Amish

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By Sarah Marshall

Origins - History

• The Amish are a Christian religious group that traces its origins back to the Swiss Anabaptists.            
• In the 1600s, the Swiss Anabaptists were persecuted for their refusal to follow state/church requirements on baptism.  T
• The Swiss Anabaptist practiced adult baptism, not the required infant baptism.  To the Anabaptist, baptism is a voluntary and conscious choice which infants cannot make.  
  In 1690, some Alsace-Anabaptist broke off from the Swiss Anabaptists (now Mennonites) and under Jacob Amman's direction, started following a stricter religious discipline.  
• This group are known as Amish.  To avoid persecution, the Amish migrated to North America in the 1700s and 1800s, settling in small isolated communities.  
• Today, there are no Amish living in Europe. 
  

Organization - Structure of the Church

• Unlike the Catholic or Anglican Churches, Amish do not have a top-down governing structure.
• There are leaders of the church that decide what technology is to be allowed in certain communities.

Central Beliefs - Worship

The Amish are known for the "plainness" of their lives. 

Rules within their lifestyle differ from community to community, but some basic rules are:

• no use of modern technology
• Separation from the world
•  to work hard in everything they do
• patriarchal households
• clothing. ( plain, some communities say no buttons because of their association with the military)
• not allowed to buy life or other  insurance.

Amish believe in one god, three distinct persons.

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