About The
Amish
Introduction
The Amish are a religious group who find their heritage in the
Protestant Reformation. Generally, the Amish reside in
close-knit communities in 47 states of the United States as well
as Ontario, Canada. The Amish population continues to grow, due
to large family size and a church-member retention rate of
approximately 80%. The largest concentrations of Amish in the
United States are in Holmes County, Ohio, LaGrange County,
Indiana, and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. By state, the
largest Amish population is in Ohio, and the second largest is
in Pennsylvania. There are an estimated 150,000 to 228,000 Amish
in the United States in all groups, and another 1500 in Ontario,
Canada.
There are as many as eight different groups within the Amish
population, with the majority affiliated with one of five
religious orders: Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Andy Weaver
Amish, Beachy Amish and Swartzentruber Amish. These churches
operate independently from each other with differences in how
they practice their religion and conduct their daily lives. The
Old Order Amish are the largest group and the Swartzentruber
Amish, an offshoot of the Old Order, are the most conservative.
The Amish are Anabaptists (a term which means re-baptizer)--a
movement that also includes Mennonites, Brethren and others. The
Anabaptists were considered radicals during the Reformation and
were persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants. The Amish
continue to believe in many of the conclusions of the 16th
Century Anabaptists, including the concepts of individual
freedom and the priesthood of all believers. They reject infant
baptism and instead baptize adults upon a confession of faith.
They also believe in a separation of church and state and
practice pacifism. Their lives emphasize simplicity, humility,
community, family and separation from the world.
History
The Amish have their roots in the Mennonite community.
Mennonites were part of the early Anabaptist movement in Europe,
which took place at the time of the Protestant Reformation. The
Anabaptists believed that only adults who had confessed their
faith should be baptized, and that they should remain separate
from the larger society. Many early Anabaptists were put to
death as heretics by both Catholics and Protestants, and many
others fled to the mountains of Switzerland and southern
Germany. Here began the Amish tradition of farming and holding
their worship services in homes rather than churches.
The Amish originated in 1693 when a Swiss bishop named Jacob
Amman and his followers broke from the Mennonite Church in an
attempt to restore some of the early practices of the
Mennonites. Amman had been an elder or bishop among the Swiss
Brethren (Mennonite). Amman advocated a strong view on shunning
(or the ban, which is a disassociation with members of the
community who do not conform to the rules of the community--a
form of discipline). The Amish and Mennonite churches still
share the same beliefs concerning baptism, non-resistance, and
basic Bible doctrines. They differ in matters of dress,
technology, language, form of worship, and interpretation of the
Bible.
Coming to North America
 The Amish who split from Mennonites generally lived in
Switzerland and in the southern Rhine river region. The Amish,
like the Mennonites, were persecuted for their faith throughout
the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. Many were tortured
and killed. Because of this, the Amish were a quiet people and
constantly on the move.
In 1681, William Penn, an English Quaker, received ownership of
the land that would eventually become the state of Pennsylvania.
He decided to try a "holy experiment:" to establish a colony
that would allow religious tolerance. Amish, Quakers,
Mennonites, Moravians, Schwenkfelders and others in Europe
responded to the opportunity by moving to the area. High taxes,
high rents, inflation, wars and rumors of wars, the military
draft, and religious persecution encouraged believers to leave
Europe.
Amish settlers began to immigrate to Pennsylvania as early as
1720. The first sizable group of Amish arrived in Lancaster
County in the 1720's or 1730's. A congregation was organized by
1749, when an ordained bishop named Jacob Hertzler came from
Switzerland to lead the new settlers.
Waves of Amish emigrating from Europe continued throughout the
18th and 19th centuries. They settled in Lancaster County (PA),
Holmes County (OH), northern Indiana and in smaller communities
in Michigan, New York, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South
Dakota and Ontario. Today they live in numerous states and
Ontario, but the largest communities remain in Lancaster County,
Holmes County, and northern Indiana. More recently some Beachy
Amish have relocated in several locations in Central America in
an attempt to remove themselves from the influences of modern
society. There are no Amish living in Europe today.
Beliefs
Christianity
The fascination that many people (including sociologists) have
with the Amish culture and lifestyle sometimes dwarfs the simple
fact that the Amish are Christian. It is this simple faith that
compels them to the lifestyles they choose and provides them
with the hope in their salvation.
The Bible
The Bible is the sacred text of the Amish people. The Amish
interpret the Bible literally and directly in many cases, which
explains certain aspects of their lifestyle.
The Ordnung
In addition to the Bible, there are unwritten rules on which the
Amish people base their morals and way of life. The Ordnung is
an oral tradition of rules that regulates how the Amish way of
life should be conducted. Specific details of the Ordnung differ
among various church districts. The rules are generally reviewed
biannually and occasionally revised as needed.
Simplicity
The Amish believe that at its core, faith and life are not
complex. As the world around them hurries by with cell phones
and PDAs in a rush to make the next sale or run the kids off to
soccer games, the Amish find freedom for the mind and soul in
their adherence to simplicity.
Community
While the early Anabaptists were concerned with the individual
freedom of each believer, they also believed that it was
important that the believer was solidly rooted in the community
of faith. The Amish believe that faith finds expression in the
way one treats one's neighbors, service and mutual
accountability.
Humility
The Amish believe that Jesus set an example in putting others
before himself to the extent that he denied his own selfish
desires. The Amish model this attitude and lifestyle.
