The Old Order Amish April 2014 | Page 5

4. The Amish people

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4. What kind of people are the Amish?

The Amish live a very old-fashioned and conservative way of life. They stick to the community, and try to stay away from the outside world as much as possible. They used to call non-Amish people the English or Englishers. The question arises: why would anyone want to live completely separated from the world? The Amish’s faith is based on the literal interpretation of the Holy Bible. There is a particular line that explains their whole attitude towards religion: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9). They truly believe that they are the chosen followers of God and this requires staying away from society and the products of society (Schaefer and Zellner 8).

To strengthen the feeling of belonging together, the Amish people follow rules that make them appear as a distinct group. They follow the rule of simplicity in dressing or building houses: everything is plain and functional. There are no bright colors, ornaments or any extreme features: everything is simple and in order. For example, all women keep their heads covered with special hats. Even men wear the same haircut.

The use of machinery is completely forbidden in the Amish community. There are no cars, refrigerators, tractors or bicycles. They have a calm and modest lifestyle, everybody has their own tasks and roles, and everything is in order. They do not take part in politics (even though voting is not forbidden), they claim they don’t belong to any nations and are completely pacifists.