Baptism Rules
No, baptism doesn’t rule but it does guide the Amish concept of marriage. People don’t get baptized until they are 18 years old and until then they are not allowed to get married.
Baptism Rules
Sleeping Together
This next one will definitely surprise you. Young Amish couples are encouraged to share a bed before they’re married, but with a special bed. The idea is that they should talk in order to get to know each-other, but nothing else of course.
Sleeping Together
Bundling Bed
Did you know that the Amish have developed a special bed in order to accommodate two people without physical touching? The “Bundling Bed” has a wall splitting the bed right down the middle. This is a great example of green architecture.
Bundling Bed
Marriage Rites
Did you know that a committed Amish individual must only get married to a member of the church that they both attend? It’s true! This keeps all of the dating controlled and in the community, sort of like a socially responsible investment.
Marriage Rites
No Mustaches
The Amish men are well known for their full beards, but did you know that mustaches are not allowed? Amish men must keep mustaches off of their face or they could be shunned.
No Mustaches
Non Violent
There is a reason that you never hear about the Amish going to war or causing any trouble – they are pacifists. The Amish reject all forms of violence and are not allowed to participate in the military at all. The Amish are true conscientious objectors.
Non Violent
Unique Language
The Amish do so much more than build their own furniture (and save on the builder’s risk insurance quote). In fact, they practice their own private language known as ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’. The language is only spoken within their communities.
Unique Language
No Hair Cuts
Some religions raise eyebrows for the way that they treat women and minorities. The Amish have strict rules when it comes to the appearance of their women. Women in Amish culture are not allowed to cut their hair – ever.
No Hair Cuts
Faceless Dolls
If you ever get the chance to look at the toys of a little Amish boy or girl you’ll notice one interesting, kind of freaky thing: they don’t have faces. The Amish design their toys without faces so as to deter their children from feeling vain.
Faceless Dolls
Important Distinction
Don’t get the Amish and the Mennonites confused as it will insult both groups of people. Though they appear similar at face value, they are actually quite different. Mennonites will utilize modern cars and houses, thus saving money on the contractors insurance that they would otherwise require.
Important Distinction
Rumspringa
When an Amish child turns 16 years old they enter what is called their Rumspringa phase. During this phase the child is allowed to do the things that are normally banned in traditional Amish culture. Some kids go wild: drinking and doing drugs while others opt for something fairly innocent, like seeing a movie.
Rumspringa
Growing Numbers
The first Amish resident of North America arrived at some point in the 1700s. Nowadays there are almost half of a million Amish citizens in the United States and Canada. Can you imagine the property insurance prices on their hand built neighborhoods?
Growing Numbers
Meidung
While the Amish may be peaceful, they are very strict when it comes to their laws. If you break the rules of Amish culture enough times you will end up completely banished. If you are even worse than that you will enter the phase of Meidung. Meidung means that you are gone until death, no forgiveness allowed.
Meidung
Restricted Clothing
Like some sects of other orthodox religions, women’s dress-code is closely observed. According to Amish tradition the women of the community aren’t allowed to wear bright colors or jewelry. These restrictive rules can change depending on the communities ‘Ordnung’.
Restricted Clothing
Skip the Music
In the Amish community there are very strict rules when it comes to music. Amish people aren’t allowed to play musical instruments and they are only allowed to sing in order to enjoy music. The Amish don’t believe in anything that could create vanity or pride.
Skip The Music
Gottes Wille
The Amish live in small communities and they don’t allow dating outside of their culture. This limited dating pool is believed to create issues such as inbreeding. Still, the Amish refuse to have genetic tests done – they call this ‘Gottes Wille’.
Gottes Wille
Women’s Role
Amish women take up primary roles as homemakers in their homes – cooking, cleaning and raising the kids. The men are focused on the more intense labor and taking care of finances – such as paying hefty remodeling insurance in the event of a storm.
Womans Role
Eighth Grade Education
All Amish children are homeschooled through the Amish settlement. However, schooling doesn’t go for very long and most kids are done by their eighth grade. Men focus on specific trades while women learn to knit and other homemaking skills.
Eighth Grade Education
Shunning
We mentioned banishment above and it typically starts with shunning. Shunning is when villagers will limit how much they interact with the ‘shunned’ individual. Sometimes this takes the shape of complete feigned ignorance – leaving rooms when the shunned individual walks in. The goal of shunning is to convince the individual of the error of their ways.
Shunning
No Church
While the Amish are deeply devout individuals, they don’t practice their faith in a specific building. Every single Sunday the Church attendants will change their place of worship – picking a different house from the congregation.
No Church
Be Good
The Amish people don’t believe that baptism will lead you to heaven. Instead, the Amish believe that you have to practice ‘God’s Will’ in order to find your way into Heaven. ‘God’s Will’ simply means that you have to do good things every day.
Be Good
Excommunication
When things reach the absolute worst between members of the Amish community an excommunication will occur. Excommunication means that you are completely cut off from the community. Even your parents will turn away from you, never recognizing you as their child again. If someone breaks the rules of excommunication then they too will be banished.
Excommunication
Historically Persecuted
Despite being a peaceful people the Amish folks were often persecuted throughout Europe. During the 18th century many Amish people migrated to North America alongside Catholics and Protestants in order to find religious freedom.
Historically Persecuted
Barn Raising
One of the biggest parties of the year for the Amish people is known as a Barn Raising, and it is exactly what you think it is. The community gets together to build a barn together. The construction of the barn is a social event that focuses on helping one another and getting along together. While this doesn’t sound like much fun to most people, it is a roaring good time for the Amish community members.
