What do you think on the amish way of life and how should trads imitate them or not?

There are many things they do that are praiseworthy.

In what way might trads imitate them though? And which group of Amish are we talking about, anyway (some are more "liberal" than others)?

Quote from: Pepsuber

Quote from: jman123

What do you think on the amish way of life and how should trads imitate them or not?

There are many things they do that are praiseworthy.

In what way might trads imitate them though? And which group of Amish are we talking about, anyway (some are more "liberal" than others)?

the conservative ones

There is no need to imitate the Amish. Catholics were around more than a millennia before they every popped onto the scene. We have plenty of saints to look to for imitation.

Quote from: jman123

What do you think on the amish way of life and how should trads imitate them or not?

There are many things they do that are praiseworthy.

In what way might trads imitate them though? And which group of Amish are we talking about, anyway (some are more "liberal" than others)?

The liberal ones are liberal only when compared to other Amish.   :smile:

[/quote]
Speaking your own language in front of another person is not rude. It's privacy. Why do you need to know their private affairs? The Catechism speaks against that kind of curiosity.[/quote]

One shouldn't expect privacy at a cash resister in a busy hardware store.  Having worked in retail for a number of years, I didn't speak about private matters to co-workers in front of customers.  I agree that a simple life style is the way Catholics should live, it's how Our Blessed Lord lived.  But why would Catholics choose to imitate Anabaptists in dress, hair style and for the men, beards?  As s2rea said, we Traditional Catholics have plenty of saints to look to for imitation of a simple lifestyle.  I think that the plain Catholics have the right idea, but are imitating the wrong people.  

They are not imitating anyone and for you to say so is a gross assumption. You need to go read their website on their clothing and read it thoroughly. They are wearing simple farm clothing that reflects modesty standards. All simplified clothing looks the same. All wide brimmed hats look essentially the same. Their ministry to the Anabaptists has bridged the gap and even now, some Mennonites are converting to the Church because of their simple living witness.

Vocations to married life and the religious life have come from their group. Vocations encompass the full spectrum of human devotion. The fruit of their efforts has been beneficial over the years. Evangelization takes time but it is bearing good fruit for the greater glory of Christ and His Church.

It makes little sense to "imitate" the Amish by joining the Plain Catholic movement or whatnot unless you actually have some sort of claim to roots in that cultural tradition. Can you picture a Chinaman speaking Cantonese dressed in one those Pilgrim-costumes?

Traditional Catholic culture is about preserving cultural continuity - not trying to invent new ones or "rediscover" imaginary cultural connections that never existed.

Though I haven't really put much effort into researching the merits of the various "back-to-the-land" movements, it seems that they are not necessary for a modern-day Catholic to live out a vocation in the world. (I may add that I have no spouse or children to support) A part of this seems to be a wishful "grass-is-always-greener" type of thinking. Though this maxim is not always true, Matteo Ricci writes: "By changing your habitation, how can you change yourself?".  If you can't live a good Catholic life in the world (even in a big city), don't expect that by jumping on a covered wagon and heading into the woods that you'll be transformed into a saint all of a sudden. If anything, living in an (sub-)urban area can be a blessing to a traditional Catholic family. You can get supplies more easily and worry more about your spiritual life; close to a church one can frequent the Sacraments and participate in parish life more often. Living off of your own farm at the mercy of the weather is not the only way to resign yourself to Providence.

One can become a saint within the confines of an apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Lao-tzu writes:
 
Without going out of your door,
you can know the world.
Without peeping through your window,
You can see the Way of Heaven.
The farther you go,
The less you know.
Thus, the Sage knows without travelling,
Sees without looking,
And achieves without fussing.

They are not imitating anyone and for you to say so is a gross assumption. You need to go read their website on their clothing and read it thoroughly. They are wearing simple farm clothing that reflects modesty standards. All simplified clothing looks the same. All wide brimmed hats look essentially the same. Their ministry to the Anabaptists has bridged the gap and even now, some Mennonites are converting to the Church because of their simple living witness.

Vocations to married life and the religious life have come from their group. Vocations encompass the full spectrum of human devotion. The fruit of their efforts has been beneficial over the years. Evangelization takes time but it is bearing good fruit for the greater glory of Christ and His Church.

Magnus,

You are right.  I did not read carefully enough.  My apologies.  I am delighted to here that they have built a effective bridge to Mennonites.

Thanks for the information about vocations.