okay though, because since buggy's are limited in terms of speed and mobility, you know, that way the Amish are incapable of traveling too far from home, where they might get other ideas. More social control. This is also sad. Some old order Amish will ride in the Caravan on Amish

neighborhood, usually for business purposes, but ownership, you know, strictly forbidden. It matters of technology, Amish businesses, kind of flexible. As with cars, many Amish will use local payphones for business along distance calls, but can't own a convenient home phone. That's forbidden. It might replace face-to-face communication within the community. Technologies that are used in the home or affect the home are more scrutinized because family life, you know, that's the foundation of Omniss Society.

And then there's appearance. The clothing that Omniss men and women wear is meant to reflect their faith and express simplicity, humility, and conformity. Omniss men wear straight cut suits, coats without collars, lapels or pockets. They resemble the navy jacket to the 70s, often called much suits. During the summer, they'll shed the coat

where a vest to church, most men wear black, real black, and all the men have like any random community. They'll dress alike for the most part. Slide differences based on their role. Like a bishop will have like a little wider brim. And you know, this guy, this, uh, prequel, he'll have like his, his lapel might look a little different. But it's hard, when I was looking at videos, just eyeballing them really quickly, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Uh, yeah, most men wear real black, a close look at a typical black fabric will have, you know, brown, blue, gray shades, uh, in the homage community, it, it needs to be the black as black there is. In some homage communities, they'll use charcoal gray, navy blue browns. Their trousers never have creases or cuffs worn with suspenders. Young children have suspenders made of the same fabric as the pants. Belts typically forbidden as our sweaters and neckties. Don't want to start looking all nice and vain, thinking you're thinking your hot shit men shirts fast and traditional buttons and most orders all

suit coats and vest fast and with hooks and eyes pants are made with the flap in the front held closed by buttons to avoid the use of the modern zipper zippers are if you don't know Satan's penis gates young men clean shaving prior to marriage married men required to let their beards grow, but not a mustache, because that is considered to be an adornment. What the fuck? Haircuts typically block cut in the back longer than most English styles. Just the fucking dumbest looking haircuts you've ever seen in your life. Most severe haircuts found among these Swartz and Trooper. They're the ones that look like a fucking raccoon, right?

Having a seizure with pruning shears, or just a dull knife, has been turned loose on their head. It's absurd. The men typically wear broad-bent, brimmed, felt hats in the winter for dress year round. The width of the brim, right, shape of the dome, vary within the group and within your status in the group. You know, the role, I should say, during the summer most groups will allow their men to wear straw hats. And all the shit is heavily regulated, like down to the eighth of an inch of how long this can be. Each

community very strict rules. And if you refuse to wear what you're supposed to, you are shunned. There is no, just, I want a different, I want to wear a trucker head. Get the fuck out! Jeb a cadai ding dong. You know, for everyday wear, most men and boys wear pants made of a fabric called tri blend denim. Used at one time by Sears to make their tuff skin pants. Very fashionable. High and polyester nylon, making the pants made with that fabric very durable.

Right, the more conservative groups use a dress tri blend darker navy than regular denim pant. Other groups use a medium blue tri blend. It's also regulated. You can wear the same, you know, a few pairs for many, many years because that durability, shirts will be made of Oxford cloth and on shem braze or plain shem braze. A younger boy's dress a lot like their dads, you know, the exception they usually wear lighter colors.

Men will wear navy tri blend denim pants, boys may wear lighter blue version the same thing, you know, omniscient women typically wear solid colored dresses, long sleeves and a full skirt covered with the cape on the bodice. Some little bit less conservative groups will allow women to wear short sleeve dresses, but never sleeveless. Oh, well you want some dude to try and fuck your shoulder off, Nancy? Cover up that arm pussy. Clothing is fast and with straight pins or snaps, stockings or black cotton.

Shoes are also black. Amish women not permitted to wear pattern clothing or any jewelry. Not even a charm bracelet, not even a wedding ring. Definitely not a clip piercing. Sworts and trooper are Amish women. Also cannot shave their legs or armpits or pluck facial hair.

Ha ha ha. Easy there. Okay, Cameron Diaz. That's fucking too calm down in the sexiness. Plucking your, fucking forehead whiskers. The ordnance or book of order, a specific Amish community dictates matters

of dress as explicit as the length of a skirt or the width of a seam, right? They each have their own ordnance, which is a little bit of a misnomer. That book of order is sometimes not a book, which is verbal. Most omniscient women make their own clothing purchasing the fabric in local stores, usually run by other women in their community. Can't interact with outsiders. They might try and trick you into fucking, I don't know, it's not going to deck behind the bar or something. Lavender's purples, darker greens, mint greens, mobs, pink, some yellows, white, black, beige, all colors that could be used in everyday dresses

for the most part. Depending on how conservative the Amish community is, some colors acceptable in one community, not acceptable in another. Oh, look at old, look at old, Moved dress, fucking Karen. I think that she's hot shit. Sunday dresses typically black with a white apron.

One of the local woman who will pick out a new fabric at a store, make herself a dress. You know, I'm a swimmer now, often never cut their hair. Typically wearing it in a braid or bun on the back of the head can seal with a small white cap called a covering like the men and nights. Coverings vary widely depending on what group they belong to. Variations come in the size of covering, strings,

how they're worn, number of folds creases in the back All of that is regulated. Oh What do you think you're doing with your 17 creases? You know it's a 16-crease community Amish women will never be seen outside their home without their covering when going to town or church They typically wear a stiff black bonnet over the covering to prevent given non-amish heathens Bowners and what night catching a glimpse of their lady stash. I know there was a lot about clothing, but how they dressed the so distinctive. Oh my god.

Now let's turn to something else strongly associated with the omesh. Joukstein. For 27 years in a row now, the winner of the International Joukstein Association, Terminator Champions has been omesh. No one joust like the omesh. With that dumb and dumb or bull cut, the moon China beard was zero access to technology, lingerie, hairy wives.

The Amish jowls like they want to die. JK of course, let's turn to farming and barn raising. Unsurprisingly, because of the ban on technology and their values overall, most of the Amish industry is agricultural. Sociologists John Hosteller claimed that soil has for the Amish spiritual significance. The practical benefits of a small scale farming form

in Amish viewpoint. The rural setting it requires simple values that teaches hard work at demands, complemented by commitment to attending to, protecting God's land, guided by old testament principles of stewardship. The Amish connection to the land also dictates the pace and rhythm of Amish life.

