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Originally Posted by Superbelt
They don't necessarially have to die off. Just change. The Mennonites used to be just as strict as the Old Order Amish. They realized a need for change and reached out to the rest of the world and joined us. That's something I want to see the Old Orders do.
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I think a lot of people in this thread are ignorant as to the development of the Amish and the Mennonites. They were one church at one time--all Mennonites. They split apart in 1693, when Jacob Amman wanted to reform the church and not everyone agreed, so his followers became the Amish. Also, there are sects of the Mennonites that are just as conservative regarding modernity as the Amish.
At any rate, the Mennonites don't all embrace technology, and they're not all "modern" like you might think. I live in an area with a lot of Mennonites, and while they drive cars, they still stick out like sore thumbs if you see them at the grocery store. Furthermore, because they're more integrated into society we are more aware of their behaviors--my SO's mother's friend is a Mennonite who cannot divorce their husband because of the church, and so she lives in a trailer on the same property as her husband, and has for a few years now. So while they may be using the technology, they're still pretty damn backwards.
But that's their right. People choose what they believe.