Die Amischen (englisch Amish ['ɑːmɪʃ]) sind eine täuferisch-protestantische Glaubensgemeinschaft. Die Bezeichnung leitet sich vom Namen ihres. Die Amischen sind eine täuferisch-protestantische Glaubensgemeinschaft. Die Bezeichnung leitet sich vom Namen ihres Begründers Jakob Ammann ab. Die Amischen haben ihre Wurzeln in der reformatorischen Täuferbewegung Mitteleuropas, vor allem der. Keine Autos, keine Gewalt und keine Elektrizität. Die täuferisch-protestantische Religionsgemeinschaft der Amischen ist die wohl. Die Glaubensgemeinschaft lebt einfach und gewinnt in den USA an Attraktivität. Die Amischen haben sich mit den übrigen Aussteigern in Unity.

Wenn sich ein Individuum heraushebt, wird das als mangelnde Demut angesehen und daher abgelehnt. Heute besuchen die Kinder der Amischen alter Ordnung zumeist keine öffentlichen Bildungseinrichtungen mehr, sondern gesonderte amische Schulen, in denen sie meist von jungen, unverheirateten amischen Frauen unterrichtet werden.

Religiöse Inhalte, die über Schulgebet und das Lesen von Bibeltexten hinausgehen, werden in amischen Schulen nicht vermittelt, da dies als Aufgabe der Familie angesehen wird.

Die eigenen Schulen erlauben die Kontrolle der Unterrichtsinhalte und sozialisieren die Kinder stärker in Richtung des späteren Beitritts zur eigenen Gruppe.

Auch sind solche Schulen für den Erhalt des Pennsylvania-Deutschen wichtig, das alle Kinder in der Schule beherrschen.

In diesen Schulen werden Lesen, Schreiben und Rechnen gelehrt, nicht aber Biologie besonders nicht Sexualkunde , wissenschaftliche oder erdgeschichtliche Lehren oder gar die Evolutionstheorie.

Auch Deutsch wird unterrichtet wofür angepasstes Schulmaterial entwickelt wurde , damit die religiösen Texte gelesen werden können.

Die Zeit zwischen der Vollendung des In dieser Zeit wird davon ausgegangen, dass die Eltern keine volle Kontrolle mehr über ihre Kinder haben.

Die Gemeinde hat ebenfalls keine Handhabe gegen Nichtmitglieder, so dass amische Jugendliche in dieser Zeit etliche Freiheiten haben, beispielsweise um ausgelassene Partys zu feiern.

Die Eltern sind meist nicht besonders glücklich über das wilde Treiben ihrer Kinder, vermeiden es aber weitgehend einzugreifen, um ihre Kinder nicht der Gemeinde ganz zu entfremden.

Einige strengere Untergruppen haben jedoch genaue Regeln, bei welchen schweren Ausschweifungen die Eltern die Kinder des Elternhauses verweisen müssen.

In den kleineren Siedlungen gibt es nicht genügend Jugendliche, um ganz wilde Jugendgruppen zu bilden, weil die meisten Jugendlichen es doch nicht ganz so wild treiben.

Auch erwerben die meisten amischen Jungen den Führerschein und nicht wenige besitzen in dieser Zeit ein Auto.

Die Tradition der Amischen erlaubt eine gewisse, begrenzte Freiheit für junge unverheiratete Paare, zu der bei traditionellen Gruppen auch das sogenannte Bundling gehört, bei dem das verliebte Paar ein Bett teilen darf, ohne jedoch völlig unbekleidet zu sein.

Allgemein wird jedoch Geschlechtsverkehr vor der Ehe als Makel empfunden. Durch die Gläubigentaufe werden sie Mitglieder der Gemeinde und erkennen deren Regeln an.

Eine Rückkehr nach glaubhafter Reue ist jedoch auch nach schwersten Vergehen möglich. Nach ihrer Schulzeit arbeiteten die amischen Jugendlichen früher meistens auf der Farm ihrer Familie, bis sie heirateten.

