Confusion is due mainly to the various groups. 'Amishness' is always clear but the differing rules in differing areas is not.

Even the name(s) are confusing. Strictly speaking, 'Mennonites' are not Amish but one could say that the Amish are Mennonite; they broke away from the Mennonite church a couple of centuries ago.

There are many, many differing 'kinds' of Amish: Amish Mennonite. Conservative Mennonite. Grace Mennonite. These are all different from the actual Mennonite church but are not quite Amish in the sense that most people expect.

Then there are the differing disciplines of Amish themselves: Old Order Amish. And the 'car Amish': Beachy Amish. Bontrager Amish. (I don't even know all the different names denoting very slight differences in their norms.

In my family we always had normal electricity but many of my relatives did not. My own uncle built a large new home- with not a scrap of wiring in it. Took a huge loss when the day came that he sold it.

The Amish have no qualms about using modern conveniences; their aim is to not allow their people to become 'worldly' in its use. For instance, a telephone in the home is worldly and could lead to laxness. A telephone in the barn or in a shed can be considered a necessity, whether for emergencies or for business.

However, I have never heard of a car or truck hiding in a barn. I do know some use fast little farm tractors for everything from travel between farms to grocery shopping.

I have never lived in one of the huge Amish communities but I have hundreds - maybe thousands - of relatives that do. Some of the stories emanating from some of those communities have been a scandal in 'the' church for generations.