THE AMISH

The Amish are a society in North America that follow a very strict interpretation of the bible, and are devout Christians. They seek to be more in tune with familial values and religion versus anything else. How they live is quite different from Western culture. Though the Amish are technically a part of Western society, the two cultures are quite diverse. They have chosen to forsake most modern conveniences for a more traditional way of life. Their primary mode of subsistence is horticulturalists and agriculturalists, because they live off of everything hand grown, whether livestock or vegetables. In this paper, we will explore the way of life for the Amish: beliefs and values, gender relation, and social organization.
The Amish religion requires them to abide by the rules of their bible, just like many other religions follow the rules of their bibles as well. The Amish culture originated in the early 1600’s in Bern, Switzerland, and southwestern region of Germany. The word "Amish" comes from the name of the man who formed the sect Jakob Ammann. “Amman maintained a stricter interpretation of Anabaptist doctrine and advocated foot washing and Meidung or the strict social avoidance (shunning) of the excommunicated unfaithful. When other Anabaptist leaders refused to agree to the strict interpretation of the Miedung, Amman forced a split, in about 1693, which resulted in the creation of the Amish”(Byers, 2008). Members of the Amish sect migrated to Pennsylvania in the 1700s and 1800s. Although these communities originated in Europe, they can no longer be found there. The last congregation dissolved in 1937. Thriving Amish communities can be found throughout North America. Seventy percent of the Amish live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The remaining members reside in 20 other states and Ontario, Canada.
During their suspension, they split themselves from the Mennonite in to two separate groups; “Old Order” The Amish and “New Order” The Mennonite. The Mennonites have spread future through America than the Amish. “The Amish are a church, a community, a spiritual union, a conservative branch of Christianity, a religion, a community whose members practice simple and austere living, a familistic entrepreneuring system, and an adaptive human community” (Hostetler, 1993). The Amish religion is based upon Christian beliefs; however, they commit themselves to a much stricter form of life style than traditional Christians. They believe that there is only one God who exist as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that the Bible is the initial word of God. They believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that he died on the cross for the sins of the world. They also believe that faith requires a lifestyle of discipline, good deeds, and holy living. One specific verse from the bible the Amish live by is “Be 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 King James Version). They do this because they believe salvation is received from the redeeming power from God above and living a loving life in a wholesome environment surrounded by believers is pleasing to the Almighty. To adhere to this verse the Amish separate themselves from the rest of world and live in a tight net community consisting only of Amish members. They do this by owning their own land, sometimes hundreds of acreage, upon which each separate family builds their own home.
The Amish people, like Christians believe in baptism. They encourage baptism between the ages of 17 to 20 years old so that they are making a conscious decision themselves of committing to the Amish way of life. Before baptism, the teenagers, both male and female are allowed to go into and experience the outside world. This is referred to rumspringa. “The term means the "running around" period and is marked by a lack of jurisdiction from the church or parents since they are neither in nor out of the church” (Byers, 2008). It is then that a member may choose to live a different lifestyle once experiencing the outside world or, they may choose to return to the patronage, be baptized, and live the Amish life style in which they have grown accustom to. This time is very emotional for both parents and child, because of the possibility of losing their child to a world that they detest. According to Byers, “beer is the drink of choice even though rum and vodka are involved. Marijuana, pipes of crank and cocaine are now available to them. This is very dangerous for the Amish youth, due to their lack of knowledge and the possibility of addictions from being sheltered”(2008). Because many of them know very few people outside of the patronage and have come accustom to the Amish life style, many of them do return.
Once returning to the patronage young folks will usually begin a courtship and will marry. The Amish have strict conditions when it comes to marriage, insisting marriage within the group. According to Lee, “The Amish traditionally marry in fall because the harvest is in and it is a time of thanksgiving. As many as 150 couples may wed during the season” (Lee, 1997). After marriage, Amish men will grow long beards, which is a symbolization of marriage. The Amish do not wear mustaches. Mustaches have a long history of being associated with the military and are forbidden among the Amish people. The Amish are committed to a lifestyle of peace and non-violence. They do not believe in fighting of any kind. Their religion forbids them to be violent or to be active in military service. They must register for military service same as anyone else at the age of eighteen. However, when registering they usually register as Conscientious Objector status. If drafted, they must serve, but may choose to serve a non violent role such as writer or photographer, even though they believe pictures are against biblical scripture. One reason the Amish are referred to by many as the “plain people” is because they shun bright colors and dress in very simple clothing. They are usually seen dressed in dark colors. The most common colors seem worn by the Amish are black, brown, dark blue., and sometimes green or purple. According to Bial (1995) “the Amish have kept the same style of dress while the rest of the world has embraced the latest fashion. Amish clothing styles date back to the rural dress of seventeenth-and eighteen-century Europe.” The men are usually dressed in trousers with shirts and straw hats. The women wear full length long sleeved dresses usually with a cape or apron. “An Amish females hair is never cut, must be parted in the middle and is never permitted to hang down her back” (Wittmer, 1970). Their hair is pin up in a bun and covered to show submission. Their clothing also excludes prints such as stripes or patterns, and pockets. Because they shun bright colors, Amish women are forbidden to wear makeup. The use of telephones, vehicles, any electrical equipment and computers are forbidden.
