The Pennsylvania Dutch
May 7th
3:30pm-5pm
Host:
Michael
The Amish
Working the fields
Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is
good and acceptable and the perfect will of God."
(Romans 12:2)
Be not conformed…
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The Amish society has little, if any, desire to
participate in our modern world, doing so
only when necessary. However, because of
songs such “Amish Paradise,” movies such as
“Witness,” and the huge Amish tourist
industry, each Amish person accounts for
$30,000 dollars per year in tourist revenue
most of us know some basic facts about the
Amish.
“Weird Al” Yankovic’s Amish Paradise
Witness (1985)
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For example, we know
that they are very
religious people.
We know that they
dress in a particular
way with clothes that
look old-fashioned to
us. The Amish refer to
this mode of dress, and
living, as “plain.”
Amish Youths
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We know they do
not use electricity or
drive cars.
We know that they
do not like to have
their picture taken.
Amish, Intercourse Pennsylvania
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We know they tend to
live in certain areas of
the country, such as
Pennsylvania and
Ohio.
And, we know that
family plays an
extremely important
role in their culture.
Amish Family
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But beyond these basic facts, the Amish remain a
mystery to most of us and questions still remain such as:
Why can the children use roller blades but not bicycles?
Why will the Amish ride in cars but not own nor drive
them?
Why can they use calculators but not computers?
And, is it true that some of the Amish have adopted
some items from our modern world, such as computers
and televisions?
Historical Background of the Amish
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In 1517, Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation and the
breaking away from the Catholic Church. Finally fed up with
the many scandals and the general corruption in the Church,
after 1,000 years of uninterrupted rule. One of his complaints
was the sale of indulgences to finance the building of Rome's
St Peter's Cathedral.
Anabaptists
In Zurich Switzerland, a group of students and craftsmen became impatient
with the slow progress of reform. They thought that:
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Christian practices should be based more in Scripture
Baptism should occur only after a person is able to recognize sin
There should be more separation between church and state
In 1525 the students petitioned the local church and civil authorities for
change. When their appeals were rebuffed, they baptized each other in a secret
meeting and the Anabaptist movement was born. Anabaptist means “rebaptize". Church and state authorities recognized this new movement as a
threat to their institutions. They quickly declared that the Anabaptists, also
known as the Swiss Brethren, were heretics and moved to stamp them out. The
Amish history of persecution began.
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Less than five
months after they
had rebaptized
themselves, a
member of the
Anabaptists was
executed for
sedition against the
government.
Anabaptist being burned alive
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Dirk Willems (? 1569) was a
martyred Anabaptist
who is most famous
for, after his escape
from prison, turning
around to rescue his
pursuer, who had
fallen through thin
ice while chasing
him.
Compassion for the enemy
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Despite the persecutions, the movement grew and
spread throughout Sweden, the Netherlands, and
Germany.
However, the persecutions also continued and
increased. Over the next two centuries, thousands of
Anabaptists would be killed for their religious
beliefs. Special “hunters” would even be trained to
seek them out, torture, and kill them.
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The persecutions continued in various forms and gradually
subsided in the 18th century. By then, thousands of
Anabaptists had sought refuge in other countries, including
America.
Today the stories of the early days of the Amish religion are
contained in the Martyr’s Mirror, originally printed in 1660.
The Martyr’s Mirror is one of the Amish’s most beloved
books from which they draw strength to continue in their
faith and beliefs.
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Another Anabaptist,
Michael Sattler, was
sentenced to “be delivered
to the executioner, who
shall cut out his tongue,
then throw him upon a
wagon, and tear his body
twice with red-hot tongs;
and after he has been
brought without the gate,
he shall be pinched five
times in the same
manner” After the torture,
Sattler was burned at the
stake.
John Menno and Jakob Amman
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In 1537, a former Catholic by the name of Menno
Simons joined the Anabaptists. His followers would
come to be known as Mennonites and some of them
would later settle in the Alsace region of modern-day
France. One of these men would be Jakob Amman,
who, in the 1690s, began to have problems with
Mennonite and Anabaptist doctrine.