Heute hat sich das berufliche Spektrum der Amischen erweitert, da es nicht mehr genügend Farmen zu kaufen gibt und diese teilweise extrem teuer wurden, etwa in den alten Siedlungsgebieten, die stark vom Tourismus frequentiert werden, und in denen die Amischen mit Bauspekulanten und Hinzuziehenden um den vorhandenen erwerbbaren Boden in Konkurrenz treten.

Früher war man bei nicht vorhandenen Kaufmöglichkeiten von Farmen in andere Gebiete ausgewandert, so dass sich die Verbreitung der Amischen auf mehr und mehr Staaten erstreckte.

Die Amischen gelten in diesen Gebieten als sehr bodenverhaftet und wollen am heimatlichen Ort bleiben. Berufe wie Maurer, Schreiner, Holzwerker etc.

Daneben wächst die Schicht amischer Geschäftsleute, entweder im produzierenden Gewerbe oder im reinen Handel. Die Gründung neuer Siedlungen erfolgt auf Privatinitiative.

So kann gesagt werden, dass das konservative Element vermehrt aussiedelt. Nicht alle amischen Neusiedlungen sind erfolgreich. In dem Buch Amish Settlements that Failed sind an die hundert Siedlungen aufgelistet und beschrieben, die nicht erfolgreich waren.

Dabei gibt es sogar amische Siedler, die mehrfach in neue Siedlungen zogen. Das ausgeweitete berufliche Spektrum wird durchaus kritisch und positiv gesehen.

Die Amischen alter und neuer Ordnung sind zwar durch ihren Glauben, ihre Kultur und ihre Traditionen, ihre Sprache und vielfältige Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen verbunden, sie stellen jedoch keineswegs eine einheitliche Gruppe dar, sondern zerfallen in mehr als 40 Untergruppen.

Mit der zweiten Einwanderungswelle von Amischen im Jahrhundert bildeten sich Untergruppen aufgrund unterschiedlicher, gegenseitig kaum verständlicher Dialekte.

So bilden die Berndeutsch-sprechenden und die Elsässisch-sprechenden Amischen eigene Untergruppen. Seit Mitte des Jahrhunderts bildeten sich auch eigene Untergruppen aufgrund von unterschiedlichen Lebensauffassungen, wobei sich meistens konservative Gruppen abspalteten.

In den er Jahren trennten sich dann die Beachy-Amischen in der Auseinandersetzung über die Frage, ob der Besitz von Autos erlaubt sein soll, von den Amischen alter Ordnung.

In den er Jahren entstanden dann die Amischen neuer Ordnung, die sowohl eine stärker evangelikale Spiritualität als auch mehr moderne Technik wollten.

Donald Kraybill, Karen M. Die Akzeptanz technischer Errungenschaften variiert von Gruppe zu Gruppe. Oder sie wird mit einem einstimmigen Gemeindebeschluss offiziell erlaubt.

Bei von vornherein sinnlos oder gar gefährlich scheinenden Neuerungen, z. Die meisten Amischen alter Ordnung sind dreisprachig.

Untereinander sprechen sie alle einen deutschen Dialekt, das sogenannte Pennsylvaniadeutsch , in einigen Countys Indianas auch Schweizerdeutsch , genauer eine Form des Berndeutschen im Adams County , sowie niederalemannisches Elsässisch im Allen County sowie in den Tochtersiedlungen dieser beiden Countys.

Pennsylvaniadeutsch war früher die Alltagssprache des gesamten südöstlichen Pennsylvanias und umfasste rund Jahrhunderts, danach assimilierten die meisten sich sprachlich, und nur die konservativen Amischen und Mennoniten alter Ordnung blieben dem Pennsylvaniadeutsch als Umgangssprache untereinander treu.

Die wenigen erhaltenen Schweizerdeutsch und Elsässisch sprechenden amischen Gemeinden stammen aus Einwanderungsschüben im Jahrhundert direkt aus dem Berner Oberland und dem Elsass und siedelten sich in Indiana in eigenen Gemeinden an.

Diese späten Einwanderer unterscheiden sich auch hinsichtlich ihrer Gemeindeordnungen von Gruppen, die schon vorher in Amerika ansässig waren.

Während des Gottesdienstes benutzen Amische ein stark dialektal gefärbtes, gemischtes Hochdeutsch, welches auch englische Lehnwörter enthält.

