Amish Case

The Amish believe that Christians are to be separated from the world, physical and mentally. A landscape filled with non-merchandised farms, horse-drive buggies and plainly dressed people is the world of the Amish. The Amish and their gender relations, kinship patterns, belief and values all add to their ability to maintain a distinct lifestyle without being forced into the ways of the societies surrounding them there, their culture has not been touched by the hands of time. In the Amish society the conventional marks of modern status such as education, income, occupation and material items are missing. In the Amish’s day to day life work is highly valued. The aspects of their religion are noted in all parts of their lives. From the clothes they wear to how their homes are decorated, they follow the rules of their religion.

Two key concepts of understanding Amish practices are their rejection of huchmut (pride and arrogance) and the high value they place on d emut or humility or ‘gelassenheit’ (German meaning calmness, composure, and placidity) There are estimated to be eight different orders with in the Amish population Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Andy Weaver Amish, Beachy Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish. This paper focuses primarily on Old Order Amish but mentions the other orders in small detail.

Religion is the foundation of Amish culture even for their primary mode of subsistence, agriculture. All aspects of the Amish’s life is powered by unwritten rules known as ‘Ordnung’. The Ordnung outlines their faith and defines what it means to be Amish. The Ordnung varies from order to order. This explains why some Amish communities are more modern than others are.

To the Amish farming is a sacred lifestyle. They see it dictated by the scriptures that are meant to be handed down in generations. To them communing with nature is a form of communing with God and toiling soil, raising livestock, and growing their own food is to them a religious experience. The Amish believe in hard work, responsibility, and simple living. Their lifestyle of farming ingrains these values with in the community. The origin of their dependency on agriculture is partly due to the fact that they were forced to flee during the 16th century to the rural countryside to avoid persecution from the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformers.

They wake up early and have a hearty breakfast together as a family. After breakfast they immediately start their chores, even the children participate and have chores. The children are only educated up to eight grade and after that they are taught to become an Amish adult and the lifestyle. In school their curriculum focuses on religion and Amish values. The young men/boys go with the father who teaches them about farming. He shows them toiling the soil, planting, livestock and anything else. The Old Order Amish are said to be the best farmers in the world. To this day their equipment is