History UsefulNotes / Amish

* InitiationCeremony: ''Rumspringa''[[note]]German for “springing around”.[[/note]] is the rite of passage into adulthood. In it, Amish youth are given the choice to be baptized (the Amish, like other Anabaptists, don’t practice infant baptism), which about evenly-split Amish youth until a few decades ago, but which now over 90% accept. The popular idea that it gives Amish youth free rein to disregard their community’s norms is not correct, although some young people ''do'' rebel. It is also supposed to be a time for socializing with other Amish youth and starting to date a person of the opposite sex, and thus their parents would rather they not be rulebreakers.

The Amish left UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} in the 18th century when Europe was not really a good place for a small and pacifistic sect to live. They settled in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates at the invite of William Penn, and UsefulNotes/{{Pennsylvania}} is the center of their culture, although there are also large populations in UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} and Indiana. By now, there are almost no Amish in Europe. While there are Amish communities in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} and a small few in UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica, over 98% of them live in the United States.

The Amish are a Christian denomination, originally a subsect of the Mennonites who were in turn a subsect of the Anabaptists[[note]]Or "re-baptizers," because they re-baptized adult converts who had been baptized as infants in the Catholic church or in very early Protestant churches that still practiced infant baptism. Children born into the Amish tradition then and now are not baptized as infants, but only when they make their own profession of faith, a belief shared by many modern Protestants.[[/note]]. The name "Amish" refers to Jakab Ammann their founder. The original Amish were ethnic Germans and to this day they mostly speak a variety of [[UsefulNotes/GermanDialects Rhenish/Palatinate West Central German]] as their first language, though a small community in Indiana speaks Alemannic Swiss German instead, though communities in North America will speak English as well as that is needed for talking to "The English" (their catch-all term for outsiders, regardless of ethnicity). They call themselves "Plain Folk" because of the studied plainness of their lifestyle.

The Amish are a Christian denomination, originally a subsect of the Mennonites who were in turn a subsect of the Anabaptists[[note]]Or "re-baptizers," because they re-baptized adult converts who had been baptized as infants in the Catholic church or in very early Protestant churches that still practiced infant baptism. Children born into the Amish tradition then and now are not baptized as infants, but only when they make their own profession of faith, a belief shared by most modern Protestants.[[/note]]. The name "Amish" refers to Jakab Ammann their founder. The original Amish were ethnic Germans and to this day they mostly speak a variety of [[UsefulNotes/GermanDialects Rhenish/Palatinate West Central German]] as their first language, though a small community in Indiana speaks Alemannic Swiss German instead, though communities in North America will speak English as well as that is needed for talking to "The English" (their catch-all term for outsiders, regardless of ethnicity). They call themselves "Plain Folk" because of the studied plainness of their lifestyle.

** Some larger Amish businesses may have a telephone, an internet-connected computer to keep track of inventory and orders, electric refrigeration for food, and possibly a credit card reader for customers, but these things would be kept in the actual business place, not in someone's home, and only used for business purposes.

* FateWorseThanDeath: The ultimate punishment among Amish is "Shunning" (silent treatment) by the whole village. For someone brought up in such a community-based culture, being cast out and ignored by said community can turn into this trope. The ValuesDissonance involved in the shunning process often gets a lot of attention in fiction and public consciousness, to the point that shunning tends to be the next thing an outsider knows about the Amish after "they don't use electricity."

** Even the strictest communities will go to modern hospitals when necessary and allow vital medical equipment into their homes, such as an oxygen tank or CPAP machine, since preserving a life is more important than cultural standards. If it requires electricity, they'll find a way. In fact, they take a dim view of religious sects that would rather let people die of treatable illnesses than break a rule, considering that the height of arrogance.

** Even the strictest communities will go to the hospital when necessary and allow vital medical equipment into their homes, such as an oxygen tank or CPAP machine, since preserving a life trumps all other concerns. If it requires electricity, they'll find a way. In fact, they take a dim view of religious sects that would rather let people die of treatable illnesses than break a rule, considering that the height of arrogance.

** Some larger Amish businesses may have an internet-connected computer to keep track of inventory/orders, electric refrigeration for food, and possibly a credit card reader for customers, but these things would be kept in the actual business place, not in someone's home, and only used for business purposes.

-->-- '''Music/WeirdAlYankovic''', "[[https://youtu.be/lOfZLb33uCg?t=48 Amish Paradise]]"

The Amish left Germany in the 18th century when Europe was not really a good place for a small and pacifistic sect to live. They settled in the USA at the invite of William Penn, and UsefulNotes/{{Pennsylvania}} is the center of their culture, although there are also large populations in UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} and Indiana. By now, there are almost no Amish in Europe. While there are Amish communities in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} and a small few in UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica, over 98% of them live in the United States.

Amish beliefs emphasize nonviolence, humility, and community. Their famous deliberate archaism reflects that. New innovations are suspiciously examined as to whether they would harm this, and though their criteria for deciding can seem opaque to outsiders, they tend to have explanations that make sense to them. Church organization is minimal, and instead of holding services in a Church building, they rotate the houses of congregants.

** Even the strictest communities will go to the hospital when necessary and allow vital medical equipment into their homes, such as an oxygen tank or CPAP machine, since preserving a life is a bigger priority than cultural standards. If it requires electricity, they'll find a way. In fact, they take a dim view of religious sects that would rather let people die of treatable illnesses than break a "rule," considering that the height of arrogance.

The Amish left Germany in the 18th century when Europe was not really a good place for a small and pacifistic sect to live. They settled in the USA at the invite of William Penn, and Pennsylvania is the center of their culture, although there are also large populations in Ohio and Indiana. By now, there are almost no Amish in Europe. While there exists Amish communities in Canada and a small few in Latin America, over 98% live in the United States.

Amish beliefs emphasize nonviolence, humility, and community. Their famous deliberate archaism reflects that. New innovations are suspiciously examined as to whether they would harm this and though their criteria for deciding can seem opaque to outsiders, they tend to have explanations that make sense to them. Church organization is minimal and in fact instead of holding services in a Church building they rotate the houses of congregants.

** Even the strictest communities will go to the hospital when necessary and allow vital medical equipment into their homes, such as an oxygen tank or CPAP machine, since preserving a life is a bigger priority than cultural standards. If it requires electricity, they'll find a way.

** Even the strictest communities will go to the hospital when necessary and allow vital medical equipment into their homes, such as an oxygen tank or CPAP machine, since preserving a life takes priority over cultural standards. If it requires electricity, they'll find a way.