Although he was born into the most traditional Old Order Amish community,“Lebanon” Levi Stoltzfus was never baptized into the church. That allows him to straddle the modern “English” and Amish worlds. The star of the Discovery Channel’s hit reality show “Amish Mafia” recently published “Amish Confidential” (Simon & Schuster, $24.99). The book exposes his experience in the Amish community as an insider. 

I was struck by how your father died.

Yeah, I don’t remember much of it. I was only 2 years old. His leg got cut off up to the hip on the cutter where the fan is, and the choppers are for the corn and the silo. I remember the viewing — when people come to view [the body]. I remember standing on little cans tied together and combing my dad’s hair. I remember the day before he died sitting on his lap. But that is all I remember being 2 years old. 

Had he lived, do you think you would have been baptized into the church?

You always question that. It seems in the Amish life there is a lot that still stay Amish, but there are a lot that when their dad or mom dies and they get remarried it seems like it’s not there you know? They just want to move on and live some different life. I don’t know why. It just seems that way. I don’t know. I think if my dad would still be living I don’t know where I’d be or what difference it would be. I am sure it would be a little bit different.

You talk about being conflicted about the religion and the contradictions even as a young boy, so as a grown man are you confident you made the right decision to embrace the culture but not the religion?

Yeah, absolutely. I think it is time that the outside world sees more inside the Amish. You know they come in each year to tour Lancaster County to see the Amish and see how they live. They still don’t tell you everything. They just tell you how they live. They show the outside of it. All these tours, these tourist bureaus in Lancaster County, they are just making money off the Amish. They don’t know what to say. They think they do, but an Amish guy is not going to sit there and tell an outsider the whole Amish story and let him go sell it. 

In the book you say the Amish are the bait for tourism.

Right, they don’t get a dollar outta nothing. All the stores, the Amish clothes, the Amish gifts they sell. The Amish don’t get nothing. It’s pretty sad, but what are you going to do? Anybody can come in and make a store because nothing is patented. Still it’s pretty bad how much they take advantage of the Amish. Let the Amish sell their stuff. Let the Amish have their stores and sell furniture. Don’t bring this fake furniture in and call it Amish furniture. It’s not. There are plenty of Amish furniture shops. You don’t have to bring fake stuff in just to make it cheaper.

Why don’t the Amish ban together?

They do sell their own stuff, but it seems the Amish community they mostly sell it among themselves. An English outsider can come in to their shop and buy stuff. They are more than welcome to. They will sell it to you. I guess the Amish — I mean there is big business in Amish communities, some rich people — but they aren't all about making top dollar and being the richest person in the world. They don’t have to be a millionaire to live. That’s why they aren’t worried about banding together and making a big old shop. So everybody just has to make a living themselves, and that is all they are worried about. 

Do you worry that the show “Amish Mafia” is adding to the exploitation?

It’s definitely getting to the insides of it, yeah. That is kind of why I wanted to write the book because the people who follow the show say they would never do such things. Of course some stuff is what it is. There is a lot of stuff the Amish do that nobody knows. That’s why it is called “Amish Confidential.” It is the secrets inside of the Amish [community]. There is no other Amish book out there. There are Amish books by professors, but they aren’t Amish. They claim they know how the Amish live, but the books that I read, half are true and the other half are not. They don’t know. Like I said, you can go to an Amish person and get stories, but they won’t tell you everything. That is what is so interesting about this book. It’s the truth about what actually goes on. People don’t think an Amish person drives a car or has a cell phone. They aren't allowed to, but for me, I’m not baptized into the church so I can. I am only doing it against my parents’ will, not against the church. 

Some use modern conveniences by getting around technicalities in Amish law.

Yes, in some of the stores they will have it in someone’s name either a Mennonite or an English person’s name so they can have electricity in the store. It is stuff like that. There are ways around it. The Amish are supposed to be plain and simple, which they are, but as the world goes on, everybody gets more modern. There are some very simple plain Amish that would not do that. They won’t have a phone. They will have it over by the neighbors. There is no cell phone, and their children when they are 16 they won’t drive no cars. There are some very plain and simple Amish out there. The lifestyle I’m in is a little wilder, a little faster.

Do you find there are less and less original Amish — plain and simple?

