They can use electricity for emergency situations, for work or whatever else they deem necessary.
Amish don’t shave their natural hair. The exception to this, though, is men are required to shave their mustaches. This is because back in the 1800s, having a mustache symbolized wealth or that you were in the military.
It doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are, what skin color you have, or what country you are from — anyone that is not Amish is referred to as an English person.
Even Amish teens get into trouble and explore their rebellious side. Yet, they don’t get into much trouble when they do because they get free passes. The Amish hope that since they don’t punish them, they will want to stay in the community.
Between the ages of 14 and 18, they are allowed to experience “English” life during a period called Rumspringa. They do this because it wouldn’t be fair if they didn’t allow Amish kids to see what they would be giving up when they become baptized.
Their Rumspringa can last as long as they like. Amish teens are sent out into the world and allowed to experiment with technology, non-Amish, and whatever else they are curious about.
After their Rumspringa is over, most of them go back to their Amish community. Soon after that, they are baptized and are officially part of the Amish faith.
Their toys are homemade and simple. The dolls have no faces on them because it is supposed to teach the young kids that it doesn’t matter how someone looks.
When a loved one dies, they don’t have any image to remember them by except for their memories. Having a photo or painting of someone is considered to be a graven image and is not allowed.
Part of the dating process involves bundling, which is when a girl and a boy who are seeing each other share a bed one night. They are both fully clothed and separated but they are sleeping side by side. Bundling is supposed to help strengthen the bond between them as they stay up all night talking.
There are no arranged marriages but you are only allowed to marry a certain type of person.
In that case, you can’t date anyone unless they are baptized into the Amish faith. You can’t even start dating until after you are officially part of the community and dating occurs in public areas only.
Once a couple starts dating, it doesn’t take long before they are engaged. When the man does propose, they both need to get approval from the Amish church. Once they are blessed by the church, they are allowed to marry and an announcement is usually posted in the town’s newsletter.
When a man proposes, he isn’t giving his soon-to-be fiancé a diamond ring. That would be a sign of vanity. Furthermore, the bride does not wear any jewelry or makeup at her wedding. Her hair is covered and the bride wears a simple blue dress. The wedding can last for hours and is usually in the fall.
Their honeymoon will start at the bride’s parents’ house so that the next morning, they can clean their house as a way to say thanks.
The rest of their honeymoon is spent visiting each other’s relatives as husband and wife. If they don’t have a house of their own yet, then they will live at the bride’s parent’s house until they can have a house of their own.
Barn raising is when the community gets together to build a barn for whoever needs it. Remember, they are building this without the use of electrical equipment and cranes. The purpose of this activity is to show your selflessness to help others and love thy neighbor.
Living in an Amish community actually decreases your chances of getting cancer or other serious diseases/illnesses. This is because everything they eat is organic and grown by themselves. Also, there is no alcohol or cigarettes so that is a huge plus too.
Everyone in an Amish community speaks three languages, with their native language being German! When the Amish first settled in America, they vowed to bring their traditions from their homeland of Germany and that includes their language. That is why all their religious services are in German and many of their important traditions come from a German word.
Besides German, they also speak English and Pennsylvania Dutch. In schools and businesses, English is used since that is the common language in the US and sometimes they need to communicate with outsiders. They also speak Pennsylvania Dutch, which is a form of German, in everyday affairs.
Despite what many people think, being Amish is not a cult. They allow their members to choose if they want to join their faith or not. That is why they don’t baptize children, because they aren’t old enough to make the decision to independently state their faith. Instead, the Amish usually get baptized between the ages of 16 and 24.
Amish people have two important books in their lives: the bible and the Ordnung. The latter means order or discipline in German and it is a book they live by. It states what they can and can not do and basically, how to live everyday life. They take the Ordnung very seriously and if you break one of its rules, you will receive punishment.
The Amish take their Ordnung very seriously and if someone breaks it, there are consequences. One of those could be Meidung, which means the person is shunned from the community.
Not everyone in a bonnet is Amish. Some of them are Mennonite Although they have some similarities, the Amish and Mennonite are not the same group. This can actually be a big insult if you confuse them. Mennonites are a Christian group but are not as strict as in Amish country. Mennonites live in more modern communities and do not seclude themselves. Many mennonites also use technology and even drive cars! In some cases, a Mennonite is not distinguishable from his or her dress.
When you are excommunicated, it means you are in the Bann and treated as an outsider. Depending on what your “crime” is, you could be shunned for days, weeks, or even months. As harsh as it sounds, its purpose is for the person to realize what they did wrong and apologize for it.
Since a big part of Amish philosophy avoiding vanity and selfishness, they make sure everyone is equal. That is why all the women dress in the same simple dresses and the men in black pants and a plain shirt. No jewelry, makeup, accessories (besides a hat or bonnet), or patterns.
In a small community, you don’t have very many choices of who to marry and that can lead to inbreeding. No, the Amish don’t purposely marry their cousins but there is a high chance inbreeding occurs. They live in small communities in Amish country and since you have to marry another Amish person, you don’t have a lot of options.
It (marrying a cousin) usually is not something they realize and can’t make sure of it either. DNA testing goes against Amish rules. They believe if inbreeding occurs, it is God’s will.
The Amish are all about sharing because sharing is caring! Communal meals are very important in the Amish community. It is basically like one big potluck where everyone brings something to the large table. This happens quite often and is the perfect time to catch up with everyone.
You complete your schooling after you complete the 8th grade and there is no high school. By then, men are supposed to have picked a profession for life and women become housekeepers.
The Amish aren’t for showy churches and cathedrals. In fact, they believe they don’t need a church or anything fancy because you can teach the bible anywhere. This allows an Amish church service to take place just about anywhere.
Church services can take place outside or in their homes or wherever they deem best on a given day. The Amish church services are very simple services with no organs, altars, candles, or other things you typically find in a church!
They will accept you for whatever you believe or don’t believe in. They don’t care what your religious beliefs are or who your God is. Arrogance is a big sin to them so they don’t boast the Amish church as the best.
Whatever happens, happens and it is what God intended. The Amish don’t have any contraceptives in their community because they don’t believe in them. Having a large family is a big goal for them and being pregnant is a blessing from God. In fact, Amish people want to have as many children as possible! On average, a married couple has 5 to 7 kids!
They won’t be enlisting in the army anytime soon. Just like the Quakers in Pennsylvania, the Amish are against any form of violence. The Amish are all about keeping the peace and will not use any force. Because of this belief, they will do everything to avoid the military and they believe war is bad.
Despite the fact that they don’t use technology and electricity, there is one modern thing they do use. While they prefer natural treatments and remedies, they will use modern medicine if necessary. If someone gets sick, they will not be opposed to taking them to a doctor or in extreme cases to a hospital.
There is one simple principle that the Amish believe in that is like their golden rule. It is “Be ye not conformed to this world,” which is from Romans 8:12 in the bible. This quote essentially means don’t conform to worldly things and that is what the Amish do by secluding themselves from the modern world.
The word Amish isn’t just a random word chosen for this faith and comes from the Swiss Anabaptist church follower Jakob Ammann. He became a controversial Anabaptist and his teachings caused the European Mennonite church to divide. He taught his followers to live a simple life, love one’s community, and, most importantly, follow the bible the way it was intended.