For example, weddings usually held during winter months to avoid interfering with busy planting and harvesting seasons. One of the most distinctive Amish practices on the farms is the tradition of barn raising. Because the building of a barn requires more labor that a single family can muster. The entire Amish community must work together, like Barnett and Beardware and Ants. Barn raising typically occurs in June and July, the time between harvest and planting. The family that needs the barn provides the materials, the barn itself, owned by the single family. With the expectation that the family will attend barn raisins for other families if needed. Barn raising also follows traditional gender roles, women bring food, men carry

out the work, children observe so they can participate in the future. How exciting. But as the saying goes, they're not making any more land. Meaning that as the Amish community has grown, some Amish have had difficulty finding agricultural jobs and have to work outside of that field. It varies by community, but many unmarried Amish men will also work as carpenters, blacksmiths, sometimes even on assembly lines in secular factories. In Lancaster County, most of these young men work within the omnis community but not uncommon uh... in some communities for majority to work uh... you know for non-omish

businesses jobs often taken with the eventual goal of saving enough money to purchase farmland and get away from those devil sinners how strange would it be to work with someone who's omnis right what the fuck will you talk about so uh... so ismail uh... you see, uh, you see any, uh, you see any good movies? Never mind. Um, hey, you know what, you should check out this

new podcast. Uh, I found, forget it. Oh, oh, dude, check out this, this meme. It's, uh, not worth looking at. Oh, you see the new girl? Oh, my gosh, she's so fucking, uh, hey, you ever think about, uh, comb in your beard? We talked a little bit already about Amish schooling. Uh, as you can imagine, very comb in your beard? We talked a little bit already about Amish schooling. As you can imagine, very different from your average American public school. The skills traditionally emphasized by modern American education, such as literacy, critical analysis, scientific rationality, not the focus of Amish schooling, but you knew that. Amish one-room school houses, not dramatically different from rural school houses, you know,

in the early 20th century US. Basic literacy, arithmetic, essential skills for an unsuccessful farm are taught in Amish Prokial Schools. But the Amish shun higher learning as prideful and withdraw children from school after eighth grade believing that to be an appropriate time to begin learning the necessary skills of farming and home making through experience. And yeah, that's good. Then when an adolescent turns 16, there comes a time when they get a different kind of education, right, at least an opportunity to see what the modern world looks like.

Talk about rum springa. Even among all of the somewhat strange seeming practices that make up life in Amish communities, we still haven't really dived in, talked about arguably the biggest one, rum springa. And Amish coming of age, ritual, where teenagers leave the farm, get to explore the outside world,

all while deciding whether or not they want to stay in the Amish community. If the Amish teens don't return to their families, they have to leave the farm, find their way in the world, you know, fucking shunned. But if they decide to stick with the Amish faith, they'll deny all their world-y pleasures, they've experienced and give themselves back over to God. For a group that can be so conservative, it might be surprising that the option of Rumspring exists, hard to imagine, to have its witnesses or certain other groups allowing their youngsters to do this. But if we look at Rumspring and not as a wild and sexy time for MEDABY, one of the most conservative

groups in America, but as a religious ritual, it makes sense. Because the Amish came from the Anabaptists who put specific emphasis on adult baptism, right, because babies can't decide whether or not they learned about their lives to God. So they teach that faith should be an active commitment made by an adult in the Amish practice of rum spring it comes from that logic, right? They believe that your commitment to God in the Amish community has to be a choice.

And to that end, rum spring offers an opportunity to see alternative choices. Instead of being a cult that wants followers, no matter the cost of their personal beliefs or individuality, Amish communities want faithful members who have chosen the lifestyle. But have they really chosen it? Right? I mean, if you don't return to the ways the homage, you're fucking shunned. You have to take it by to everything, everyone you've ever known. That's not a fair choice. Right? And you haven't been given any

life skills to help you thrive in the outside world. Yeah, you've been set up to fail and come back home. I would have way more respect for this group and tolerate their weirdness. So much more if they just fucking got rid of this intolerant practice of shunning that I can't, well, you know, tolerate. It's sinister. If being honest was such a good way to be, no one would have to be shunned and plenty of people would choose it. Why have less than a hundred people chosen this shit since these people have come to America, right? A couple centuries ago Because it's not fucking good if you're not born into it and raised being brainwashed by this shit There's no fucking way you're gonna choose it

For Amish youth the rummage springing normally begins around the ages of 14 to 16 ends when a youth chooses either to be baptized The Amish church or leave the community Rummage spring up Pennsylvania, German now meaning around, not all kids choose to do it. How it's done varies from community to community. Some community strongly pressure their kids, not to leave for run spring up. Stay in the house, do it in the basement. Have a wine cooler, see what you think, then come back.

Mostly many on Amish Chains use it as a time to experiment with everything they've been forbidden from using or doing though. Technology, cars, drugs, drinking, some honest, particularly boys may acquire driver's license, vehicle during this time, they might still live at home, but now they're driving a car, might park at it home. Any homage on rumstring or listening right now,

smoke some of that toad venom, right? Just do that one, rumstring. Hit that five MEODMT God molecule, then decide what you want to do. Macrodose is some psilocybin for like a month. Let one of nature's psychological chainbreakers bust you out of that angry god prison you're born into. Not even JK.

Hail, name right. Show them the way out, Luciferina. Around 90% eventually rejoin the community as full fledged members and adults. For a couple of years, the length varies a bit from community to community. Rules are relaxed. There's no shunning or indiscretion

and Rumspringer's on. 2007 ABC News spoke with four Amish teens, each grappling with a question of permanently leaving the Amish community with the Rumspring. One of them Danny ran away from his Amish family during his period of seeking by jumping from a second floor of his father's farmhouse late one night at the age of 18. So clearly his family did not encourage him to leave the farm

for Rumspring. He negotiated his way through a series of first encounters with the modern world, including remote controls, text messaging, drunken nights, to find that he had escaped one set of rules, for another he didn't understand. Danny's internal conflicts about the decision to be or not to be omniscient landed him first in trouble, then in jail, after a stint in jail, and the enormous lengths he took to get out of the community, he still thinks he'll go back in a couple years for the sake of his parents. Another team considering the outside world was Lena.

Talked to you by these journalists, 16 years old in 2007. She cleaned houses by day as her duty to her Amish community, but texted on a secret cell phone at night although Lena dressed in Amish clothes underneath her simple dress and white bonnet. She would sometimes wear a t-shirt and blue jeans. She's a rebel daddy.

