They lead simple lives that bespeak a different era. No electricity or telephones in their homes make them a curiosity in today’s wired world. Their dress, transportation, and lifestyle in general attract the attention of outsiders.

They are the Amish. Like the Mennonites, they are descended from the Anabaptists (“rebaptizers”). The Amish are not one large group but, rather, many congregations. Some groups of Amish are more conservative than other groups; however, all share certain similarities.

Horses and buggies are the transportation of choice for all groups of Amish for local trips. However, the colors of buggies differ from group to group.

While the Amish are not permitted to own cars, that does not mean that they cannot or will not accept car rides from the English (which is how the outside world is categorized). In fact, non-Amish are sometimes hired as “taxi” drivers by Amish in need of transportation beyond that which horse and buggy can provide.

Buses, boats and trains are also acceptable methods of transportation for Amish traveling longer distances.

Another similarity that one finds across the board amongst the Amish groups is that of school. Education ends at the eighth grade for Amish students. That does mean that learning ceases at that point, merely the formal education system. That is true whether the student is one of the many who attends an Amish school, or if he or she is one of the few who attends a rural public school.

There are many misconceptions regarding the Amish. Some of these misunderstandings surround the issue of modern technology.

Despite what some outsiders believe, the Amish do not categorically reject all modern technologies. What is or is not allowed within an Amish community is decided by the church leaders, and the determinations are made with the community in mind.

Community and family are at the heart of such decisions. Of course, the church is the basis for both, and, thusly, chooses to allow or disallow certain things.

Technologies such as the automobile would encourage people to go in their own directions. Allowing such things would undermine the close-knit community and strain the familial relationships.

Television, computers and other modern “necessities” encourage individualism and division. These things, like autos, pull at the seams of community. Therefore, they are not allowed by the “plain people.”

While the Amish have set themselves apart from the world, they try to set themselves close to God. The Amish, like the Anabaptists they descended from, believe in adult baptism.

Thus, following God in the Amish fashion is a choice made by the adult believer. Not all choose to remain Amish, but those who do are following a path that has changed little since they came into being in their own right in 1693.

Additional Resources:

Amish Studies, The Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College (http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Index.asp)

Hostetler, John A., ed. Amish Roots: A Treasury of History, Wisdom, and Lore. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989.

Kraybill, Donald B., and Marc A. Olshan, eds. The Amish Struggle with Modernity. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1994.