Who are you?
I am a non-single male in my mid-20s. I left an Old Order Amish home and community when I was eighteen.
Are you shunned by the Amish?
I am not shunned. I declined baptism and the Amish will only shun those that have been baptized prior to transgressing.
Would you ever return to the Amish?
Absolutely not!
Guest Posts
Periodically, you may find guest posts on this blog. Those will be clearly marked and in the “Guest Posts” category so you don’t confuse the author with me.
If you have a really interesting or relevant story that you think me and readers of this blog would enjoy reading, by all means, send it to xamishatheistATgmailDOTcom. If I really like it and I believe readers of this blog will learn from it, I’ll ask you for permission to post it as a guest post.
Interviews/Guest Appearances
I’ve gotten several requests to do guest appearances on television shows or podcasts. While I have done it in the past, and you can email me your request, I will probably decline. I am far more likely to do a written interview or opinion piece.
Monetary Benefit Disclosure
I benefit financially from the ads that are shown on this blog (this is a recent development, Sept. 2012). I get paid when the ads are viewed – not when they are clicked. These ads may be irrelevant and at times a distraction but hopefully they’ll help me recoup the huge amount of energy I put into this blog.
So far I have done no book reviews or anything like that, although I might in the future. I will not gain monetary benefits from those, other than from the aforementioned ads that might be displayed on the same page. In other words, I will not write a positive review about anything in exchange for payment.
What else would you like to see answered on this page? Leave a comment…
X Amish Atheist 
Reading only a small portion of your blog tonight has beyond delighted me. You have an amazing mind to ever have walked yourself out of the Amish system like you did. I will definitely be following your posts. Using one’s mind and honesty is so refreshing!
Thank you, Beth!
I second Beth!
I’ve read your page and I find the truth about the Amish very interesting. In the past I’ve lived in places that have Amish communities near and always found them interresting but I always wondered if what you see from the outside is really what you get. In reading your blog I see that is not always true. I know you have touched on TLC’s Breaking Amish and I’ve seen the lies as well as you can observe in the actual airings but now there is one called Amish Mafia. My question is are there people that do this in those communities? I mean I could understand the whole idea of protecting the communities but to the degree shown is not all the peace and love for God that the Amish express. It is truly a visión of hate and empowerment.
Thank you for your time.
The cast of Amish Mafia appear to be former Amish but I believe the plot/premise of the show is completely fictitious.
Hi X. I was reading your posts about Breaking Amish and I understand what you’re saying about the show. The show is obviously fake (all rality shows are), but are the things they talk about real? Do some orders really tell parents they can’t talk to their ex-amish children? Does education really stop after 8th grade? Are there Amish who shun or belittle others for their “sins”, then go to bachelor parties and get lap dances? I know the show is fake, but IF these things are true, should they not be brought to the publics attention?
It’s possible but I’ve never heard of Amish churches that don’t allow parents to talk to their ex-Amish children. Many aren’t allowed to eat with shunned ex-Amish children, but they’re allowed to talk with them. Yes, education really does stop at the 8th grade. The Amish don’t allow higher education. They consider it unnecessary and they denigrate it as ‘straying from the path of God’.
reality*
What do you do besides to blog to make a living? (Please understand I am not knocking it, just curious). And your family is still Amish? Are you allowed to see them? Or rather, I guess more to the point, do you want to?
Good questions! This blog doesn’t really count towards making a living–we’re talking pennies a day. I’m a full-time college student, but I have several different part-time (independent contractor) jobs doing pretty much everything from manual labor to web engineering. I do pretty much anything to support my addiction to higher education 🙂
Yes, the rest of my family is still Amish. I do see them every now and then. I wish I could see them more often, but we live quite a distance apart (thousands of miles). My parents may not agree with what I do or believe, but they don’t shun me.
Interesting contradiction, that you would choose to go school after coming out of a community that does not believe in education past the 8th grade. Good for you, what are you going to school for?
Hang in there, and stick with it. No one can ever take your education away from you. I am currently. working on my masters degree.
Thank you! I’m currently working on an A.A. at a community college. After completing that, I plan to transfer to university for a degree in physics or astronomy.