...Course: Date: Amish Life Introduction The Amish are a group of Christians famous for their simple style of living. They originated from a group of Christians that followed Jakob Amman during the religious schism in Switzerland of the Alsatian Anabaptist. Membership into the Amish starts with a baptism, which often occurs between 18-25 years of age and the member, is expected to follow the Ordnung, which are guidelines on the Amish way of living (Clark 97). Every aspect about the Amish life is conservative; their dressing is conservative, simple, and targets a show of reservation and humility (Clark 107). Technology is shunned by the Amish, and their homes have minimal or no machinery at all (Kraybill and Oishal 19). The Amish appear to have a simple life with minimal problems compared to other cultures. This can be attributed to the high level of discipline practised in their communities. There are various aspects of Amish life that make it very attractive. For instance, Amish parents spend a lot of time with their children fostering good relationships within the family. Children are taught the value of family from an early age. As a result, there is a very low divorce rate among the Amish people. Over the years, the Amish people have registered one of the lowest depression rates globally. This can be attributed to their simple way of life that is safe from the hustles and bustles of the regular world. The numerous advantages of living an Amish life can be attributed...
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...The history of the Amish began in Switzerland. Amish live in various regions of the United States, but the largest and oldest Amish settlement is in Wisconsin. Sixty- Four percent Amish in Wisconsin have dairy herds on their farms. The religion the Amish practice is Anabaptist. William Fischel (2012) explains the Amish religion by stating, “Adult baptism must be freely chosen by both men and women, and the choice is usually made in their late teens. Baptism is not just a covenant between the deity and the person who chooses it. Those who accept baptism agree to submit to the congregation’s ordinances and understandings that are collectively known as the ordnung”. (p.110) This explains how Anabaptist is different than Baptist. According to Fischel (2012), the ordnung is what states “Amish may not own automobiles but may ride in vehicles operated by a non-Amish drives” (p.110). This also helps to...
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...Amish People in America Onieca Baraka ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology June 11th, 2012 Imagine living in house with no electricity, or not having the luxury of driving an automobile. Picture not being able to eat at fast food restaurants or shop at the mall. There are people in our nation who live like that every day. Amish people have been living in America since the early 1700’s. The Amish societies have grown tremendously, and continue to live by their own rules in an ever changing world. With all of the technology available today, Amish leaders choose not to indulge, but rather to live a simple life. Although there are some minor differences in Amish bands, Amish do not falter from their traditions or beliefs and rituals. In about 1730 the first Amish settlers arrived and settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Amish were led by Jakob Anman in a split from the Mennonites over differences in beliefs. Since settling in Pennsylvania the Amish have split into several different groups and are settled in several different states. People of the Amish society are emerging agriculturalists. Their primary mode of subsistence is farming. For the most part Amish men and children work on the farm. Women take care of the home and help with barn chores if the family lives on a farm (Kraybill, 2001). Amish farms are not known to be big, but just enough to provide for the family. Amish are not allowed to run big farms in order to control power....
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...The Amish Instructor Bruce Carruthers ANT 101 Cultural Anthropology Aug 6, 2012 Outline I. Introduction II. History of the Amish a. School b. Church c. Rumspringa III. Social organization d. Children e. Teenage years f. Church membership IV. Beliefs and values g. Church h. Chores i. Socialization V. Kinship j. Nuclear family k. Bands l. Large families VI. Conclusion m. Summary n. Amish throughout time The Amish live a very interesting life involving very hard work and strict religious beliefs. In this essay I will first tell you about the history of the Amish, how they became the Amish we know today, and then tell you what a day in the life of an Amish person is like. I will tell you about their education, church, and the teenage Rumspringa. I will also tell you about how the Amish spend their childhood years, teenage years and when they become an official member of the church. The next subject I will cover is beliefs and values. This will then lead me into telling you about kinship. The Amish get there name from Jakob Ammann, who believed in stronger ties to the church and faster shunning in those not using the church with everyday life. The Amish also known as plane people began to come to America in the eighteenth century. Most Amish settled in Berks County...
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...Amish people have been in America for many years. Amish people originally settled in Ohio and they began to spread across the country, spanning 30 different states (Discover Landcaster, 2015). Today most of the Amish population reside in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Amish people have been in America for many years, and inhabit most of the country, but their way of life, their cultural values, and their religion is still a mystery to most Americans. The first Amish people arrived in America in the early 18th century to escape religious persecution in Europe and also to find fertile farm land (Holmes, p.g. 372). They first settled in eastern Pennsylvania, where a large portion still remains to this day (Amish, 2015). In the early 21st century...