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The church had drifted from many of its original ways,
Amman declared, becoming too lenient in the process. He
called for reform and renewal within the Mennonite and the
Anabaptist church.
Some of the problems he had with the church revolved
around communion. Amman thought that communion should
be held twice a year instead of the annual service that was
then being held. He also contended that foot washing should
be part of the communion service; something the Mennonites
had drifted away from.
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He also disagreed with the manner of
excommunication of those who disobeyed church
doctrine. Amman argued that not only should they be
cast out of the church, but they should also be
shunned in social circles as well, with true believers
breaking off all contact with them.
Amman began to have open disagreements with the
Swiss Anabaptist bishop, Hans Reist. These
disagreements came to a head the day that Amman
and his followers excommunicated Reist and other
leaders of the church.
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Despite later efforts to heal this breach, the damage had
been done and Amman’s followers split from the
Mennonite church in 1693. They would later come to be
known as Amish, named after Jakob Amman.
After the split, Amman followers adopted their own
doctrine that included, among other things, prohibitions
against trimming of beards, “fashionable” dress, and the
use of buttons. Amman’s followers would forgo the use of
buttons, utilizing hook and eyes instead. They often
referred to the Mennonite church they had left as the
“button people.”
Amish Genealogy
1710-1732 - Immigration to America
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Another benchmark in Amish history came when some
Amish decided to join other suppressed religious groups and
seek freedom in America. William Penn, himself a Quaker,
was granted a tract of land in America to form a colony.
Penn’s Woods became known as the great religious freedom
experiment in the new world.
Penn invited many persecuted religious groups to
Pennsylvania where he promised religious freedom. Some
Mennonites had been in the new world since before the
Amish- Mennonite split in 1693. Between 1710 and 1732
several groups of Mennonites settled near present-day
Lancaster.
Settling in Pennsylvania
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The Amish were but a small part of a large group of German
speaking peoples that settled Southeastern Pennsylvania.
English soon identified this whole group as Pennsylvania
Dutch. This term comes from the word “Deutsch” which
means “German”.
They were a diverse group with many political and religious
beliefs. They eventually developed their own regional dialect
which was also referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch.
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These loosely organized communities were subject
to Indian raids, droughts and crop failures. As time
went on, some communities failed. But the Amish
didn’t accept failure. They just moved on and tried
again and again until they found somewhere
compatible with their Amish lifestyle. New Amish
communities were formed as more and more Amish
immigrated to Pennsylvania.
1816 - Post War of 1812
This second wave of Amish settled in:
 Butler, Fulton, Stark and Wayne Counties in Ohio
 Adams, Allen and Daviess Counties in Indiana
 Woodford and Tazewell Counties in Illinois
 Henry and Washington Counties in Iowa
 Lewis County in New York
 Somerset County in Pennsylvania
 Waterloo and Perth Counties in Ontario
Amish Demographics
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There are over 250,000 Amish people living in over
28 states.
About two-thirds of the Amish live in Pennsylvania,
Ohio, and Indiana, but they continue to spread west,
particularly into the Midwestern corn belt.
Every 20 years, the Amish population roughly
doubles in size, largely due to an 80 to 90 percent
retention rate of Amish children.
Amish Past and Present
Old Order Amish
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It is the picture of the
Old Order Amish with
their plain clothes and
buggies that comes to
most people’s mind
when they think Amish.
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The Old Order Amish
today have deviated little
from the regulations
established by Jakob
Amman over 300 years
ago.
Old Order Amish at a horse auction
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They still dress plain, do not use electricity, do not
own or drive cars, do not have telephones in their
homes, and forbid the use of most modern farm
equipment, including air-filled tires.
