Amish in America Analysis, Research Paper Example

The Amish people are first and foremost a group of traditionalist Christians that are closely associated with but different from Mennonite churches but they share Swiss Anabaptist origins.The Amish people are a well-known religious group that are traditionalist Christians but directly descendants of the Mennonite churches. The Amish people have distinguishing characteristics such as speak a version of Swish German, plain dress, simple clean living and do not use any comforts of new technology (Kraybill, 2015).  The Amish tradition that is steadfast is all church members must be born into the Amish faith or reared in the Amish faith. Consequently, the do not believe in allowing converts from outside the Amish communities are forbidden. The Amish people have keep the bloodline pure with a restricted gene pool. The result of using the same blood line since the time of the early Mennonites they have inherited very distinctive health disorders (Amish Studies, 2015).

The consensus from Amish research and doctrines indicated they consider themselves to Anabaptist. The Anabaptist are Reformation Christians that reject infant baptism. The Amish believe in believer baptism which means they believe in adult baptism which has remained as a key characteristics of their faith. The Amish believe that baptism can only be an adult baptism commitment because the child does not have enough understanding and religious knowledge to make such a commitment to God (Johnson-Weinter, 2010).  The Amish believe in limited political involvement, private education and the belief that they can teach their own children concerning the best way to live. The Amish people cannot be challenged on the educational choices for their children under the protection of religious freedom. The education experience is the same as the religious experience that is mandatory model of homes kills and farming.

Identify of politics of Amish American

In the Amish world they are not politically active and they do not pay attention to the outside world problems or issues. In all sense of the meaning Amish people stand by their convictions about not being controlled by the government. The Amish do not believe in social security because they accepting a form insurance would contradict their Amish beliefs. (Amish America, 2015). However, they do pay state, federal and sales taxes which is contrary to what has been reported. There are some exceptions when the Amish people get involved in politics. The Amish will get involved with politics when political issues may impact their freedom of religious expressions. The Amish are not directly involved with politics but they understand how to work the political process and the power of voters. The Amish are concerned with issues that political affect their community such as the local district has a rule that goes against their religious beliefs. The Amish have been known to vote on issues with hundreds of women that are Amish who are registered voters. The Amish are more empathetic to Republicans because they believe they are concerned with religion and family values (Amish America, 2015).

The Amish model can be used by other religions on how to use the political system to your own advantage. In any community, the Amish will vote on local issues by showing up by the hundreds with the women voting. The men of course tell the women which way to vote thus they usually win the local initiative because they voted in massive numbers. The Amish people traditionally do not vote unless the state or federal issue that may affect their religious freedom they will show up at the polls.  The Amish survive because they choose which political issues to fight and which issues not to address because they are driven by the bible. The local political issues may not interfere with the Amish way of life thus they will not participate.  The bottom line is Amish people are quite savvy when it comes to political policies and procedures that impact their religious freedoms.

Historical Amish

The Amish have a foundation that is based on the writings of the founder of the Mennonite faith, Menno Simons for 1496 to 1561) (Amish America, 2015).  The Amish origins arrived in the United States in the 1700s and some migrated to the United States in the 18 century. However, in 1525 was the start of the radical wing of Protestant Reformers. The religious differences between Anabaptist and Christians is free church and adult baptism. In the 1693s, Anabaptist established the new religious beliefs and practices by Jacob Ammann, who lead the split among the Swiss Anabaptists and Mennonite Amish branches (PBS, 2015). The Amish people residing in the United States are the old religious sect that has direct descendants of the Anabaptists of the 16^th century Europe. The Amish history is based on Anabaptist Christians who rebelled and challenge Martin Luther by rejecting infant baptism for adult baptism (Pittsburgh Travel, 2015).

Amish Culture

The Amish culture is embedded in traditions that are written and oral rules call Ordnung which outlines the foundation of beliefs and their faith. The Ordnung is definition of what the Amish believe about religion and life. The Amish everyday life is all about following the lifestyle according to Ordnung with no exceptions or alternations (Kremer, 2015).  The Amish dress simple with a buggy hair style along with belief in working every day to making a living with Amish farming techniques. The Amish daily activities are like a working farm that is independent of worldly things such as electricity, hot and cold water and just simple use of a flashlight. The Amish have different orders from the Old Order Amish to the New Order Amish that each have their own differences in the way the practice religion. However, the culture can be somewhat different from community to community depending which parts of the Amish religion has been adopted. The characteristics of each Amish Ordnung community is the same but they make have some factions that drive automobiles while others live by the old code without electricity.

In the world of the Amish people the Ordnung (order) is the only set of rules they abide for every Amish community. The Ordnung is the personal, religious and civil rules that allow the Amish people to be on one accord with debate about the meaning or intent (Kremer, 2015). The Amish culture believes that the family and community must follow the intended simple interpretations of the bible. The bible interpretations keep the Amish people in cohesion because the bible is the law and it cannot be altered or disputed. One the unique characteristics of the Amish people is they do not have a centralized government or leader that controls every Amish population thus they each have their own community rules.