Auch von der unter dem US-amerikanischen Präsidenten Barack Obama eingeführten Krankenversicherungspflicht wurden die Amischen ausgenommen.

In der Regel ist es zunächst die Familie, die für die Gesundheitskosten eines Familienmitgliedes aufzukommen bemüht ist. Werden diese zu hoch, wird das Anliegen dem Diakon der Gemeinde vorgetragen.

Dieser verkündet die anstehenden Kosten an einem Sonntag öffentlich und sammelt in der nächstfolgenden Woche die Spenden ein.

Reicht dies noch immer nicht, werden eventuell Nachbargemeinden angesprochen. Nachbarliche Hilfe geschieht nicht nur durch Geld, sondern besonders durch emotionale Unterstützung.

Bisher hat diese Form der Subsidiarität gut funktioniert. Aus dem alten Europa mitgenommen, gibt es noch immer Heilpraktiker, die mit Hilfe von Gebeten, dem Wegsprechen und überlieferten Heilrezepten Patienten behandeln.

Dies findet aber im Verborgenen statt und ist heute fast ausgestorben. Daneben nutzen die Amischen die homöopathischen Heilverfahren. Allerdings gibt es unter den Amischen verschiedene, doch auffällig auftretende erbliche Gendefekte.

Da fast alle modernen Amischen von wenigen Gründerfamilien es gibt insgesamt nur um die amische Nachnamen, und in den verschiedenen Siedlungen tritt davon nur eine bestimmte Menge auf aus dem Die enge Verwandtschaft innerhalb der Amischen erhöht die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass zwei Träger des gleichen Gendefekts Kinder bekommen, die dann mit Behinderungen geboren werden.

Die Säuglingssterblichkeit der Amischen insgesamt ist jedoch weder höher noch geringer als in der nicht amischen ländlichen Bevölkerung der Region.

After this period, most children prefer to return to the full Amish lifestyle with both its restrictions and rewards, and are baptised into full membership.

Some Amish decide to move to another Amish community rather than remain in the one where they were brought up. The main reasons for doing this are to acquire less expensive farm land or to live in a community that is either more or less strict.

Amish only marry other Amish, although not necessarily from their own community. They may not marry a first cousin, and are discouraged from marrying a second cousin.

The Amish are closest to the Anabaptists: Protestant Christians who believe in adult baptism, pacifism, the separation of church and state and the importance of the community to faith.

The denomination is closely related to the Mennonites. They base their daily life and religious practice on a literal interpretation of the Biblical instruction "be not conformed to this world" Romans Their separateness may also have been a reaction to the persecution they has suffered in Europe.

A way of living is more important than communicating it in words. The ultimate message is the life. An Amish person will have no doubt about his basic convictions, his view of the meaning and purpose of life, but he cannot explain it except through his life.

Although the Amish are sometimes painted as people who live an old-fashioned life because they are welded to their traditions or because they fear the modern world, those are both misunderstandings.

The Amish way of life grows out of the belief that salvation comes from the redeeming strength of living a loving life in a pure community of believers who live in separation from the world.

For Amish and Mennonites the struggle to die to self was life-long. God's power was released only when the individual did not exercise his own will God did not grant salvation because of inner experience.

Salvation came only by actual participation in Christ, by suffering, yielding, dying to self as he did. Amish are less concerned with achieving individual salvation through a personal belief in Jesus Christ.

It's said that they regard any claim by an individual to be 'saved' as an expression of pride, and something to be avoided.

One important principle is Gelassenheit. This is the idea that a believer should surrender to God by living in a way that pleases God and by obeying legitimate religious authority.

Gelassenheit is layered with many meanings--self surrender and self denial, resignation to God's will, yielding to others, gentleness, a calm and contented spirit, and a quiet acceptance of whatever comes.

Although the word rarely is spoken, the meaning of Gelassenheit is woven into the social fabric of Old Order life. It reflects the most fundamental difference between Old Order culture and modern values.

Amish believe that they should farm as stewards of God's creation, and that this is a spiritual activity. Because of the emphasis on community, members are expected to believe the same things and follow the same code of behaviour called the Ordnung.

