The Amish are known to actively shun modern conveniences. However, there are still some modern items that they do use.
Farms are big places that are difficult to navigate without trucks and tractors. While walking is an option, things like bikes, scooters and rollerblades cut down on the time it takes to get from one side on the farm to the other.
Without a washing machine, washing clothes is a labor intensive active that would take up the whole day. Since it's possible to power some of them with a diesel motor, the Amish opt to use them.
In 1969, the milk companies started requiring the Amish to cool their milk in a refrigerated bulk tank. However, they're powered by gas or diesel engines. There are also some refrigerators that work in the same way, so bishops now allow people in their community to use them as well.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
While the Amish can't drive their own vehicle, they are free to ride in them when necessary for business (including “important social events such as weddings, funerals, barn-raisings, and auctions”). Nevertheless, frivolous use of such transportation is highly discouraged.
Over time, the Amish have come to realize that telephones are necessary. While they aren't allowed to own one, they do have small huts with a community landline for use in an emergency or to hire a taxi. Today cell phones are also growing prevalent, making it difficult for the leadership to speak out against them.
Genetically Modified Crops and Pesticides
There are 550 Amish farmers in Pennsylvania who grow and harvest genetically modified crops. Their argument is that they need them so that they can make the money that they need for their families.
Bishops within the Amish community allow their parishioners to use solar power because they're not on the power grid, so they are still separated from the world. They feel that they're “tapping into God's grid instead,” according to Donald Kraybill. They use these solar panels to power their refrigerators and charge batteries for their buggies' headlights.
Communities' stance about health care widely varies, but overall the Amish don't have any problems with using modern medicine. However, things like herbal teas and reflexology are primarily used due to the high costs of healthcare, but the Amish do permit life-saving operations, and oftentimes these are paid for by the community.
Although the thought of Amish enjoying a magazine seems out-of-place, they do so. This is because farming isn't as profitable as in the past. For this reason, the Amish make a living selling their handmade crafts and services and placing ads in these magazines helps them get the word out about these things.
(Maybe they're enjoying some of the FREE magazines I've found! Just kidding about them reading these, of course.)
The thought of Amish using cell phones seems hypocritical, but this takes the cake. The Amish use both computers and the Internet, arguing that they need them to help sell their goods and services. However, since they still won't allow telecommunication cables in their community, they use middlemen to create, run and maintain their websites. Of course, some Amish have their own computers, but they opt for the classic computer without any games or gimmicks. After all, they just want a word processor.
