An emergency alert test that caused all cell phones in the United States to ring on Wednesday, October 4, revealed several smartphones in Amish communities in Pennsylvania.
It is forbidden to use any form of modern technology in these religious communities. That’s why ringing phones caused quite a commotion in Amish homes on Wednesday.
Ex-Amish Eli Yoder revealed in a video on TikTok that a good number of Amish men had been banned from their community for possessing a clandestine cell phone, after the October 4 Alert.
“Guess what got my Amish friends banned recently?”’ he exclaimed on social media. “Several Amish men have asked me for cell phones in recent years and when it was possible for me I gave them,” he added.
The practice of banishment is fundamental to the Amish religion and involves the exclusion of a person, who has transgressed the rules, from all activities in the community, according to the Amish America website. The use of electricity or modern technology is strictly prohibited by the Ordung (the Amish regulations guide).
“No, I’m not Amish,” assures Erik Wesner, owner of the site, to users who might be worried about his status in the community.
“From now on I will have to warn my Amish friends when a government alert is coming,” Mr. Yoder concluded following the incident.