In an Old Order Amish home, all lighting is supplied
by candle or oil and gas lamp. Bottle-gas appliances
are acceptable under the Ordnung. The Ordnung, a
verbal standard that the Amish live by, will be
discussed in detail later.
Old Order Amish with farm equipment
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However, look inside an Old Order Amish cow barn and you
will find a modern automated milking system with refrigerated
tanks. Because the Amish must trade with the outside world to
survive, they must conform to modern health and agriculture
laws mandated by the various federal, state and local agencies.
Thus, the modern equipment is necessary. However, it is all
powered by gas generators, not electricity.
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Old Order Amish follow strict clothing regulations. Men
wear black suits without lapels or buttons, white or blue
shirts, black suspenders, black shoes or boots and broadbrimmed hats in black felt or natural straw. Old Order
women wear a frock type dress of mid-calf to ankle
length with black stockings, an apron, black shoes or
boots, black cape, and either a white "prayer cap" (if
baptized) or a black hood.
Only solid colors are worn, with darker colors favored
over lighter ones. The idea behind the dress code is not
only that it sets them apart from the world, but that is also
eliminates pride and envy.
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Men crop their hair, and
wear beards, if married,
but not mustaches as
they are associated with
the military.
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Women do not cut their
hair but wear it tied in a
bun on their head, which
is always covered once
she is baptized.
Amish women
Young Amish out
for a ride
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The Old Order Amish make their own clothes, although
they do purchase the fabric. Hats, suspenders, and shoes
can be bought ready-made.
The buggies they drive vary according to purpose. The
“family” buggy will always be covered. Young people
drive open buggies, such as the one in the photo above.
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Old Order Amish use High German for church services,
and their Bibles are also printed in High German. All
Amish can speak English, but they use a form of Low
German amongst themselves in everyday activities.
The name they give to those outside their order, the
“English,” is not viewed by the Amish as derogatory, but
simply refers to the language used most often by the
world outside the order.
New Order and Beachy Amish
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The important thing to remember when studying the
Amish is that there are many variations within the
culture. Some are more strict then others in matters
of religion and society codes. Adherence varies from
affiliation to affiliation: some allow one thing while
banning another.
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For example, the New Order and Beachy Amish
vary greatly from the Old Order in daily life, but not
in religious practice.
The New Order Amish are more progressive than the
Old Order but still restrictive in the use of modern
items. They use telephones in their homes, allow air
operated equipment, electrical generators, bicycles,
and gas pressurized lights. They also allow the use
of rubber air-filled tires, milking machines and milk
bulk tanks. However, horses are still mandated for
field work and transportation. They do not own or
drive cars.
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The Beachy Amish have telephones, more modern
clothing, and utilize modern farm equipment. They
are also are allowed to own and drive cars and meet
for worship in meeting houses instead of private
homes. All but six of the Beachy districts now use
English in their worship instead of German. They
refer to their churches as fellowships and maintain
just enough centralization to maintain the sense of
congregationalism that is so highly valued by all
Amish.
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There are approximately 150 districts of Beachy
Amish. They have fellowships in America, Latin
America, Africa, Australia, and parts of Europe.
They are considered by many in the Amish and
Mennonite communities to be a combination of both
groups
The New Order Amish are found almost exclusively
in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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Both groups still hold to the Ordnung, like the Old
Order, but in varying degrees.
Both groups also differ from the Old Order in the issues
of Meidung (avoidance), Streng-Meidung (strict
banning): what we today refer to as shunning.
The New Order and the Beachy Amish practice, for the
most part, avoidance and not total shunning, like the Old
Order.
Amish Religious Life
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Amish are Christians, with all traditional Christian
beliefs in the Divinity of Christ, the Trinity,
salvation, etc.
The Ordnung, roughly translated it means order, is a
set of oral laws that regulates all aspects of Amish
society, from religion to family life. It is not
something that is written down, instead all Amish
“just know it, that’s all”
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The Ordnung is something that all Amish grow up
with and learn by observing adults and their
behavior.
