On the night of September 6; 2011; terror called at the Amish home of the Millers. Answering a late-night knock from what appeared to be an Amish neighbor; Mrs. Miller opened the door to her five estranged adult sons; a daughter; and their spouses. It wasn’t a friendly visit. Within moments; the men; wearing headlamps; had pulled their frightened father out of bed; pinned him into a chair; and―ignoring his tearful protests―sheared his hair and beard; leaving him razor-burned and dripping with blood. The women then turned on Mrs. Miller; yanking her prayer cap from her head and shredding it before cutting off her waist-long hair. About twenty minutes later; the attackers fled into the darkness; taking their parents’ hair as a trophy. Four similar beard-cutting attacks followed; disfiguring nine victims and generating a tsunami of media coverage. While pundits and late-night talk shows made light of the attacks and poked fun at the Amish way of life; FBI investigators gathered evidence about troubling activities in a maverick Amish community near Bergholz; Ohio―and the volatile behavior of its leader; Bishop Samuel Mullet.Ten men and six women from the Bergholz community were arrested and found guilty a year later of 87 felony charges involving conspiracy; lying; and obstructing justice. In a precedent-setting decision; all of the defendants; including Bishop Mullet and his two ministers; were convicted of federal hate crimes. It was the first time since the 2009 passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd; Jr.; Hate Crimes Prevention Act that assailants had been found guilty for religiously motivated hate crimes within the same faith community. Renegade Amish goes behind the scenes to tell the full story of the Bergholz barbers: the attacks; the investigation; the trial; and the aftermath. In a riveting narrative reminiscent of a true crime classic; scholar Donald B. Kraybill weaves a dark and troubling story in which a series of violent Amish-on-Amish attacks shattered the peace of these traditionally nonviolent people; compelling some of them to install locks on their doors and arm themselves with pepper spray.The country’s foremost authority on Amish society; Kraybill spent six months assisting federal prosecutors with the case against the Bergholz defendants and served as an expert witness during the trial. Informed by trial transcripts and his interviews of ex-Bergholz Amish; relatives of Bishop Mullet; victims of the attacks; Amish leaders; and the jury foreman; Renegade Amish delves into the factors that transformed the Bergholz Amish from a typical Amish community into one embracing revenge and retaliation. Kraybill gives voice to the terror and pain experienced by the victims; along with the deep shame that accompanied their disfigurement―a factor that figured prominently in the decision to apply the federal hate crime law. Built on Kraybill’s deep knowledge of Amish life and his contacts within many Amish communities; Renegade Amish highlights one of the strangest and most publicized sagas in contemporary Amish history.
#231003 in Books 2015-02-03 2015-02-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.60 x 6.00l; 2.25 #File Name: 1416576576752 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. I think it's a MUST read.By cwnurseI knew a lot of shady stuff went on in the Vatican; BUT… You have to remember these are men; not G_D; in whose name many things were/are done.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Well researched book; shedding light upon morally questionable Vatican practicesBy David GA little tedious repetition which might have been better handled in a condensed timeline table rather than trying to list all details as a story line A lot of details about corrupt bankers the Vatican worked with. Not a lot of discussion of the morals of the times putting actions in context. To those who are not familiar with some of the scandals this can be a real eye opener about corruption; power plays; prejudice and greed in the highest levels of the catholic church The church was secular power until they lost the papal states just a few centuries ago. The Popes then acted like a monarchy in exile trying to regain their lost power and refusing to accept limitations by other secular authorizes. Further they acted like an Italian monarchy taking the Nazi axis side against the corrupt capitalistic western america; while even more firmly working against the communist who fought against all organized religion. Was the Vatican bank used to move Nazi money- sure. But they were no dirtier than Swiss or Argentinian banks of the time. Should the church be held to a higher moral standard? In the context of today morals the churches actions does appear reprehensible.Book could be bit shorter but well researched and can be an eye opener for those who think the church is always morally correct.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding!By K. MCBRIDEThe author and publisher are both commended for their professional courage in exposing the hideous criminality of the Vatican over the last two hundred years; more volumes would be required to include the criminality of the Roman Catholic Church since the Emperor Constantine. God’s Bankers is UNPUTDOWNABLE! Every chapter is a new revelation of Vatican criminal corruption; fraud; Mafia money laundering; tax evasion; related murders; sex parties to rival those of Pope Alexander VI (1503); etc. The research conducted by the author in conjunction with those he cites in his Acknowledgments is truly astonishing and the author is commended for what must have been endless frustration in dealing with the secrecy and pseudo-sovereignty of the Vatican. It is surprising that Italy has not torn up the Lateran Pacts and invaded the Vatican to end the millions of evaded tax revenues laundered through the Vatican bank. The anti-Semitism and racism of the Vatican is apparent in its complicity; and in Croatia direct involvement; of the brutal murder of the Holocaust killing millions of Europeans of WWII and the aftermath of “ratlines†operated by the Roman Catholic Church to allow NAZI War Criminals to escape to South/Central America. What is especially disgusting is the picture of a crate of gold wedding rings taken from Holocaust victims intercepted by the Allies which was to be deposited in the Vatican bank! The Roman Catholic Church has demonstratively proven over the centuries to the truth of Voltaire’s statement; “Those who can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities.†Who is more misogynistic; the Roman Catholic Church or the Iranian Mullahs? All who suffer from gynophobia! The endless reports of accusations that the Vatican “systematically†adopted policies that allowed priests to rape and molest thousands of children over decades with failure to report the allegations to the civil authorities and then transferring cleric offenders to new dioceses where they could abuse again demonstrate incomprehensible depravity. While Pope Francis is a welcomed humane voice; he is and will be restrained by the archaic and reactionary (Opus Dei) dogma and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. In a sense; the Roman Catholic Church is like the Drug Cartels but instead of narcotics the church promotes delusional mythological religious infectious myth that is no more a reality than Harry Potter but which serves as an enduring causative source of intolerance and criminality.