The purpose of the ordnung is to help the community lead a godly life. This unanimity of belief and behaviour is maintained by strong discipline; if a person breaks the rules they may be 'shunned', which means that no-one including their family will eat with them or talk to them.

Shunning meidung is not done to hurt the rule-breaker but to give them an experience that may redeem them and bring them back into the community.

If a person persists in rule-breaking they may be excommunicated. If a person repents they are accepted back into the community.

However, if someone brought up in the Amish community decides that they do not wish to join the community and obey its rules they are not punished in any way.

They often remain in the area and join similar but less strict denominations, and maintain contact with their former community.

Amish do not seek to attract new believers. Although it is possible for an outsider to join an Amish community, it would be difficult.

The Amish have a traditional code of ethics that rejects sex outside of marriage, divorce, homosexuality and public nakedness as sins forbidden by the Bible.

Modesty and purity are vital virtues. The Amish are pacifists, basing this on Jesus' instruction that one should love one's enemy.

They reject all forms of violence. The Amish admire large families and tend not to use birth control other than to control the spacing of children. The Amish worship in their houses, which are designed to allow a large group to meet.

Different households take it in turns to host worship. A 3-hour preaching service takes place every other Sunday morning and is followed by a shared meal.

On Sunday evening there may be a meeting for young people of several communities who gather in a house to sing hymns and talk, sitting on opposite sides of a long table.

Worship, in Amish life, whether for the old or the young, is not confined to a "prayer period" or a weekly hour of church attendance.

Worship permeates Amish life, and in a variety of forms. The Amish society is a "ceremonial community", its religious ceremonial life being governed by the days of the week, by seasons, and by the calendar.

At the time of adolescence, the Amish young adult is growing rapidly in the life of worship of the "ceremonial community" in which harvesting, sewing and all daily work, learning and activity are consciously offered in praise and love of God.

There are around , Amish, who live in more than 20 US states and Ontario, with the largest communities in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

They are a growing group -- it's thought that their population doubles every 20 years. The Amish are divided into dozens of separate fellowships, broken down into districts or congregations.

Each district is fully independent and lives by its own set of unwritten rules, or Ordnung. Because Amish transport is limited to horse buggies these districts are geographically small and may include around 30 or 40 households.

The Amish do not have a professional group of ministers. Instead, lay ministers are chosen by lot from within the community.

Almost 90 percent of Amish teenagers choose to be baptized and join the church. Non-Amish people are generally referred to as "English".

Generally, a heavy emphasis is placed on church and family relationships. The Amish typically operate their own one-room schools and discontinue formal education after grade eight, at age 13 or Higher education is generally discouraged, as it can lead to social segregation and the unraveling of the community.

The Anabaptist movement, from which the Amish later emerged, started in circles around Huldrych Zwingli — who led the early Reformation in Switzerland.

In Zürich on January 21, , Conrad Grebel and George Blaurock practiced adult baptism to each other and then to others. The term Amish was first used as a Schandename a term of disgrace in by opponents of Jakob Amman.

The first informal division between Swiss Brethren was recorded in the 17th century between Oberländer s those living in the hills and Emmentaler those living in the Emmental valley.

The Oberländer s were a more extreme congregation; their zeal pushed them into more remote areas and their solitude made them more zealous. Swiss Anabaptism developed, from this point, in two parallel streams, most clearly marked by disagreement over the preferred treatment of "fallen" believers.

The Emmentalers sometimes referred to as Reistians, after bishop Hans Reist , a leader among the Emmentalers argued that fallen believers should only be withheld from communion , and not regular meals.

The Amish argued that those who had been banned should be avoided even in common meals. The Reistian side eventually formed the basis of the Swiss Mennonite Conference.

Because of this common heritage, Amish and Mennonites from southern Germany and Switzerland retain many similarities.

Those who leave the Amish fold tend to join various congregations of Conservative Mennonites. Amish began migrating to Pennsylvania, then regarded favorably due to the lack of religious persecution and attractive land offers, in the early 18th Century as part of a larger migration from the Palatinate and neighboring areas.

Between and approximately Amish migrated to North America, mainly to the region that became Berks County, Pennsylvania , but later moved, motivated by land issues and by security concerns tied to the French and Indian War.