Pacifism
The Amish take very seriously (and literally) the words of
Jesus. So as Jesus commanded his followers to love their enemies
and not to resist an evil person, the Amish take him at his
word. During the Reformation, many Anabaptists went willingly to
their graves, praying for their persecutors right up until the
end. Along with pacifism come other beliefs that follow the
literal words of Jesus, such as an admonition not to swear
oaths.
Separation
The Amish believe that the Church was founded to bear witness to
the world, but that the followers of Jesus are called to be
separate from the world. They believe in remaining quite
separate from the rest of the world, physically and socially.
Part of this may also be caused by the belief that association
with others--often referred to as "The English"--may be
polluting. Part may be because of the intense persecution
experienced by their ancestors as a result of government
oppression.
Lifestyle
Appearance and Attire
Amish women and girls wear modest one-color dresses with long
sleeves and a full skirt. They wear a cape or apron over the
dress and fasten everything with pins or snaps. They do not cut
their hair, which they wear up in a bun. They wear a prayer
covering or bonnet on their heads. They do not wear jewelry or
makeup.
Men and boys wear trousers with suspenders, solid-colored
shirts, and suits or straight-cut coats of one color. They
fasten their coats with hooks. They wear black socks and black
or brown shoes and black or straw hats. Amish men wear beards
after they are married. They do not grow mustaches because of
the long association of mustaches with the military.
Education
The Amish do not value formal education. Although they pay
school taxes, the Amish have fought to keep their children out
of public schools. In 1972, the Supreme Court handed down a
landmark unanimous decision that exempted the Old Order Amish
and related groups from state compulsory attendance laws beyond
the eighth grade. Amish children generally attend school through
the eighth grade, often in one-room schoolhouses with a single
teacher. They learn the basics of reading, writing and
arithmetic. Higher education is considered unnecessary and
something that can lead one away from a life of simplicity and
humility as well as the community. However, the Amish know the
importance of informal education, and many boys and girls learn
the mechanics of farm life or other crafts at a young age.
Modern Conveniences
The Amish avoid modern conveniences as an expression of their
ideals of simplicity and separation from the world. Amish homes
do not draw power from the electrical grid. Generally the Amish
do not use electricity in their homes at all but some have
generators to run machinery for work.
With very few exceptions, Old Order Amish congregations do not
allow the owning or use of automobiles or farm tractors.
However, they will ride in cars when needed.
They do not have radios, TV sets, personal computers, computer
games, etc. In-home telephones are not normally allowed. Some
families have a phone remote from the house or shop for business
purposes or use answering services.
The Amish do not take photographs or allow themselves to be
photographed. To do so would be evidence of vanity and pride.
Also, it might violate the prohibition in Exodus 20:4, the
second of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not make unto thee
any graven image, or any likeness of anything that...is in the
earth..."
Language
Most Amish speak three languages: Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch)
at home or when speaking with other Amish, High German in
worship, and English at school and when speaking with anyone who
is not Amish.
Mutual Assistance
There is much neighboring in the Amish community, and helping
each other is the most common way of socializing. The Amish
carry no life or property insurance; the church assists in cases
of major loss. Large families generally give assurance of care
for the elderly. Only rarely do Amish retire to places other
than the dawdyhaus, a small house built next to the main farm
house. Retired Amish farmers do not receive Social Security.
Worship
Amish worship services are held every other Sunday morning. They
are held in homes and conducted in the High German language.
Services usually consist of singing, two prayers, Bible reading,
a short opening sermon, and a main sermon. Singing is slow.
Normally hymns are sung from the Ausbund of 1564--one of the
oldest Protestant hymnals. Worship services often last for four
hours or more.
Communion services are held twice yearly in the spring and fall.
Before the service, a council meeting is held in which the
attendees resolve any disagreements that they have with each
other. They also discuss matters regarding proper lifestyle and
conduct.
The Amish celebrate the traditional Christian holy days. They
also observe a Fast Day on October 11.
Marriage and Family Life
Marriages outside the faith are not allowed. Couples are married
in one of their homes during November or early December, after
harvest season. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the days for
weddings; these are the least busy days of the week.
Divorce is not permitted and separation is very rare. They are
strictly monogamous and generally patriarchal. Sex roles are
clearly defined. The average family size is 7-8 children.
Funerals
Amish funerals are conducted in the home without a eulogy,
flower decorations, or other display. The casket is plain,
without adornment. At death, a woman is usually buried in her
bridal dress. A simple tombstone is erected after burial like
all the other tombstones in the Amish cemetery--in death as in
life, no one person is elevated above another.
Occupation and the Philosophy of Work
Acceptable occupations in the Amish community are ones that
emphasize community, do not require higher education, and avoid
the use of technology, modern conveniences or labor-saving
devises. Manual labor, hard work and thriftiness are virtues. A
strong work ethic is certainly built into the Amish heritage.
In the past, most Amish were farmers. While many continue to
farm, large tracks of land have become more difficult to
acquire, and many Amish are turning to other acceptable
occupations. These businesses generally involve trades that they
have learned since childhood, like furniture building, quilt
making or cooking. While Amish communities try to stay as
isolated from the secular world as possible, the
commercialization of their culture has made these products known
to non-Amish consumers. The Amish dedication to hard work and
the "bootstrapping" business style of the Amish community
contributes to its success as members move from their farms into
entrepreneurship.
Information for this article was collected from several
websites:
http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish
http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/amish.html
http://www.holycrosslivonia.org/amish/
http://www.amishcenter.com/history.htm
http://www.gameo.org/index.asp?content=http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents/B435ME.html
http://www.goshen.edu/~lonhs/SamYoder.html
http://www.holycrosslivonia.org/amish/amishfaq.htm
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