Not far away from the bustle of the freeways that cut
through Pennsylvania, horse-drawn buggies travel along quiet
country roads besides lush green fields of corn. The occupant of
the buggy is invariably dressed in sober dark clothes, wearing a
long beard and a wide-brimmed hat - one of "the Plain People"
- the Amish.
The Amish stress humility, family and community, and
separation from the world. Each comunity is self-contained and
almost self-sufficient, relying on farming for its livliehood.
Every family still lives a simple austere life guided by the
maxims of 'doing without' and 'going the second mile' - which
means that every man should going out of his way to help his
neighbour. They gather and worship regularly at each others homes,
underlining the strength of their community and the idea that the
people are the church.
The Old Order Amish are one of the stricter sects of the
17th Century Mennonite Order. In 1693, a Swiss Mennonite named
Jacob Amman founded the Amish church after he and other Mennonites
failed to resolve their differences over the practice of ignoring
those who had been expelled from the church (shunning). Amman
believed that excommunicated sinners ought to be avoided entirely.
Other Mennonites took a more moderate stance, one that the
conservative Amman could not accept.
Often called Pennsylvania Dutch (actually Pennsylvania
Deutsch, or German) the Amish arrived in America, drawn by the
promise of William Penn's 'holy experiment.' respecting the state
but disavowing all forms of war and resisting any union of church
and state.
Today the total Amish population is estimated at 134,000,
living in settlements spread throughout twenty two American states
and over the border in Ontario, Canada. Three quarters of the
Amish population is concentrated in three states with the main
settlements located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania ; in Holmes
County , Ohio and in the counties of Langrange and Elkhorn,
Indiana.
Differences between the Amish vary from state to state
and between church districts. A district will usually consist of
twenty to forty families ( approx. 50-150 members per district).
Newer Amish groups are called the Beachy and New Order Amish. The
New Order Amish have a quicker rate of social change and
acceptance of modernization than do the Old Order Amish. New Order
Amish often use electricity to power farm equipment and even
household appliances. It is not unknown for them to also have
telephones in the house, which are banned in the Old Order.
The Old Order do not allow telephones or 110 volt
electricity as it quite literally ties the Amish to the outside
world, eventually, they believe, leading to television and other "worldliness."
Tractors are often used by the New Order Amish instead of draft
horses. Beachy Amish are similar to the New Order, except that
they may own cars. The Old and New Order Amish do not object to
riding in cars but to the ownership of them.
Find out more about the Amish at
www.800padutch.com
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