Absolutely it is getting less. There is still a good percentage who are very plain, but it’s definitely. Like my dad [stepdad]. He don’t even know how to use a cell phone. If I were to hand him a cell phone, he would have no idea how to open it or close it or whatever. If I were to get married Amish and I would see my children grow up, I would let them get away with more stuff, too, in the modern world because I've had it myself. My dad never did. I did it against my dad. He never appreciated it, but you know you are not going to disown your child. 

What do you say to the people who say “Amish Mafia” is fake?

I can’t talk about the show because of my contract, but I will tell you this: It really doesn't matter how real it is or how fake it is. People are going to believe what they want. I will tell you there is a lot of truth to it. 

Doug, the new villain on the show, is almost comic.

[laughs] He’s a hothead. The Amish always have a problem with Mennonites — all my life. When I used to drive horse and buggies during weekends, they would drive past me and throw eggs and food at the buggy or the horse and scare the horse. They always would make smart comments to you, and they always think they are better than the Amish. They are still this way.

Aren't you baptized Mennonite?

I am baptized in a New Order Amish church. It is called New Order Amish Mennonite Church, but the men still have the beards and they can drive cars and have electricity. The women still wear the coverings on the head and wear dresses. It is basically new order Amish. I don't go to that church anymore. But yeah, I was baptized in that church. 

You come off as a kind of Robin Hood to the Amish in the show. In the book you bring out serious issues such as the puppy mills that exist and Amish on Amish violence.

The puppy mills I definitely do not like. I didn’t even know it was that bad until the inspectors got a hold of it. That is the best way to do it. There is not much I could do or anybody could do. You need some more higher power like an inspector and let them get in trouble that way. Other than that they will just keep doing what they are doing. You can tell an Amish person what to do — Amish to Amish — but they will still do what they want. If you have someone from the outside coming in and taking control, saying if you don’t do this you are going jail, that is going to scare an Amish person. Amish don’t want to go to jail. I mean nobody does, but it is really rare an Amish person goes to jail because they want to stay as far away from that as they can. 

Do the Amish support you? I know they don’t all watch television.

There are some Amish that watch. They will go to neighbors or to these huts [Amish have hut parties, which are barns or shacks that have electricity for television] because of course no TVs at home. Anything you do in life, it doesn't matter — when I went to the new order Amish church to get baptized, some were happy and some weren't. Some didn't care, and some didn't say nothing. It doesn't matter what choice you make in life in the Amish community. They aren't all going to be in favor. It’s the same with the show. Some care, some don’t care, some think I’m out of control. You can’t please them all. You’d think that the Amish would be more supportive. I mean they can forgive a murderer easier than they can forgive each other. 

Will you settle down, get married do the the whole family thing?

Absolutely. It’s about time to get married I think. [laughing]  I’m not getting any younger, that’s for sure. 

You still have the show so I don’t know if it is time yet.

[laughs] Well, yeah, it’s great. The book — I really like it. I like how it came out. I hope people find it interesting. Maybe I can encourage more people with it to live more simple and not try to live out in the world all the time.

What I found interesting and kind of funny was the Amish romance checklist you write about in the book. Strong back, good thighs.

[laughing] Oh yeah, yeah. That happens. 

So you've had a couple DUIs and I was wondering if your step-dad ever found out?

Oh, yeah. You can hide nothing. If I cut my finger off in the next hour, the Amish community would know it. Of course he had to know because I lost my license, and I had to get a driver to go to work. When I had my second one, I had to go to jail for 28 days. They aren't too happy about it. They don’t want you to drink to start with, but for some reason the Amish like to drink. I don’t know why, but ... I guess because they are so tied up when they are young. 

You’ve sort of got your foot in the best of both worlds. If you had been baptized old order Amish you would have been shunned.

Right, right. The church really can’t do nothing to you as long as you are not baptized. As soon as you are baptized you are pretty much in the church’s hands. Anything you do wrong you have to confess or get shunned. For me, yeah, I can pretty much do what I want. But if the church sees too much they could go to my parents and say I should probably back off from this and that. They still try to control a little bit, but you don’t have to listen on them.

Patricia Sheridan: psheridan@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2613.

First Published: May 4, 2015, 4:00 a.m.