But unlike Baptists, they are committed to pacifism and nonviolence, refusing to serve as police or soldiers. Leaving is not only hard because they would be so isolated from their parents, friends and family, it's also like a foreign country. Except for the Brethren, all the groups studied speak a Germanic dialect for everyday life and in worship services. Except for the Brethren, children are separated from outsiders in private schools, which typically end after eighth grade. Amish youth must join the church before they can marry.
Farmers pass down property to their children only if they remain in the church.
All but the Brethren shun members who leave. But to prosper, the Amish, Hutterites, Old Order Mennonites and Brethren have intertwined compromises with restrictions. Sometimes, Kraybill said, those can appear conflicting to outsiders. For example, the Hutterites live in agricultural communes, with only the leaders having contact with outsiders. The Old Order Mennonites allow tractors in the fields, but the machines must have steel wheels so they cannot be used for transportation on roads.