A lot to unpack today! Who are the Amish? Why do they dress and live like it's still the 17th century? How are they related to Mennonites? What interpretation of Christianity led to them to the lifestyle they live today? Are they happy? Are they a cult? Today we'll explore the Anabaptist, Protestant Reformation  origins of the Amish and how they differ from Mennonites. We'll look at their practices of Rumspringa and shunning. We'll examine why the refuse to drive cars or use computers. We'll also dig into some examples of their communities not handling sexual abuse in an even remotely appropriate way. Are they really just a harmless, simple, live-off-the-land group of Christians? Or is there something sinister about many of their core beliefs? All this and more in today's episode of Timesuck! 

The Bad Magic Charity of the month is SEO: Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. SEO's mission is to create a more equitable society by closing the opportunity gap for young people from historically excluded communities. To find out more, go to seo-use.org

We're donating $13,680 to this great charity, which is 90% of the Patreon donation for this month.

The other 10% - $1520 is going to the Cummins Family Foundation’s Scholarship Fund. (Will Probably Change Its Name) By the end of the year, hoping 10% of all of 2022's charitable contributions adds up to several great Bad Magician scholarships for 2023.

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