Amish 101 - Amish Beliefs, Culture &
Lifestyle
History of the Amish in America
By Albrecht Powell, About.com Guide
The Amish people in America are an old religious sect, direct descendants of the Anabaptists of
sixteenth-century Europe. Not to be confused with the term anti-Baptist, these Anabaptist
Christians challenged the reforms of Martin Luther and others during the Protestant Reformation,
rejecting infant baptism in favor of baptism (or re-baptism) as believing adults. They also taught
separation of church and state, something unheard of in the 16th century. Later known as the
Mennonites, after the Dutch Anabaptist leader Menno Simons (1496-1561), a large group of
Anabaptists fled to Switzerland and other remote areas of Europe to escape religious persecution.
During the late 1600s a group of devout individuals led by Jakob Ammann broke away from the
Swiss Mennonites, primarily over the lack of strict enforcement of Meidung, or shunning -
excommunication of disobedient or negligent members. They also differed over other matters
such as foot washing and the lack of rigid regulation of costume. This group became known as
the Amish and, to this day, still share most of the same beliefs as their Mennonite cousins. The
distinction between the Amish and Mennonites is largely one of dress and manner of worship.
Amish Settlements in America
The first sizeable group of Amish arrived in America around 1730 and settled near Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania, as a result of William Penn's 'holy experiment' in religious tolerance. The
Pennsylvania Amish are not the largest group of U.S. Amish as is commonly thought, however.
The Amish have settled in as many as twenty-four states, Canada, and Central America, though
about 80% are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The greatest concentration of Amish is
in Holmes and adjoining counties in northeast Ohio, about 100 miles from Pittsburgh. Next in
size is a group of Amish people in Elkhart and surrounding counties in northeastern Indiana.
Then comes the Amish settlement in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Amish population in
the U.S. numbers more than 150,000 and growing, due to large family size (seven children on
average) and a church-member retention rate of approximately 80%.
Amish Dress
Symbolic of their faith, Amish clothing styles encourage humility and separation from the world.
The Amish dress in a very simple style, avoiding all but the most basic ornamentation. Clothing
is made at home of plain fabrics and is primarily dark in color. Amish men in general wear
straight-cut suits and coats without collars, lapels or pockets. Trousers never have creases or
cuffs and are worn with suspenders. Belts are forbidden, as are sweaters, neckties and gloves.
Men's shirts fasten with traditional buttons in most orders, while suit coats and vests fasten with
hooks and eyes. Young men are clean shaven prior to marriage, while married men are required
to let their beards grow. Mustaches are forbidden. Amish women typically wear solid-color
dresses with long sleeves and a full skirt, covered with a cape and an apron. They never cut their
hair, and wear it in a braid or bun on the back of the head concealed with a small white cap or
black bonnet. Clothing is fastened with straight pins or snaps, stockings are black cotton and
shoes are also black. Amish women are not permitted to wear patterned clothing or jewelry. The
Ordnung of the specific Amish order may dictate matters of dress as explicit as the length of a
skirt or the width of a seam.
Technology & the Amish
The Amish are averse to any technology which they feel weakens the family structure. The
conveniences that the rest of us take for granted such as electricity, television, automobiles,
telephones and tractors are considered to be a temptation that could cause vanity, create
inequality, or lead the Amish away from their close-knit community and, as such, are not
encouraged or accepted in most orders. Most Amish cultivate their fields with horse-drawn
machinery, live in houses without electricity, and get around in horse-drawn buggies. It is
common for Amish communities to allow the use of telephones, but not in the home. Instead,
several Amish families will share a telephone in a wooden shanty between farms. Electricity is
sometimes used in certain situations, such as electric fences for cattle, flashing electric lights on
buggies, and heating homes. Windmills are often used as a source of naturally generated electric
power in such instances. It is also not unusual to see Amish using such 20th-century technologies
as inline skates, disposable diapers and gas barbecue grills, because they are not specifically
prohibited by the Ordnung.
Technology is generally where you will see the greatest differences between Amish orders. The
Swartzentruber and Andy Weaver Amish are ultraconservative in their use of technology - the
Swartzentruber, for example, do not even allow the use of battery lights. Old Order Amish have
little use for modern technology, but are allowed to ride in motorized vehicles including planes
and automobiles, though they are not allowed to own them. The New Order Amish permit the
use of electricity, ownership of automobiles, modern farming machines, and telephones in the
home.