In some aspects of life, the Ordnung is very specific,
such as in the case of how hair should be worn.
Other areas, such as food issues, are more open to
individual interpretation.
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New issues are constantly being addressed in the
Ordnung as technology advances. It was recently
decided that transplanting cow embryos was not to
be allowed but that battery operated calculators
could be used.
However, unless a practice begins to cause problems
within the community, or is something that would
obviously be forbidden, it is usually either
overlooked or not addressed within the Ordnung.

Exemptions are made in some cases. A mental
challenged child may be allowed to have a bicycle,
for example, or a family with medical problems may
be allowed to connect to electricity to run needed
medical equipment.
Examples of Practices Prescribed by
the Ordnung:
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color and style of clothing
hat styles for men
order of the worship service
kneeling for prayer in worship
marriage within the church
use of horses for fieldwork
use of Pennsylvania German
steel wheels on machinery
Examples of things prohibited by the
Ordnung
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air transportation
central heating in homes
electricity from public power lines
entering military service
jewelry, including wedding rings and wrist watches
joining worldly (public) organizations
owning computers, televisions, radios
using tractors for fieldwork
wall-to-wall carpeting
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Amish are typically baptized around the age of
nineteen to twenty two. Baptism is viewed as a vow
that the person agrees to submit to the church, the
community, and the Ordnung.
Worship services are held every other Sunday in
homes of members. The services traditionally last
three hours, starting around 8:00am, lasting until
3:00pm with the meal that follows.
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Men and women enter the house through different
doors and sit separately for worship and eating.
Except in some New Order or Beach Amish districts,
services are held in High German.
The worship service usually consists of fellowship,
followed by congregational singing, a sermon,
prayer, reading of Scripture, another sermon, more
prayer, and a benediction. A meal is served
afterward.
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Who will preach is not decided until that morning:
this precludes any feelings of pride. However, only
ordained men are allowed to preach.
There is no music, offering, cross, candles, or any
other items likely to be found in a modern worship
service. The Amish worship as they live: simply.
Sunday is considered holy; a day when no work is to
be done or money transacted. Even those few who
smoke refrain from doing so on Sunday.
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Communion is held twice a year and only after any
changes to the Ordnung have been agreed upon and
the pastors feel all have fully confessed of their sins.
The Communion service will last all day, from
8:00am to 4:00pm, culminating in a foot washing
ceremony in which all members ritually wash each
other’s feet.
Ministers are chosen by lot from a list of men
recommended by men in the community.
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A slip of paper with a Bible verse will be placed in a
song book; each man nominated, who agrees to
serve, will then take a book from the pile and open
it. The one whose book has the slip of paper is the
one who will be ordained.
Amish ministers receive no pay, and they serve for
life. A saying among the Amish is “only God can
fire an Amish minister”.
Ministers are then ordained in the church, after
which their family will be expected to follow the
Ordnung to the exacting letter.
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Within the Amish community, a term is often used to
describe their life style. This word is Gelassenheit. It
means, roughly translated, a yielding or submission,
and it signifies the Amish life.
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Gelassenheit involves submission to the family,
submission to the community, submission to
tradition, submission to the Ordnung, submission to
the church, and most important, submission to God.
Day to Day Life: little known facts
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The Amish are exempt from paying Social Security
taxes, however they do pay all other federal, state,
and local taxes.
They provide their own social security within their
communities. Members are taken care of and
provided for at all stages of life. Everyone is
expected to contribute to a fund that is used to help
members who need financial assistance.
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Musical instruments are not allowed among the Old
Order Amish, as they believe it would lead to pride
and the stirring up of emotions.
Amish do not believe in having their picture taken;
they consider photographs to be graven images and
thus against God’s law. However, many photos of
the Amish are to be found. This is because while
they will not pose for photos, they do not object to
someone taking an unposed photo if permission is
asked beforehand.
