Who are the AMISH: origin, norms and religion

When we think of religious human groups Living far from society, the first people that come to mind are the Amish. Their simple life and away from technology has made them a well-known people worldwide, although many are unaware of their particularities beyond their image. To get to know this interesting culture, in this lesson from a teacher we must talk about who are the amish: origin, norms and religion.

Index

1. Who are the Amish?
2. Characteristics and norms of the Amish
3. The origin of the Amish
4. Amish religion

The amish They are a religious people Y Protestant that inhabits certain areas of Canada and the United States. Forming a huge cultural group, the Amish form more than 40 subgroups throughout the area of North America, being united by common characteristics such as their lifestyle or their origins Germans and Swiss.

We must bear in mind that the Amish, currently, their traditions and characteristics vary greatly depending on the different subgroups, with a third of all Amish being called from the

Although the characteristics of the Amish may vary according to subgroup, there are a series of peculiarities that all of them have in a similar way, forming the Characteristics and Norms of the Common Amish of the Amish. Among them, we can find the following:

• Currently the Amish population has about 350,000 people who inhabit various areas of Canada and the United States, with their main settlements in the regions of Ontario, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania.
• His religion is Protestant, more specifically the internal branch of the Anabaptism, although over the years they have evolved to their own religious tradition very different from any type of usual branch.
• The Amish wear a variation of german which is often referred to as Pennsylvania German, although some groups speak another type of German called Swiss. Most amish they also use english, but only to communicate with external societies.
• The lifestyle is marked by the Ordnung, being the internal regulation of each Amish community, which can change between the different subgroups.
• Is it so away from outside communities who are not Amish, having little relationship with the United States and accepting neither its health nor its army, being a community based on non-resistance.
• Most amish avoid any use of technology, living in a traditional way as if they inhabited a land from another time; although some subgroups do use some technology such as lawnmowers or toilets.
• The amish dress It is usually set by society, with rules such as the prohibition of using buttons. On the other hand, men must be clean-shaven when single and grow a beard when married.
• The economic life of the Amish is based on the I work in the field and in the building of furniture and houses.

When talking about a people as interesting as the Amish we cannot stop talking about its origin, since it is unknown to most people and it is very interesting because of its European origin.

The origin of the Amish can be found in Switzerland during the 16th century, when during the radical reform made by the appearance of the Protestants, a movement towards a much harder version of religion. This radical version of the Protestants was the origin of the Amish, but it was not until 1710 that this word began to be used to refer to this people.

Years later, around 1720, more than 500 Amish se they marched to Pennsylvania in order to escape the religious persecution that was taking place in much of Europe. Over the years, many more Amish left for the United States fleeing the many wars that were raging. taking place in Switzerland and southern Germany, forming a strong social group in various areas of States United.

Image: Artificiality

To conclude this lesson on who the Amish are, we must talk about the religion of this social group to understand the huge differences existing among the more common religious currents and characteristic of the Amish. The main defining elements of the amish religion are as follows:

• Is based on the Protestant religion, being a radical version of it.
• They defend the separation between Church and State.
• The christenings They should not be minors, since the person must decide to be baptized when they are older.
• Lifestyle non-violent, being the reason why it does not have any type of armed force.
• It `s a religion contrary to individualism, facing pride and defending humility.
• They don't use technology, since they think that physical work makes the community necessary.
• Religious gatherings take place in particular houses, rotating throughout the city.
• They use a Traditional German version of the Bible, which is not spoken by the youngest and in different from the German used by the Amish.
• They are not usually related to the outside, but in the few cases that do so, their collaborative and charitable nature has been demonstrated.
• They perform a prayer to jesus in all their meals, being a very important ritual for them.

Image: Collective Culture

If you want to read more articles similar to Who are the Amish: origin, norms and religion, we recommend that you enter our category of Story.

• Hostetler, J. TO. (1993). Amish society. JHU Press.
• Kraybill, D. B., Johnson-Weiner, K. M., & Nolt, S. M. (2013). The Amish. JHU Press.
• Nolt, S. M. (2016). A History of the Amish. Simon and Schuster.