Lena's active rebellion was she planned to get her G GED full high school diploma, right? Take that elders. I studied US history and sociology. A couple years later, Lena moved in with her boyfriend Rubin in a house a few miles down the road from mom no longer rode in a horse and buggy instead started driving a red sports car in June of 2008. Lena and Rubin welcomed baby boy into the world and she had no plans to return to the Amish. Lena did, you know, not end up returning to the Amish meeting. Like Danny, another Amish teen would eventually turn back even after going through great lengths to live life on the outside. Harley, 19, in 2007 also left his Amish community with the clothes on his back, $21 in his

pocket. Didn't have any second thoughts, but it was difficult to negotiate a relationship with his family. Harley tried to make regular visits home, but his parents didn't want him to visit. They were afraid to be a bad influence on his 12 younger siblings. 12. He said, my one little brother, he was about a year old

when I left every time I'd come home and walk in the door. He'd run up yelling my name, asking me to get in, stay home and I tell him no. But then 21, or I'm sorry, at 21, Harley realized his dream of being a truck driver. But then after seven months, he became so homesick, he decided to give Amish life another try. He found the life without his family wasn't making him happy. So he started dating an Amish girl, planned to be baptized in the Amish faith in the spring

when he stopped talking to the journalist. So it sounded like the real reason he was returning was that he missed his family, right? As opposed to missing his faith, he didn't want that life. Now, he just didn't want to be disconnected from his family. So again, real cultish. Some teens getting a little get a little more wild with rum springa the 1998 drug bust of two landcaster county omnishoot for selling cocaine Fueled the idea of rum springa as a hedonistic hypocritical period for omnishooths in the minds of many Right jeb a die has a guy. They fucking went hard in the paint. They didn't fuck around with rum springa 1998 two omnismen charged with dealing cocaine in their communities. Four motorcycle gang.

The pagans know less. What the fuck? Their names were Obner Stolfus, 24, and Obner King Stolfus, 23. Also charged with eight members of the pagans, who allegedly sold drugs to the two Stolfuses. And their names are so great. A tale of two Abners. The Abners distributed the drugs to members of the Amish youth, some groups known as the Crickets Antiques and Pilgrims at Hoedowns. I don't know those names come from between 1993 and 1997. The indictment says, the arrest prompted the leaders of the

counties 22,000 old-old-order Amish that time to acknowledge his struggle with drugs. They went back at least a decade. That surprised me. Came out that alcohol in marijuana, they'll prohibited fairly common in Amish communities. And a few months before the drug bust, Amish Bishop started here and talked about Amish use using harder drugs like meth. So crazy to imagine teenagers looking like Randy Quaid and Kingpin, now doing meth or blow,

off a fucking antique mirror, and you know, hopping into a horse-drawn carriage, instead of playing music while they do some blow, one of them just, you know, seeing some Gregorian chants or something. There have been other notable instances of Amish getting mixed up in drugs. 2011, the crank problem around Amish communities

in central Ohio was so bad that more than 150 people convened in a farm to learn about meth. While so sad, also kind of funny to me. Amish on meth, I picked these guys, you know, snort onto meth and then just like Farming and churning butter and just fucking raising barns so fucking fast get into barn raising 30 minutes 2015 the Grand Rapids, Michigan Man a grand Rapids, Michigan man Moses must

40-year-old father of five ex-member of the Amish community busted with 860 marijuana plants 700 pounds of harvested weed that had him 37 months of prison time. According to his defense attorney, he was influenced by an individual Kentucky, provided financial backing for the marijuana operation, including the purchase of an electronic bud trimmer, costing thousands of dollars. Boy, if he, he wasn't already out,

he wouldn't kicked out for that electronic bud trimmer. Right, what were the elders of thought? A sweet Lord Moses, a k eye, a hello here, fallen. How sad you let Satan trick you into spreading defilement in electric bud trimmer. You can't trim the bud without the demon current. You can't work the weed by hand like God intended. Early 2016, cast member of the show Breaking Bad,

or sorry, breaking, I wanna say that every time. Breaking Amish, name, ship hell Peace, busted with a lot of meth. Choose arrested officers found $90,000 worth of meth. Almost $9,000 worth of heroin, more than $27,000 in cash. She was the one at many street level dealers arrested during this investigation. She really broke away from the Amish. 2017, the Sun published an article about substance abuse during Rumspringas alleging that, you know, it's a rife amongst omnisheuth

September 2017 police busted an omnis party in a field near millersburg Ohio arresting more than 70 people many them Youth to rush to the hospital with severe alcohol related problems More than a thousand people expected to attend the party with many of them coming from out of state Right these parties called hoe downs According to a redder, claiming to be a part of an Amish community currently on his run spring. He went by the name Eli. He says, moon shine frequently makes an appearance at hoedowns. Another former men and night named Abigail would say

this about substance abuse. There's a serious drug problem within the Amish youth. They do hold huge parties and bring hundreds of Amish from all over, even out of state. And they all go to a small community where they let their hair down during the winter. And then of course, there's sex. That's sex. No, no, no, be gone, Lucifer. Get out of here. Sometimes they have sex also said that should, uh, should, uh, sex should only happen within marriage. But there's no doctrine on the use of sex toys,

and sometimes that'll happen. She said, I've personally never heard of the topic of sex toy being brought up in church, so I really don't know what is allowed, but I would guess as long as it's in marriage, it's considered okay. Talking about sex in general, just not really done, other than teaching against adultery, lust, et cetera.

So maybe they can use rabbits and dildos and butt plugs and stuff, but only if they're not plugged in. I don't know. Okay. Now let's look at the, So maybe they can use rabbits and dildos and butt plugs and stuff, but only if they're not plugged in. I don't know. Okay. Now let's look at the, maybe the most unsavory aspect of some Amish communities. This is much like the Johoes witnesses because of the insularity of the Amish community, the

emphasis on everything being handled in house. There have recently been allegations about sex abuse in Amish communities that have surfaced after years of repression that have not been handled well at all. According to a journalist who interviewed three dozen Amish people in addition to law enforcement, judges, attorneys, outreach workers, scholars, sexual abuse is an open secret spanning many generations

in many Amish communities. So here we fucking go again. Is it really that hard just to not fuck kids? Why, right? Even some of these asexuals even Jeba Daya Strawhat motherfuckers can't keep their dicks away from kids. Victim has? Even some of these asexuals even Jebediah straw hat motherfuckers can't keep their dicks away from kids. Victim is recounted stories of inappropriate touching, groping, fondling, exposure generals, digital penetration, coerced oral sex, anal sex,

rape, all the hands of their own family members, neighbors, and church leaders. Right? Just everything. It happens everywhere else also in the Amish community, but then just handled especially poorly in the Amish community. The journalist identified 52 official cases of Amish child sexual assault in seven states over the past two decades, but this number does not begin to capture the full picture, because it is almost never reported. Virtually every Amish victim she spoke to, most two women, but several men also, said they were dissuaded strongly by their family or church leaders from reporting abuse. To police, they'd be conditioned not to seek outside help under any circumstances for anything, right?