On the way to a
wedding
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Families are a cornerstone of the Amish community, and
as such, marriage is an important part of life.
Nine out of every ten adult Amish are married.
Marriages are traditionally held on a Tuesday or Thursday
in November, after fall Communion
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Most couples meet at “singings,” which are similar to
country dances. Both must be members of the church to
marry.
In October, the names of those seeking to be married are
“published” by being read at Sunday service. The couple
will not attend church that day, instead the woman will
fix a special meal for her finance, which they eat at home
alone.
Amish wedding dresses are blue and have no lace or
train. This same dress is usually used by the woman to
wear to church, and she will more than likely be buried in
it as well.
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The wedding service lasts for up to five hours, after
which is a huge feast which continues long into the
night. The marriage night is spent at the house of the
bride’s parents.
The newlyweds will spend the rest of the winter
visiting and spending time at various relatives’
houses. It will be spring before they establish a home
of their own.
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The Amish believe large families are a blessing from
God, so contraception is not practiced. The typical
Amish family has 8.5 children.
By the age of forty-five, an Amish woman has
probably given birth to seven children.
Under the Ordnung, divorce is not allowed
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Children are usually
born at home and
attend school only
through the eighth
grade.
Amish children
walk to school,
which are usually
one room buildings.
An Amish classroom
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After the eighth grade, children are schooled at
home, learning and working alongside their family
until they marry and start a family of their own. In
1972, the Amish won an exemption from the U.S.
Supreme Court, granting them exemption from
Federal or state mandated school attendance. They
had argued that their religious beliefs teach that a
child should be schooled at home beyond the eighth
grade, and to send their children to school beyond
that would violate their religious teaching.
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In Amish society, woman are viewed as equal
partners in the marriage, but it is the man who holds
authority in the family and the church. Wives are
expected to submit to their husbands.
Women do help with all aspects of family chores,
although the men seldom help with household type
work.
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While women’s rights is not an issue among the
Amish, some women do wish for more equality and
more modern conveniences to make their household
job easier.
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While more Amish women today own their own
businesses than in the past, their traditional role is
still viewed as being in the house taking care of
home and family.
The Amish have no prohibition against using
modern health services or medicines. They view
these as ways of healing that are blessings from God.
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While the Amish do not celebrate some national
holidays such as Memorial Day or the Fourth of
July, they do observe Thanksgiving Day, Christmas,
New Year’s Day, and Easter, as well as other
holidays that spring from their European roots, such
as St. Michael's Day.
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The Amish barn
rising is another
aspect of their
culture that most
people know
about. The barn
is started in the
morning and
finished by that
night.
Seven in the morning
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One day work/social events, like the barn raising, are
called ‘frolics.” Hundreds of people may come
together to build a school, help plant a field, or
women may gather to help clean a house or make a
quilt. Women also hold Sisters’ Day, where all the
sisters in a family gather one day a month to visit
and chat. They will usually work on a quilt during
that time, or clean a house.
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While the Old Order Amish can not own cars, they
often pay someone to drive them to various places
too far to drive their buggy.
Amish also take vacations to such places as Europe.
Although they are forbidden to fly, they can take a
train or a boat to their destination. One popular
vacation spot is an Amish community in Florida,
which attracts hundreds of Amish on their vacations
every year.
Amish Gangs
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The Rumspringa is a time of life for Amish that
typically begins at the age of sixteen and lasts until
they are married. It loosely translates as “sowing
wild oats.”
During this time, a young person will join a “gang”
with whom they run around with on the weekends.
During this period of their lives, the youth are
viewed as falling between the authority of their
parents and the church because they are not yet
baptized.
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In Lancaster County alone, there are over twenty six
Amish youth gangs, with names such as the
Bluebirds, Canaries, Pine Cones, Drifters, Shotguns,
Rockys, and Quakers.
Youth are free to join the gang of their choice. The
gang will then become their primary social group
until their marriage.
Gangs vary in the intensity of their activities.
