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About The Amish

Introduction

The Amish, also called “The Plain People” or Old Order Amish, are a group of about 100,000 persons who find their heritage in the Protestant Reformation. They 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.

Today, they are known as “the quiet in the land.”  Their lives emphasize simplicity, humility, community, family and separation from the world.

The Amish continue to believe in many of the conclusions of the 16^th 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 worship services are in homes, rather than a church building.

History

The Amish originated in 1693 when a Swiss bishop named Jacob Ammann and his followers broke from the Mennonite Church. Ammann had been an elder or bishop among the Swiss Brethren (Mennonite). He was an able man with a strong sense of right and wrong, but he always seemed to take the stricter side where there were differences of opinion over doctrine. Ammann 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).

When a leader of the community, Hans Reist, stood up to Ammann to challenge his views, a sharp division took place within the brotherhood.  Cornelius J. Dyck writes in An Introduction to Mennonite History,  The Reist followers were later nicknamed Knopfler (those having buttons on their coats), while the followers of Ammann were called Amish, and later also Haftler (those using hooks and eyes instead of buttons).

The Amish, like the Mennonites, were persecuted for their faith throughout the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th centuries in Europe. Many were tortured and killed. Because of this, the Amish were a quiet people and constantly on the move.

Amish settlers began to immigrate to William Penn’s “holy experiment” of religious tolerance in the New World to escape religious persecution as early as 1720.  More came to Pennsylvania in the years that followed, but no congregation was organized until 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 18^th and 19^th centuries. They settled in Lancaster County (PA), Holmes County (OH), and Northern Indiana and in smaller communities in Michigan, New York, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Ontario. Today they live in 22 states and Ontario, but the largest communities remain to be Lancaster County, Holmes County, and Northern Indiana.

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.

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 PDA’s 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. Their non-conformity is obvious in their attire, lifestyle and more. It is more than a cultural dynamic; it is an expression of faith.

Lifestyle

Occupation

Acceptable occupations in the Amish community are ones that emphasize community, do not require higher education, and avoid the use of technology and modern conveniences. 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, which include many trades and small businesses.

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 do not wear jewelry or makeup.

Men and boys wear trousers with suspenders, solid-colored shirts, and suits or 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 do not grow mustaches, but wear beards after they are married.

Education

The Amish do not force formal education. Amish children traditionally attend school through the 8^th 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. However, the Amish know the importance of informal education, and many boys and girls learn the mechanics of farm life at a young age. Many sects vary from this “old school” philosophy and allow further education.  

Modern Conveniences

The Amish avoid modern conveniences as an expression of their ideals of simplicity and separation from the world. They do not use cars, telephones, radios, or computers. Most of the Old Order Amish do not use electricity. There are variations from community to community, but the majority of Amish are technologically in the 18^th century, and willingly so.

Language

Most Amish speak three languages: Pennsylvania Dutch at home or when speaking with other Amish, High German in worship, and English at school and when they are speaking with anyone who is not Amish.

Worship

Amish worship services are held every other Sunday morning.  They are held in homes, often in the barn and conducted in the High German language.  Singing is slow.  Normally hymns are sung from the Ausbund of 1564 tone of the oldest Protestant hymnals.  Worship services often last for four hours or more.

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