The Amish are a Christian group in North America. The term refers primarily to the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church. The church originated in the late 17th century among followers of Jakob Ammann.
The Amish community governs itself strictly and baptized members are morally committed to church rules. For them, life is a spiritual activity, and they demonstrate their religious beliefs daily through their own actions of discipleship, plainness, nonresistance, forgiveness, and non-violence.
“Both Mennonites and Amish believe in one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-17). We believe that Jesus Christ, God's only Son, died on the cross for the sins of the world. We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, and also empowers believers for service and holy living.
Amish religious practices are reflective of traditional Anabaptist Christian theology. The Old Order Amish typically have worship services every second Sunday in private homes. The typical district has 80 adults and 90 children under age 19.
Introduction. The Amish (pronounced 'Aahmish') are an American Protestant group with around 200,000 members descended from European Anabaptists who came to the USA more than two centuries ago to escape persecution.
They didn't want anything to do with alcohol or tobacco, and both of these are strictly forbidden in the New Order Amish groups. And the same is true for the Beachy Amish/conservative Mennonites as well. They also have rules against alcohol and tobacco use.
Some families do their pre- and post-natal care in a hospital but choose a traditional midwife for the actual birth, whether it happens at home or a birthing center.
The Amish religion does not restrict people from seeking modern medical care. For the most part, Amish use local doctors and dentists and will go to specialists and hospitals as determined.
Pennsylvania Dutch is the language used by the Amish population here in Lancaster County. It is considered to be their first and native language. The Amish learn to read, write and speak in English, allowing them to communicate with the 'outside world'.
Do the Amish celebrate Christmas? Yes, they do, although their customs are much simpler than our “English” customs. They are oriented toward the family and the religious meaning of the holiday.
Not only do the Amish not actively practice polygamy, they certainly don't believe in it. They view polygamy as adultery. Although the various Amish settlements may interpret certain rules slightly differently, there is no deviation from this law. The Amish believe in traditional marriage between one man and one woman.
The wedding ceremony starts around 8:30 in the morning and lasts 3-3.5 hours. After a sermon, the bishop takes the couple aside while the congregation sings songs. He gives the couple advice, private instruction, and his blessing. Afterward, the bride and groom give their vows at the front of the church.
But the Amish do not have a specific Amish Bible. They use the German Martin Luther Bible or the English King James Version.
As part of their Ordnung, Old Order Amish forbid owning automobiles; tapping electricity from public utility lines; owning televisions, radios, or personal computers; attending high school or college; joining the military; and initiating divorce. All Amish groups expect men and women to wear prescribed clothing.
To get married in the Amish community, members must be baptized in the church. Outsiders, non-Amish, or 'English', as they call the rest of the world, are not permitted to marry within the Amish community.
It is clear that women are valued in Amish culture, and on some levels are even afforded types of equality and freedoms that women outside of Amish society might not be. In Amish weddings, for example, the woman is not “given away” by her father to her future husband, as is often done in non-Amish weddings.
“We're not supposed to have computers; we're not supposed to have cellphones,” he said. “We're allowed to have a phone, but not in the house. But to do business, you need a computer, or access to one, and that phone moves into the house.
Since they refuse to buy electricity from the public grid, but still depend on energy for many of their everyday operations, they were forced to developed many workarounds. To power appliances, Amish use batteries, propane gas, compressed air pressure, various generators, hydraulic pumps, and even solar panels.
Amish speak High German in their worship services, English when they're dealing with English speakers, and Pennsylvania Dutch among themselves. If they're speaking English, they can say Hello If they're speaking high German: Wie geht's. If they're speaking Pennsylvania Dutch: Wie bischt or guta Dag.
Try purchasing common household items in bulk such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, flour, sugar, coffee and more. The more you make buying in bulk a habit, the more items you will end up finding available in bulk. Finances are a large focus of the Amish way of life.
Leaving the community
Some Amish youth do indeed separate themselves from the community, even going to live among the "English," or non-Amish Americans, experiencing modern technology. Their behavior during this time does not necessarily prevent them from returning for adult baptism into the Amish church.
It's actually NOT against an Amish person's religion to be photographed. The Amish religion does, however, prohibit POSING for photographs. Some Amish completely refuse to allow themselves to be photographed.
Unmarried Amish Young People Sleep Together
Uneheliche beischlaf, which is “bed courtship” or “bundling,” is a custom where an Amish boy spends the night in his girl's bed, right in the same house with her parents. Pre-marital sex is strictly forbidden.
People with the mutation live to be 85 on average, significantly longer than their predicted average lifespan of 71 for Amish in general, which hasn't changed much over the last century. The age range of Amish in the study was 18 to 85 with the average age of carriers 44 and the unaffected 46 years old.
Birth control is not discussed and its use is discouraged, even for married couples who have many children. They do not often show affection in public.