(Guardian) Amish converts choosing their religion and building roots in oldest settlement

While Bakersfield {California] isn’t exactly Los Angeles, it’s still a different pace compared to Garrett County [Maryland], a lush locale of ski lodges and pristine lakes in the shadow of Backbone Mountain, the state’s highest peak.

It is also home to Maryland’s oldest Amish settlement. The Amish are a German speaking Protestant sect with historical roots in the Reformation. Church members dress plainly and avoid technology to varying degrees.

Soon after moving to Oakland, Cortez would notice the plain-dressed people riding horse-drawn buggies or tractors as they headed into town or to church. She was intrigued.

“There weren’t any Amish in California. The closest thing we had were nuns who sort of dressed similarly,” Cortez laughed, realizing the analogy of Catholic nuns and Amish didn’t quite equate.

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Posted in * Culture-Watch, * International News & Commentary, America/U.S.A., History, Religion & Culture