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pm_me_good_usernames t1_j4lt0n0 wrote

Reply to comment by gh0stwriter88 in How do non electric heat operated fans work? by ranman12953

Most Amish can use low voltage electricity--you'll often see them using electric calculators at markets, at least in southeast Pennsylvania.

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rayfound t1_j4lzp5a wrote

Yeah the most common thing as I understand it is that they are to be "un-yoked" from modern world. Thus off grid electricity is okay, grid tie isn't. ... Varying degrees here but many also use cell phones.

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severe_neuropathy t1_j4mg64h wrote

Some use electric power tools as well, as you said they mainly care about being off grid so they run generators when they need electricity.

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LonelyPerceptron t1_j4mjn40 wrote

Generators that are fueled by the kerosene they make from pine sap on forests that they control, right? They don’t just buy gas/diesel from the corner store who buys it from the refinery that makes it from grid-connected power, right?

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Painting_Agency t1_j4mp7o9 wrote

Trying to gotcha the Amish when you have a superficial understanding of their beliefs isn't really a useful activity.

Their society has its own sins but they believe technology shouldn't alienate people from community and their heritage. They adopt new ways cautiously and with reservation, for instance, a telephone used to sell crops or to call for aid in an emergency. Using gasoline as needed to aid farming or the household is something they have considered and in some cases accept.

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pm_me_good_usernames t1_j4mp68u wrote

For at least some Amish I think the main rule is they're not allowed to enter contracts. So they can buy gas and batteries but they can't have mains electricity, they can use a phone as long as it's pay-as-you-go. I'm pretty sure that varies between groups; each Amish community basically has its own rules. I know some of them don't use electricity at all, but they can use pneumatic power tools. And there's still a fair few pay phones in Amish country they can use to call doctors and veterinarians and people like that. There's also other groups of Anabaptists like Mennonites that are similar to Amish in some ways but different in others, even some that drive cars and work in offices but just always wear long sleeves no matter the weather.

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Painting_Agency t1_j4ncuve wrote

> Mennonites

There are at least a few Mennonites attending the veterinary school where I work. Women, otherwise honestly I might not have recognized them as such. They show up wearing their home sewn dresses and bonnets, and go to classes in a teaching hospital where they learn about every high-tech treatment that veterinarians now have access to.

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OogoniuM t1_j4mbma3 wrote

When I worked at GameStop a decade ago, the Amish were the ONLY people buying PSP games/movies. It was and still is fascinating to me

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Kraz_I t1_j4pindb wrote

Are you sure they weren’t Mennonites?

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OogoniuM t1_j4piuwu wrote

They rode their horse and buggy to the stores. We have a nice sized Amish community in indiana

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polygeekYYC t1_j4ovtv1 wrote

But.....don't they have to charge them?

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DivideEtImpala t1_j4p8j0i wrote

Bicycle transformer? PSPs probably didn't draw more than 10W or so, so even with mechanical and electrical efficiency losses it should be more than enough.

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ZeroTrousers3D t1_j4nq1vg wrote

The few Mennonites I've known have all had phones, electric lights, fridges, stoves, etc. The basic, functional stuff. One guy even kept an old laptop for doing his books.

The way it was explained to me is that modern stuff that's used to a 'good' purpose like phones for urgent communication and business, or electric refrigeration to keep food from spoiling are okay; but things meant to entertain or replace "the work of human hands" is not.

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Raul_Coronado t1_j4pfxuk wrote

Theres countless variations of amish and mennonites that all have various standards, often based in interpersonal conflicts more than anything

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warriorscot t1_j4phwcw wrote

It really depends on the particular definition of their group. Amish isn't a monolithic group, even most of the monolithic religions and groups aren't particularly well connected.

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