Concerning the Amish culture and their view on technology

[Ucy]

YouTube algorithm has been aggressively recommending me Amish related videos,. probably because of my interests and posts on offgrid lifestyles or living seperately from the system. I recently decided to dive deeper into the Amish culture and found an aspect of it more interesting — the part on technology. According to couple of videos I came across about the Amish, their reasons for avoiding modern technology is to be conservative. They seem to use only horse, lamps, etc. An outsider will assume they are following the Word of our CREATOR since it's a Christain community. But what does the Word of our CREATOR says concerning such thing? Or can it be backed by the Word? Well, the Word is not against advancing technologically. Our CREATOR does not interfere too much on how we decide to live our lives as long as we do it morally, or as long as we avoid the bad. HIS guiding rules and commandments are simple, Love the CREATOR and neighbors. In everything you choose to do should be within the boundary of love. If avoiding modern tech is due to the love, then avoid it. If it does not break the rule then embrace it. And don't use or consume things that contradict the Word. Only use those built in love.
Be careful with vanity or unnecessary things. Don't get attached to them. It's advisable to have your advanced tech hidden underground while you use less advanced and more difficult things in order to get used to difficulty and train your body. Use the advanced ones when they become necessary

The Word says Be fruitful (be productive), produce good fruits (produce good things) and be perfect.

[Doll2233]

The approach of Amish is quite interesting but I don't think that not using technology makes them more faithful or makes them morally better. Technology is a tool and it depends on how we use it, whether it is controlling our lives or not. There are people who do not have good access to technology; they live with very little technology but still they have greed, pride and also other problems. Whereas there are people who use a lot of technology but they use it in a positive way. They help people; they work honestly, and they help to improve their community with the help of technology. I completely understand why the Amish are very cautious about the technology; having less can make them more Independent and also less distracted. The main challenge is to find the balance between technology and our dependence on it.

[NotFuzzyWarm]

We have several Amish communities here in Michigan and from what I've seen, it's not they outright refuse technology it's that they will use it only when there is a very practile reason to.

Cases in point:
 Their buggies have battery powered led lights in front and back so they can be used at night. Some even have a small solar panel of the roof of the buggy to recharge the battery in the daytime.
 Those that do have a car or truck are expected to share them with the community when needed unless they are strictly for a business use.
 It is not uncommon to see them using tractors on farms that are over several acres in size, again it is expected that they be shared with the community.
 Their stores use cash registers and accept credit cards as well as cash or barter.
 The many Amish furniture makers here do use power tools, in Amish homes, not often seen.
 Many do have small solar power setups to help power lights, refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers.
 They do have utility supplied power and natural/propane gas for stoves & ovens (though wood pellet fired heating furnaces are preferred vs gas).

Most do NOT use telephones much less Internet outside of businesses and do not have tv/radios as they are viewed as distractions from Community Life.

[Ucy]

We have several Amish communities here in Michigan and from what I've seen, it's not they outright refuse technology it's that they will use it only when there is a very practile reason to.

Cases in point:
 Their buggies have battery powered led lights in front and back. Some even have a solar panel of the roof of the buggy to recharge the battery.
 Those that do have a car or truck are expected to share them with the community when needed unless they are strictly for a business use.
 It is not uncommon to see them using tractors on farms that are over several acres in size, again it is expected that they be shared with the community.
 Their stores use cash registers and accept credit cards as well as cash or barter.
 The many Amish furniture makers here do use power tools, in Amish homes, not often seen.
 Many do have small solar power setups to help power lights, refrigerators, clothes washers and dryers.
 They do have utility supplied power and natural/propane gas for stoves & ovens (though wood pellet fired heating furnaces are preferred vs gas).

Most do NOT use telephones much less Internet outside of businesses and do not have tv/radios as they are viewed as distractions from Community Life.

I believe it's also connected to prepping. Typical preppers will want to avoid complicated technology and rather rely on something they can easily build themselves just incase there is a collapse in "civilization", or that advanced technologies are out of reach for most people. Remember having a feeling years ago that advanced tech are (or will become) traps,...people will be so dependent on  them that the system will place lots of evil restrictions with evil conditions that have to be met before access can be granted.  They probably had thesame revelation and became cautious.

If the alternative system was very organized, members would be building their own advanced technologies that are free, safe and without potential evil condition of use, so long as users aren't doing anything bad with/through them.


In regards to avoiding TV and radio, aside distractions, the main reason for that part is likely to avoid getting brainwashed by the negative system.
They could just build alternatives that are only connected to their frequencies instead of completely avoiding the technologies