They're lies, this really fucked up part. I don't think there are more pedos amongst the Amish, than there are in any other group. It's just how they handle things. It's terrible. Reminds me of the Catholic sex abuse scandals, right? Fuck any and all religious organizations at high pedophiles.

Quick to a side here, former Catholic Pope Benedict recently asked for forgiveness on how he helped hide pedos, and he can go get fucked to. Some Amish victims said they were intimidated, threatened with excommunication, shunning, their stories described a widespread decentralized cover-up of child sexual abuse by the Amish. We're told that it's not Christ's like to report. Explains one woman identified as Esther, not her real name. She says she was abused by her brother and a neighbor boy started at the age of nine. She said it's so ingrained. There are so many people who

go to church and just endure it. Like in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses, a lot of the reasons for the sexual abuse and its cover-up has to do with the community's values. Living a patriarchal and isolated lifestyle means victims have little exposure to police or anyone who could help them. Education ends at eighth grade does not include any form of sexual education, which along with the isolation makes it difficult for victims to even know what is happening to them. Many don't know what sex is, like they really don't, to a crazy level.

And therefore, they don't know what being molested is. It's insane. They don't even know the word molested. A lack of access to technology also makes it more difficult to come by outside help and information. The Amish strain of Christianity emphasizes repentance and forgiveness over punishment or rehabilitation for these crimes as well,

basically for any crimes. And Amish leaders tend to be wary of law enforcement preferring to handle things in house. Let's examine one victim's story who went by Sadie in this article. As a child Sadie was up before dawn, every morning to milk her family's cows, wearing a pleated head covering and long dress, shoes and socks that dull black, as local church rules required.

She never turned on a light switch or shopped for clothes in a store, didn't speak English at home, just Pennsylvania Dutch, only language she was fluent in, only one she knew at all until first grade. Never allowed to watch TV, listen to pop music, get her learners permit. She attended a one-room Amish schoolhouse, wrote a horse in buggy to church, right? age by age nine, she had been raped by one of her older brothers, by 12. She admitted to be sexually abused by her father, called Obner in the article, a chiropractor who penetrated her with his fingers on the same table where he saw patients,

telling her he was quote flipping her uterus to ensure fertility. And she believed him because she didn't fucking know how anything worked. By 14 three more brothers had raped her. She's been attacked in the hay loft or in her own bed multiple times a week. She would roll over afterwards a shame to confuse the sisters who shared Sadie's room. Even her bed never woke up or if they did never said anything, although some later would confess that they'd also been raped. Sadie's small world was built around adherence to rules and keeping quiet was one of them. All right, she didn't say anything. Even on the day the police showed up on her doorstep to question then 12-year-old Sadie's

father about his alleged abuse of his daughters. Almost two years later, Abner was sentenced by his circuit court judge to just five years probation from a listation. Even with that small level of justice, definitely not enough, the horror still continued. At 14, she was cornered in the pantry by one of her brothers, raped on the sink, felt to gush a blood running down her leg, cleaned up alone while he walked away, gingerly placed her underwear in a bucket of cold water and then went back to her chores. A friend helped her realize years later, she probably had suffered a miscarriage while

being raped at that time. What was happening in her house was a poorly kept secret according to several of Sadie's relatives Back when Sadie was 12 one of them reported obner who had since died to local church leaders Sadie remembers her father being shunned for only six weeks Jesus you decide that you want to watch Netflix not go to church. They don't want to rock a shitty fucking bowl cut The dumbest looking beard I've ever seen, and you get shunned for life. Fuck your kids, you get a six week time out. But if you still wear the right suspenders and travel by horse, get back in here.

So much about this group is truly idiotic. One thing we didn't touch on was shunning, implied in other parts. Was it after shunning in a person's confession, the community is strongly compelled to forgive and forget the sin ever happened. So that's great. That always works well with molesters, right? Tell them that what they did wasn't cool, but then forgive them and never talk about it again.

And they'll just stop doing it. That's how it works. And Stady's house, she recalls everything went back to normal or at least how it had been before after her dad's shunning was over. So it went back to not normal, went back to being rapy. When the police and social workers later showed up on a doorstep again

Most likely after being tipped off by a local non-omish person Obner told authorities that things which we were speaking about had been brought up and dealt with in the church According to a police detective notes. He also silences daughters. You say nothing Sadie and another relative remember him demanding authorities return another time asking him specific questions about having sexual intercourse with daughters Then obner confessed to having sex with two of them, but he said he made love to them at least three times But he didn't hurt him on a throw up my mouth. I want to fucking kill this guy Then a relative called that Sadie a recalled that Sadie's mother told social workers to do whatever they could to help him from going to jail To keep him from going to jail, right? So good job. You fucking moron her ignorant plea worked

She got her wish daddy rapes a a lot. Got to come back home. To the confetti. A grainy VHS recording from 2001 shows a gray bearded abner standing with his hat hanging between his hands before a judge. As an attorney explains that he's pleading guilty to a reduced charge of sexual abuse in the first degree, not incest, because the family is not desiring that he be incarcerated. Instead of serving a sense, it might have been five years or more Abner now gets probation again, unfuckin' real. I'd like to officially volunteer my services for executioner in these cases.

Truly, right? If someone could speed up that process, right? Handing out death to pedophiles, happy to be the guy who pulls a trigger. Horse wings the axe, or ties each of their limbs to a different horse, and then, you know, fires gun into the air to get those horses running. However, it needs to be done.

I'll even pay for my own gasoline, pipe bombs, shotgun, catapult, you know, whatever we decide to use. Adner Dittle Daddy then abuses Sadie for five more years before leaving home and he'll never go to prison for any of this. So praise God, bless you be the fruit. So many more stories like hers. I'll share one more.

