Video
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
An Amish Madoff?
By Donald B. Kraybill
The Amish view of finances can be summed up in these words: work hard, be frugal, save your pennies, make wise investments, be honest, and never spend money on yourself or a lavish lifestyle.
Monroe Beachy likely began his investment company with the good intention of helping people in his community earn higher returns on their savings than they could from local banks. With self-taught skills he had attained esteem as an investor who could produce steady returns. As a respected leader in the community he and garnered a widespread reservoir of unqualified trust. Because his business had no apparent financial problems Amish leaders were not suspicious.
Honesty and truth telling is one of the highest moral virtues in Amish life based on Jesus teaching, let your Yea be Yea and your Nay, Nay (Matthew 5:37), Amish people believe truthfulness reflects godliness and consider lying a sin. Children are promptly punished for lying.
In this oral-based culture, deals are sealed with a handshake and grounded in trust rather than legal documents. Attorneys and contracts are used for real estate transactions and major business agreements; nonetheless handshakes and verbal promises certify many transactions.
In a society where honesty is so deeply bred and trust is taken for granted, affinity fraud can easily happen. Beachy's moral transgressions are threefold: deceit, harming others, and violating the Amish taboo against bankruptcy. When Amish members have financial difficulties they are expected to turn to their community for assistance. Instead, Beachy filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in clear violation of church teaching. In response, an Amish committee filed a Plain Community Alternative in the bankruptcy court. The committee declared, "bankruptcy is morally abhorrent and is not consistent with the values we hold." The alternative plan, supported by 93% of the 2,500 creditors proposes to distribute the remaining $18 million assets in ways that would eliminate many of the legal costs.
Will the church shun Beachy? Members who commit religious transgressions are held accountable by the church. If they confess their wrongdoings they are forgiven and pardoned. The recalcitrant face excommunication and subsequent shunning. Beachey has cooperated with the church and confessed his wrongdoing. As long as he shows remorse and continues to cooperate he will not face excommunication. Nevertheless he will be held accountable for financial restitution to the creditors. In the words of the committee, "forgiving a brother, however, is not shielding or protecting a brother from what he has done. Honesty requires a true examination of what harm has been done, then addressing that harm."
It is easy to call Beachy an "Amish Madoff." But there are differences. Beachy did not have an opulent lifestyle. He has been cooperative with church and legal authorities. He faced an August 2010 meeting of hundreds of creditors who had lost millions of dollars but did not need bodyguards for protection. The meeting opened with prayer and a Scripture reading leading one of the five sheriffs deputies to exclaim, "what exactly are we doing here in a church meeting? "
Donald B. Kraybill is senior fellow in the Young Center at Elizabethown College and author of Concise Encyclopedia of Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonites, Johns Hopkins, 2010.
By Donald B. Kraybill |
February 17, 2011; 8:55 AM ET
Save & Share:
Previous: Can love change our nature? |
Next: In Wisconsin, a faithful witness to revolt
Posted by: Farnaz2Mansouri21 | February 18, 2011 11:58 PM
Report Offensive Comment
Time Magazine:
Curbing the Puppy Trade Sunday, Dec 4, 2005
Dog lovers are divided over new efforts to ensure that all breeders treat their pooches humanely
By ANITA HAMILTON
With its narrow, winding roads dotted with horse-drawn buggies and signs for homemade quilts, candles, jams and jellies, Pennsylvania's Amish country in Lancaster County attracts millions of tourists each year. But giant billboards along a main highway call attention to a less appealing local industry. "WELCOME TO LANCASTER ... HOME TO 100'S OF PUPPY MILLS," reads one sign. It was paid for by Last Chance for Animals, a national animal-advocacy organization that opposes commercial breeding facilities where hundreds of puppies are raised in cramped metal cages without proper food, veterinary care and often even fresh air.
Activists estimate that 200,000 puppies are bred and sold each year in Lancaster County. The public's fascination with new designer dogs like the puggle (a cross between a pug and beagle) as well as the ease of buying a dog on websites like nextdaypets.com has only increased demand."
Posted by: YEAL9 | February 18, 2011 10:46 AM
Report Offensive Comment
The Amish are the kindest ,sweetest people that you would want to know. They do not cheat, steal or lie, They are not dirty, as one poster suggested, but very clean. They take care of their own,,,help rebuild anything that was burned down or destroyed in some way. I've been to their communities and I love these Godly people.
Where I live, people cheat, steal and lie, Very nasty people. I've had things stolen many times by the Hispanics next door. They seem to believe that what is theirs is theirs, and what is mine is theirs. They never ask to borrow, just take what they want.
Wish I could live in an area where the Amish live, I would gladly trade my neighbors for the Amish.
Posted by: genealogylady09 | February 17, 2011 10:03 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The Amish are DIRTY FILTHY CROOKS. ALWAYS HAVE BEEN AND THEY GET AWAY WITH ALL THEIR LIEING, CHEATING AND INCEST UNDER THE GUISE OF RELIGION!!!
In Indiana there is a man who is a Millionaire Amish, runs a PUPPY MILL OF DIRTY SICK PUPS BY THE THOUSANDS PER YEAR AND OUR DEPT OF AGRICULTURE DOES NOTHING TO STOP HIM! Ships these poor creatures all over the country to Pet Shops. It costs the consumer hundreds of $$ to try to cure these pups and most of them are half dead and do die!!!!
Posted by: LOONYBIN2000 | February 17, 2011 5:38 PM
Report Offensive Comment
The way I'm understanding this article is that his financial obligations are being taken care of by the Amish committee and himelf - one can't really argue against or fail to see the value in that. If America as a whole valued the things we see here in this article, such as honesty and not living well beyond your means in a wasteful lifestyle, citizens and the government would not be in the situations we have got ourselves into today.
Posted by: spaded_glory4 | February 17, 2011 2:28 PM
Report Offensive Comment
There might come a point at which one can't shut out the complex world in order to live simply.
Posted by: WmarkW | February 17, 2011 9:36 AM
Report Offensive Comment
Don't you mean an Amish Ponzi? And what do Catholic people believe?
Speaking of same, Yeal9 is barred permanently from this blog. It is annoying to have to continually deal with this problem.