‘Amish Mafia’ News: Religious Groups Join ‘Respect Amish’ Movement, Working To Ban Show from Lancaster County Completely? [VIDEO]
A movement by a Lancaster filmmaker to get shows like Amish Mafia taken off the air has garnered even more support, as several Lancaster area religious groups have now also joined the fight against what has been termed as 'Amish-sploitation.'
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An interfaith coalition for the Lancaster area representing more than 200 local churches and religious organizations officially joined the movement against the show, marking another huge step in the fight to help remove the negative stigma that the show is blamed for casting on the Amish community.
According to the statement (via Lancaster Online), the series "engages in religious bigotry" and "Amish Mafia is no more acceptable than Jewish Mafia, Catholic Mafia or Evangelical Mafia. The shoe is an affront to all people of faith," and asks for an end to both the production and the broadcast of the series.
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Though other Amish-themes shows like Breaking Amish are not welcomed, the main show that is being targeted by the movement has been Amish Mafia, due to the violence that the show depicts.
"These shows vilify the Amish religious way of life, suggesting that a peaceful people devoted to non-violence are vengeful, violent, and criminal," the statement read. "The Amish are horrified shamed and embarrassed by the show's depiction of their religion and culture. While their religious beliefs forbid them from public objection to this portrayal, their spokesmen have expressed deep appreciation and support for the efforts of others to foster respect for their community."
The statement, issued by the Lancaster County Council of Churches, is the second major one concerning a group which supports the movement, following just weeks after a joint statement by The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau said those organizations were also joining the movement.
The movement got its official beginning in June, when local filmmaker Mary Haverstick coined it as 'Amish-sploitation' and said the show needed to be taken off the air because it was a form of racism.
And though the movement has certainly grown in size and popularity, Haverstick warns that it isn't over yet.
"I think we're building a pretty strong coalition here. We want Discovery to take notice," she said. "When a community starts to speak out like this en masse, it's a problem. The movers and shakers of Lancaster County are getting involved."
"They certainly should take notice when the entire community is starting to speak out in one voice on this," she added. "I think we will be taking more steps in the future to make sure that will take notice."
A fourth season of Amish Mafia has yet to be confirmed by Discovery Channel.