Another crazy story of religious figures not handling an abused situation well at all. Lizzy, this is even worse. Lizzy Hershberger was 14 when she went to work as a mod or hired girl for a 27 year old Amishman named Chris Stutzman and his wife taking care of their four children, helping Stutzman in the barn. One night after they milked the cows, he pinned her against a wall, kissed her, pushed her onto the feedbacks. He was a frigid winterman in a soda and she was wearing pants under her dress. He then removes while she tries and vain to fight him off, relax. He whispers into her ear like the fucking creepy was as he rapes her.

She didn't even know why she felt pain and blood between her legs. Her parents had never talked to her about sex or even her period. She didn't really understand what was even happening to her. In Lizzie's community, kids not taught even the proper nouns or names, excuse me, for their own, you know, genitals. When Chris Stootsman finally climbed off her, she was shaking, wondering why she hadn't left the barn five minutes earlier so the whole thing would have been avoided. Stootsman would rape Lizzie 25 more times over roughly five months according to court records in her diary. He raped her in the hay loft, his house, on the

seat of his buggy, once in the way home from church pulled the buggy off the road, raped her in the woods, twice male witnesses walked in on the abuse. Neither man would come to Lizzie's rescue though. Just keep your head down. Don't talk about stuff. Instead, Suitsman himself, perhaps sensing he would be caught eventually, he does confess. But like Obner, only shun for six weeks. No one reported him the outside authorities. The church disciplined him. They forgave him. Instead, get ready to be church disciplined him. They forgave him. Instead, get ready to be even angrier. The Amish community now turn on Lizzie for what they saw as a consensual affair.

She was bullied and mocked, literally spit on, called a schlud and huda, Pennsylvania Dutch for slut and whore. The community now gossiped that she had mental issues and fucked those people. Could the proper authorities please let me execute Steutemen, then let me burn the homes and barns and stupid fucking horsebuggies of all the others to the ground and for the rank accounts, shave off their dumb beards and bowl cuts, throw

away their bonnets, rest their stupid looking clothes tattooed, slud and huda on their foreheads, load them to a bus, dump them off maybe Times Square, maybe Hollywood somewhere and just see what happens. See how they like feeling scared and helpless and mocked. Unfortunately, common for homage victims to be viewed by communities as just as guilty as the abuser, as consenting partners committing adultery, even if they're young children. Why?

Because, and I'm not kidding here, many of these people, I don't know how else to say it, they are fucking idiots. This is what happens when no one in your community gets more than an eighth grade education, a modified subpar eighth grade education for centuries. Right? And you fuck each other to the point of inbreeding that has created genetic problems in many Amish communities, not kidding. A wide variety of genetic disorders affect many Amnis because they're fucking inbred. I don't care how mean this sounds. This is one of the dumbest religious groups I've ever looked into.

I used to think their simple lifestyle was cute, right? Now, they're fucking morons. Said that they were given much of a choice not to end up a moron, but still, you know, they're morons. Hale Emmigan Rich for Breaking Free From All of This. You should look up her videos on a buyer book. I love her. She's a fucking real life saint.

Not in some Prudish perfect way. In a real good on you, you are so incredibly tough, inspiring mother fucker way. And she seems super nice. Numerous of people lover as well. I can't believe she escaped from one of the most hardcore of these groups. Sexual abuse victims, homage communities,

expected to share responsibility. And after the church has punished their abuser to quickly forgive the person who has raped them. And if they fail to do that, they can be shunned. Yeah. When the rare case does end up in court, the omnis overwhelmingly support the abusers pretty much every time who tend to appear with nearly their entire congregation behind them. Right. Survivors and law enforcement sources say, in one 2010 case, young female victims were pressured to forgive their father and brother for abusing them with one riding a pleading letter to the court that read, hello, sir, I'm Melvin Sister.

Please have mercy. Melvin has made a big change. Let go of his committed crime in the last year. I'd like to have our family together. In this case, the victims agreed to cooperate with authorities only in exchange for the abusers receiving no jail time. The deal likely helps save the defendants from what could have been 25 to 30 years in prison, according to former judge Dennis Rannaker, who presided over 30 plus Amish sexual assault cases in

Lancaster County and said this is an out goes gross back to Lizzie stories to now for the assaults from mother tells her that she's been taken to a different chiropractic clinic neighboring South Dakota. They board a bus full of Amish adults for a 300 mile drive to a facility where for a week, they watch me all the time, she later said. She received daily, deep tissue massages to work through my emotional stuff, she added. This was just one of many Amish mental health facilities, it's a chiropractic clinic

and they thought it was a mental health facility. Oh God, staff by Amish, they give some Bible-based counseling, they're not state licensed. You know, let's massage away. Sexual abuse trauma. That sounds like the plan of some with almost no education. No one would tell her why she was there.

Instead, she was pressured to sign papers that she would allow staff to communicate directly with her ministers. Much like the youngest on Amish reality TV, Lizzie eventually gave in and signed. Another patient, also there for sexual assault. Discharge notes that recommended she be more submissive and that she challenged unhealthy thoughts towards ministers and others using positive good time. So basically be more submissive towards the people

who abused you. Like we're gonna return you to the community where you're abused, where you'll have to go forgive your abusers and you know, when you encounter them just be submissive. That's a fucking absurd. Would a victim of speak speak south the patient would say they get sent to a facility and drug so they shut up. But there may be hope now for victims like Lizzie. In 2018, Lizzie who has long since left the Amish and another former Amish woman named Dina Schrock launched voices of hope,

a group for abused women. Others find solidarity in the plain people's podcast to show launched in 2018 featuring stories of omniscient men and night sexual abuse, Jasper Hoffman, former men and night podcast co-host says she receives hundreds of messages from people wanting to share stories or get help reporting abusers. And especially in Pennsylvania, efforts are being made to reform omnis culture itself. In Lancaster County, there's a legal task force comprised of police attorneys, social service agencies. The me with Amish leaders, a few times throughout the year trying to build trust communication and avoid these situations. Some Amish have started their own initiatives in multiple states. The conservative crisis intervention committee will be laid on local authorities

on reporting and prosecuting sexual assault cases. I don't trust them now. One Landcaster County member, Amos Stoltz-Fouce told the journalist that a lot of things have changed and forced us to comply and not allow things to be swept into the rug like they had at one point in. In the summer of 2018, Lizzie sought her own justice by reporting her rapes to police, something she never felt she could do before. To her surprise, charges were brought against Stoltzman, who was then a deacon at the church. He pleaded guilty to third

degree criminal sexual conduct and at his sense in hearing the courtroom was filled with his homage supporters. So fucking gross. Lizzie also surrounded by supporters, including Sadie, who had driven two hours to be there. Stootsman ultimately only sentenced to 45 days in jail, 10 years probation based on guidelines, you know, in place of the time for sexual assaults. Another weak sexual abuse sentence here in the US. No wonder conspiracy nuts since the Illuminati is a bunch of petos. We live in a nation so tough on drug crimes,

but so weak on petos. Why is that? As for Sadie, she's now a 32 year old mother of five living in the Midwest in 2013. She and her husband finally left the Amish church and she's focused on healing. Try to work through trauma and couples therapy. Pretty sure though, she'll her husband finally left the Amish Church and she's focused on healing. I tried to work through trauma and couples therapy. Pretty sure though, she'll never completely trust any man around her kids.

