What the Amish ACTUALLY Believe

The Amish are a Christian religious community primarily based in the United States, with smaller populations in Canada and other countries. There are roughly 390,000 Amish in North America today, and their population is rapidly doubling every 20 years, mainly due to large families and low rates of people leaving the community. The largest Amish populations in the U.S. are found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, with Holmes County, Ohio, being the largest Amish settlement globally. Amish people speak Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect of German, at home. They learn English in school and use a formal version of German, called High German, for religious ceremonies, making many Amish individuals bilingual or even trilingual. They are a type of Christian, specifically belonging to the Anabaptist branch, a conviction that forms the very foundation of their existence. The roots of the Amish go back nearly 500 years to the 16th century in Europe. In the early 1500s, Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation, arguing that the Catholic Church had strayed from the Bible. This movement split Europe into Catholic and Protestant factions, leading to widespread conflict. However, the Amish did not originate directly from Luther but from a group of reformers in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1525, who believed Luther did not go far enough in his reforms. Led by Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz, this group studied the Bible and focused on the issue of baptism. Unlike the prevailing practice of infant baptism in the Catholic Church and among most Christians, they observed in the New Testament that people were baptized as adults, by conscious choice. On January 21, 1525, they decided to baptize each other as adults, marking the founding act of the Anabaptist movement. The term "Anabaptist" means "rebaptizer," as those involved had already been baptized as infants. This seemingly mild theological dispute had profound implications in 16th-century Europe. Infant baptism was not merely a religious ritual but the legal foundation of society, serving as a birth certificate and integrating individuals into the Christian nation. To reject infant baptism was to reject the entire social order, akin to treason, punishable by death. Within two years, the Zurich City Council decreed that anyone performing adult baptism would be executed by drowning. Felix Manz was the first to suffer this fate in 1527, drowned in the Limmat River. Over the next century, thousands of Anabaptists were persecuted, burned, drowned, and beheaded across Europe by both Catholics and other Protestants who considered them too radical. An Anabaptist named Felman van Brock compiled a book called "Martyr's Mirror" in 1660, detailing these executions. To this day, "Martyr's Mirror" is found in nearly every Amish home, alongside the Bible, serving as a constant reminder of their persecution. Decades into this persecution, a Dutch Catholic priest named Menno Simons converted to Anabaptism and became a crucial leader. His followers became known as Menanites. In 1693, this group split. Jacob Ammann, a Swiss Menanite bishop, believed his community was becoming too comfortable with the outside world and compromising on the strict separation from it that he felt the Bible demanded. His specific concern was about "shunning," the practice of shunning excommunicated members. While Menanites practiced excommunication, Ammann argued for a stricter form of shunning, demanding no association with excommunicated individuals, even family members. An older Menanite leader, Hans Reist, disagreed, fearing such strict shunning would tear families apart. Ammann excommunicated Reist on the spot, leading to the split. Reist's followers remained Menanites, while Ammann's followers became known as the Amish. For several decades, the Amish continued to face harassment in Europe. Then, in the 1730s, they began migrating to Pennsylvania, where William Penn had founded a colony based on religious freedom. This was seen as a divine gift for a people hunted for 200 years. The initial migration involved only a few hundred families, followed by a second wave in the 1800s. Almost every Amish person in North America today descends from these two waves of settlers. The Amish adhere to core Christian beliefs, including the Trinity and the Bible as the inspired word of God. However, they diverge from much of modern American Protestantism by emphasizing obedience, humility, discipleship, and a life visibly shaped by faith, rather than a purely transactional view of salvation through faith alone. This conviction is built on key concepts: 1. **Ordnung:** Meaning "order," this is an unwritten code of conduct that governs daily life in each local church district (20-40 families). It dictates everything from clothing styles and buggy colors to technology use (e.g., battery-powered flashlights, gas-powered washing machines). The Ordnung varies significantly between districts; one community might allow rubber tires on farm equipment, while another might not. Decisions about the Ordnung are made communally twice a year, before spring and fall communion, where baptized members affirm their commitment. 2. **Gelassenheit:** Roughly translating to "yieldedness" or "submission," this is the spiritual core of Amish life. It signifies the willingness to surrender individual will to God, the community, and tradition, directly opposing modern values of self-expression and individualism. It promotes humility and letting go of ego for something greater. 