Getting to Know the Amish
“But ye a chosen generation, a royal priest-hood, a holy nation, a peculiar people…”
-1 Peter 2:9

When asked about the Amish, the first thoughts that come to most people’s minds are the weird hats and suspenders the men wear or the bonnets and long dresses the women wear. Society often thinks of the Amish as an odd people living secluded from society due to extreme religious values and customs. Though a few of their customs like the prohibition of technology or the way they dress are known, it is not known why or where these customs come from. The Amish derive from centuries of religious traditions and teachings not known to those even living streets away from them. The thing about the Amish is that they are similar to many religions such as Christianity in that they believe that Jesus is Lord, and that baptism is the only way to ultimately get to heaven. The Amish are a very interesting people and are often misunderstood and many anthropologists and sociologists are really trying to address it. It is only fair to the Amish that the often-negative notions about them be turned around and made light of, as they really are a very interesting and fascinating religious group.
The Amish community is very religiously oriented. They migrated from Switzerland and Palatinate to Pennsylvania between 1727 and 1756, and Waldeck and Hesse, Cassel Germany between 1830 and 1850. They are descendants of an Ammann-Mennonite leader from Switzerland who lead the Mennonite group from 1693 to 1967 (Hostetler 11). They brought with them their language, Pennsylvania Dutch. Of the many people became different church districts of about 90 people each and they met for church service every two weeks. Groups were kept small in order to maintain the small, tight-knit community and sense of family the Amish are known for. The divisions are controlled by the church and are rules by a consensus (which would be difficult if the divisions were bigger). The family-like religion believes strongly in passing things down like the farm, land and buggies used for transportation. One of the many advantages of the Amish and their sense of community is the way they all come together in times of need. Whether it’s a house or barn fire, a death or a sickness, the whole community comes together and provides shelter, money and time in order to get their fellow churchgoers in a healthy place again.
A common myth about the Amish is that they are identical to Mennonites. According to David Weaver-Sercher, Mennonites have always stood adjacent to the Amish theologically, geographically and historically. As vaguely mentioned, there was a division between the Amish and Mennonites in 1693. Jacob Ammann, an elder of the first Mennonite church stated that Swiss-Mennonites had withered in their faith and lost discipline (Zercher 90). A distinction often made between the Amish and Mennonites is that while the Amish are brought-up in a stricter environment, the Mennonites are more susceptible to giving in to mainstream America whether its buying a car or watching television. The Mennonites feel that the rules followed by the Amish have nothing to do with the Christian teachings and have no correlation with the bible (Zercher 92).
An interesting distinction between the many different religions in our world today is the symbols that represent them. The Christians have the Christian fish, the cross; the Catholics have their rosary and Mother Mary pendants. The symbols that represent the Amish are their clothing. The Amish are well known for their distinct olden style attire, known as Old Amish. Centuries ago, the Amish community got together and came to a consensus as to what the dress code for the community will be based on scripture and tradition (Hostetler 11). The bonnets or lappels are commonly known as part of the attire for Amish females. At the age of twelve years old, wearing bonnets are a right of passage for girls. The bonnets are similar to