Several Amish men were reportedly “shunned” after an emergency alert test from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) went off on Oct. 4.
Former Amish member and TikToker, Eli Yoder shared in a video that three of his “Amish buddies” were shunned by the church after FEMA’s test of the emergency alert system revealed they had cell phones.
While some Amish communities have accepted certain aspects of modern technology, most Amish communities forbid members from owning telephones. However, in many instances, telephone booths can be located near Amish homes or in fields in buildings looking like outhouses, according to Discover Lancaster.
“Guess what,” Yoder began. “Just got a couple of my Amish buddies shunned today by the Amish church.”
According to ex-Amish TikToker Eli Yoder, “several Amish men” were shunned by the church after FEMA’s Oct. 4 test outed them as smartphone owners.
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Yoder continued, “Over the years there’s been quite a few Amish men that reached out and wanted phones.”
“So, whenever they request to have a phone I’ll do everything I can to try to get them a phone,” Yoder explained. “Not always can I do so, but in some circumstances I have been able to get them a phone.”
Three of Yoder’s friends who had been given phones contacted him and informed him they would “have to lay low for a while” after FEMA’s emergency alert system outed them as cell phone owners.
After asking them how they had gotten shunned, Yoder’s friends revealed that their phones had been set to “vibrate” when the emergency alert went off.
“The one guy said the elders were coming in his driveway and they were there to speak with him about something that they heard about him,” Yoder shared. “That he might have to get shunned, you know, they gotta check up on it to see if it’s true. Right when that was going on, the alert went off.”
According to Exploring Amish Country, “shunning” is a punitive tactic that aims to reinforce the church’s rules. While a “shunned” member isn’t necessarily removed from the community, that person is subjected to various social restrictions.