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Amish Beliefs

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The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships who are known for simple living, plain dress, and unwilling to accept the conveniences of modern technology. The aspects of the Amish life and their beliefs are proclaimed by written and oral rules, which are called Ordnung (Zavada). The Ordnung explains the Amish faith and helps outline what it truly means to be Amish (Powell).
The way the Amish dress is very symbolic of their faith. Their style encourages modesty and separation from the world. Most clothing is made at home from simple, dark coloured fabrics. Most clothing is very plain and designs are not usually added to clothing. Typically, Amish woman wear solid coloured dresses that are long sleeved and have a full skirt. They are also covered with a cape and apron. For men, a straight cut suit is worn, but it has no collars, lapels or pockets. As for the trousers, they never have creases or cuffs and they are worn with suspenders. Black shoes are worn along with black socks. There are also items that are forbidden including belts, sweaters, neckties, gloves, jewelry, and patterned clothing. Before marriage, men are required to be clean shaven, however, after marriage men must let their beard grow, but mustaches are forbidden. The Amish never cut their hair. They wear their hair is a braid or a bun at the back of their head. It is sealed with a white cap or a black bonnet (Powell).
Part of the Amish culture is being opposed to any technology that weakens a family. This is why electricity, cars, phones and more are not encouraged because the Amish feel as if it pushes the community away from each other. Replacing this technology for the Amish is horse-drawn machinery for farms, houses without electricity, and horse-drawn buggies as transportation. While phones are not acceptable in the home, they are permitted within the community. Although

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