In the world of the Amish there is no other doctrine that can override or change the Ordnung that been establish since the 1500s. The early history of Amish made sure they passed down as the future blueprint of the Amish foundation of beliefs. The Ordnung can have different meaning depending on the Amish community however, the two constants are regulations that was written by their ancestors and the rules that govern and guild members in how to live everyday as an Amish believer.  According to Kremer (2015) the primary purpose of the Ordnung is following a simple set of rules to ensure the existence of the Amish people is never threaten by taking the Ordnung oath.

The Amish remain close to their faith with Amish style clothing that only represents humility because they do not wanted anyone to view them as the new generation or living as a spoiled American. They utilize their dress to ensure that remain separated from the world and the clothing is made of plan simple fabric that mostly dark in color (Lancaster PA, 2015). The Amish men traditionally wear clean simple suits and coats without any fancy pockets. The men all have the same characteristics such as either a black or linen hats that cover the head from the sun and they all eventually grow long beards as they get older. The suit is always black or dark color with a white under shirt with black suspenders (Lancaster PA, 2015).

The Amish men follow the tradition by the letters wearing their pants without any creases or cuffs with the assistance of suspenders. In their culture belts are forbidden along with any garments such sweaters or gloves. The men must always be neat and clean with their shirts fasten and their vest button to the top. The young men start out clean shaven however, their culture associates a beard with a married man and mustaches are forbidden. The women are conservative wearing sold color dresses with a full skirts, cape and an apron. The women never cut the hair and it’s only worn in a bun or a braid in a bonnet. The women clothing cannot be revealing with black cotton stockings with black shoes. The Amish women are never permitted to wear patterned cloths or jewelry.

Racial Amish

The Amish has different sectors that did not allow outsiders does not make them racist. They believe in the religious freedom to choose the Amish way a life as it pertains to their biblical beliefs. The misconception is Amish have been seen with mixed couples with blacks however, this would be Mennonites which should not be confused with the Old Order Amish people. The Amish believe in keeping the gene pool pure and do not accept any race from outside of the Amish congregation. The Amish do not single out other races with hate or harm because they believe in the freedom to worship without the interference of anyone including the government. The misconception is the choice to only married Amish people from the same bloodline is different from refusing to allow another race to join the community. The Amish do not live in the modern world and stand behind their right to stay within their race and bloodline. The Amish make it clear that it does not matter the race, color or creed if they do not come from the Amish clan they are not welcome because of laws and the bible not because of their skin color.

Citizenship of group/nation

The implications and perceptions is the Amish are not American citizens because they do not believe and accept or respect the United States and the honor of an American citizen. The Amish have been noted for voting in a local community to address a perceived religious right that might be taken away. This clearly indicate the many of the Amish congregations are United States citizens. One of the misconceptions since the 9/11 attacks the loyalty of the Amish became into question. However, the Amish are pacifists who do not believe in war or fighting but they still believe in the United States. The Amish have pointed out just because they do not fly the American flag does not mean they do not support America. The primary reason they do not fly the flag because they follow the bible interpretation of do not follow any form of idolatry.

Amish Aspirations and how they achieve objectives

The Amish people have survived for many generations because they remain true to their religious goals and way of living. The keep the focus on the Amish way of life that does not include automobiles, cell phones and electricity which they consider world temptations. The Amish achieve the goals set because they have always removed their people from the comforts of the modernization. Their primary aspirations is to serve God and family without interference from the government or outside influence. Another way they achieve their living goals because they make sure the culture of Amish people stay intact. The cultural learning helps the members of the Amish community to avoid temptations by speaking in the Amish dialect and marrying with the group. The do not watch television to get brainwashed and they limited social interactions with non-believers. The Amish meet their family and religious goals because they create their own Parochial schools to ensure the youths are taught in the Amish way without being corrupted by the outside world. The Amish people ensure that from birth to the day they die that the cultural of Amish stays true and away from modernization.

Personal Opinion

The Amish people are successful religious group because they believe the family is the most important social unit in the Amish culture. The Amish may have different rules depending on the community however, the functional model remains the same. The differences in Mennonites and the Amish are clear however, the foundation of family since the 1500s has allowed the Amish people to thrive. The Amish don’t wonder away from their faith and believe in the way the live including having large families and defined roles for men, women and children. The daily chores are clearly defined along with sexual roles such as the women do the washing and cleaning and the men work the farm with no exceptions. They have cultural trends that remain the same for hundreds of years such as only German is spoken at home, Amish marry Amish and divorce and separation is not permitted.

References

Amish America. (2015).When do Amish get baptized. Retrieved from http://amishamerica.com/when-do-amish-get-baptized/

Amish Studies. (2015). Government. Retrieved from http://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/social-organization/government/

Johnson-Weinter, K. (2010).Plains secrets: An outsider among the Amish. The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. JSTOR Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, pg. 111-113

LancasterPA. (2015).Amish people and Amish culture. Retrieved from http://lancasterpa.com/amish/amish-people/

Kraybill, D.B. (2015). History. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Amish.html

PBS. (2015).Timeline Amish in America. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/timeline/amish/

Pittsburgh Travel. (2015). Amish People. Retrieved from http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish.htm