Asked by Dewey from OH

Q: I saw an Amish man get out of a truck the other day at Walmart. That surprised me. There was an Englisch man driving, but it still seemed hypocritical. I thought the Amish weren’t allowed to ride in cars.

A: Hi Dewey! Most Amish are allowed to ride in cars, but they are not allowed to own them. There is a big difference in the Amish viewpoint. Hiring an Englisch driver, or getting a neighbor to drive them to the store is not unusual nor frowned upon. They judge that a humane distance for a horse to pull a buggy is no more than ten miles. If the destination is further away than that, they nearly always hire a driver and leave their horse at home.

Thanks for the question Dewey!