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...the Amish culture. A few details regarding the background of the Amish culture is they are most concentrated in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana with 273,700 adults and children and nearly 350 settlements in thirty states of the USA and in Ontario (Kuhnova, 2012) The Amish culture tries to live in nonconformity to the world. This is demonstrated by their dialect, their plain clothing, transportation of horse and buggy, and their housing, functioning to the outside world as distinction and to the inside community as confirmation of a shared identity (Kuhnova, 2012). This clothing style is uniform and leaves little room for individualism, although small differences are perceptible in sewing and cloths. Where for non-Amish this might sound like a limitation of freedom. They fear that owning a car leads to individualism, distinction, social inequality, and too much personal freedom (Vonk, 2012). The above behavior choices of the Amish cultural emphasize togetherness and reinforce group cohesion. According to Vonk (2011), “The community and its welfare are ranked above personal freedom and individual rights, what contradicts modern values such as individualism and self-expression the Amish receive a durable and visible ethnic identity” (pg. 68). The traditional community is quite separate from the outside world, with strong social capital, is known for keeping and sustaining their faith, identity, important beliefs, values, and communal behavior choices (Vonk, 2011). The Amish would...
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...The Amish are a religious community that were led by Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Elder, in the early 16th century. They were part of the Anabaptist movement that descended from Europe to the USA. They believe in Jesus and in the Holy Trinity and have a set of rules to guide their everyday Christian life known as “Ordnung”, a German word for discipline. Although, they are found throughout America, they are mainly located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Indiana. The Amish are a “conservative branch of Christianity” and live a rural life, away from the modern society (Massey, 2015). In the Amish culture, women are often seen wearing plain long dresses and no jewelry, and for men, they wear dark colored clothes, (blue jeans during summer and dark suits...
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...Some background about Mr. and Mrs. Miller; both were raised Amish, they met when they were teens in the Amish community in Central WI. Mrs. Miller, the daughter of the bishop, and Mr. Miller the son of a Farmer. When they married, farming was what they knew and began. They have six children, three boys and three girls. Their farm is pristine and welcoming, it is the home Mrs. Miller was raised. Mrs. Miller moved to Central WI when she was nine, from Ohio. There was a split in the Amish community, because of some differences in the rules of the Church, hence her dad decided it best to leave and begin a new community. She shared about the feeling of living in a glass bowl, how she always felt watched and she could never be good enough because she was the daughter of the Bishop. She didn’t feel her parents put the expectations on her, rather more from the Amish community. This was a sensitive topic for her to discuss. She wanted to talk about it because she has felt judged and criticized by her Amish counter parts, as opposed to the majority culture. She still feels, to an extent, that she and her family are on display…even as an adult. She asked me how I deal with the expectations of others. I shared that I live before an audience of one, and my soul purpose is— in everything I do or say is to bring glory and honor to His name. That is my reminder when I feel weighted down with expectations of others, I am then reminded of my purpose; making everything...
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...name Professor’s name Name of the course 23 November 2015 Intentional Community THE AMISH The Amish are a group of the Christian church fellowship. The Amish movement was founded by Jacob Ammann as an attempt to change some practices of the Mennonites. The history of the Amish takes about three centuries. They started to emigrate to Pennsylvania U.S. in early 18th century after being chased and criticized by the Catholic сhurch. The main idea of their religion is to keep themselves far away from the world and conveniences of modern technology such as follows: electricity, cars, TV, radio, computers, planes, watches, and rings. Moreover, they totally decline to have any relation with the state and are against the individualism. All these are done in order not to let things from outside effect the internal world of the person and its perception of the reality. Rules and the leadership. The Amish are strictly keeping their rules that are called the Ordnung. It is a symbiosis of religious rules and practices concerning how to organize everyday routine, work process, lifestyle, and clothing. The Gelassenheit is the other semi - formal concept that is regulating the life of the Amish. It is a general view of a good person rather than a guide on how to behave. Due to the Gelassenheit, the honorable person should be modest, calm, kind, and quiet one. The nature of the Amish leadership is ministerial, which means they are choosing a minister for each district. A ministry...
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...THE AMISH The Amish are a society in North America that follow a very strict interpretation of the bible, and are devout Christians. They seek to be more in tune with familial values and religion versus anything else. How they live is quite different from Western culture. Though the Amish are technically a part of Western society, the two cultures are quite diverse. They have chosen to forsake most modern conveniences for a more traditional way of life. Their primary mode of subsistence is horticulturalists and agriculturalists, because they live off of everything hand grown, whether livestock or vegetables. In this paper, we will explore the way of life for the Amish: beliefs and values, gender relation, and social organization. The Amish religion requires them to abide by the rules of their bible, just like many other religions follow the rules of their bibles as well. The Amish culture originated in the early 1600’s in Bern, Switzerland, and southwestern region of Germany. The word "Amish" comes from the name of the man who formed the sect Jakob Ammann. “Amman maintained a stricter interpretation of Anabaptist doctrine and advocated foot washing and Meidung or the strict social avoidance (shunning) of the excommunicated unfaithful. When other Anabaptist leaders refused to agree to the strict interpretation of the Miedung, Amman forced a split, in about 1693, which resulted in the creation of the Amish”(Byers, 2008). Members of the Amish sect migrated to Pennsylvania...
