The Amish (/ˈɑːmɪʃ/; Pennsylvania German: Amish; German: Amische), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches, another Anabaptist denomination. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, Christian pacifism, and slowness to adopt many conveniences of modern technology, with a view neither to interrupt family time nor replace face-to-face conversations whenever possible and a picture to maintaining self-sufficiency. The Amish value rural life, manual labor, humility, and Gelassenheit (submission to God’s will), all under the auspices of living what they interpret to be God’s word.
The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Mennonite Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. In the second half of the 19th century, the Amish divided into Old Order Amish and Amish Mennonites; the latter did not abstain from using motor cars, whereas the Old Order Amish retained much of their traditional culture. When people refer to the Amish today, they usually refer to the Old Order Amish, though there are other subgroups of Amish. In the early 18th century, many Amish and Mennonites immigrated to Pennsylvania for various reasons. Today, the Old Order Amish, the New Order Amish, the Old Beachy Amish, and Old Order Mennonites continue to speak Pennsylvania Dutch. However, Old Order Amish uses two different Alemannic dialects in Adams and Allen counties in Indiana. As of 2021, over 350,000 Old Order Amish lived in the United States, and about 6,000 lived in Canada, a rapidly growing population, as the Amish generally do not use birth control. Amish church groups seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish world. Non-Amish people are generally referred to as “English” by the Amish.
Amish church membership begins with adult baptism, usually between 16 and 23. Church districts have between 20 and 40 families, and worship services are held every other Sunday in a member’s home or barn. The church’s rules, the Ordnung, differ to some extent between different districts and are reviewed annually by all church members. The Ordnung must be observed by every member and covers many aspects of day-to-day living, including prohibitions or limitations on the use of power-line electricity, telephones, and automobiles, as well as regulations on clothing. Generally, a heavy emphasis is placed on church and family relationships. The Amish typically operate their one-room schools and discontinue formal education after grade eight. Most Amish do not buy commercial insurance or participate in Social Security. As present-day Anabaptists, Amish church members practice nonresistance and will not perform any type of military service.
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