The Amish
2. About the Amish society
The Amish are a group of people who are descendants of 17-century Mennonite immigrants mainly from Europe. Mennonite is a Christian group related to Protestant but in many ways, extreme. Jacob Amman is the founder and the first leader of the Amish. He believed that who violates the law of Mennonite should be banished, and this somewhat extreme idea led to Jacob Amman’s separation from the Mennonite. Since then, Jacob and his followers declared themselves as a different group, which later became the Amish. The Amish believe that worldliness will keep them away from God. To be kept close to God, they must live a traditional and simple life. For example, in terms of transportation, they ride horses or use buggies instead of automobiles. They do not own cell phones, televisions and for minimum use of electricity, they use a generator to produce energy. Although Amish youths are given a chance to experience the “outside world”, and use technology. However, most of them rejoin the Amish. Also, because they are isolated from society, they refuse to vote, take …show more content…
oaths, and do not take part in military service. This belief is based on what the Amish call the “gelassenheit.” (Tsutsumi, 2010) This word means obedience in German, and it is a guideline for the Amish to live their lives. This idea originally comes from the bible. In the old testament, Adam and Eve are thought to be non-obedient to God. Therefore, contrary to that it is important for the Amish to value the gelassenheit because to keep away from worldliness will mean being obedient to God.
Another teaching the Amish follow is the “Ordnung.” This is like a rule book that states what can be done and what cannot.
For example, possessing an automobile is strictly prohibited in the Ordnung. Rules such as using horse power for agriculture, or using metal wheels instead of rubber tires are instructed in the Ordnung. Amish who does not follow the Ordnung are irregular, and they are banned from Amish society. To be an Amish, you must follow the Ordnung. On the other hand, despite the existence of the Ordnung, modern medical treatment is not completely prohibited. For example, when poliomyelitis was spreading in Pennsylvania in 1979, there were some Amish children who had the disease. (Ikeda,1999) They were treated by modern medical practices. There are many restrictions in the Ordnung, that keeps the Amish away from the outside world, but the Amish are not completely isolated from
it.
The Amish are a group of people who are descendants of 17-century Mennonite immigrants mainly from Europe. Mennonite is a Christian group related to Protestant but in many ways, extreme. Jacob Amman is the founder and the first leader of the Amish. He believed that who violates the law of Mennonite should be banished, and this somewhat extreme idea led to Jacob Amman’s separation from the Mennonite. Since then, Jacob and his followers declared themselves as a different group, which later became the Amish. The Amish believe that worldliness will keep them away from God. To be kept close to God, they must live a traditional and simple life. For example, in terms of transportation, they ride horses or use buggies instead of automobiles. They do not own cell phones, televisions and for minimum use of electricity, they use a generator to produce energy. Although Amish youths are given a chance to experience the “outside world”, and use technology. However, most of them rejoin the Amish. Also, because they are isolated from society, they refuse to vote, take …show more content…
oaths, and do not take part in military service. This belief is based on what the Amish call the “gelassenheit.” (Tsutsumi, 2010) This word means obedience in German, and it is a guideline for the Amish to live their lives. This idea originally comes from the bible. In the old testament, Adam and Eve are thought to be non-obedient to God. Therefore, contrary to that it is important for the Amish to value the gelassenheit because to keep away from worldliness will mean being obedient to God.
Another teaching the Amish follow is the “Ordnung.” This is like a rule book that states what can be done and what cannot.
For example, possessing an automobile is strictly prohibited in the Ordnung. Rules such as using horse power for agriculture, or using metal wheels instead of rubber tires are instructed in the Ordnung. Amish who does not follow the Ordnung are irregular, and they are banned from Amish society. To be an Amish, you must follow the Ordnung. On the other hand, despite the existence of the Ordnung, modern medical treatment is not completely prohibited. For example, when poliomyelitis was spreading in Pennsylvania in 1979, there were some Amish children who had the disease. (Ikeda,1999) They were treated by modern medical practices. There are many restrictions in the Ordnung, that keeps the Amish away from the outside world, but the Amish are not completely isolated from
it.