On Wed, 20 May 2026 14:12:46 +1000
> Pierre Choderlos de Laclos snipped-for-privacy@invalid.invalid wrote: >
>> >>
>>> Hank Rogers snipped-for-privacy@nospam.>>>
>>>> snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote on 5/19/2026 5:56 PM:
>>>>>
>>>>> The most noticeable difference in any butter I could taste was
>>>>> Amish butter. WOW! That's been _several_ years ago and it was
>>>>> $9.00 per pound at the time.
>>>>>
>>>> Yoose sure those weren't Hiwayans dressed in black amish clothes? >>>>
>>>> Were they driving a real horse and buggy?
>>>
>>> Hahahahaaa, no. They had an 'English' man (Amish name for non-Amish
>>> people) selling all their goodies. There were many, many homemade
>>> goodies for sale.
>>
>> If their children don't want to live the Amish way, they kick them out
>> and "shun" them. They don't want any contact with them anymore. To me
>> that says cult.
>>
>
> Why does _their cultural system_ make the slightest impact in your life
> to where you would need to obsess over it?
There's a book on 4th floor that deals with this, titled, "Shunned," about a young girl kicked out of her religion. I can reference it at will and thus am relatively godlike on the subject.
What I wanted to say is that these religions kick people out of the religions in order that good songs be written and recorded such as the one by Oingo Boingo:
Oh, Mary was unhappy with the life that she led She was a simple girl without much to say So, one day, she upped and left her dreary home And she left all her friends to wander all alone And at first, she was afraid—she was so far away From her home—but slowly, she got to like it anyway Oh, Mary, won't please come....
Well, in time, she found that Mountain that she had been taught Her whole life that she must avoid And though at first, it hurt and no one could comfort her She finally came to appreciate it And she liked it, she liked it—oh, wasn't she surprised And though still alone, she grew so much inside Oh, Mary, won't you please come....
And after a time, she became so sublime She could look in people's eyes and read their minds Though her hands would sometimes bleed, and occasionally She would long for her past and the memories they bring She decided to return to her old hometown And her heart was burning with all the things she found Oh, Mary, won't you please come....
So, Mary came back, and at first, No one recognized her face And all her friends were a little bit afraid When they heard what she had to say, They all slowly backed away And her family took her aside and put their arms around her They said, "Mary, won't you please come back to us now "There is still time to repent for all your sins." And Mary started to cry when she realized That she'd never come home again in her life Oh, Mary, won't you please come... Mary, won't you please come home....
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