Many eventually settled in Lancaster County. A second wave of around 1, arrived in the mid 19th Century and settled in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and southern Ontario.

Most Amish communities that were established in North America did not ultimately retain their Amish identity. The major division that resulted in the loss of identity of many Amish congregations occurred in the third quarter of the 19th century.

The forming of factions worked its way out at different times at different places. The process was rather a "sorting out" than a split.

Amish people are free to join another Amish congregation at another place that fits them best. In the years after , tensions rose within individual Amish congregations and between different Amish congregations.

Between and , yearly Dienerversammlungen ministerial conferences were held at different places, concerning how the Amish should deal with the tensions caused by the pressures of modern society.

The more progressive members, comprising roughly two-thirds of the group, became known by the name Amish Mennonite, and eventually united with the Mennonite Church , and other Mennonite denominations, mostly in the early 20th century.

The more traditionally minded groups became known as the Old Order Amish. They soon drifted away from the old ways and changed their name to "Defenseless Mennonite" in Because no division occurred in Europe, the Amish congregations remaining there took the same way as the change-minded Amish Mennonites in North America and slowly merged with the Mennonites.

The last Amish congregation in Germany to merge was the Ixheim Amish congregation, which merged with the neighboring Mennonite Church in Some Mennonite congregations, including most in Alsace , are descended directly from former Amish congregations.

The Buchanan Amish soon were joined by like-minded congregations all over the country. With World War I came the massive suppression of the German language in the US that eventually led to language shift of most Pennsylvania German speakers, leaving the Amish and other Old Orders as almost the only speakers by the end of the 20th century.

This created a language barrier around the Amish that did not exist before in that form. In the late s, the more change minded faction of the Old Order Amish, that wanted to adopt the car, broke away from the mainstream and organized under the name Beachy Amish.

During the Second World War , the old question of military service for the Amish came up again. Because Amish young men in general refused military service, they ended up in the Civilian Public Service CPS , where they worked mainly in forestry and hospitals.

The fact that many young men worked in hospitals, where they had a lot of contact with more progressive Mennonites and the outside world, had the result that many of these men never joined the Amish church.

In the s, the Beachy Amish transformed into an evangelical church. The ones who wanted to preserve the old way of the Beachy became the Old Beachy Amish.

Until about , almost all Amish children attended small, local, non-Amish schools, but then school consolidation and mandatory schooling beyond eighth grade caused Amish opposition.

Amish communities opened their own Amish schools. In , the United States Supreme Court exempted Amish pupils from compulsory education past eighth grade.

By the end of the 20th century, almost all Amish children attended Amish schools. In the last quarter of the 20th century, a growing number of Amish men left farm work and started small businesses because of increasing pressure on small-scale farming.

Though a wide variety of small businesses exists among the Amish, construction work and woodworking are quite widespread. Until the early 20th century, Old Order Amish identity was not linked to the use of technologies, as the Old Order Amish and their rural neighbors used the same farm and household technologies.

Questions about the use of technologies also did not play a role in the Old Order division of the second half of the 19th century.

Telephones were the first important technology that was rejected, soon followed by the rejection of cars, tractors, radios, and many other technological inventions of the 20th century.

This is incorrect, according to a report by Canadian Mennonite magazine: [36]. The customs of Old Order Mennonites, the Amish communities and Old Colony Mennonites have a number of similarities, but the cultural differences are significant enough so that members of one group would not feel comfortable moving to another group.

The Old Order Mennonites and Amish have the same European roots and the language spoken in their homes is the same German dialect.

Two key concepts for understanding Amish practices are their rejection of Hochmut pride, arrogance, haughtiness and the high value they place on Demut humility and Gelassenheit calmness, composure, placidity , often translated as "submission" or "letting-be".

Gelassenheit is perhaps better understood as a reluctance to be forward, to be self-promoting, or to assert oneself. The Amish's willingness to submit to the "Will of Jesus ", expressed through group norms, is at odds with the individualism so central to the wider American culture.

The Amish anti-individualist orientation is the motive for rejecting labor-saving technologies that might make one less dependent on the community.

Modern innovations such as electricity might spark a competition for status goods, or photographs might cultivate personal vanity.