And can you blame her? I feel like you earned that paranoia, mom of bear. If the dude can't understand your concern there, well, you're planning to find a different dude. And with that, now let's recap this crazy fucking topic. Covered a lot today. From the Amish's foundations and the Anabaptist community in Europe to its growing population in America today,

the story of the Amish still one that's being told, it'll be interesting to see how they managed to cope with new discoveries and technology going forward, right? If conditions on Earth one day meant that everyone had to take a spaceship, maybe colonize new planet with the Amish go, or they just perish thinking that was God's will. I'm gonna guess perish.

Why do they think that a peasant lifestyle from the 1600s is the one God prefers it makes no sense That's not right in the Bible so much their lifestyle so much their choices Based on pretty loose interpretations You know they're very fixated on strict rules conformity on looking a certain way that has you know no real biblical basis They they're focused on shunning his fucking gross no real biblical basis. Their focus on shunning is fucking gross. Their avoidance of the world around them, what a strange take on what God would want for his faithful,

what a crazy way to choose to live. Can a simple life be wonderful? Is some aspect of that appealing? Yeah, of course. Some kinds of technology, proven to be seriously bad for many of us based on numerous studies. Social media gives a lot of people anxiety

about a lot of things, like their bodies or how successful they are. It can connect people with subcultures that espouse violent hate or center provide people with misinformation and conspiracy theories. That's not good. But also, technology is how you're listening to this podcast. It's the foundation for many of our livelihoods. It's how we connect with others that are not in our immediate vicinity. It's how we can access more information in the world's top scholars would have been able to even just a few decades ago It's how we can consume so much entertainment that can inspire us allow us to escape the misery of our lives

They can educate us and lighten us many other very good things It's a mixed bag some good some bad to shun it all or almost all I just can't respect that that's just extreme ignorance You know, it is technically a form of bigotry to be prejudiced against a religious group like the Amish. So I guess I'm a bigot. I don't like a lot of what they're about. I'm sure a lot of them individually are wonderful, but their belief system, so fear-based,

so anti-individualistic, so restrictive, so full of such little joy, so anti-education. I mean, you know, fuck that. I read about one Am homage kid who left the community when he was a teen because he told his dad, his dad was great at carpentry and his dad walked away in anger. Came back, told his son he felt pride regarding how good he was at carpentry and the pride was sinful and he now demanded his son literally whip him. Said he had to be severely punished for feeling better than anyone else, even just for a fleeting moment.

And then his son whipped his dad and felt sick about it because it's fucking crazy. And then he realized how insane this shit was and he left and his family has not spoken to him since. That's the Amish way. Fuck all that. Be proud, meat sack. Take pride in your accomplishments. Feel joy. Don't live in fear of the world around you. See that there is pain and hate and destruction and torment in this world of ours, but also bliss and love and triumph and beauty. And any God that wants you to feel shame and fear

for enjoying your body, that you're born with, or the world you're born into, I don't know, how about fuck that God? Death comes for us all, right? Enjouement of life until then does not. So if you have the opportunity to enjoy your life, take it, hold on to it for as long as you can. I don't think the Amish most of them anyway,

I don't think they do that. I watch video after video of a lot of sad, serious people. So worried about pride standing out, not being pious enough, fuck being pious. The Amish are taught to be sheep. Why does anyone want to be a sheep? Sheep gets slaughtered. Be a wolf.

Howlethamone fight for what you want. These old bearded men running so many of these strange negative religious groups that surround us. Do you actually think they know fucking anything about the nature of the universe of God? Some Amish are still taught in school that the earth is flat. No, they're fucking idiots. I can't get behind this. Any Amish on Rumspring If you're listening, if you're wondering if you should go back or stay out. Well, maybe go back and give your siblings letters explaining where to find you, tell them you love them, tell them the outside world's great, and then leave.

Don't stay and trap another generation in this bullshit. Take a page from Emma Gingrich's Playbook, and fly away. Enjoy your life. You're only guaranteed this one. Time now for today's top five takeaways. Time suck, top five takeaways. Number one, the Amish have a very specific outlook on how human beings ought to be living

in order to be good virtuous people. Comes with a lot of social control, strong gender rules. A requirement to follow the many strict rules of the ordnance or be shunned. So get shunned. It's great out here. So many good shows to watch for one thing. All your podcasts, central AC, fucking sick bro. So many ways to travel. There are more fun than buggy rides. You know, I have one 50. I'll fucking put that against any buggy. Number two, the Amish lifestyle dates back to anabaptist Jacob Amman, whose belief in adult baptism, shunning, and strictly following rules led to the creation of communities devoted to God and separated from the rest of the world.

So they wouldn't be corrupted by modern influences. And I think J.A.P. is a fucking douchebag. Number three, time and time again, the Amish have been represented on TV as the butt of jokes, the continually misrepresent their way of life, but also do get some things right. Randy Quaid's Ishmael Borg from Kingpin. Yeah, that's pretty much how a lot of the old order Amish look, those haircuts I can't get used to them, but they were misrepresented in a lot of reality shows and taking advantage of.

And if you do get the chance to ever help an Amish person, man, go easy on them. If someone's curious about getting out, be very patient, understand how little they've been taught and how hard this world is going to be for them. Number four, we saw that it's incredibly hard for many Amish on Rumspringer, otherwise to fully leave the Amish community, right?

They face isolation from their families and experience in the modern world, and eighth grade education at best, a shitty one, doesn't help them deal with many of the world's practical matters. It's the family thing that really hits most people the hardest, you know? Being separated from one's community tends to drive many homage back to the places where they were raised

even if they don't really want to be there. That's the main reason I have such a harsh negative opinion of them. Well that and the truly disgusting way that many of their communities have chosen to handle sexual abuse allegations. And number five, new info, how do you have a doll that doesn't encourage vanity in an Amish child? Well, you make it faceless. Another weird thing about the Amish.

