Amish Culture - Essay 2

Rebels of society are often times considered deviate and choose not to adhere to society’s customs and norms. However, would one consider the Amish communities as rebellious? The Amish are a unique subculture of the United States that do not adopt customs, norms, and lifestyles of the broader society (Sternheimer, 2012). Just because they set themselves apart from social norms, does not make them deviate. The Amish is an old religious group that originated in Europe. In the sixteenth century, Jakob Ammann and other devoted followers broke away from the Anabaptists and establish themselves as the Amish. Due to a disagreement with the laws and order set by the Anabaptist, the Amish felt the need to set themselves apart. Largely, order of worship and dress is what distinguish the Amish from the Anabaptist (Powell, 2012). Due to religious wars, poverty, and religious persecution in England during the eighteenth century, the Amish began to migrate to America—Pennsylvania in particular. Now, the Amish communities has spread to regions of Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maine, and Canada (Kraybill, Nolt, and Johnson-Weiner, 2012). In depth, the Amish social organization, gender relations, and beliefs are customs that are held strong in their community and will be observed in this text. The Amish are stereotyped as having “distinctive dress and horse-drawn buggies” (Kraybill, 1989). They are also known for the not using current technology and sticking to old, conservative ways. There are four distinct types of Amish communities: Beachy Amish, Amish Mennonites, New Order Amish, and Old Order Amish. The Older Order and New Order Amish groups do not use public utility electricity and use horse-and-buggy transportation. However, “the Beachy Amish and Amish Mennonites own automobiles and use public utility electricity” (Kraybill, Nolt, and