Electric power lines would be going against the Bible, which says that you shall not be "conformed to the world" Romans Amish lifestyle is regulated by the Ordnung "order" , [11] which differs slightly from community to community and from district to district within a community.

What is acceptable in one community may not be acceptable in another. The Ordnung is agreed upon — or changed — within the whole community of baptized members prior to Communion which takes place two times a year.

The Ordnung include matters such as dress, permissible uses of technology, religious duties, and rules regarding interaction with outsiders. In these meetings, women also vote in questions concerning the Ordnung.

Bearing children, raising them, and socializing with neighbors and relatives are the greatest functions of the Amish family.

Amish typically believe that large families are a blessing from God. Farm families tend to have larger families, because sons are needed to perform farm labor.

Working hard is considered godly, and some technological advancements have been considered undesirable because they reduce the need for hard work.

Machines such as automatic floor cleaners in barns have historically been rejected as this provides young farmhands with too much free time. The Amish are known for their plain attire.

Men wear solid colored shirts, broad-brimmed hats, and suits that signify similarity amongst one another. Amish men grow beards to symbolize manhood and marital status, as well as to promote humility.

They are forbidden to grow mustaches because mustaches are seen by the Amish as being affiliated with the military, which they are strongly opposed to, due to their pacifist beliefs.

Women have similar guidelines on how to dress, which are also expressed in the Ordnung , the Amish version of legislation. They are to wear calf-length dresses, muted colors along with bonnets and aprons.

Prayer caps or bonnets are worn by the women because they are a visual representation of their religious beliefs and promote unity through the tradition of every women wearing one.

The color of the bonnet signifies whether a woman is single or married. Single women wear black bonnets and married women wear white. The color coding of bonnets is important because women are not allowed to wear jewelry, such as wedding rings, as it is seen as drawing attention to the body which can induce pride in the individual.

The New Order Amish are slightly more progressive and allow the usage of buttons to help attire clothing. Amish cuisine is noted for its simplicity and traditional qualities.

Food plays an important part in Amish social life and is served at potlucks , weddings, fundraisers, farewells, and other events. Many Amish communities have also established restaurants for visitors.

Amish meat consumption is similar to the American average though they tend to eat more preserved meat. Over the years, the Amish churches have divided many times mostly over questions concerning the Ordnung, but also over doctrinal disputes, mainly about shunning.

The largest group, the "Old Order" Amish, a conservative faction that separated from other Amish in the s, are those who have most emphasized traditional practices and beliefs.

About 40 different Old Order Amish affiliations are known; the eight major affiliations are below, with Lancaster as the largest one in number of districts and population: [47].

The table below indicates the use of certain technologies by different Amish affiliations. The use of cars is not allowed by any Old and New Order Amish, nor are radio, television, or in most cases the use of the Internet.

The three affiliations: "Lancaster", "Holmes Old Order", and "Elkhart-LaGrange" are not only the three largest affiliations, but they also represent the mainstream among the Old Order Amish.

The most conservative affiliations are above, the most modern ones below. Technologies used by very few are on the left; the ones used by most are on the right.

The percentage of all Amish who use a technology is also indicated approximately. According to one scholar, "today, almost all Amish are functionally bilingual in Pennsylvania Dutch and English; however, domains of usage are sharply separated.

Pennsylvania Dutch dominates in most in-group settings, such as the dinner table and preaching in church services. In contrast, English is used for most reading and writing.

English is also the medium of instruction in schools and is used in business transactions and often, out of politeness, in situations involving interactions with non-Amish.

Finally, the Amish read prayers and sing in Standard German which, in Pennsylvania Dutch, is called Hochdeitsch [a] at church services.

The distinctive use of three different languages serves as a powerful conveyor of Amish identity. The Amish largely share a German or Swiss - German ancestry.

However some Amish descendants recognize their cultural background knowing that their genetic and cultural traits are uniquely different from other ethnicities.

Certain Mennonite churches have a high number of people who were formerly from Amish congregations. Although more Amish immigrated to North America in the 19th century than during the 18th century, most of today's Amish descend from 18th-century immigrants.

