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I wish the article delved more into the rich spiritual life that these people have. The article dwells on the material goods and lavish lifestyle and abruptly s

I wish the article delved more into the rich spiritual life that these people have. The article dwells on the material goods and lavish lifestyle and abruptly shoves up the fact that she abandoned it all - almost as if the author can't believe it herself! Recently I passed the Philadelphia downtown and noticed an amish family selling flowers from their truck. A large crowd gathered and wondered at the sight of the industrious family in 19th century garb. It's a sight unlike many city-dwellers, especially young people, get to see: chastity, family, religious devotion. People of today are so used to living in a culture that tells them owning more, having sex and expressing "your identity" is the path to happiness that many become stumped when shown this amish family doing business in a world so totally different than their own. I love it. This is diversity of thought and lifestyle. In comparison, modern culture is extremely homogeneous and boring. I appreciate the witness of Ann Russel as a person who shows us that there's more to life than what we can see and touch, and that there's great joy in seeking spiritual union with God.

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dangus 5y ago
Your views remind me of this article I read a while back: https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/18/gender-studies-professor-calls-twerking-with-lizzo-an-act-of-political-defiance/ https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/18/gender-studies-professo... I find the concept of pleasure oppression to be interesting. Essentially, the idea is that puritanical roots teach us that things that are pleasurable must be sinful and wrong, and that the oppression is felt most strongly by marginalized groups. Your positive manifestation of the simple life is living like the Amish. What you’ve omitted is the fact that the Amish/Mennonite societies run as authoritarian patriarchies, where the bishop figure and head of household (the husband) have the final word. I think there is a misconception that religious people have about the non-religious where they assume non-religious people are living a life of consumerism and materialism in lieu of God. Ultimately, those concepts aren’t related: believing in a particular brand of God isn’t a prerequisite to helping one another and living a life of service to others. The non-religious just don’t accept biblical stories as fact, and they might believe that any sort of afterlife is not a realistic expectation. The religious and non-religious alike live within a wide spectrum of materialism. There are certainly materialistic Christians and materialistic atheists, but there are also the opposite. Locking yourself in a self-imposed religious prison for 30 years is on the extreme end of the spectrum. The reason it’s a news article is because it’s an incredibly rare, strange thing to do. In my opinion, this reputation of strangeness is rightfully deserved.
- agomez314 5y ago
  I think you're misunderstanding and reading too much from my argument. The thrust of it is that I sincerely believe modern society (by which I mean Western, US culture 2020s) places a heavy emphasis on consumption and reaping of pleasure as much as possible and that this culture is oppressive and coerces people to do the same lest they be labeled "old-fashioned, cultist" or worse, "religious" (which in itself carries a bad connotation nowadays). The fact that the story is strange to you goes straight to my point. Throughout history, monks, wisemen and religious figures have retreated from the world to seek spiritual peace. There's extensive literature and history that shows this to be valid path for a person to take, if they so wish and are in the disposition to do so.
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  - dangus 5y ago
    Frankly, I read into your comment as much as I did because it came across as not-so-subtle preaching.
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cheese_goddess 5y ago
> This is diversity of thought and lifestyle. Compared to everyone who is not a member of those communities, perhaps. But for the people who grow inside those communities, there's no diversity, the nail that sticks up is hammered down and everyone is just like everyone else. After all, those are religious cults that actively discourage diversity and encourage conformity to the community's norms.

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dangus 5y ago

Your views remind me of this article I read a while back: https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/18/gender-studies-professor-calls-twerking-with-lizzo-an-act-of-political-defiance/ https://thefederalist.com/2019/10/18/gender-studies-professo... I find the concept of pleasure oppression to be interesting. Essentially, the idea is that puritanical roots teach us that things that are pleasurable must be sinful and wrong, and that the oppression is felt most strongly by marginalized groups. Your positive manifestation of the simple life is living like the Amish. What you’ve omitted is the fact that the Amish/Mennonite societies run as authoritarian patriarchies, where the bishop figure and head of household (the husband) have the final word. I think there is a misconception that religious people have about the non-religious where they assume non-religious people are living a life of consumerism and materialism in lieu of God. Ultimately, those concepts aren’t related: believing in a particular brand of God isn’t a prerequisite to helping one another and living a life of service to others. The non-religious just don’t accept biblical stories as fact, and they might believe that any sort of afterlife is not a realistic expectation. The religious and non-religious alike live within a wide spectrum of materialism. There are certainly materialistic Christians and materialistic atheists, but there are also the opposite. Locking yourself in a self-imposed religious prison for 30 years is on the extreme end of the spectrum. The reason it’s a news article is because it’s an incredibly rare, strange thing to do. In my opinion, this reputation of strangeness is rightfully deserved.

agomez314 5y ago
I think you're misunderstanding and reading too much from my argument. The thrust of it is that I sincerely believe modern society (by which I mean Western, US culture 2020s) places a heavy emphasis on consumption and reaping of pleasure as much as possible and that this culture is oppressive and coerces people to do the same lest they be labeled "old-fashioned, cultist" or worse, "religious" (which in itself carries a bad connotation nowadays). The fact that the story is strange to you goes straight to my point. Throughout history, monks, wisemen and religious figures have retreated from the world to seek spiritual peace. There's extensive literature and history that shows this to be valid path for a person to take, if they so wish and are in the disposition to do so.
- deleted 5y ago
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- dangus 5y ago
  Frankly, I read into your comment as much as I did because it came across as not-so-subtle preaching.

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cheese_goddess 5y ago

> This is diversity of thought and lifestyle. Compared to everyone who is not a member of those communities, perhaps. But for the people who grow inside those communities, there's no diversity, the nail that sticks up is hammered down and everyone is just like everyone else. After all, those are religious cults that actively discourage diversity and encourage conformity to the community's norms.