The Cult of The Amish

Sounds Like A Cult

Studio71

Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Education

3.9 • 4.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 January 2026

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We know them. We giggle at them, occasionally. These days, more and more of us admire their simple, tech-free lives. The Amish are often held up as the ultimate model of intentional community, living by principles that seem radically disconnected from our chaotic modern world. But behind the horse-drawn buggies and picturesque farmlands lies a tightly controlled society with its own strict bishops, its own rules for shunning, and its own definition of what it means to be “in the world, but not of it.” This week, Amanda and Reese are joined by Amish-turned-stripper Naomi Swartzentruber (@amishinspiration) to ask the uncomfortable question: when does a religious community become a cultural fortress? Get your butter churners prepped, we’re breaking down the barn doors to ask: is the cult of the Amish a faith, a lifestyle, or a cult? 🧈 Subscribe to Sounds Like A Cult on Youtube!Follow us on IG @soundslikeacultpod, @amanda_montell, @reesaronii, @chelseaxcharles, @imanharirikia. Thank you to our sponsors! To save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.squarespace.com/CULT Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/slac Content warning: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast is brought to you by Squarespace.
0:02.0	Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online.
0:07.0	I am a longtime Squarespace user.
0:10.0	Truly, if you've never set up a website in your life, there's so much to benefit from here,
0:13.0	including their design intelligence features.
0:16.0	Squarespace payments is also truly the easiest way to manage all of your payments in one place if you're selling things on your website.
0:22.7	And if you're truly out here to do good in the world, Squarespace is also amazing because you can set up a fundraiser on there.
0:29.2	Head to Squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, go to Squarespace.com slash cult to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.
0:38.5	The views expressed on this episode, as with all episodes of Sounds Like a Cult, are solely
0:42.5	host opinions and quoted allegations. The content here should not be taken as indisputable
0:46.9	fact. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only. Hello, everyone. We do want listeners
0:53.7	to be aware that this episode does cover topics of abuse,
0:56.8	including sexual abuse. So please do take care when tuning in. And if that's a sensitive topic
1:01.3	for you, feel free to skip this one. We'll catch you next week. I just found out I have
1:05.7	132 nieces and nephews. Are the Amish encouraged to have lots of children?
1:11.6	They just have a lot of kids because they don't believe in condoms or birth control.
1:15.6	So when they get pregnant, they just are going to have another kid.
1:18.6	My mom and dad's generation, the average size family was like 14 to 16 kids.
1:22.6	And now a lot is like 8 to 10.
1:25.6	My sister, she takes these pills that she says are to prevent her from getting pregnant.
1:30.0	She's like, I still get pregnant sometimes, but just not as often as I probably would.
1:34.1	Sometimes.
	...

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