Amish Schools & Education
The Amish believe strongly in education, but only provide formal education through the eighth
grade and only in their own private schools. The Amish are exempt from state compulsory
attendance beyond the eighth grade based on religious principles, the result of a 1972 U.S.
Supreme Court ruling. One-room Amish schools are private institutions, operated by Amish
parents. Schooling concentrates on the basic reading, writing, math and geography, along with
vocational training and socialization in Amish history and values. Education is also a big part of
home life, with farming and homemaking skills considered an important part of an Amish child's
upbringing.
Amish Family Life
The family is the most important social unit in the Amish culture. Large families with seven to
ten children are common. Chores are clearly divided by sexual role in the Amish home - the man
usually works on the farm, while the wife does the washing, cleaning, cooking, and other
household chores. There are exceptions, but typically the father is considered the head of the
Amish household. German is spoken in the home, though English is also taught in school. Amish
marry Amish - no intermarriage is allowed. Divorce is not permitted and separation is very rare.
The Amish separate themselves from others for a variety of religious reasons, often citing the
following Bible verses in support of their beliefs.
"Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness
have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (II Corinthians 6:14)
"Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord." (II Corinthians 6:17)
"And be ye not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
(Romans 12:2)
Because of their religious beliefs, Amish try to separate themselves from "outsiders," in an effort
to avoid temptations and sin. They choose, instead, to rely on themelseves and the other
members of their local Amish community. Because of this self-reliance, Amish don't draw Social
Security or accept other forms of government assistance. Their avoidance of violence in all
forms, means they also don't serve in the military.
Each Amish congregation is served by a bishop, two ministers, and a deacon -- all male. There is
no central Amish church. Worship services are held in community members' homes where walls
are designed to be moved aside for large gatherings. The Amish feel that traditions bind
generations together and provide an anchor to the past, a belief that dicates the way they hold
church worship services, baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Amish Baptism
The Amish practice adult baptism, rather than infant baptism, believing that only adults can
make informed decisions about their own salvation and commitment to the church. Prior to
baptism, Amish teenagers are encouraged to sample life in the outside world, in a period referred
to as rumspringa, Pennsylvania Deutsch for "running around." They are still bound by the beliefs
and rules of their parents, but a certain amount of disregard and experimentation is permitted or
overlooked. During this time many Amish teenagers use the relaxed rules for a chance at
courting and other wholesome fun, but some may dress "English," smoke, talk on cell phones or
drive around in automobiles. Rumspringa ends when the youth requests baptism into the church
or chooses to permanently leave Amish society. Most choose to remain Amish.
Amish Weddings
Amish weddings are simple, joyous events that involove the entire Amish community. Amish
weddings are traditionally held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in late fall, after the final autumn
harvest. A couple's engagement is usually kept secret until just a few weeks before the wedding
when their intentions are "published" in church. The wedding usually take place at the home of
the bride's parents with a lengthy ceremony, followed by a huge feast for the invited guests. The
bride typically makes a new dress for the wedding, which will then serve as her "good" dress for
formal occasions after the wedding. Blue is the typical wedding dress color. Unlike most of
today's elaborate weddings, however, Amish weddings involve no makeup, rings, flowers,
caterers or photography. Newlyweds typically spend the wedding night in the bride's mother's
home so they can get up early the next day to help clean up the home.
Amish Funerals
As in life, simplicity is important to the Amish after death as well. Funerals are generally held in
the home of the deceased. The funeral service is simple, with no eulogy or flowers. Caskets are
plain wooden boxes, made within the local community. Most Amish communities will allow the
embalming of the body by a local undertaker familiar with Amish customs, but no makeup is
applied.
An Amish funeral and burial is typically held three days after death. The deceased is usually
buried in the local Amish cemetery. Graves are hand dug. Gravestones are simple, following the
Amish belief that no individual is better than another. In some Amish communities the
tombstone markers are not even engraved. Instead a map is maintained by the community
ministers to identify the occupants of each burial plot.
Shunning
Shunning, or meidung means expulsion from the Amish community for breaching religious
guidelines -- including marrying outside the faith. The practice of shunning is the main reason
that the Amish broke away from the Mennonites in 1693. When an individual is subject to
meidung, it means they have to leave their friends, family and lives behind. All communication
and contact is cut off, even among family members. Shunning is serious, and usually considered
a last resort after repeated warnings.