In Ohio, the Amish are seen by many as gentle, God-fearing people, who live an idyllic life, frozen in time.
But NewsChannel5's Ted Hart reported that behind the peaceful facade there is a dark side.
"The public outlook on our culture is so positive that they jut don't think anything like that would happen. They would like to believe it's a perfect culture. Wrong," said former Amish man David Yoder.
He and his wife, Fran, left the Amish life because of what they call everyday physical abuse of children, Hart reported.
"When I was 12 years old, I took beatings that were beyond human," Yoder said.
He stuttered as a child, and that angered his father, who told Yoder to put his big toe under the rocking chair.
"I remember just sitting there watching. [I] remember as if it was yesterday. He rocked over my toe and blood came squirting out of there. I had no choice but to sit there and take it," Yoder said.
The Amish preach obedience, Hart said. Church doctrine teaches that corporal punishment is good for a child. But the Yoders said the physical and in some cases sexual abuse that takes place behind closed doors is out of control.
Fran Yoder said that she was raped by a member of her Amish community.
"I guess that's what probably hurt the most and what really put me over the top that I was going to leave and get outta my culture," Yoder said.
Fran Yoder reported the rape to church elders. She said the rapist eventually confessed. He was shunned for eight weeks.
"After being expelled for eight weeks, he was back in good standing?" Hart asked.
"Yeah," Fran said.
"So eight weeks was his punishment for rape?" Hart asked.
"Yeah," Fran said.
"That's it?" Hart asked.
"That's it," Fran said.
"And you bear the pain for rest of your life," Hart said.
The Amish are discouraged from reporting problems to anyone outside their culture.
Hart reported that there's no evidence to suggest that child abuse, whether physical, sexual or emotional, is any more prevalent in the Amish culture than it is in the rest of society. But with the Amish, it's the church elders who decide punishment and there is little or no help for the victims. He said it's handled as a cultural secret, something not to be discussed.
"That's where I say their system is wrong. It just carries on from one generation to the next," Fran Yoder said.
Several years ago in northern New York, Amish children claimed they were physically abused by their parents. But when they went to the church, the church rallied around the parents, Hart reported. The children then went to the authorities.
"For a couple of months, I got beatings every day with a belt, cut up skin, awful beatings. My mom often did it, sometimes my dad did it, too," said abuse victim Lydia Miller
The New York family court would not discuss the outcome. The children are David Yoder's nieces and nephews, Hart reported. The case, Yoder said, typifies what's wrong with the Amish system.
"My nephew, he went to the local authorities, he's still expelled. They've never forgiven him for that. My brother-in-law, he molested and did all that physical abuse. He's back in good standing," Yoder said.
After what happened to his nieces and nephews, Yoder decided to do something. He created a Web site www.amishabuse.com. He hopes to bring a little pressure on the Amish to change their ways.
"It has to stop. The cycle has to be broken. If I don't break it, who's going to break it?" Yoder asked.