Intro to the Amish Religion

I always find it funny when I go on vacation to a more populated state such as California or Virginia, and tell people that I am from a small town in Nebraska.  I have gotten a wide range of replies from, "Oh do you have electricity there?"  to "Are you still fighting the Indians?" to even "Where is Nebraska?"  I never understood how they could actually think that we didn't have running water or electricity here in Nebraska.  About 5 years ago though, I changed my feeling about that.  That is the first time I ever met an Amish family.  They moved in about a half a mile down the road from my family farm.  When I first met them I was pretty shocked.  They actually didn't have electricity, cars, power tools, kitchen appliances, etc.  all of life's little necessities that we take for granted.

Amish horse and buggy

Upon learning of the cultural reporter blog assignment,  I thought this would be a great culture to dive into and learn more about.

The word 'Amish' is defined as: "Sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology."[1]

Amish church membership begins with baptism, usually between the ages of 16 and 25. It is a requirement for marriage, and once a person has affiliated with the church, he or she may only marry within the faith. Church districts average between 20 and 40 families, and worship services are held every other Sunday in a member's home. The district is led by a bishop and several ministers and deacons.

Amish 'parking lot' during Sunday church.

The rules of the church, called the Ordnung, must be observed by every member. These rules cover most aspects of day-to-day living, and include prohibitions or limitations on the use of power-line electricity, telephones, and automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing. Many Amish church members may not buy insurance or accept government assistance such as Social Security.  Members who do not conform to these expectations and who cannot be convinced to repent are excommunicated. In addition to excommunication, members may be shunned, yeah shunned,  a practice that limits social contacts to shame the wayward member into returning to the church. 

Amish church groups seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish world. There is generally a heavy emphasis on church and family relationships. They typically operate their own schools and stop education at grade eight. They value rural life, manual labor and humility.

I thought this was very interesting how religion actually plays a huge role in their lives.  We have religions such as Catholics, Lutheran, and Methodist, just to name a few, but these religions influence how one lives their life through forgiveness and redemption they don't restrict our use of modern conveniences and technologies.  After getting to know the Amish family that moved in, I came to realize that they are very similar to non-Amish Christians, but they are also very different.

They are very similar in the fact that they are people just like you or me.  They have a sense of humor, work hard, like to have fun, and love spending time with family.   They are different as well.  Besides the fact that they are Amish and have no modern technologies,  they have very simple cloths with grey, black, and white as their only colors.  Some of the families around my area have as many as 18 children.  Incredible I know.

 In the next couple of blogs, I plan to dig a little deeper with interviews from members of the Amish community. I plan on asking questions such as how they feel about not having the modern technologies, are they closer as a family and community because of their Amish religion. I believe this cultural report will be exciting and interesting for both you and I.  Enjoy

                                                              Works Cited

[1]     ( 22 September 2011 ). Amish. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish