Amish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Amish

Amish
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The various Amish (pronounced /ˈɑːmɪʃ/, AH-mish)

Amish
(Pennsylvania Dutch: Amisch, German: Amische) or Amish
Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious
denominations that form a very traditional subgrouping of
Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living,
plain dress, and reluctance to adopt modern convenience.

The history of the Amish church began with a schism in

Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists
in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann.[2] Those who followed Total population
[3]
Ammann became known as Amish. These followers were
249,000 (Old Order Amish)[1]
originally from three main places: the German-speaking parts
of Switzerland, the Alsace of France, and the Palatinate of Founder
Germany. In the early 18th century, many Amish and
Jakob Ammann
Mennonites emigrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of
reasons. Today, the most traditional descendants of the Regions with significant populations
Amish continue to speak Pennsylvania German, also known
as Pennsylvania Dutch. However, a dialect of Swiss German United States (notably Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana
predominates in some Old Order Amish communities, and New York)
[4]
especially in the American state of Indiana. Over the years,
Canada (notably Ontario)
the Amish churches have divided many times over doctrinal
disputes. The 'Old Order' Amish, a conservative faction that Religions
withdrew from fellowship with the wider body of Amish in Anabaptist
the 1860s, are those that have most emphasized traditional
practices and beliefs. There are as many as eight different Scriptures
subgroups of Amish with most belonging, in ascending order The Bible
of conservatism, to the Beachy Amish, New Order, Old
Order, Andy Weaver, or Swartzentruber Amish sects. As of Languages
2000, over 165,000 Old Order Amish live in Canada and the Pennsylvania German, Swiss German, English
United States. A 2008 study suggested their numbers have
increased to 227,000,[5] and in 2010 a new study suggested
their population had grown by 10% in the past two years to 249,000, with increasing movement to the West.[1]

Amish church membership begins with baptism, usually between the ages of 16 and 25. It is a requirement for
marriage, and once a person has affiliated with the church, she or he may only marry within the faith. Church
districts average between 20 and 40 families, and worship services are held every other Sunday in a member's
home. The district is led by a bishop and several ministers and deacons.[6]

The rules of the church, the Ordnung, must be observed by every member. These rules cover most aspects of
day-to-day living, and include prohibitions or limitations on the use of power-line electricity, telephones and
automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing. Many Amish church members may not buy insurance or accept
government assistance such as Social Security. As Anabaptists, Amish church members practice nonresistance
and will not perform any type of military service. Members who do not conform to these expectations and who

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cannot be convinced to repent are excommunicated. In addition to excommunication, members may be

shunned, a practice that limits social contacts to shame the wayward member into returning to the church.
During adolescence (rumspringa or "running around" in some communities), nonconforming behavior that would
result in the shunning of an adult who had made the permanent commitment of baptism may meet with a degree
of forbearance.[7]

Amish church groups seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish world. There is generally a
heavy emphasis on church and family relationships. They typically operate their own one-room schools and
discontinue formal education at grade eight. They value rural life, manual labor and humility. Due to
intermarriage, or inbreeding, among this relatively small original population, some groups have increased
incidences of certain inheritable conditions.[8]

Contents
1 Population and distribution
2 Ethnicity
3 History
4 Religious practices
4.1 Congregations and districts
4.2 Humility
4.3 Separation from the world
5 Shunning
6 Religious services
6.1 Communion
6.2 Baptism
6.3 Funerals
7 Family life
7.1 Family
7.2 Child discipline
7.3 Youth and courtship
7.4 Weddings
7.5 Retirement
8 Lifestyle and culture
8.1 Modern technology
8.2 Language
8.3 Clothing
9 Health
10 Education
11 Relations with the outside world
12 Portrayal in popular entertainment
12.1 Film
12.2 Literature
12.2.1 Modern novels
12.2.2 Older novels
12.2.3 Children's literature
12.3 Theatre

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12.4 Television
12.5 Music
13 Similar groups
14 Abuse in Amish society
15 See also
16 Notes
17 References
18 Further reading
19 External links

Population and distribution

[citation needed] Historical populations
A lack of detailed record Year Pop. %±
keeping among the Old Order 1920 5,000 —
Amish, along with other factors, 1928 7,000 40.0%
makes it difficult to estimate the 1936 9,000 28.6%
total size of their population. 1944 13,000 44.4%
Rough estimates from various 1952 19,000 46.2%
studies have placed their 1960 28,000 47.4%
numbers at 125,000 in 1992, 1968 39,000 39.3%
166,000 in 2000, and 221,000 in 1976 57,000 46.2%
2008, for a growth rate of nearly 84,000 47.4%
1984
4% per year.[9] From 1992 to 1992 125,000 48.8%
2008, population growth among 166,000 32.8%
2000
the Amish in North America was
2008 221,000 33.1%
84%. During that time they
2010 249,000 12.7%
established 184 new settlements
Sources for the population: 221000 in
Amish farmers' market in Preston, and moved into six new
2008[5]; 249000 in 2010[1].
Minnesota. states.[10] In 2000,
approximately 165,620 Old
Order Amish resided in the United States, of which 73,609 were church members.[11] The Amish are among the
fastest-growing populations in the world, with an average of 6.8 children per family.[12]

There are Old Order communities in 27 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Ontario; Ohio has the largest
population (55,000), followed by Pennsylvania (51,000) and Indiana (38,000).[13] The largest Amish settlements
are in Holmes County in central Ohio, Lancaster County in south-central Pennsylvania, and Elkhart and
LaGrange counties in northeast Indiana.[14] The largest concentration of Amish west of the Mississippi River is
in Missouri, with other settlements in eastern Iowa, and Southeast Minnesota.[15] Because of rapid population
growth in Amish communities, new settlements are formed to obtain sufficient farmland. Other reasons for new
settlements include locating in isolated areas that support their lifestyle, moving to areas with cultures conducive
to their way of life, maintaining proximity to family or other Amish groups, and sometimes to resolve church or
leadership conflicts.[10]

A small Beachy Amish congregation associated with Weavertown Amish Mennonite Church exists in
Ireland.[16]

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Ethnicity
The Amish largely share a Swiss-German ancestry. They themselves
generally use the term only for members of their faith community, and
not as an ethnic designation. Those who choose to affiliate with the
church, or young children raised in Amish homes, but too young to yet
be church members, are considered to be Amish. Certain Mennonite
churches have a high number of people who were formerly from Amish
congregations. Although more Amish immigrated to 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.[17] There are a number of Amish Mennonite church
groups that had never in their history been associated with the Old Order
Amish.[citation needed] The former Western Ontario Mennonite
Conference (WOMC) was made up almost entirely of former Amish
Mennonites who reunited with the Mennonite Church in Canada.[18]
Orland Gingerich's book, The Amish of Canada, devotes the vast
majority of its pages not to the Beachy or Old Order Amish, but to
congregations in the former WOMC.
Signs erected in areas with Old
Order Amish, Old Order
History Mennonite or members of a few
different Old Order 'Brethren'
The Amish Mennonite movement descends from the 16th century groups, alerting motorists to the
presence of horse-drawn vehicles.
fellowship known as the Swiss Brethren.[citation needed] The Swiss
Brethren were Anabaptists, and are often viewed as having been a part
of a Radical Reformation. Anabaptist means "one who baptizes again"; a reference to those who had been
baptized as infants, but later adopted a belief in "believer's baptism", and then let themselves again be baptized
as adults. These Swiss Brethren trace their origination to Felix Manz (ca. 1498–1527) and Conrad Grebel (ca.
1498–1526), who broke from reformer Huldrych Zwingli.

The Amish movement takes its name from Jakob Ammann (c. 1656 —c. 1730), a Swiss Mennonite leader.
Ammann believed Mennonites, the peaceful Anabaptists of the Low Countries and Germany, were drifting
away from the teachings of Menno Simons and the 1632 Mennonite Dordrecht Confession of Faith. Ammann
favored stronger church discipline, including a more rigid application of shunning, the social exclusion of
excommunicated members. Swiss Anabaptists, who were scattered by persecution throughout the Alsace and
the Palatinate, never practiced strict shunning as had some lowland Anabaptists.[citation needed] Ammann insisted
upon this practice, even to the point of expecting spouses to refuse to eat with each other, until the banned
spouse repented.[19] This type of strict literalism, on this issue, as well as others, brought about a division among
the Mennonites of Southern Germany, the Alsace and Switzerland in 1693, and led to withdrawal of those who
sided with Ammann.

Swiss Anabaptism developed, from this point, in two parallel streams. Those following Ammann became known
as Amish or Amish Mennonite. The others eventually formed the basis of the Swiss Mennonite Conference.
Because of this common heritage, Amish and Mennonites retain many similarities. Those who leave the Amish
fold tend to join conservative Mennonite congregations.[20][21]

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Amish Mennonites began migrating to Pennsylvania in the 18th

century as part of a larger migration from the Palatinate and
neighboring areas. This migration was a reaction to religious wars,
poverty, and religious persecution on the Continent.[citation needed]
The first Amish immigrants went to Berks County, Pennsylvania, but
later moved, motivated by land issues and by security concerns tied
to the French and Indian War[citation needed]. Many eventually settled
in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Other groups later settled in, or
spread to Alabama, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska,
New York, Ohio, Maryland, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maine, and
Canada. An old Amish cemetery in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania, 1941.
The Amish congregations remaining in Europe slowly merged with
the Mennonites. The last Amish congregation to merge with the Mennonites was the Ixheim Amish
congregation, which merged with the neighboring Mennonite Church in 1937. Some Mennonite congregations,
including most in the Alsace, are descended directly from former Amish congregations.[22]

Most Amish communities that were established in North America did not ultimately retain their Amish identity.
The original major split that resulted in the loss of identity occurred in the 1860s. During that decade
Dienerversammlungen (ministerial conferences) were held in Wayne County, Ohio, concerning how the Amish
should deal with the pressures of modern society. The meetings themselves were a progressive idea; for bishops
to assemble to discuss uniformity was an unprecedented notion in the Amish church.[citation needed] By the first
several meetings, the more traditionally minded bishops agreed to boycott the conferences. The more
progressive members, comprising approximately two thirds of the group, retained the name Amish Mennonite.
Many of these eventually united with the Mennonite Church, and other Mennonite denominations, especially in
the early 20th century. The more traditionally minded groups became known as the Old Order Amish.[23]

Religious practices
Congregations and districts

The majority of Old Order Amish congregations do not have church buildings, but hold worship services in
private homes. Thus they are sometimes called "House Amish." This practice is based on a verse from the New
Testament: "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not
dwell in temples made with hands…" (Acts 17:24). In addition, the early Anabaptists, from whom the Amish are
descended, were religiously persecuted, and it may have been safer to pray in the privacy of a
home.[citation needed]

Unlike evangelical, charismatic, and Baptist style church congregations whose membership is based on whoever
visits, stays, and joins, the Amish congregations are based on the physical location of their residence.
Contiguous properties are encircled with a congregation's physical boundary. Each congregation is made up of
25–30 neighboring farm or related families whose membership in the congregation in which their farm is located
is the only congregation available for membership. Accordingly, each member is also a neighbor. There is no
"church hopping" from church to church like modern Protestant churches, and relationships are assumed to be
long-term. With long-term neighbor relationships as the norm, extending over time to include multiple
generations as members, the implications have major impacts on relationships. Conflict resolution, gossip,
grudges, neighborliness, all work to cement relationships vastly different than the socially mobile Protestant

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church culture.[citation needed]

Congregations meet every other week for the entire Sunday at a member family's farm. Each member family
rotates as host so that each year each member family serves as host. This practice conforms to the Biblical
teaching to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is.[24] Congregations own
common property in the form of tables, chairs, and wagons to transport them from farm to farm every other
week. In interleaving weeks, time is available to visit a Sunday with family, neighbors and friends in and outside
the congregation of their residence and membership.[citation needed]

Each congregation's leadership is made up with one of the members serving as bishop, one as deacon, and one
as secretary. Each congregation's leadership, over time, differs from other congregations within enjoining
districts in teaching, doctrine, protocol, dress, routines. Congregation leaders meet with other congregation
leaders within the same district from time to time and compare needs, problems, teachings, etc.[citation needed]

Humility

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 God", 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 community. Modern innovations like electricity might spark a
competition for status goods, or photographs might cultivate personal vanity.

Separation from the world

The Amish consider the Bible a trustworthy guide for living but do not quote it excessively. To do so would be
considered a sinful showing of pride.[citation needed] Separation from the rest of society is based on being a
"chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people"(1 Peter 2:9 (http://bibref.hebtools.com
/?book=1%20Peter&verse=2:9&src=131) ), not being "conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2
(http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=%20Romans&verse=12:2&src=131) ), avoiding the "love [of] the world or
the things in the world" (1 John 2:15 (http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=1%20John&verse=2:15&src=131) ) and
the belief that "friendship with the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4 (http://bibref.hebtools.com
/?book=%20James&verse=4:4&src=131) ).[25]

Both out of concern for the effect of absence from the family life, and to minimize contact with outsiders, many
Old Order Amish prefer to work at home.[citation needed] Increased prices of farmland and decreasing revenues
for low-tech farming have forced many Amish to work away from the farm, particularly in construction and
manufacturing, and, in those areas where there is a significant tourist trade, to engage in shop work and crafts
for profit. The Amish are ambivalent about both the consequences of this contact and the commoditization of
their culture. The decorative arts play little role in authentic Amish life (though the prized Amish quilts are a
genuine cultural inheritance, unlike hex signs), and are in fact regarded with suspicion, as a field where egotism
and a display of vanity can easily develop.

Amish lifestyles vary between, and sometimes within, communities. These differences range from profound to
minuscule. Some of the more conservative Beachy Amish congregations, which permit automobiles, may
mandate that automobiles be painted black. In some communities, various Old Order groups may vary over the
type of suspenders males are required to wear, if any, or how many pleats there should be in a bonnet, or if one

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should wear a bonnet at all. Groups in fellowship can intermarry and have communion with one another, an
important consideration for avoiding problems that may result from genetically closed populations. Thus minor
disagreements within communities, or within districts, over dairy equipment or telephones in workshops may or
may not splinter churches or divide multiple communities.[citation needed]

Some of the strictest Old Order Amish groups are the Nebraska Amish ("White-top" Amish), Troyer Amish, and
the Swartzendruber Amish.[26] Most Old Order Amish people speak Pennsylvania German in the home, with the
exception of several areas in the Midwest, where a variety of Swiss German may be used. In Beachy Amish
settings, the use of English in church is the norm, but with some families continuing to use Pennsylvania
German, or a variety of Swiss German, at home.

Shunning
Members who break church rules may be called to confess before the congregation. Those who will not correct
their behavior are excommunicated. Excommunicated members are shunned to shame the individual into
returning to the church. Members may interact with and even help a shunned person, but may not accept
anything, like a handshake, payment, or automobile ride, directly from the wayward person. Some communities
have split in the last century over how they apply this practice of "Meidung". This form of discipline is
recommended by the bishop after a long process of working with the individual and must be unanimously
approved by the congregation.[27] Excommunicated members will be accepted back into the church if they
return and confess their wrongdoing.

Religious services
The Old Order Amish typically have worship services every second Sunday in private homes. A minority of Old
Order congregations may have 'Sunday School' on the alternate Sundays. The typical district has 80 adults and
90 children under age 19.[28] Worship begins with a short sermon by one of several preachers or the bishop of
the church district, followed by scripture reading and prayer (this prayer is silent in some communities), then
another, longer sermon. The service is interspersed with hymns sung without instrumental accompaniment or
harmony. This is meant to put the emphasis on what is said, not how it is being said. Many communities use an
ancient hymnal known as the Ausbund. The hymns contained in the Ausbund were generally written in what is
referred to as Early New High German, a predecessor to modern Standard German. Singing is usually very slow,
and a single hymn may take 15 minutes or longer to finish. In Old Order Amish services, scripture is either read
or recited from the German translation of Martin Luther. Worship is followed by lunch and socializing. Church
services are conducted in a mixture of Standard German (or 'Bible Dutch') and Pennsylvania German. Amish
ministers and deacons are selected by lot[29] out of a group of men nominated by the congregation. They serve
for life and have no formal training. Amish bishops are similarly chosen by lot from those selected as preachers.

The Old Order Amish do not work on Sunday, except to care for animals. Some congregations may forbid
making purchases or exchanging money on Sundays. Also, within some congregations a motor vehicle and
driver may not be hired on Sunday, except in an emergency.[30]

Communion

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Generally, the Amish hold communion in the spring and the

autumn, and not necessarily during regular church services.
Communion is only held open to those who have been
baptized. As with regular services, the men and women sit
separately. The ritual ends with members washing and drying
each other's feet.[32]

Baptism

The practice of believer's baptism is the Amish's admission into

the church. They and other Anabaptists do not accept that a
child can be meaningfully baptized. Their children are expected
to follow the will of their parents in all issues, but when they
come of age, they must choose to make an adult, permanent
commitment to God and the community. Those who come to be
baptized sit with one hand over their face, representing humility
and submission to the church. The candidates are asked three
questions:

1. Can you renounce the devil, the world, and your own
flesh and blood?
2. Can you commit yourself to Christ and His church,
and to abide by it and therein to live and to die?
3. And in all order (Ordnung) of the church, according to
the word of the Lord, to be obedient and submissive to it
and to help therein?[33]

Typically, a deacon ladles water from a bucket into the bishop's

cupped hands, which drips over the candidate's head. Then the
bishop blesses the young men and greets them into the
fellowship of the church with a holy kiss. The bishop's wife
similarly blesses and greets the young women.[33] A page from a Germantown, PA edition
(1742) of the Ausbund the standard Amish
Baptism is a permanent vow to follow the church and the hymnal first published in 1564. The Ausbund
Ordnung. Since the church leaders only perform weddings for provides texts, but not tunes; melodies are
members, baptism is an incentive for young couples with those of songs popular when the book first
romantic ties, funneling them toward the church. Girls tend to appeared. Hymns are sung without
join at an earlier age than boys. About five or six months before instrumentation and extremely slowly, taking
the ceremony, classes are held to instruct the candidates, up to fifteen minutes[31]
teaching them the strict implications of what they are about to
profess. The Saturday before baptism, they are given their last chance to withdraw. The difficulty of walking the
narrow path is emphasized, and the applicants are instructed it is better not to vow than to make the vow and
break it later on.[34]

Membership is taken seriously.[citation needed] Those who join the church, and then later leave, may be shunned
by their former congregation and their families. Those who choose to not join can continue to relate freely with
their friends and family. Church growth occurs through having large families and by retaining those children as
part of the community. The Old Order Amish do not proselytize, as a rule. Conversion to the Amish faith is rare,
but does occasionally occur as in the case of historian David Luthy.[35]

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Funerals

Funeral customs appear to vary more from community to community than other
religious services.[citation needed] The Amish hold funeral services in the home
rather than using the funeral parlor. Instead of referring to the deceased with
stories of his life, and eulogizing him, services tend to focus on the creation
story and biblical accounts of resurrection. In Adams County, Indiana, and
Allen County, Indiana, the Old Order Amish use only wooden grave markers
that eventually decay and disappear. The same is true of other, smaller
communities that have their roots in these two counties.
A modern Amish cemetery
After the funeral, the hearse carries the casket to the cemetery for a reading in 2006. Stones are plain
and small.
from the Bible; perhaps a hymn is read (rather than sung) and the Lord's Prayer
is recited. The Amish usually, but not always, choose Amish cemeteries, and
purchase gravestones that are uniform, modest, and plain; in recent years, these have been inscribed in English.
The bodies of both men and women are dressed in white clothing by family members of the same sex, with
women in the white cape and apron of their wedding outfit.[36] After a funeral, the community gathers together
to share a meal.

Family life
Family

Having children, raising them, and socialization with neighbors and relatives are the greatest functions of the
Amish family. Amish believe large families are a blessing from God.[37] The main purposes of "family" can be
illustrated within the Amish culture in a variety of ways. The family has authority over the individual, not only
during infancy and in youth, but throughout life. Loyalties to parents, grandparents, and other relatives may
change over time but they will never cease. A church district is measured by the number of families
(households), rather than by the number of baptized persons.[38] Families take turns hosting the biweekly
preaching service. Parents stress their responsibilities and obligations for the correct nurture of their children.
They consider themselves accountable to the Lord for the spiritual welfare of their children.

The "family" provides the

member with a status within the
home and within the community.
A person is more of a member of
the family, rather than an
individual. Each member has a
job, a position, a responsibility,
and a status. Chores within the
Amish man working in southeast home are normally divided by
Ohio. Amish children playing baseball,
gender. The Amish traditional
Lyndonville, New York.
family provides much of the
education for the child. Although the formal education ends after they
finish eighth grade, the boy or girl is trained for their adult tasks. The boys will work with the father in the fields,
in the barn, and around the out buildings. The girls work inside the home and garden, alongside the mother. The
home and family become the school for "on the job" training. Amish youth, by and large, see their parents
working hard, and they want to help. They want to learn and to be a productive part of the family.[39]

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Christ is the head of man, and man is the head of woman. One of the greatest needs of our time
“ is men who will assume the responsibility that God has placed on their shoulders. Not to accept
that responsibility is to lie down on the job, to fail God’s will.
”
—Family Life, Amish Monthly Magazine

Sports and recreation are shared by all members of the family. There are church outings and family get-togethers
where activities are entered into and shared by all.

Child discipline

The Amish stress strict obedience in their children, and this is taught and enforced by parents and preachers.
Several passages in the Bible are used to support this view. Their children, as do all children may resist a parent's
request. However, things such as tantrums, making faces, calling another bad names, and general disobedience
are rare because the child knows that those actions will result in corporal punishment. Any youthful
dissatisfactions are usually verbally expressed, but profanity is never allowed because the guilty child can
expect swift punishment.[40]

Youth and courtship

Rumspringa (Pennsylvania German lit. "running around") is the period of adolescence that begins the time of
serious courtship. As in non-Amish families, it is understood that there will likely be a certain amount of
misbehavior, but it is neither encouraged nor overlooked. At the end of this period, Amish young adults are
baptized into the church, and usually marry, with marriage permitted only among church members. A small
percentage of the young people choose not to join the church, deciding to live the rest of their lives in wider
society and marry someone outside the community.[41]

The age for courting begins at sixteen (in some communities, the girl could be as young as fourteen). The most
common event for boy-girl association is the fortnightly Sunday evening sing; however, the youth use sewing
bees, frolics, and weddings for other opportunities. The sing is often at the same house or barn as the Sunday
morning service. Teens may arrive from several close-by districts, thus providing socialization on a wider scale
than from a single church.[41]

On the day of the sing, and after the chores are over, the young man dresses in his for-gut clothes, makes his
appearance neat, and ensures his buggy and horse are clean. A sister or sister's friend may ride with him, but
usually not his girlfriend. At the sing, boys are on one side of a long table, the girls on the other side. Each
person is able to announce his or her choice of a hymn, and only the faster ones are chosen. Conversation takes
place between songs. The formal end of the sing is at about ten o'clock, after which there is a great deal of
talking, joking, and visiting. The boys who do not have a girlfriend may pair up with a Maidel (girl).[41]
Following this, the boy takes the girl home in his open-topped courting buggy.

Marrying a first-cousin is not allowed among the Amish, and second-cousin relationships are frowned upon,
though they may occur. Marriage to a "Schwartz" cousin (first cousin once removed) is not permitted in
Lancaster County.

The onset of courtship is usually not openly discussed within the family or among friends.
“ Excessive teasing by siblings or friends at the wrong time is considered invasive. Respecting
privacy, or at least pretending not to know, is a prevailing mode of behavior, even among
parents.
”
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—Amish Society, Hostetler (Fourth Edition), p. 146.[41]

Weddings

Weddings are typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in November to early December, after the harvest is
in.[42] The bride wears a new blue linen dress that will be worn again on other formal occasions. She wears no
makeup, and will not receive an engagement or wedding ring because the Ordnung prohibits personal jewelry.
The marriage ceremony itself may take several hours, followed by a community reception that includes a
banquet, singing, and storytelling. Newlyweds spend the wedding night at the home of the bride's parents. Celery
is one of the symbolic foods served at Amish weddings. Celery is also placed in vases and used to decorate the
house instead of flowers.[43] Rather than immediately taking up housekeeping, the newlywed couple will spend
several weekends visiting the homes of friends and relatives who attended the wedding.

Retirement

When the Amish choose to retire is neither a set nor fixed time. Considerations of the person's health, the
family's needs, and personal desires all play an important part in determining when retirement may occur,
usually between the ages of fifty and seventy. The elderly do not go to a retirement facility; they remain at
home. If the family house is large enough they continue living with everyone else. Oftentimes there is an
adjacent dwelling, called the Grossdaadi Haus, where grandparents take up residence. Retired people continue
to help with work on the farm and within the home, working at their own pace as they are able. This allows them
independence but does not strip them of family involvement.[44]

The Amish method of retirement ensures that the elderly maintain contact with family and relatives. Loneliness
is not a problem because they keep meaningful social contacts through various community events, such as
frolics, auctions, weddings, holiday, and other community activities.[45]

If the aged become ill or infirm, then the other family members take up caring for them. The elderly parents
once helped raise the younger members, therefore the younger family care for them in their old age.

Lifestyle and culture

Amish lifestyle is dictated by the Ordnung (German, meaning: order), which differs slightly from community to
community, and, within a community, from district to district. What is acceptable in one community may not be
acceptable in another. No summary of Amish lifestyle and culture can be totally adequate, because there are
few generalities that are true for all Amish. Groups may separate over matters such as the width of a hat-brim,
the color of buggies, or various other issues. The use of tobacco (excluding cigarettes, which are considered
"worldly")[46] and moderate use of alcohol[47] are generally permitted, particularly among older and more
conservative groups.

Modern technology

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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.[48] Because of this flat governing
structure, variations of practice develop in each community.

High voltage electricity Modern and Amish transportation in

was rejected by 1920 New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
through the actions of a
strict bishop, as a reaction against more liberal Amish[49] and to
avoid a physical connection to the outside world.[50] Because of the
early prohibition of electricity, individual decisions about the use of
new inventions such as the television would not be necessary.
Electricity is used in some situations when it can be produced
without access to outside power lines. Batteries, with their limited
Telephone booth set up by an "English" applications, are sometimes acceptable. Electric generators may be
farmer for emergency use by local used for welding, recharging batteries, and powering milk stirrers in
Amish families. many communities. Outdoor electrical appliances such as riding and
hand-pushed lawn mowers and string trimmers are used in some
communities. Some Amish families have non-electric versions of appliances, such as kerosene-powered
refrigerators. Some Old Order Amish districts may allow the use of thermal solar panels.[citation needed]

Amish communities adopt compromise solutions involving technology that seem strange to outsiders.
[citation needed]
Petrol-powered farm equipment, such as tillers or mowers, may be pushed by a human or pulled
by a horse. The reasoning is that Amish farmers will not be tempted to purchase more land to out-compete other
farmers in their community, if they have to move the equipment manually. Amish farmers employ chemical
pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and artificial insemination of cows.[51]

The Ordnung is the guide to community standards, rather than 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.[52] Those who break the rules may be given many
months to resolve the problem so that they can use a computer to complete a business project or remove electric
wiring from a new house.[53]

Although most Amish will not drive cars, they will hire drivers and vans, for example, for visiting family,
monthly grocery shopping, or commuting to the workplace off the farm, though this too is subject to local
regulation and variation. The practice increases the geographic reach of the Amish, and decreases isolation: a
horse can travel only about 25 miles (40 km), and it must rest for a considerable period, restricting the Amish to
a radius of 12.5 miles (20.1 km) from home. Moreover, a horse and buggy can only sustain 10 mph (16 km/h)
over an extended distance, and thus is impractical for emergencies.[54] Regular bus service between Amish
communities has been established in some areas, and train travel is accepted.

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

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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, 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.[55] Many Amish, particularly those who run
businesses, use voicemail service.[56] The Amish will also use trusted "English" neighbors as contact points for
passing on family emergency messages. Some New Order Amish will use cellphones and pagers, but most Old
Order Amish will not.[57]

Language

In addition to English, most Old Order Amish speak a distinctive German dialect called Pennsylvania German
or, much more commonly, Pennsylvania Dutch. Pennsylvania German is related to the Palatinate German of the
eighteenth century. It has also been strongly influenced by American English.[58] The English term "Dutch"
originally referred to all forms of German and Netherlandic languages. Pennsylvania German is distinct from
Mennonite Low German and Hutterite German dialects spoken by other Anabaptist groups.

Now spoken primarily by the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites, Pennsylvania German was originally
spoken by many German-American immigrants in Pennsylvania and surrounding areas, especially those who
came prior to 1800. There are also several sizable Old Order Amish communities where a variety of Swiss
German is spoken, rather than Pennsylvania German. The Beachy Amish, especially those who were born
roughly after 1960, tend to speak predominantly in English at home. All other Amish groups use either
Pennsylvania German or a variety of Swiss German as their in-group language of discourse. There are small
dialectal variations between communities, such as Lancaster County and Indiana speech varieties. The Amish
are aware of regional variation, and occasionally experience difficulty in understanding speakers from outside
their own area.

Clothing

The common theme amongst all Amish clothing is plainness; clothing

Amish girls in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania.
should not call attention to the wearer by cut, color, or any other
feature. Hook-and-eye closures or straight pins are used as fasteners
on dress clothing rather than buttons, zippers, or velcro. Snaps are
used on everyday clothes, and plain buttons for work shirts and
trousers. The historic restriction on buttons is attributed to tradition
and their potential for ostentation.[59] In all things, the aesthetic value
is plainness. Some groups tend to limit color to black (trousers,
dresses) and white (shirts), while others allow muted colors. Dark
blue denim work clothing is common within some groups as well. The
Old Order Amish often sew their own clothing, and work clothing can
become quite worn and patched with use.

Women wear calf-length plain-cut dresses in a solid color. Aprons are

often worn at home, usually in white or black, and are always worn when attending church. A cape, which
consists of a triangular piece of cloth, is usually worn, beginning around the teenage years, and pinned into the

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apron. In the colder months, a long woolen cloak may be worn. Heavy bonnets are worn over the prayer
coverings when Amish women are out and about in cold weather, with the exception of the Nebraska Amish,
who do not wear bonnets. Girls in some areas may wear colored bonnets until age nine; older girls and women
wear black bonnets.[60] Girls begin wearing a cape for church and dress up occasions at about age eight. Single
women wear a white cape to church until about the age of thirty. Everyday capes are colored, matching the
dress, until about age forty when only black is used.[61]

During the warmer months, many children will go barefoot, even while attending school.

Men typically wear dark-colored trousers, some with a dark vest or coat, suspenders (in some communities),
broad-rimmed straw hats in the warmer months, and black felt hats in the colder months. However some, mostly
teenagers, may deviate from these customs to convey someones individuality.[62] Married men and those over
forty grow a beard. Mustaches are forbidden, because they are associated with European military officers and
militarism in general.[63] A beard may serve the same symbolic function, in some Old Order Amish settings, as a
wedding ring, and marks the passage into manhood.

Health
Amish populations have higher incidences of particular genetic disorders, including dwarfism (Ellis-van Creveld
syndrome),[64] various metabolic disorders,[65] and unusual distribution of blood-types.[66] Amish represent a
collection of different demes or genetically closed communities.[67] Since almost all Amish descend from about
200 18th century founders, genetic disorders from inbreeding exist in more isolated districts (an example of the
founder effect). Some of these disorders are quite rare, or unique, and are serious enough to increase the
mortality rate among Amish children. The majority of Amish accept these as "Gottes Wille" (God's will); they
reject use of preventive genetic tests prior to marriage and genetic testing of unborn children to discover genetic
disorder. Amish are willing to participate in studies of genetic diseases. Their extensive family histories are
useful to researchers investigating diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and macular degeneration.

While the Amish are at an increased risk for a number of genetic disorders, researchers at The Ohio State
University Comprehensive Cancer Center—Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research
Institute (OSUCCC-James) have found their tendencies for clean living can lead to a healthier life. Overall
cancer rates in the Amish population are 60 percent of the age-adjusted rate for Ohio and 56 percent of the
national rate. The incidence of tobacco-related cancers in the Amish adults is 37 percent of the rate for Ohio
adults, and the incidence of non-tobacco-related cancer is 72 percent. The Amish have protection against many
types of cancer both through their lifestyle—there is very little tobacco or alcohol use and limited sexual
partners—and through genes that may reduce their susceptibility to cancer. Dr. Judith Westman, director of
human genetics at OSUCCC-James, conducted the study. The findings were reported in a recent issue of the
journal Cancer Causes & Control. Even skin cancer rates are lower for Amish, despite the fact many Amish
make their living working outdoors where they are exposed to sunlight and UV rays. They are typically covered
and dressed to work in the sun by wearing wide-brimmed hats and generally wearing long sleeves to protect
their arms.[68]

The Amish are conscious of the advantages of exogamy. A common bloodline in one community will often be
absent in another, and genetic disorders can be avoided by choosing spouses from unrelated communities. For
example, the founding families of the Lancaster County Amish are unrelated to the founders of the Perth
County, Ontario Amish community.