The latter tended to emphasize tradition to a greater extent, and were perhaps more likely to maintain a separate Amish identity.

Several other groups, called " para-Amish " by G. Waldrep and others, share many characteristics with the Amish, such as horse and buggy transportation, plain dress , and the preservation of the German language.

They performed below the national average, however, in vocabulary. In Wisconsin v. Yoder , the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the conviction, and the U.

Supreme Court affirmed this, finding the benefits of universal education do not justify a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

The decision of the U. Supreme Court quoted sociology professor John A. Hostetler — , who was born into an Amish family, wrote several books about the Amish, Hutterites , and Old Order Mennonites , and was then considered the foremost academic authority on the Amish.

The Older Order Amish are known for their avoidance of certain modern technologies. Amish do not view technology as evil, and individuals may petition for acceptance of a particular technology in the local community.

In Pennsylvania, bishops meet in the spring and fall to discuss common concerns, including the appropriate response to new technology, and then pass this information on to ministers and deacons in a subsequent meeting.

High voltage electricity was rejected by through the actions of a strict bishop, as a reaction against more liberal Amish [5] and to avoid a physical connection to the outside world.

Amish farmers employ chemical pesticides , chemical fertilizers , and artificial insemination of cows. The Ordnung is the guide to community standards, and a doctrine that defines sin.

For example, the four Old Order Amish communities of Allen County, Indiana , are more conservative than most; they use open buggies, even during the winter, and they wear black leather shoes even in the hot summer.

Restrictions are not meant to impose suffering. Disabled people are allowed to use motorized wheelchairs ; electricity is allowed in the home for medical equipment.

Although most Amish will not drive cars, they will hire drivers and vans, for example, for visiting family, weekly grocery shopping, or commuting to the workplace off the farm, though this too is subject to local regulation and variation.

Regular bus service between Amish communities has been established in some areas. The Amish are not permitted to travel by airplane as air travel is regarded as too modern.

The Old Order Amish tend to restrict telephone use, as it is viewed by some as interfering with separation from the world.

By bringing the outside world into the home, it is an intrusion into the privacy and sanctity of the family, and interferes with social community by eliminating face-to-face communication.

Amish of Lancaster County use the telephone primarily for outgoing calls, with the added restriction that the telephone not be inside the house, but rather in a phone "booth" or small out-building placed far enough from the house as to make its use inconvenient.

These private phones may be shared by more than one family. This allows the Amish to control their communication, and not have telephone calls invade their homes, but also to conduct business, as needed.

In the past, the use of public pay phones in town for such calls was more common; today [ needs update ] , with dwindling availability of pay phones because of increased cell phone use by the non-Amish population, Amish communities are seeing an increase in the private phone shanties.

There are many restrictions on technology that are more or less universal among the Old Order Amish, as the ban on cars as well as the ban on radio, television and in most cases the use of the internet, see above.

Concerning farm and home technology, there are quite some differences between different Amish affiliation, as the table below indicates.

There is plenty to do in Amish country! Visit America's oldest Amish settlement in Lancaster, PA for activities like buggy rides, shopping, dining, amusement parkers, and more. Amish definition is - of or relating to a strict sect of Mennonites who were followers of Amman and settled in America chiefly in the 18th century. Pennsylvania's Amish population maintains its religious practices and austere way of life, tending some of the most productive farmland in the istanbulhotelsaba.com t. The Amish (/ ˈ ɑː m ɪ ʃ /; Pennsylvania German: Amisch; German: Amische) are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian Anabaptist origins. They are closely related to, but a distinct branch off from, Mennonite churches. Beliefs and way of life. Humility, family, community, and separation from the world are the mainstays of the istanbulhotelsaba.comay life and custom are governed by an unwritten code of behaviour called the Ordnung, and shunning (Meidung) remains an integral way in which the community deals with disobedient members. Religion in this pattern extends beyond ethnicity, reversing the previous pattern, and religious identification Joyclu be claimed without claiming the ethnic identification. Becoming Amish. Religious services Hugo Sirup conducted in High German, and Pennsylvania Dutch see Pennsylvania Google Chrome Sehr Langsam —an admixture of High German, various German dialectsand English—is spoken at home and is common in daily discourse.