The faces of Amish dolls are meant to be left totally blank and lack distinguishing features like, you know, anything on a normal face we have. Eyes, nose, mouth, hair. Their dolls also have fingers or toes. These things are fucking creepy. Do an image search for Amish dolls, if you wanna have nightmares. You'll see pictures that should accompany

a scared-of-death podcast story. The order of these dolls, not known, though a number of reasons have been hypothesized for their creation. For example, as they believe that only God can create life, many Amish may consider even semi-accurate replications of human figures to be idolatrous. They're so little fun about these people, even their toy suck. Similarly, faceless dolls promote uniformity, prevent one doll from looking better than another,

can't have a prideful doll. They believe they can spawn vanity. Maybe it's because the dolls reflect us in the eyes of God and in God's eyes were all alike. There's several accounts of the origins of faces, dolls used by Amish children. One account says that a young Amish girl once was given a rag doll. This is like, I guess a common story many Amish communities. A young Amish girl was given a rag doll with a face for Christmas and her father became

very upset and cut the head off the doll like a good dad does. He reportedly said, only God can make people. Then he replaced the head with the stuff stocking that did not have a face. And according to the story, you know, little girl was very happy. She thought it was a great message and she played happily with that doll for many years. But how do these creepy oscillocodalals do more good than harm? According to the Amish, you know, but they only scare the shit out of me The Amish quaint or terrible has been sucked obviously I think they're terrible. I

Thought I would like to religion so much more than I did now Probably lost a lot of Amish listeners today Thanks to bad magic productions team queen of bad magic Lindsey Cummins for running this business. Let me focus on creative thanks to Reverend Dr. Joe Paisley for production. Thanks to Biddelixer, keeping the time like app running smooth, Logan the art warlock Keith, creating the merch at BadMagicMarch.com, running socials with Lizzie and Chantras, Hernandez, thanks to the all-seeing eyes moderating the Cultivic Curious Private Facebook page. Thanks to Beefstake and his mod squad running discord. Thanks to Bruce or Sophie Evans for her initial research on the Amish. I did take a little harder,

hard to take on them than she did. Next week on Time Suck, we dive into a very recent, very controversial mass tragedy. On October 1st, 2017, about four and a half years ago, a gunman opened fire on a crowd attending the final night of the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival on Las Vegas' famous strip. As the bullets wizzed through the air, some people thought the sounds were

due to fireworks, they would quickly realize they were living to a mass shooting. What would become the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in American history? At the end over, 60 people would be dead, almost 900 wounded from gunfire and stampeding everyone to know who the fuck would do something like this. The answer was Stephen Patek. 64-year-old retired real estate investor who targeted the crowd of concert goers from a 30-second floor suite in the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel. Patek began firing to the crowd at 10.05 pm,

using an arsenal of 23 guns, 12 of which have been upgraded with bump stocks. A tool used to fire semi-automatic guns and rapid succession, basically making them auto. Within the 10-minute period, he was able to fire more than 1100 rounds of ammo. Once authorities were alerted, they arrived at Patik's suite at 10, 17 PM, didn't reach for nearly another half hour or I'm sorry, another hour, until 11, 20 PM. Patik was then found dead by a self-inflicted gunshot wound through the head, and the days

that followed things would keep getting more chaotic about the story. When ISIS, the international terrorist organization associated with the islamic state claim that patrick was a muslim who committed the murders on their behalf that is not seem to be true uh... despite law enforcement directly contradicting that conspiracy theorists would use the shooting as an opportunity to claim uh... more that shit unprovable things steven patrick was a member of antifa, deep state assets, so much more illuminati. Who was Stephen Patek really? Why would he commit such a horrific deed?

And what does some of the most idiotic on the internet think they know about what went down on October 1st has been covered up? Tune in next week to find out. Maybe some things, you know, seem true. But we'll find out. Stay tuned for today's Time Sucker Updates right now. First update. Good thinking, attentive sucker. Learn more, have some pain and tension.

I fucking blew it. I wouldn't have realized this until she pointed out. I forgot some updates. She writes, dear master suckwalker, I'm genuinely confused as to why there have been no time sucker updates on the lacy Peterson episode. You mentioned the Arthur Shawcross episode. I believe that those updates would be in the next episode and they've just never come. I've waited every episode since. And as that one, it's just been disappointed every time. I was slightly surprised and almost grossed out by that episode. It gave me an achy

feeling listening to you so harshly defense Scott. I really would like to hear the reasoning behind what seems like reverence for Scott. No, I will say no reverence. I thought it was a douchebag. Just didn't think the evidence had proved him to be a murderer. I never thought he seemed like a great guy. So, after the short message, I feel less for not writing you a novel like every other time sucker.

Keep on sucking. Please don't hate me, Lauren. I don't hate you at all, Lauren. I mean, I don't Please don't hate me, Lauren. I don't hate you, Lauren. I mean, I don't agree with you about Scott, obviously, but don't hate you. Yeah, and again, didn't think Scott was a great dude. And just totally forgot to follow up. So sorry, thank you for the reminder. Now I'm going to give you the update they should have included three weeks ago.

Gosh dang, better late than never. Close to the case, sucker Christopher Glenn wrote, Hey man, I love the show. A group of Modesto was in junior high when the whole thing happened. Their house on Covina was around the corner from my junior high. I've been saying exactly what you think since then. A lot of people interviewed that you mentioned, Diane Jackson, Karen Service, Homer and Sue, they were all good family friends of mine. And they were never questioned correctly.

Thanks so much for shedding some light on this. He's guilty of being a shitty guy, but I really don't think he did it. Christopher Glenn, thank you Chris. Yeah, you bring up one of the main reasons that I don't think it was proven that he did it. Too many witnesses who were sure they saw Lacey after Scott went off to go fishing based on

self-run records who were never properly questioned or questioned at all. Only one of them had to be right for the prosecution's case to completely collapse. And yes, it seemed like it was a shitty guy in some ways. But yeah, then it doesn't automatically, you know, make someone a murderer. Now, funny sac, Elizabeth Stooder, Gram writes,

oh, sweet innocent Dan, when you asked whether any of us out there could imagine having trouble with an alibi on the Scott Peters episode, I almost snorted a sizable amount of my eyes coffee out my nose. Indeed, I imagine a moderate portion of your suckers out there like me, spun out their beverage of choice during the inevitable laughter to follow.