The Old Order Amish do not typically carry private commercial health insurance. About two-thirds of the Amish
in Lancaster County participate in Church Aid, an informal self-insurance plan for helping members with

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catastrophic medical expenses.[69] A handful of American hospitals, starting in the mid-1990s, created special
outreach programs to assist the Amish. The first of these programs was instituted at the Susquehanna Health
System in central Pennsylvania by James Huebert. This program has earned national media attention in the
United States, and has spread to several surrounding hospitals.[70][71] Treating genetic problems is the mission of
Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, which has developed effective treatments for such
problems as maple syrup urine disease, a previously fatal disease. The clinic is embraced by most Amish, ending
the need for parents to leave the community to receive proper care for their children, an action that might result
in shunning.

DDC Clinic for Special Needs Children, located in Middlefield, Ohio, has been treating special-needs children
with inherited or metabolic disorders since May 2002.[72] The DDC Clinic provides treatment, research, and
educational services to Amish and non-Amish children and their families.

Although not forbidden or thought of as immoral, most Amish do not practice any form of birth control, hence
their large families. They are against abortion and also find "artificial insemination, genetics, eugenics, and stem
cell research" to be "inconsistent with Amish values and beliefs".[73]

People's Helpers is an Amish-organized network of mental health caregivers who help families dealing with
mental illness and recommend professional counselors.[74] Suicide rates for the Amish of Lancaster County
were 5.5 per 100,000 in 1980, about half that of the general population and a third the rate of the non-religious
population.[75]

Education
The Amish do not educate their
children past the eighth grade,
believing that the basic
knowledge offered up to that
point is sufficient to prepare
one for the Amish lifestyle.
[76][77]
Almost no Amish go to
high school, much less to
college. In many communities,
the Amish operate their own
schools, which are typically
Amish schoolhouse in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania in 1941. one-room schoolhouses with
teachers (young unmarried
women) from the Amish
community. These schools provide education in many crafts, and are
therefore eligible as vocational education, fulfilling the nationwide
requirement of education through the 10th grade or its equivalent. There Amish schoolchildren
are Amish children who go to non-Amish public schools, even schools
that are far away and that include a very small Amish population. For instance, there have been some Amish
children who have attended Leesburg Elementary School in Leesburg, Indiana (about 12 mi (19 km) from
Nappanee, Indiana), because their families lived on the edge of the school district. In the past, there have been
major conflicts between the Amish and outsiders over these matters of local schooling. But for the most part,
they have been resolved, and the educational authorities allow the Amish to educate their children in their own
ways. Sometimes, there are conflicts between the state-mandated minimum age for discontinuing schooling, and

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the younger age of children who have completed the eighth grade. This is often handled by having the children
repeat the eighth grade until they are old enough to leave school. In the past, when comparing standardized test
scores of Amish students, the Amish have performed above the national average for rural public school pupils in
spelling, word usage, and arithmetic. They performed below the national average, however, in vocabulary.[78]

On May 19, 1972, Jonas Yoder and Wallace Miller of the Old Order Amish, and Adin Yutzy of the
Conservative Amish Mennonite Church, were each fined $5 for refusing to send their children, aged 14 and 15,
to high school. In Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the conviction, and the U.S.
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.S. Supreme Court quoted sociology professor John A. Hostetler (1918–2001), 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. Donald Kraybill, Distinguished College
Professor and Senior Fellow in the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, is
one of the most active scholars studying the Amish today.[citation needed]

Relations with the outside world

As time has passed, the Amish have felt pressures from the modern
world. Child labor laws, for example, are threatening their
long-established ways of life, and raise questions regarding the
treatment of children in an Amish household, and also in the way
the Amish view emotional and medical support. A modern society
places little emphasis on the emotional and spiritual bonds found in
an Amish household that bind them together as a people. There is
instead a negative perception regarding how the Amish choose to
view some medical conditions as being 'The Will of God', without
always receiving modern medical treatment found in hospitals or
Amish buggy rides offered in tourist-
medical clinics; though many Amish communities maintain
oriented Shipshewana, Indiana.
communal telephones to reach others in cases of emergency. Amish
children often follow in their faith's long-standing tradition of being
taught at an early age to work jobs in the home on the family's land or that of the community. Children are
taught the traditions of their parents or immediate family until adolescence, when they are able to go into the
world and compare their family's teachings with those of the world through rumspringa. Viewed as a respectful
and enduring group, the Amish still spark controversy in modern society relating to their methods of raising
young children, which vary greatly from the non-Amish.

Contrary to popular belief, some of the Amish vote, and they have been courted by national parties as potential
swing voters: their pacifism and social conscience cause some of them to be drawn to left-of-center politics,
while their generally conservative outlook causes others to favor the right wing.[citation needed]

They are nonresistant, and rarely defend themselves physically or even in court; in wartime, they take
conscientious objector status. Their own folk-history contains tales of heroic nonresistance, such as the
insistence of Jacob Hochstetler (1704–1775) that his sons stop shooting at hostile Indians, who proceeded to kill
some of the family and take others captive.[79] During World War II the Amish entered Civilian Public Service.

Amish rely on their church and community for support, and thus reject the concept of insurance. An example of
such support is barn raising, in which the entire community gathers together to build a barn in a single day. It

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means coming together to celebrate with family and friends.

In 1961, the United States Internal Revenue Service announced that

since the Amish refuse Social Security benefits and have a religious
objection to insurance, they need not pay these taxes. In 1965, this
policy was codified into law.[80] Self-employed individuals in
certain sects do not pay into, nor receive benefits from, United
States Social Security, nor do their similarly exempt employees.
Internal Revenue Service form 4029 grants this exemption to
members of a religious group that is conscientiously opposed to Amish Acres, an Amish crafts and
accepting benefits of any private or public insurance, provides a tourist attraction in Nappanee, Indiana.
reasonable level of living for its dependent members and has existed
continuously since December 31, 1950.[81] A visible sign of the care
Amish provide for the elderly is the smaller Grossdaadi Heiser or Daadiheiser ("grandfather house"), often built
near the main dwelling. Amish employees of non-Amish employers are taxed, but they do not apply for
benefits.[82] Aside from Social Security and workers' compensation, American Amish pay all required taxes.[83]

The Amish have, on occasion, encountered discrimination and hostility from their neighbors. During the two
20th century World Wars, Amish nonresistance sparked many incidents of harassment, and young Amish men
forcibly inducted into the services were subjected to various forms of ill treatment.[citation needed] In the present
day, anti-Amish sentiment has taken the form of pelting the horse-drawn carriages used by the Amish with
stones or similar objects as the carriages pass along a road, most commonly at night.[citation needed] A 1988,
made-for-TV film, A Stoning In Fulham County, is based on a true story involving one such incident, in which a
six-month-old Amish girl was struck in the head by a rock and died from her injuries. In 1997, Mary Kuepfer, a
young Amish woman in Milverton, Ontario, Canada, was struck in the face by a beer bottle believed to have
been thrown from a passing car;[84] she required thousands of dollars' worth of surgery to her face (which was
paid for by an outpouring of donations from the public).

Portrayal in popular entertainment

Film

Peter Weir's 1985 drama Witness is set and filmed in the Amish community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Harvest of Fire is a 1996 Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV movie about an FBI agent's investigation of cases
of suspected arson in an Amish farming community. The 2002 documentary Devil's Playground follows a group
of Amish teenagers during rumspringa, and it portrays their personal dilemma with both the 'English' world and
the decision on whether or not to be baptized as adult members of the church. Michael Landon Jr's 2007 film
Saving Sarah Cain shows the removing of young Amish children to the big city and realizing the life they can
have with both the Amish and English world. Producer Larry Thompson's 2010 Lifetime Original Movie "Amish
Grace" portrayed the events surrounding an Amish school shooting in Nickel Mines, PA.

Literature

Modern novels

Paul Levinson's 1999 Locus Award-winning novel, The Silk Code portrays Amish farmers involved in a science-
fiction mystery about biotechnology and mysterious deaths. Jodi Picoult's 2000 novel (and 2004 TV movie)
Plain Truth, deals with a crime concerning the death of a newborn infant on an Amish farm. Other novels

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dealing with the Amish are Lurlene McDaniel's 2002 The Angels Trilogy, Beverly Lewis's extensive series of
Amish romantic fiction, and Paul Gaus's Ohio Amish Mystery series, set among the Amish community in
Holmes County, Ohio.

Older novels

Helen Reimensnyder Martin's 1905 novel Sabina, a Story of the Amish, similar to her 1904 novel Tillie, a
Mennonite Maid, so harshly depicted its subjects as to provoke cries of misrepresentation. Anna Balmer Myers'
1920 novel Patchwork: a Story of "the Plain People," like her 1921 novel Amanda: A Daughter of the
Mennonites, are generally regarded as gentle correctives to the work of Martin. Ruth Lininger Dobson's 1937
novel Straw in the Wind, written while a student at the University of Michigan and receiving the school's
Hopwood Award, so negatively depicted the Amish of Indiana that Joseph Yoder was motivated to correct the
severe stereotypes with a more accurate book about the Amish way of life. In 1940, he wrote the gentler
Rosanna of the Amish, a story of his mother's life (and his own). He later wrote a sequel, Rosanna's Boys
(1948), as well as other books presenting and recording what he regarded as a truer picture of Amish culture.

Children's literature

Marguerite de Angeli's 1936 children's story Henner's Lydia portrays a tender Amish family. The author
sketched many of the illustrations at the site of the little red schoolhouse (http://www.wikimapia.org
/#y=40146077&x=-75948315&z=14&l=0&m=h&v=2) still standing at the intersection of PA route 23 and Red
Schoolhouse Road, just west of Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Today the building is the Amish Mennonite
Information Center. The Lancaster County landscape, portrayed in the end papers of the book, can be
recognized throughout the area. De Angeli's illustrations of a nearby bank barn were sketched just hours before
the barn was destroyed by fire. She incorporated the incident in her 1944 Caldecott Honor book Yonie
Wondernose, a story about a curious Amish boy, younger brother to the Lydia of Henner's Lydia. Another
popular children's book, Plain Girl by Virginia Sorensen, was published in 1956, and is still in print.

Theatre

The 1955 Broadway musical show, Plain and Fancy, is an early stage-play portrayal of the Amish people. Set in
Lancaster County, it tells of a couple from New York who encounter the quaint Amish lifestyle when they
arrive to sell off some property. This show depicted "shunning" and "barn-raising" to the American audience for
the first time. Another play featuring the Amish is Quiet in the Land, a Canadian play concerning Amish
struggles during World War I (1917–1918).

Television

NBC aired, in 1988, a family drama called Aaron's Way about an Amish family who moved to California and
had to adjust to a non-Amish lifestyle. Numerous other TV shows have presented episodes with Amish
characters or storylines. Some of them include Arthur, The Simpsons, Dexter's Laboratory, Picket Fences,
Murder She Wrote, MacGyver, Grey's Anatomy, and Cold Case.[85] In the summer of 2004, a controversial
reality-television program called Amish in the City aired on UPN. Amish teenagers were exposed to non-Amish
culture by living together with "English" teens, and at the time of the show, had yet to decide, if they wanted to
be baptized into the Amish church. On Wednesday 18 February 2009, BBC2 aired 'Trouble in Amish Paradise',
a one-hour documentary on Ephraim and Jesse Stoltzfus and their desire to adhere to Biblical Christianity whilst
remaining Amish in culture. In July 2010 Channel 4 aired a documentary titled Amish: World's Squarest
Teenagers following five Amish teenagers from America being introduced to life in the UK.

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Music

"Weird Al" Yankovic's 1996 parody "Amish Paradise" and the accompanying music video was an affectionate
send-up of Coolio's earlier soul song "Gangsta's Paradise", with Yankovic and former Brady Bunch actress
Florence Henderson in Amish garb, and lyrics reflecting Amish themes.

Similar groups
Old Order Mennonites, Hutterites, and Old German Baptist Brethren are distinct from the Amish. They all
emigrated from Europe, but they arrived with different dialects, separate cultures, and diverse religious
traditions. Particularly, the Hutterites live communally[86] and are generally accepting of modern
technology.[87]

Plain Quakers are similar in manner and lifestyle, but unrelated to the Amish. Early Quakers were influenced, to
some degree, by the Anabaptists. Most modern Quakers have since abandoned their traditional dress.

Abuse in Amish society

Some high-profile cases have focused attention on the sexual abuse perpetrated upon Amish children. In a few
isolated areas it has been called "almost a plague in some communities."[88] Because Amish bishops mete out
punishment for sins (generally in the form of shunning), they keep discipline within the authority of the church;
thus, sexual abuse may be less often reported to law enforcement. Since men dominate their society, women and
children who have been mistreated have little recourse.[citation needed]. They themselves may be shunned for
seeking outside help.[citation needed] Mary Byler was allegedly raped more than a hundred times between the ages
of 8 and 14 by her brothers and was then excommunicated and shunned for reporting her abusers.[89] The
Amish community recently started to address the issue of abuse awareness. The Amish publisher Pathway
Publishers ran several series in the magazine Family Life that touch upon the subjects of sexual and physical
abuse. They have also distributed, free of charge, resources for abused persons and their families. Some Amish
have objected to the articles, preferring that the subject not be raised, claiming that these problems exist only
among the "English".[90]

See also
Amish furniture
Amish music
Amish school shooting
Fancy Dutch
Martyrs Mirror
Northkill Amish Settlement
Ordnung
Plain people

Notes
1. ^ a b c Mark Scolforo (28 July 2010). "Amish West" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07
Population Growth: Numbers Increasing, Heading /29/amish-population-growth-n_n_663323.html) . The
Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com

