I was definitely taken aback by some of the justifications given in the article. In the past, news articles in PA tended to raise concerns about the Amish being victimized by outsiders when cases involving healthcare, traffic, or scams were reported. Then stories about illegal and unethical cases involving sexual assault, hate crimes, and animal cruelty cast those communities in a different light.
It was really chilling to read how easily some twist rules into a pretzel to serve their own ends. The attitude that something is OK as long as no one else sees it - or avoiding conflict with someone who believes it is wrong means it is OK - was stunning. That is not the same as gaining consensus (or approval) to confirm doing something new or different is right or acceptable. The lure of greed and pursuit of profit means leaders in that community might need to be less focused on corruption from the outside and more concerned that “the call is coming from inside the house.”