Amish follow traditional gender roles, in which the man earns the lion’s share of household income through manual labor and the women take care of the children, sewing, and cleaning. The Amish strive to keep their communities financially independent, which allows them to be self-sustained. Men are over the household finances and earn money through farming or business ventures. Even though Amish men are the head they are not above helping with the children if the wife has a small business and her income is the primary source. Women with young children almost never hold fulltime jobs outside the home, although some manage at-home stores, greenhouses, or bakeries. In some communities, single women or those whose children are grown operating their own businesses. Amish women share in household decision making and child discipline, even as they affirm the man’s role as the religious head of the home. Although the man serves as the spiritual head of the home, mothers are very active in nurturing the spiritual life of children. The husband is responsible for religious matters related to the church and the outside world.
The Amish do not send their children to public schools. Instead, each community takes responsibility for a child's primary education by providing a schoolhouse for children to attend daily. Therefore each community has its own one-room parochial school. The students attend first to eighth grade at the Amish schools. Usually they are taught by young, unmarried women who have received no teaching training. “After eighth grade, students polish their German language skills and take vocational classes at private homes, keeping journals of their lessons.” (Sharper, J.) The role of schoolhouse teacher is rarely, if ever, held by a man. The Amish do not provide their members with a college education, nor do they require one. For many Amish children their formal education ends after eighth grade, and farming begins.
The Amish Values Factual knowledge and competition is not the centre of attention at Amish schools. The teacher rather emphasizes discipline, basic values and rules for human interaction. They are motivated by the concern for other people and are often supported by numerous adults throughout their socialization. The Amish value “humility, forgiveness, admission of errors, sympathy, responsibility and appreciation of work”(Hostetler, 1993). These attitudes are frequently rewarded and disobedience maybe punished. But this may only be taken into action by the parents, as the primary initiators of the child's socialization. Its development is also influenced by the community as it is encouraged to assist others and to acknowledge role-models in order to grow a group identity which is essential for small societies.
The social organization is more complex than those simple generalizations. Just as many other communities in society, the Amish community is diverse. One level of diversity is the economic range. There is a wide range of impoverished and wealthy communities. Secondly, there is a variety of language. Some communities speak German or Swiss, while others speak English (Byers, 2008). The Amish exist as subculture of society through strict rules of separation. This separation is more psychological and social rather than geographic. The goal of separation is aimed at the preservation of their religious beliefs. The Amish community serves as a place of shelter from worldly pursuits and evils.
The practice of separation also affects the Amish's relationship with the government. Their way of life mandates that they take care of the members of their own community. The Amish, like the average US citizen, pay income and real estate taxes. They are, however, exempt from social security taxes if their community farms or are self-employed. They do not accept public aid like welfare or retirement income. Their children receive a birth certificate when born like any other American baby. It does not matter if that child was born in the home, or in a hospital. The Amish also comply with the government requirement for registration with the social security administration and they receive a social security card just like other Americans.
Regarding health care, the Amish have local doctors, or specialists that they see in their local communities. They allow treatment using the most modern medical practices after they have tried their traditional home remedies. Because of the cost of medical treatments, and because the Amish do not use insurance plans, but rather pay for all medical costs themselves, if serious treatment is required, the Amish have been known to go to Mexico to save money. Some Amish have mutual aid funds that members use to help pay medical or dental bills. The Amish also take part in local or state elections that have a direct impact on them.
The Amish norms mandate they solve problems internally. They do not use the court system. The community follows the Ordnang to maintain social order. When violations are made against this order, a community elder will discuss the problematic situation with the member. After repeated offences and warnings the ultimate penalty of social avoidance or shunning may be mandated. A member can be accepted back into the community by acknowledging their offense, and amending their behavior bills. The Amish also take part in local, or state elections that have a direct impact on them. They do not, however, participate in National elections, because they are not members of the political parties.
In conclusion, the Amish community is very different from the Western society. Every culture is different but there are some things that one can identify and relate too. The Amish culture is not an exception, whether in beliefs and values, gender relation, and social organization, there was something that was identifiable but maybe not to their extreme. Throughout this paper, the Amish ways of life have been explored. They pride themselves on not needing the outside communities for survival. Their religious doctrines serve justification for their individuality. The Amish share a large community of family and friends, very religious, hard working, and live by very strict rules. Many Americans think the Amish are weird or a culture out of the norm, they are just the opposite, they preserve the simple life while ignoring the superficial of the American culture and focus on living a life centered around their religious beliefs and teachings. It is revealed that the Amish communities have some similarities in comparison to mainstream communities, one may develop an appreciation for the Amish community.

REFERENCES
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Hostetler, J. A. (1993). Amish Society (4th ed.). Baltimore, Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press.

Little, B. (1997, Oct 14). As leaves begin falling, amish prepare for marrying. Intelligencer
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Wittmer, j. (1970). Homogeneity of personality charicteristics; a comparrsion between old order Amish and non Amish. American Anthrpology, 72(5),from http://www.jstor.org?stable?671418

Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Full ref. ed. Kenneth L. Barker, gen. ed. Grand Rapids,

MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print.