Amish

[Mikhail]

No, most Mennonites aren't near as bad as Amish. However, the thing about them is that they are very clichish. Even if they say they are friends with you, they never fully accept you. They don't do it intentionally either. We have some really good Mennonite friends who told us they just realized how they look down on other people without thinking. They are raised to think that they are better than everyone else. It's pounded into them from childhood. It takes a conscious effort to accept "outsiders".

But Mennonites aren't near as bad as Amish. The Amish religion is a cult. Mennonites are just another kind of Christian that believe in non-resistance, wearing head coverings and dresses, and living slightly more conservatively (no TV, movies, radio, etc.). That's how I was raised.

[Jeff]

There's a great docmentary called, "Devil's Playground", about the period beginning at age 16 that Mikhail was talking about.

"When Amish teens turn 16, they have the opportunity to venture out in the "Devil's Playground" (the Amish's term for the outside world) and indulge in 21st century vices such as drinking and smoking. At the end of this period, called "Rumspringa," they can choose to commit to the church for good. Or not. This documentary tracks 18-year-old Faron's struggle to reconcile his drug addiction with his deeply ingrained desire to live the Amish life."
-Backcover of "Devil's Playground"

Life in an Amish community is so cloistered and austere that it compares with the life of a Religious.

There was so much in that documentary that I could relate to in my own struggle to live as a Christian that I found it disturbing. It made me take a long, hard look at myself and I didn't like what I saw. Would I be willing to give up, not just things that are sinful, but even the creature comforts of our consumer culture for the love of God?

"...because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."
-Revelations 3:16

[Mrvoll]

I live in Mennonite country and I work for them