19 of 24 10/29/2010 9:33 AM
Amish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
/2010/07/29/amish-population-growth-
n_n_663323.html. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
2. ^ Kraybill (2001) pp. 7–8
3. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 8
4. ^ Zook, Noah and Samuel L Yoder (1998). "Berne,
Indiana, Old Order Amish Settlement"
(http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents
/B4762.html) . http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia
/contents/B4762.html. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
5. ^ a b Mark Scolford (2008-08-20). "Amish
population nearly doubles in 16 years"
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_re_us
/thriving_amish) . Yahoo! News.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080820/ap_on_re_us
/thriving_amish. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
6. ^ Kraybill, Donald; Olshan, Marc A. The Amish
Struggle with Modernity, UPNE, 1994.
7. ^ "Amisch Teenagers Experience the World"
(http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/inside
/3660/amish-rumspringa) . National Geographic.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/inside
/3660/amish-rumspringa.
8. ^ Kate Ruder (July 23, 2004). "Genomics in Amish
Country" (http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org
/articles/2004/07/23/sids.php) . Genome News
Network. http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org
/articles/2004/07/23/sids.php.
9. ^ "Amish Population Change 1992–2008"
(http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/PDF/Statistics
/Population_Change_Summary_1992_2008.pdf) .
Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies,
Elizabethtown College. http://www2.etown.edu
/amishstudies/PDF/Statistics
/Population_Change_Summary_1992_2008.pdf.
Retrieved 2009-07-08.
10. ^ a b "Population Trends 1992–2008"
(http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Population_Trends_1992_2008.asp) . Young Center
for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown
College. http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Population_Trends_1992_2008.asp. Retrieved
2009-07-08.
11. ^ Kraybill, Donald B. (2000). Anabaptist World
USA. Herald Press. ISBN 0836191633.
12. ^ Julia A. Ericksen; Eugene P. Ericksen, John A.
Hostetler, Gertrude E. Huntington (July 1979).
"Fertility Patterns and Trends among the Old Order
Amish". Population Studies (33): 255–76.
ISSN 00324728 (http://www.worldcat.org
/issn/00324728) . OCLC 39648293
(http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39648293) .
13. ^ "Amish Population by State (2008)"
(http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Population_by_State_2008.asp) . oung Center for
Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown
20 of 24
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish
College. http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Population_by_State_2008.asp. Retrieved
2009-07-08.
14. ^ "The Twelve Largest Amish Settlements (2008)"
(http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Largest_Settlements_2008.asp) . Young Center for
Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Elizabethtown
College. http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Largest_Settlements_2008.asp. Retrieved
2009-07-08.
15. ^ "Amish Population by State (2009)"
(http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Population_by_State_2009.asp) .
http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies
/Population_by_State_2009.asp.
16. ^ Michael Clifford (August 6, 2000). "At ease with
the alternative Amish way" (https://www.tribune.ie
/archive/article/2000/aug/06/at-ease-with-
the-alternative-amish-way/) . Sunday Tribune.
https://www.tribune.ie/archive/article/2000/aug/06/at-
ease-with-the-alternative-amish-way/.
17. ^ Nolt, S. M. A History of the Amish,
Intercourse:Good Books, 1992, p. 104
18. ^ Gingerich, Orland (1990). "Western Ontario
Mennonite Conference" (http://www.gameo.org
/encyclopedia/contents/W4781ME.html) . Global
Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online.
http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia/contents
/W4781ME.html. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
19. ^ Smith, pp. 68–69, 84–85.
20. ^ Smith, pp. 212–214
21. ^ Kraybill (2000). The Anabaptist Escalator.
pp. 63–64.
22. ^ Nolt, S. M. A History of the Amish, Intercourse:
Good Books, 1992
23. ^ Kraybill (2000), p. 67.
24. ^ Hebrews 10:25
25. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp. 37 and 45.
26. ^ Kraybill (2000), p. 68.
27. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp. 131–141
28. ^ Based on data from Lancaster county collected.
Kraybill (2001), p. 91.
29. ^ Based on Acts 1:23–26 (http://bibref.hebtools.com
/?book=%20Acts&verse=1:23–26&src=131)
30. ^ Kauffman (2001), p. 125.
31. ^ Hostetler p. 228
32. ^ Brad Igou (1995). "Amish Religious Traditions"
(http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles
/religioustraditions.htm) . Amish Country News.
http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles
/religioustraditions.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
33. ^ a b Kraybill (2001), pp. 116–119.
34. ^ The Riddle of Amish Culture | Kraybill | p. 116–7
35. ^ The sociology of Canadian Mennonites, Hutterites,
and Amish: a ..., Volume 2 by Donovan E. Smucker,
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Amish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
pg 147 (http://books.google.com
/books?id=JumMMKC44OoC&pg=PA147&
lpg=PA147&dq=%22david+luthy%22+convert&
source=bl&ots=f6JfOao0Ae&
sig=xEUojs2ulw1T6YZJaP9XO0-vWjM&hl=en&
ei=UllDS6TQMJW8ngfMxrDYAw&
sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&
ved=0CBEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&
q=%22david%20luthy%22%20convert&f=false)
36. ^ Kraybill (2001) p. 159.
37. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 88.
38. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 87.
39. ^ The Traditional Family & The Amish
(http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles
/traditionalfamily.htm)
40. ^ Amish Society{Hostetler pp.160
41. ^ a b c d Amish Society|Hostetler (Fourth Edition), p.
146.
42. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 148.
43. ^ See this page (http://www.amishfamilyvalues.com
/amish.htm) and this page
(http://www.amishnews.com/amisharticles
/religioustraditions.htm) for more about the tradition
associating celery with Amish weddings.
44. ^ Amish Society|Hostetler pp.168–169
45. ^ Amish Society{Hostetler pp.170
46. ^ "The Amish vs. Tobacco." by Brad Igou. 1992.
Amish Country News (http://www.amishnews.com
/amisharticles/amishtobacco.htm)
47. ^ "Ohio's Amish seek help for underage drinking."
By Amy Beth Graves (AP). Sunday, May 21, 2000.
Cincinnati Enquirer [1] (http://www.enquirer.com
/editions/2000/05/21/loc_ohios_amish_seek.html)
48. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp. 98–101.
49. ^ The Peachey group split from the Old Order
Amish in 1910 and eventually became affiliated with
the Beachy Amish
50. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp. 197–212.
51. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 313.
52. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp. 114–115.
53. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 136.
54. ^ "'Knowledge discovery' could speed creation of
new products" (http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html4ever
/2004/041018.Caruthers.discover.html) . Purdue
University. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html4ever
/2004/041018.Caruthers.discover.html.
55. ^ See, for example, [Dan Morse "Still Called by
Faith to the Booth: As Pay Phones Vanish, Amish
and Mennonites Build Their Own"], The Washington
Post, September 3, 2006, p. C1; see also Diane
Zimmerman Umble's work (http://www.regent.edu
/acad/schcom/rojc/mdic/amish.html) on the subject of
the Amish and telephones
56. ^ Kraybill, Donald Amish Enterprise: From Plows to
Profits, Baltimore:Johns Hopkins University Press,
21 of 24
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish
2004
57. ^ Howard Rheingold (January, 1999). "Look Who's
Talking" (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive
/7.01/amish.html) . Wired. http://www.wired.com
/wired/archive/7.01/amish.html.
58. ^ Smith, p. 511.
59. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp. 66–70.
60. ^ Kraybill (2001) p. 62.
61. ^ Kraybill (2001) p. 61.
62. ^ Donald B. Kraybill (2001). "The Riddle of the
Amish Culture" (http://books.google.com
/books?id=VVRXZhHHOdMC&pg=PA67&
lpg=PA67&dq=Amish+shape+of+hat&source=bl&
ots=G59zVEy2Ij&
sig=oV9xXpabfVDFReVTcLuhs07D9-o&hl=en&
ei=jbNFTNPHMIO0lQewkLW4BA&
sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&
ved=0CDgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&
q=Amish%20shape%20of%20hat&f=false) . The
Johns Hopkins University Press.
http://books.google.com
/books?id=VVRXZhHHOdMC&pg=PA67&
lpg=PA67&dq=Amish+shape+of+hat&source=bl&
ots=G59zVEy2Ij&
sig=oV9xXpabfVDFReVTcLuhs07D9-o&hl=en&
ei=jbNFTNPHMIO0lQewkLW4BA&
sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&
ved=0CDgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&
q=Amish%20shape%20of%20hat&f=false.
63. ^ Kraybill (2001), pp 63–65.
64. ^ Ellis-van Creveld syndrome and the Amish
(http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v24/n3
/full/ng0300_203.html) . Nature Genetics. 2000.
http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v24/n3
/full/ng0300_203.html. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
65. ^ Morton, D. Holmes; Morton, Caroline S.; Strauss,
Kevin A.; Robinson, Donna L.; Puffenberger, Erik G.;
Hendrickson, Christine; Kelley, Richard I.
(2003-06-27). "Pediatric medicine and the genetic
disorders of the Amish and Mennonite people of
Pennsylvania" (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com
/journal/104542765/abstract) . American Journal of
Medical Genetics (American Journal of Medical
Genetics) 121C (1): 5. doi:10.1002/ajmg.c.20002
(http://dx.doi.org/10.1002%2Fajmg.c.20002) .
PMID 12888982 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
/pubmed/12888982) .
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal
/104542765/abstract. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
"Regional hospitals and midwives routinely send
whole-blood filter paper neonatal screens for tandem
mass spectrometry and other modern analytical
methods to detect 14 of the metabolic disorders
found in these populations…".
66. ^ Hostetler, p. 330.
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Amish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
67. ^ Hostetler, p. 328.
68. ^ "Amish Have Lower Rates Of Cancer, Ohio State
Study Shows" (http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/viewer
/Pages/index.aspx?NewsId=5307) . Columbus, OH:
Ohio State University Medical Center. 1 January
2010. http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/viewer/Pages
/index.aspx?NewsId=5307. Retrieved 6 January
2010.
69. ^ Rubinkam, Michael (October 5, 2006). "Amish
Reluctantly Accept Donations"
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content
/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501360.html) . The
Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com
/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10
/05/AR2006100501360.html. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
70. ^ The Daily Item — Doctors make house calls in
barn (http://www.dailyitem.com/archive/2004/0618
/local/stories/04local.htm)
71. ^ [2] (http://www.imt.ie/lifestyle/2007/08
/a_culture_vastly_different_fro.html) The Irish
Medical Times. A culture vastly different from the
rest of America
72. ^ DDC Clinic for Special Needs Children
(http://ddcclinic.org)
73. ^ Margaret M. Andrews and Joyceen S. Boyle
(2002). Transcultural concepts in nursing care
(http://books.google.com/?id=Tq-rL8VcQBQC&
pg=PA455&lpg=PA455&dq=abortion+amish) .
Lippincott. ISBN 9780781736800.
http://books.google.com/?id=Tq-rL8VcQBQC&
pg=PA455&lpg=PA455&dq=abortion+amish.
Retrieved 2008-01-19.
74. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 105.
75. ^ The overall suicide rate in 1980 in the USA was
12.5 per 100,000. Kraybill et al. "Suicide Patterns in
a Religious Subculture: The Old Order Amish,"
International Journal of Moral and Social Studies 1
(Autumn 1986).
76. ^ Dewalt, Mark W (April 10, 2001). "Amish Schools
in the United States and Canada — Abstract"
(http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom
/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&
_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED455996&
ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&
accno=ED455996) . Education Resources
Information Center. http://www.eric.ed.gov
/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails
/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&
_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED455996&
ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&
accno=ED455996.
77. ^ Ediger, Marlow (1992). "Reading in Old Order
References
22 of 24
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish
Amish Schools — Abstract" (http://www.eric.ed.gov
/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails
/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&
_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED354492&
ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&
accno=ED354492) . Education Resources
Information Center. http://www.eric.ed.gov
/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails
/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&
_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED354492&
ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&
accno=ED354492.
78. ^ Hostetler, p. 188.
79. ^ Nolt, pp. 66–67
80. ^ U.S. Code collection (http://www.law.cornell.edu
/uscode/html/uscode26
/usc_sec_26_00001402----000-.html)
81. ^ "Application for Exemption From Social Security
and Medicare Taxes and Waiver of Benefits"
(http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4029.pdf) (PDF).
Internal Revenue Service. 2006. http://www.irs.gov
/pub/irs-pdf/f4029.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
82. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 279.
83. ^ Kraybill (2001), p. 273.
84. ^ "Amish girl hit with beer bottle"
(http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/lifetime/issue4
/page7.htm)
85. ^ Brad Igou, "The Amish in the Media," Amish
County News (http://www.amishnews.com
/amisharticles/amishinmedia.htm) , 2001/2005
86. ^ "Hutterites" (http://www.britannica.com
/EBchecked/topic/277694/Hutterites) . Britannica
Online. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/277694
/Hutterites. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
87. ^ Laverdure, Paul (2006). "Hutterites"
(http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/hutterites.html) .
Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains
Research Center. http://esask.uregina.ca/entry
/hutterites.html. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
88. ^ Legal Affairs — The Gentle People
(http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/January-February-
2005/feature_labi_janfeb05.msp)
89. ^ ABC News: Sexual Abuse in the Amish
Community (http://abcnews.go.com
/2020/story?id=316371&page=1) and ABC News:
Sex Abuse Case Shocks Amish Community
(http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=189191&
page=2)
90. ^ Rensberger, Susan. (2003) The Complete Idiot's
Guide to Understanding the Amish. New York,
Alpha Books (Penguin Group), p. 181–183
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Amish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish

Hostetler, John A. (1993). Amish Society (fourth ed.). Baltimore, Maryland; London: Johns Hopkins
University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-4442-3.
Kraybill, Donald B. (2000). Anabaptist World USA. Herald Press. ISBN 0836191633.
Kraybill, Donald B. (2001). The Riddle of Amish Culture (Revised ed.). ISBN 080186772X.
Smith, C. Henry (1981). Smith's Story of the Mennonites. Revised and expanded by Cornelius Krahn.
Newton, Kansas: Faith and Life Press. pp. 249–356. ISBN 0-87303-069-9.
"Amish America: Swiss Amish" (http://amishamerica.typepad.com/amish_america/swiss_amish/) .
http://amishamerica.typepad.com/amish_america/swiss_amish/. Retrieved March 26, 2009.

Further reading
Die Botschaft (Lancaster, PA 17608-0807;
717-392-1321). Magazine for Old Order Amish
published by non-Amish; only Amish may place
advertisements.
The Budget (P.O. Box 249, Sugarcreek, OH 44681;
330-852-4634). Weekly newspaper by and for
Amish. Online information:
http://www.thebudgetnewspaper.com/
The Diary (P.O. Box 98, Gordonville, PA 17529).
Monthly newsmagazine by and for Old Order
Amish.
DeWalt, Mark W. Amish Education in the United
States and Canada. Rowman and Littlefield
Education, 2006. 224 pp.
Garret, Ottie A and Ruth Irene Garret. True Stories
of the X-Amish: Banned, Excommunicated and
Shunned, Horse Cave, KY: Neu Leben, 1998.
Garret, Ruth Irene. Crossing Over: One Woman's
Escape from Amish Life, Thomas More, 1998.
Good, Merle and Phyllis. 20 Most Asked
Questions about the Amish and Mennonites.
Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1979.
Hostetler, John A. ed. Amish Roots: A Treasury of
History, Wisdom, and Lore. Baltimore: Johns
Hopkins University Press, 1989. 319 pp.
Igou, Brad. The Amish in Their Own Words:
Amish Writings from 25 Years of Family Life,
Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1999. 400 pp.
Johnson-Weiner, Karen M. Train Up a Child: Old
Order Amish and Mennonite Schools. Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. 304 pp.
Keim, Albert. Compulsory Education and the
Amish: The Right Not to be Modern. Beacon Press,
1976. 211 pp.
Kraybill, Donald B. The Amish of Lancaster
County. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books,
2008.
Kraybill, Donald B. ed. The Amish and the State.
Foreword by Martin E. Marty. 2nd ed.: Baltimore:
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003. 351 pp.
Kraybill, Donald B. and Marc A. Olshan, ed. The
Amish Struggle with Modernity. Hanover, NH:
University Press of New England, 1994. 304 pp.
Kraybill, Donald B. and Carl D. Bowman. On the
Backroad to Heaven: Old Order Hutterites,
Mennonites, Amish, and Brethren. Baltimore, Johns
Hopkins University Press, 2002. 330pp.
Kraybill, Donald B. and Steven M. Nolt. Amish
Enterprise: From Plows to Profits. 2nd ed.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
286 pp.
Kraybill, Donald B., Steven M. Nolt and David L.
Weaver-Zercher. Amish Grace: How Forgiveness
Transcended Tragedy. New York: Jossey-Bass,
2006. 256 pp.
Luthy, David. Amish Settlements That Failed,
1840–1960. LaGrange, IN: Pathway Publishers,
1991. 555pp.
Nolt, Steven M. A history of the Amish. Rev. and
updated ed.: Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books, 2003.
379 pp.
Nolt, Steven M. and Thomas J. Myers. Plain
Diversity: Amish Cultures and Identities.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.
256 pp.
Schachtman, Tom. Rumspringa: To be or not to be
Amish. New York: North Point Press, 2006. 286
pp.
Schlabach, Theron F. Peace, Faith, Nation:
Mennonites and Amish in Nineteenth-Century
America. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988. 415
pp.
Schmidt, Kimberly D., Diane Zimmerman Umble,
and Steven D. Reschly, eds. Strangers at Home:
Amish and Mennonite Women in History.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.
416 pp.
Scott, Stephen. The Amish Wedding and Other
Special Occasions of the Old Order Communities.
Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1988. 128pp.
Stevick, Richard A. Growing Up Amish: the
Teenage Years. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2007. 320 pp.
Umble, Diane Zimmerman. Holding the Line: the

23 of 24 10/29/2010 9:33 AM
Amish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish

Telephone in Old Order Mennonite and Amish
Life. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. 192
pp.
Umble, Diane Zimmerman and David L. Weaver-
Zercher, eds. The Amish and the Media. Johns
Hopkins University Press, 2008. 288 pp.
Weaver-Zercher, David L. The Amish in the
American Imagination. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2001. 280 pp.
Yoder, Harvey. The Happening: Nickel Mines
School Tragedy. Berlin, OH: TGS International,
2007. 173 pp.

External links
"Amish" from Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (http://www.gameo.org/encyclopedia
/contents/A4574ME.html)
Amish Studies (http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Index.asp) at Young Center for Anabaptist & Pietist
Studies at Elizabethtown College
The Amish in Missouri, from the Missouri Folklore Society (http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu
/Amish.htm)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish"

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