Barn Raising
Without Pride
One of the greatest differences between the Amish and the rest of religions out there is their lack of evangelism. The Amish don’t believe in imposing their religion on anyone and they are respectful of all belief sects. In fact, forcing their religion onto another person goes directly against their own beliefs.
Without Pride
Extremely Healthy
In the Amish community you are not allowed to have any tobacco or alcohol. Along with their ban on vices, the Amish also grow all of their own food which makes them organic farmers. Additionally, Amish people are also physically active and community minded which makes them altogether physical specimens. Amish people have incredibly low rates of deadly diseases, including cancer, and as a result tend to live longer and healthier lives.
Extremely Healthy
No Cars
Many people know that the Amish don’t use cars, but the reason for this is kept quiet. The Amish believe that they should be helpful toward their fellow. However, with cars’ speed and efficiency, they believe that friends will be less likely to ask for help from a friend.
No Cars
Married With A Beard
Traditionally, when an Amish man gets married he must grow his beard out and may not shave it again. Although we must mention that if a man is not yet married, he can grow his beard if he thinks it looks good.
Married With A Beard
Something Blue
When an Amish girl gets married, she wears a blue dress. However she doesn’t just wear any dress, she wears a dress that she herself has sewn. Now that’s what it means when we say “something blue”.
Something Blue
Not Once Off
Many brides don’t like to face the fact that after their wedding day the dress that they spent so much money on will never be worn again. Luckily for the Amish, they don’t have this problem. When they get married they keep their blue wedding dress for church services. Each week they will wear the dress that they sewed and wore on their wedding day.
Not Once Off
Church And State
We all know that the Amish people are deeply religious, but they know how to separate religion and politics. They believe that God is above all, but they also support the laws of the state.
Church And State
Caring For The Sick
Many people have asked how the Amish take care of a member when they become sick. The community openly uses modern medicine and especially in cases of extreme illness. Because the community doesn’t have medical insurance, they come together in the event of an ill member and fund their recovery.
Caring For The Sick
Large Families
Even though the Amish people don’t have medical insurance but use the wonders of medicine, they don’t use all medical advancements. For example they don’t use contraceptives which generally results in them having more kids. The average Amish family has between 5 and 7 children.
Large Families
No Pictures
We live in a world where we take more than a trillion pictures a year, but the Amish don’t live that way. They prefer that people remember them for the lives they lived and not by their physical appearances. Not all Amish people will protest a photo op, but it’s polite not to take their picture.
No Pictures
Multilingual
The Amish speak English in most places, but did you know that many of them can actually speak 3 languages in total? English is their primary language for business and school, but German and Pennsylvania Dutch are the languages for day-to-day.
Multilingual
What Mustaches Represent
The real reason that Amish men don’t have mustaches is because mustaches once represented military and wealth. These images go against what the Amish believe in, and therefore they choose not to grow their mustaches.
What Mustaches Represent
No Judgement
Even though they adhere to a very strict code of conduct, they don’t expect others outside of their circles to live the same way. In fact, judging others outside of the Amish circle for their lifestyle choices is considered a sin and therefore they don’t do it.
No Judgement
Quick Dating
Young couples don’t usually date for a long period of time. Rather they date for a short period and then when they decide to get engaged, they inform their church leaders and parents. Only once the news comes out in the town’s newspaper, is their engagement official.
Quick Dating
No Wedding Rings
Unlike the weddings that we usually experience, the weddings that they hold are a lot less extravagant. Instead of having a bouquet of flowers, the bride might have celery in her hand. And instead of a wedding ring on her finger, you won’t see anything as they believe it represents vanity.
No Wedding Rings
A Simple Wedding
Following a plain wedding ceremony, a plain wedding reception brings the community together to talk with the couple. The guests usually wish the couple their best wishes and blessings. To top it off, the new couple heads off to the house of the bride’s parents to spend their first official night together.
A Simple Wedding
Burials
When someone from the community passes away, the members of the community only bury them three days after their death. The reason for this is because traditionally that is how long it took them to prepare a grave by hand. Some Amish communities still dig graves without shovels and only use their hands.
Burials
Burial Outfit
The blue wedding dress and headgear that Amish women wear to every church service will be the same attire they will be buried in. In addition, funeral services do not include eulogies.
Burial Outfit
No Belts
What you might have noticed, is that men usually wear suspenders and not belts. Well the reason for that, is that belts are forbidden. There are also some communities that determine a specific length for women’s dresses.
No Belts
Going Shopping
Contrary to what most people believe, the Amish do go to grocery stores in order to buy a variety of goods. We know that they grow their own goods, but it isn’t uncommon to see Amish people at supermarkets like Wal-Mart.
Going Shopping
Technology Hack
Another mind-blowing fact is that although the Amish don’t use electricity, they have found ways around that law. When it is absolutely necessary, they allows themselves to use certain types of technology. One such example is the Deskmate which serves as a computer with no internet, no video or music. They use this computer to work on business deals.
Technology Hack
Growing By Number
What some people might consider as a constricting lifestyle, the Amish consider as the only way of life. Evidence has proven that between 80 and 90% of all Amish youths stay with the church and don’t leave the religion. Since they have a high birth rate and their retention rate is high, their population doubles every 20 years.
Growing By Number
Do You Want To Join?
If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve just read about the Amish people and their religion, then why not join them? The truth is that in order to become one of them, you would have to undergo a very rigorous conversion process that not many people pass. After successfully living with an Amish family, you would count on the community members’ votes to see if you made it.
Do You Want To Join?