Trouble in Amish Paradise
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While some gangs are reserved and do no more wild
behavior than hold a dance on Saturday night or a
volleyball game, others may hold parties where beer
kegs will be present, modern music played by live
bands with electric instruments, and all attendees
dress in secular clothing.
Some gangs place fancy reflective tape on their
buggies, which may have a radio or CD player
hidden inside.
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In 1998, two Amish men were arrested in
Pennsylvania for buying cocaine, which they then
sold to other members of their gang.
This very public incident, coupled with an increase
in alcohol abuse among the youth in the gangs,
prompted members of the Amish community to rein
in the gangs to some extent. Many events are now
chaperoned by adults and a closer eye are kept on the
youth during these years.
Minnesota Amish Convicted Of Hate Crimes In Beard-Cutting
Excommunication
Members who are excommunicated and shunned are avoided by active members in all social
and business activities. However, the offenders are always welcomed back to the community if
they repent.
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Reasons for excommunication vary from owning an automobile to owning a computer; from
drinking alcohol to the refusal to kneel during religious ceremonies.
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Members who refuse to shun the offending individuals risk excommunication themselves.
Life-long friends and family members are also required to shun the wayward individual. Even
parents must shun their own grown children. It is felt that by avoiding the transgressing
individual, the faithful won't become defiled by their sin. Usually, the excommunicated member
drifts away from the church and the Amish community.
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Amish practice shunning out of "tough love" in order to get a deviant person to see the error
in his ways, change behavior, and re-affirm his commitment to the church.
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In Old Order Amish communities, there are cases where young people who have left the
Amish faith are shunned, despite the fact that they did not join the Amish church.
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Amish and Technology
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The Amish have found it increasingly difficult to
moderate their beliefs with technology. This has
resulted in some unusual practices throughout the
years.
For example, phones are not allowed in homes, but
the use of them is allowed, so you will see Amish
using the phones of their non-Amish neighbors or
the “community phone” that can be found outside
stores or some houses.
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The use of cell phones is increasing among the
Amish, as they are easily hid from inquiring
neighbors’ eyes.
Electricity generated from batteries or gas powered
generators is allowed under the Ordnung.
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These electricity may be used for things such as
fence chargers, cow trainers, agitators for bulk milk
tanks, calculators, adding machines, reading lights
for the elderly, hand-held drills, small motors to
operate equipment in shops, welders, the electrical
tools needed by mobile construction crews, and to
recharge batteries for a variety of uses.
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It can not be used for general lighting in houses or
barns, computers, hair dryers, or other similar
modern electrical appliances, among other things.
If an Amish buys a house from an “English,” he has
one year to tear out all electrical wiring in the house
or face sanctions from the church.
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Owning a car is grounds
for automatic expulsion
from the order.
A child may ride a
scooter, but bicycles are
forbidden. When asked
why, one Amish replied,
“I don’t know, they just
are”.
Boy and his scooter
When the Amish Leave
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One young Amish woman joked that the “the men
make the rules so that’s why more modern things are
permitted in the barn than in the house”.
Conclusion
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There are three Biblical passages the Amish often
quote to define who they are and why they live as
they do.
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The first verse is Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people.”
The Amish feel this passage applies to them and that
if it did not, then it is an indicator that something is
wrong and must be corrected.
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The second verse is Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
This verse is viewed as being directed towards
themselves. The Amish feel that their plain clothes,
honesty, generosity, life style, piety, and obedience
to God are ways the world may see their good works
and they may glorify God.


The third passage comes from 1 Corinthians 2:14:
"But the natural man receives not the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him;
neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.”
This third verse is seen by the Amish as explanation
as to why the rest of the world does not follow their
way of life and why their culture seems foolish to
those outside their community.

The Amish today face increasing pressure to
conform to the world. Until now they have managed
to meld modernity with their beliefs without much
social upheaval. Only time will tell if they can
continue to do so successfully.