3. **Demut:** Meaning "humility," this concept is the opposite of pride. The Amish interpret biblical passages, particularly the Sermon on the Mount, as commands for humility, not drawing attention to oneself. This is why they dress plainly and uniformly, rejecting bright colors, fashion, and jewelry, which they view as "hochmut" (pride). Their belief is that Christians should say, "Don't look at me, look at God." Two key Bible verses underpin these beliefs: Romans 12:2, "Be not conformed of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind," and James 4:4, "Friendship with the world is enmity with God." The Amish interpret these verses literally, viewing the "world" (which they call "the English," referring to non-Amish outsiders) as actively hostile to a faithful Christian life. Their goal is not to engage with or evangelize the world, but to separate from it. They do witness through their way of life, believing their actions speak louder than words. The biggest misconception about the Amish is that they reject technology because it is inherently evil. This is false. Instead, they ask a different question: "What will this technology do to our community?" A car, for example, isn't evil, but it enables easy departure from the community, reducing reliance on neighbors and potentially fraying community bonds. Therefore, most Amish communities forbid car ownership but will ride in a car driven by a non-Amish person if needed. Similarly, they reject grid electricity not because it's evil, but because it connects them to outside infrastructure and fosters dependence on the modern world. They use propane for refrigeration or diesel generators for milk coolers, and even battery-powered tools. Every decision about technology is a calculation about community, humility, and separation, and it varies by community. Another pillar of Amish belief is **non-resistance**, a doctrine shared with other historic peace churches like the Menanites and Quakers. Derived from the Sermon on the Mount, they interpret Jesus's words "resist not evil" and "turn to him the other also" as literal commands. Consequently, the Amish do not serve in the military, carry weapons, or fight wars, preferring to be killed rather than kill. They also refuse to swear oaths, based on Jesus's command "swear not at all," meaning no oaths in court, pledges of allegiance, or swearing on the Bible. This commitment has led to persecution. During World War I, many young Amish and Menanite men refused to serve in the draft, leading to beatings, imprisonment, and even deaths in custody. In World War II and Vietnam, the government established conscientious objector programs, allowing Amish men to perform alternative service. A haunting example of Amish non-resistance occurred in 2006 in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, when a man shot 10 Amish schoolgirls, killing five. Within hours, members of the Amish community went to the shooter's family, not to confront but to comfort them. They forgave the killer's husband, attended his funeral, and even redirected a portion of donations received for their own families to the killer's family, viewing his widow and children as victims. This profound humility and forgiveness, though sometimes raising questions about pressure to forgive quickly, demonstrates their doctrine in practice. A typical Amish day begins early, around 4:30 AM, often in cold bedrooms with only a downstairs wood stove. Men might milk cows by hand or with diesel-powered systems, while women prepare breakfast on wood or propane stoves. Meals are substantial, reflecting physical labor. By 6:30 or 7 AM, the family, often with many children, eats breakfast, preceded by silent prayer. There are no TVs or phones. By 8 AM, work begins: field work for men (though many now work in non-farming trades), and extensive housework, cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening, canning, baking, and sewing for women. Children attend school through the 8th grade, after which they transition to apprenticeships with their parents, learning skills for their future lives. Lunch is a simple affair, followed by more work. Evening chores include milking cows and feeding animals, followed by dinner at 6 PM, often the largest meal. Evenings involve reading, sewing, simple games, and singing hymns from the Ausbund (their hymn book, dating to the 1500s, often containing songs by imprisoned Anabaptists). By 9 PM, the house is dark, and everyone is asleep, ready to repeat the cycle. Sundays are different. Church services, held every other Sunday, rotate through individual homes or barns, lasting about three hours, conducted in High German and Pennsylvania Dutch, with hymns sung at a slow, meditative pace. The alternating Sundays are "visiting Sundays," dedicated to family visits, meals, conversation, and rest. The Amish economy has evolved. While historically farmers, rising farmland prices and large family sizes led many Amish men to pursue other trades starting in the 1970s and 80s. Today, Amish-owned businesses, such as furniture shops, construction crews, bakeries, blacksmiths, and machine shops, are prevalent. These businesses have an exceptionally high survival rate, often exceeding 90%, due to low overhead, family labor, and a reputation for quality craftsmanship that "English" consumers pay a premium for. This creates an ironic dynamic where the Amish economically sustain their separated lifestyle by selectively engaging with capitalism. The Amish also operate a robust system of mutual aid. They typically do not carry commercial insurance (health, home, etc.). If a barn burns down, dozens or hundreds of Amish men and women will gather to rebuild it, often within a day or two. Medical bills are absorbed by the church, with informal funds and aid networks spreading costs across districts. This internalized support system acts as a high-trust society's insurance, preventing medical debt or loss of property due to unforeseen circumstances. While united by core Anabaptist beliefs, Amish communities exhibit diversity. Most outsiders envision "Old Order Amish" with black buggies, dark clothes, beards on married men, and no grid electricity or cars. However, there's a spectrum. The most conservative are the "Schwartzentruber Amish," who reject indoor plumbing and legally required slow-moving vehicle triangles on buggies, viewing bright orange as too worldly. Less strict are the "Andy Weaver Amish," then the Old Order. The "New Order Amish," emerging in the 1960s, are more open to phones in homes, indoor plumbing, and modern farming equipment, though they still use buggies. The "Beachy Amish," named after Bishop Moses Beachy who split over shunning in 1927, allow cars, grid electricity, and modern technology in businesses, and some even have church buildings. Beyond the Beachy, one finds Menanite territory, ranging from conservative to liberal Menanites who are indistinguishable from broader American society. There is no central Amish authority; each church district makes its own decisions. Bishops and ministers are chosen by drawing lots (a lottery). This allows for simultaneous unity in core beliefs and diversity in specific practices, with each district having its own "ecosystem" and rules. Every Amish person goes through **Rumspringa**, meaning "running around" in Pennsylvania Dutch, which begins at age 16