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You don't have to go full steam ahead.
Although the Amish look like they stepped out of the rural
nineteenth century, in fact they do change. Their lives move
more slowly than the people around them, but they definitely
are not stuck anywhere. They choose to examine change carefully
before they accept it. If the new idea or gadget does not
assist in keeping their lives simple and their families together,
they probably will reject it. Each church district decides
for itself what it will and will not accept; there is no single
governing body for the entire Old Order Amish population.
However, all church districts follow a literal interpretation
of the Bible and an unwritten set of rules called the Ordnung.
 Learnin'
without 'lectricity
Old Order groups all drive horses and buggies rather than
cars, do not have electricity in their homes, and send their
children to private, one-room schoolhouses. Children attend
only through the eighth grade. After that, they work on their
family's farm or business until they marry. The Amish feel
that their children do not need more formal education than
this. Although they pay school taxes, the Amish have fought
to keep their children out of public schools. In 1972, the
Supreme Court handed down a landmark unanimous decision which
exempted the Old Order Amish and related groups from state
compulsory attendance laws beyond the eighth grade. Many Mennonites
and progressive Amish do attend high school and even college.
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Living
Simply, so that others may simply live.