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...Cultural Research: The Amish Culture Nilaja Gardner ANT 101 Cultural Anthropology Prof. Bethany Heywood July 2nd, 2012 The Amish Culture Introduction The Amish people are the epitome of what one would consider plain, ordinary, boring, and prude (perhaps next to the modern day view of Muslims). Their name is often synonymous with quality furniture, crafts, and food items. Originating from Switzerland, the Amish have managed to maintain a safe distance from the rest of the world’s influence and immorality, strengthening family ties and maintaining subsistence through agrarianism. This essay serves to explore the kinship, beliefs and social organization of the Amish Culture. Agrarianism, and Freundschaft (Kinship) The Amish maintain a strong sense of community and kinship by way of agrarian lifestyle. Agriculture is a form of adherence to spiritual and manmade (Biblical and Ordung) laws that The Amish follow. Agrarianism is compatible with the doctrine of separation to the world (Hostetler, J., 1964). By isolating themselves from the city, Amish communities avoid what they believe to be sinfulness, sloth, and frivolousness. Man occupies his right place in “the garden”; the plants and animals created by God (Hostetler, J., 1964). Agrarianism separates Amish families from worldliness. By farming their own land and raising their own livestock, this creates self-sufficiency. The need to exit the community for food is alleviated. The hands-on labor creates...
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...The Amish Culture: A Blueprint for a Strong Family Unit Sherletrice Spencer ANT101 Dr. Elena Lattarulo May 21, 2012 The Amish Culture: A Blueprint for a Strong Family Unit The Amish are an old religious sect and trace their heritage to the Swiss Anabaptists of sixteenth century Europe (Kraybill, 2001, pg. 3). Their existence both socially and economically revolve around the church, family, and their resistance to many forms of modern technology and conveniences. The Amish choose to live apart from modern society to maintain unity among its members but most important, to shield themselves from the temptations of the modern world. The ways of the Amish are a page out of the past, but they embrace many values that are lacking in modern society today. They continue to survive and thrive because of their commitment to community survival, adherence to a strict social order, and a strong sense of family and values. The Amish, who are also known as “The Plain People” were founded by Jacob Amman. They initially belonged to a group called the Mennonites who believed in infant baptism and the unification of church and state. The Amish believed in separation of church and state and that people should only be baptized as adults because they believed one was old enough to make the decision about their religious choices as adults. With their vast differences, the Amish decided to break away from the Mennonites which made them a target of religious persecution; their beliefs...
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...The Amish April 30, 2012 Ant 101 There are more than 250,000 Amish in the United States and Canada, the only places they live today. Most American’s view the Amish as backwards mainly because they shun the modern conveniences that most of us take advantage of on a daily basis. The Amish have a very rigid belief system –they believe that their religious faith and the way they live is inseparable and interdependent they do not consider it to be a lifestyle choice. The Amish was originated in Europe after splitting from Mennonite Swiss Brethren in 1692 over treatment of some of their members who had been found guilty of breaches of doctrine. The first Amish arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730’s to escape persecution in Europe. The Amish believe that community is at the heart of their life and faith and that way to salvation is to live as a loving community apart from the world individualism is avoided. They believe that it is essential to keep themselves separate from the “world” so they live in their own small communities and differ from other American’s in their dress, language, work and travel and education. They are not exclusive as they do associate and have contact with outsiders-non Amish and they refer to them as “English”. Each Amish district is fully independent and lives by its own set of unwritten rules, or Ordnung. The Ordnung is a basic outline that helps define what it means to be Amish. A respected Ordnung generates peace, love, contentment, equality and unity...
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...Rumspringa is the time Amish children decide whether they want to be Amish or not. Rumspringa begins when the Amish turn 16 years old. Amish children tend to get real drunk on their 16 birthdays. In addition, some of them start to smoke during that period of their life. People tend to wonder how rumspringa encourage deviance, but in my opinion, when a young person decides to be disorderly and participate in deviant behavior they are making a choice of their own. When teenagers decide to take drugs, not follow the law, be violent or behave in ways that society do not approve of that can be classified as deviant. From the ages 16 and over, Amish children have to make a decision between following Jesus Christ or not because that’s know as an accountable...
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...The Amish Culture The Amish are a fascinating people. They live surrounded by cities full of technology. Yet they live without automobiles, electricity, and most modern comforts that are taken for granted by many. Donald Kraybill asks the question “How is it that a tradition-laden people who spurn electricity, computers, automobiles, and higher education are not merely surviving but are, in fact, thriving in the midst of modern life?” Though they do not have all of the technology that we take for granted, they live richer lives than many non-Amish people. because gender relations are accepted amongst others in the community, they have strong beliefs, traditions and values, and kinship is important. In the Amish community, they rely heavily on their agriculture as a mode of subsistence. This is known as being an agrarian society. Though they have other means of sustenance, they recognize the importance of agriculture to the community. Amish culture does not use electricity or other modern conveniences. This makes the farming a longer process, as this is their means of survival. They have other means for livelihood but farming is their main job. Some build furniture to sell to the surrounding communities. Others will farm for non-amish employers. “Some stereotypes of Amish life imply that they reject technology and live in a nineteenth-century cocoon. Such images are false. The Amish adopt technology selectively, hoping that the tools they use will build community...
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