Amish Related Groups
The Amish are a close-knit group of Christians who practice a life of simplicity and plain living; they live off the land and do not use technology. From 1693 to 1697, according to Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online, Elder Jakob Ammann in Bern, Switzerland, split off from the main Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptist Mennonite Church and formed a new group, which was called Amish Mennonite. His followers came from Alsace, Switzerland and Germany. In the early 1700s, many Amish and Mennonites settled in Pennsylvania. Even today, many Amish still speak Pennsylvania Dutch.
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Different Amish Groups
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Amish farmer. Although they are a small group, the Amish have sometimes split into factions over issues of doctrine; in fact, at least eight different Amish sects are now in existence. The various sects include the Old Order, the New Order, the Beachy Amish and the Swartzentruber Amish. Despite their doctrinal differences, all Amish believe in living a plain and simple life of humility and modesty. They distance themselves from organized government, technology, public education and do not use cars, gasoline, telephones or watch TV or movies. Amish believe in preserving the environment and that the world to come is more important than this world.
Old Order Amish: the Most Conservative
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The Old Order Amish separated from the Mennonites or Anabaptists (Re-baptizers) in 1525. They were against the union of church and state and did not believe in baptizing infants; instead, they thought baptism should take place at age 18. The Old Order Amish use horses on their farms to perform labor and for traveling, and they do not use electricity. They have their own style of modest dress and do not follow current fashions; they fasten their clothes with old-fashioned hook-and-eye fasteners.
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The Beachy Amish
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In 1881, the Amish community built four meeting houses in Pennsylvania and Maryland. About 15 years later, the Maryland group wanted to open a Sunday school, which created a rift between the two groups because the Pennsylvania group considered Sunday school to be a Protestant innovation. The Pennsylvania group shunned the Maryland group, and the latter formed its own sect between 1893 and 1895. In 1927 similar movements arose in other communities, and they joined the Beachy Amish. Now, about 11,000 Beachy Amish in 15 congregations live in the United States and Canada.
The Practice of Shunning
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One possible reason for the existence of different Amish sects is their desire to live with others of similar views and to avoid the practice of shunning, which they call "meidung." If a member's beliefs are different from those of the rest of the community or if he decides to marry outside the group or do something that is not sanctioned by the group's rules, he can be cut off from the congregation. He experiences a form of excommunication, and even his family and friends will have nothing to do with him. In 1693 the Amish separated themselves from the mainstream Mennonite church. One of the issues that caused the split was this issue of shunning.
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