If you have ADHD like I do, then you almost certainly cannot come up with an alibi, especially under the pressure of an interrogation. Not remember what you ate for dinner. We can't remember what we did two minutes ago. I'm so glad you were out there bringing out these tough questions. Too many people in our country are unjustly imprisoned. I listened to way too many true crime podcasts, not to be haunted by the thought that any minute now, I could end up being asked for an alibi and will end up being and will end up confessing

to a crime I didn't commit just to avoid further questions. Anyway, thanks for giving me something funny to listen to while I do housework, you and your crew, I've given me hours of time, sucking perfection from your neighbor and Salem, Oregon, Elizabeth, stutter, Graham. Well, thank you, Elizabeth. Yes, you also bring up another great point, right? A lot of people cannot accurately recall what they did on any given day, even today. That was a big thing with Scott's case.

Why did he get a few things wrong? People who can do that, I don't think they understand how other people's brains works. You know, and if you get a lot of those people on your jury, well, it doesn't bowed well for you then. They can't relate. That's why direct evidence is so superior to circumstantial evidence. Circumstantial evidence requires jury members to put puzzle pieces together to see the picture instead of just being handed the picture. And not everyone grade it, put and puzzle it together. Shit scares me too. Now another quick Peterson connection before closing on something to ponder.

A central California sucker, Catarina Sisk writes, hi, I'm writing for the first time ever. I am not sure you will ever see this, but I'm a big fan and listen to both time suck and scare to death. I'm from Modesto, California, I've lived there since 2001. I was nine years old when Lacey disappeared.

I'm now 29. She was actually my substitute teacher when I was in elementary school. I remember seeing the missing posters of her all over town. I used to think without a shadow of a doubt that Scott killed her, but after listening to this podcast, along with watching some other documentaries,

I'm no longer sure of his guilt. Thanks for always making great content to help me get through my commute, Katerina Sisk. Well, thank you for sharing young Katerina. Crazy, she was your teacher. And yeah, it was some docs that really got me question at all. God bless, good documentarians. More great tech that the Amish are missing out on.

And now the final thing to think about with this trial for these updates, excuse me, critical thinking sucker Ian Stevens writes, high-danon team. Good job on the suck of the disappearance of Lacey Peterson and the subsequent trial of Scott. This is a topic that I know you've thought about and talked about in the past, but maybe this is a good time to revisit it.

I agree with you that the evidence to convey Scott Peterson based on how you presented it seems incredibly weak. Despite that though, not only was he sentenced to death, but a judge, a legal professional task with good decision making denied his request for a new trial. That raises the question of Scott Peterson was sentenced to death. How sure can we be in the guilt of anyone on death row who did not get the press coverage that Scott did? Should the institution of the death penalty exist when we see that the criminal justice system is so prone to manipulation? Even if we seem 100% sure that someone did something, are we?

You can always let someone out of prison or lock them up there for life. You can never undo an execution. Further, it raises the question, what's the point of prison? If it is to punish people, then I suppose there is no better punishment than death, and it sure does feel good sometimes for people like John Wayne Gacy to die. But I think most people would want to say that the point is rehabilitation or to protect the public. You can't rehabilitate a dead man. And killing someone protects the public, no more than putting them in prison for the rest of their life does. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

And in the case, and if the case of Scott Peterson affected your views on this issue, thank you Ian. Great message, Ian. Yeah, no, that suck did make me rethink my stance. And I think I talked about this on the secret suck and maybe mentioned some previous time sucks. But I think there should be a different type of guilty verdict for certain especially heinous crimes like first degree murder,

right? Like basically there should be a super duper guilty option. I'm not sure exactly how we classify it, but like in the really, really guilty verdict, there would have to be a lot of solid direct evidence, right? And maybe even multiple crimes. Like maybe you could be wrongly convicted for murdering one person, even with direct evidence, but could could be wrongly convicted for murdering one person even with direct evidence But could you be wrongly convicted of you know like two two plus separate murders

There's like video evidence like there is sometimes you know that that level of evidence You know like in some cases like John Wayne Gacy. He brought up. I mean they're so fucking guilty So many bodies with his DNA all over them in his own basement and much more, right? Like, there's no way they were getting that one wrong. I do still think there should be capital punishment for some individuals. And I also think more people should be locked up for life, right? Especially sexual predators. I don't think as far as the rehabilitation thing, I don't know, there needs to be more nuance. For some crimes, yeah, people can be real bad. I think prison can be real rehabilitated for some, but for like a serial sexual predator, I mean, the stats don't say that they can be rehabilitated currently. Like, there's

no way to rehabilitate them. So why fucking bother? You know, I just think the whole system could use some reevaluation, right? Some upgrades. You gotta keep upgrading things based on new information. In cases like Scots where it looks like they're guilty, but you don't have any direct evidence to tie them to the crime. Yeah, I don't think the death penalty should be an option. I don't think the death penalty should have been on the table for his trial. Maybe, you know, I would not have thought that a few years ago or even last year. So these cases are changing my mind a little bit. I'm softening a bit on certain cases because I become more aware of jury bias, of juries and or judges, real-roading people, of law enforcement, planting, evidence in certain investigations. So, because of all that, definitely shouldn't hand out death sentences casually. I'm still on team death sentence for certain crimes, though. But

I appreciate it. You make me think more. Thank you Ian. Thank you everyone for the messages. You continually send in to these time-sucker updates. Thanks time-suckers. I need a net. We all did. Thanks again for listening to another Bad Magic Productions podcast, Meet SX. Maybe do not try and live like at 16.99 this week. That'll make your life so unnecessary hard in so many ways. And it'll make it impossible for you to keep on sucking.

And magic productions. Hey, Joe, I think I mean, I don't like a lot of there like dress codes and stuff and the shunning, but I don't know, sometimes the text stuff does sound appealing. I mean, maybe I'm just like trapped by all this stuff, you know, maybe it's... We can give it a go here. Yeah, we can probably keep things going without technology. So you take my phone? Yeah.

I mean... We have these. Yeah. So you can't have yeah. Oh, I can't have lights. Can I have these headphones? No. Oh, okay. Okay, can't have lights. Here's the headphones. Can I have this mic? No, I mean, just for a second. Okay. Okay, so no mic. No, I mean for just for a second. Okay. Okay. Okay. So no mic Okay, let me know how it goes. Okay. I Don't know I mean I Feel a little bit peaceful

Cat kind of boring Yeah more boring than peaceful. How many minutes did I make it? Okay, I don't want to do it anymore. It's been 20 seconds. It's been 20 seconds. I tried.