I've always wanted to visit some of the Plain communities south of the Rio Grande, whether they be the ones in Mexico, Belize, Paraguay or Bolivia. The Amish have had difficultly establishing a long-term presence in Latin America, but the Mennonites have had more success. Their industrious work ethic and insular isolation have allowed them to transform arid, inhospitable areas of Latin America into veritable breadbaskets. Their isolation, however, may have made some Mennonite communities ripe for internal strife. The article I am linking to is graphic in places, but it is also very insightful as to colony life as a whole. Any time there is unchecked isolation, whether the group be Mennonites, Hutterites, Amish, or other religious groups, I think there can be problems and this article illustrates that. Click here to read. Let's hope shining a light on the problem helps make it go away. I don't think this type of unchecked abuse is rampant within Plain communities, but where is a great deal of isolation and no checks and balances, that's the Petri dish environment that allows things like this to happen.
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About Kevin Williams
Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.
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