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The Evolution Of The Amish Culture

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The Evolution Of The Amish Culture
The Evolution of the Amish Culture The Amish culture dates back to the late 1600s when Jacob Amman led a group of Anabaptists throughout Europe. One thing the group first practiced was the law of shunning. Before, the law was utilized to help members realize what they have done wrong so he or she can return to the fellowship. However, Amman believed if an individual were to do wrong, he or she should be banned from the religion and its members forever. From there, the Amish culture was born. The new group struggled to live among other cultures in the beginning. Several were killed and many fled to the mountains in Switzerland and Germany. This is the time when farming and worship became the norm of the culture. It wasn’t until William Penn …show more content…
Although it may different throughout districts, the Ordnung lays out one’s life entirely. The Amish believe the more they separate from modern society, the closer they will be to God. Throughout the many districts, each group has their own interpretation of the Bible and how they should live out their life. In short, the Amish devote their whole life to God. Shunning, in addition, is still practiced among groups. For very few, a church member is completely banned from the culture and will no longer be able to communicate with family and friends ever again. For others, those who commit an

action, which is not permitted is shunned from the Old Order, but may still practice the religion. Overall, everything they do revolves around the Bible. This includes their beliefs in modern technology. For a lot of the Amish, modern technology is seen as a distraction. Some groups don’t even allow telephones or electricity in fact because they don’t want the modern world to intrude with their home life. They have preferred farming as the way of life for a long time because of the lifestyle being so rural and less distracting.
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Today, one can find numerous Amish owned businesses to purchase furniture, food, and much more. Because of this new occupation, the Amish have finally become part of the larger economic system. Just like any other citizen in the U.S., the Amish pay taxes with the exception to social security and rely heavily on banks. They ultimately pride themselves in being self-sufficient. They have even formed an Amish Aid Society for those in need in the community. Health is another issue the Amish have been more accepting of in recent years. It was said that the Amish don’t vaccinate their children, but they do. It’s actually become more common in recent years to vaccinate their children even though rates are

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