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More information about the Amish
Amish Beliefs and way of life
North American religious group
also called Amish Mennonite
Amish beliefs and way of life
Humility, family, community, and separation from the
world are the mainstays of the Amish. Everyday life and custom are governed by
an unwritten code of behavior called the Ordnung, and shunning (Meidung) remains
an integral way in which the community deals with disobedient members. In formal
religious doctrine, the Amish differ little from the Mennonites. Holy Communion
is celebrated twice each year, and foot washing is practiced by both groups.
Persons are baptized when they are admitted to formal membership in the church,
about the age of 17 to 20 years.
The Amish are best known for their plain
clothing, most of it self-made, and nonconformist lifestyle. Men and boys wear
broad-brimmed black hats, dark-coloured suits, straight-cut coats without
lapels, broadfall pants, suspenders, solid-coloured shirts, and black socks
and shoes. Their shirts may fasten with conventional buttons, but their coats
and vests fasten with hooks and eyes. Men grow beards after they marry but are
forbidden to have mustaches. Old Order Amish women and girls wear bonnets,
long full dresses with capes over the shoulders, shawls, and black shoes and
stockings; their capes and aprons are fastened with straight pins or snaps.
Amish women never cut their hair, which is worn in a bun, and they are not
allowed to wear jewelry of any kind. The Amish attire, which is essentially
that of 17th-century European peasants, reflects their reluctance to change,
their respect for tradition, and their interpretation of biblical strictures
against conforming to the ways of the world (e.g., Romans 12:2).
The Old Order Amish shun personal, home-based telephones but will occasionally
use a communal one. They also eschew automobiles and ride bicycles and drive
horse-and-buggies instead, though many of them will, on occasion and in
emergencies, ride in cars, trains, and buses operated by others. Although the
buggies are traditional boxlike vehicles, they are not always black, as
commonly thought; some of them are white, gray, or even yellow, and many Amish
and Mennonite groups can be distinguished by their chosen colour of buggy. The
buggies may also be equipped with such modern conveniences as heaters,
windshield wipers, and upholstered seats. The use of electricity, however, is
strongly avoided, as it is a prime connection to the world that could lead to
temptations and worldly amenities detrimental to the community and family
life; occasional exceptions to this ban have involved Amish who must use
electric flashers on their buggies in order to drive legally in their
communities and certain farm equipment that could not be operated without a
minimal amount of electricity and without which the community’s economic
livelihood would be threatened; for example, certain milking equipment may be
impossible to operate without some electricity, and electric fences may be
deemed critical for keeping cattle. Bottle gas is often used to operate
appliances, even barbecue grills, and gas-pressured lanterns and lamps might
be used for indoor lighting. The New Order Amish permit the use of
electricity, the owning of cars, and telephones in the home.
The Amish are considered excellent farmers, growing and storing the majority
of their food and purchasing in stores only staples such as flour and sugar.
The Old Order Amish refuse to use most modern farm machinery, preferring the
sweat of their brow over the ease of modern conveniences. What modern
machinery they do use will often be operated not by electricity but by an
alternative power source. The Amish are famous for their barn raisings. These
cooperative efforts often involve hundreds of men, as well as scores of women
who feed the workers. These custom-made barns are a constant reminder of Amish
tradition, community, industry, and craft. The hex signs that often adorn the
barns—the round geometric emblems painted to ward off evil—are synonymous with
the agricultural communities of the “Pennsylvania Dutch.”
The Amish typically accept the photographing of their way of life, but they
forbid photos of themselves, believing such things are graven images in
violation of the Second Commandment. For this same reason the dolls young
Amish girls play with are traditionally faceless. Musical instruments are also
forbidden by the Old Order Amish, as playing these, they believe, would be a
“worldly” act contrary to the critical Gelassenheit: that spirit of humility,
modesty, and informality that lies at the heart of the Amish way of life and
which the Amish believe was exemplified by Jesus Christ; other Amish may play
an instrument in private, such as the accordion or harmonica, but never in
public. Singing, however, is important to Amish life, whether at work or at
play, at home or in church. Selections from the Ausband (their hymnal) are
commonly sung. Group singing is always in unison and never harmonized. Hymn
singing is popular on Sunday evenings, especially among young Amish, and on
these occasions a separate hymnal (with “faster tunes”), called the “thin
book,” is used.
Amish quilts, meticulously stitched by groups of Amish girls and women, are
popular with tourists and highly praised by collectors. The quilting bees are
a form of socialization and relaxation for Amish women, and the group effort
reflects the Amish virtues of community and cooperation. The quilts can be
intricate in design with colourful patterns but may not contain
representational images, which are considered fancy and prideful. The selling
of quilts, handmade crafts such as hex signs, and their famous baked goods
such as friendship bread and shoofly pie is a common source of income for
Amish families. The Amish recipes of Elizabeth Coblenz (died 2002) were
syndicated in hundreds of newspapers, and her cookbooks are internationally
famous.
Amish children typically attend one-room schools run by the community, and
they attend school only through the eighth grade; this eighth-grade limit in
the United States was deemed acceptable by a 1972 Supreme Court ruling.
Instruction is in English and concentrates on the basics of reading, writing,
and math. Amish history and practical farming and homemaking skills are also
taught. As in many of the separatist branches of Protestantism, convincing the
children of believers to stay in the faith community can often be a challenge.
If a young man joins a Mennonite church or other less exacting religion, the
Amish will often say “he got his hair cut.” If a young person abandons the
faith altogether, they say that person “went English.”
The quiet, reserved manner that the Amish try to maintain does not prevent
them from partaking of common pastimes and games. Volleyball and softball are
popular with many Amish families, but they are played strictly for enjoyment
and not in a spirit of competition. Flower gardens, if kept simple, are also
permissible. Once the daily chores are finished and the children’s schoolwork
completed, Amish families will often read or sing together in the evenings,
before going to bed early in preparation for their next day’s chores.
The Amish are not involved in state or national politics, and they do not
serve in the military. They also disavow social security and most types of
insurance, often pooling their resources to help Amish families in need, but
they will visit doctors, dentists, and opticians. As has often been said, the
Amish are in the world but not really of it, as they try, in their simple and
placid ways, to maintain the greatest possible separation from the rest of
society.
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