Valuable answers for valid questions about world religions, cults, worldviews and the Christian church
This site contains over 130 pages of free content in articles, videos and audio – it might be faster to use our search function to find what you are looking for
The Amish originated from within the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland and were founded in the 16th century by a man named Jakob Amman. They are widely known for their rejection of modern technology in order to avoid appearing anything other than moderate/plain. This enables them to focus more clearly on their relationship to God.
As the Amish emerged from the Anabaptist, their theological beliefs will be quite similar to the Anabaptists who emphasize:
It is this last tenant that gets a little legalistic in that they flatly rejected Luther’s salvation by faith alone in Christ alone and felt that it did not emphasize the believer’s responsibility to live a holy life.
The Amish communities abide by the Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632) which mphasizes credo baptism, church discipline such as “shunning” which the Amish refer to as the “ban” or “Meidung”, and living a life set apart which the Amish attempt to do to the best of their ability, often referring to the outside world (in America) as “the English”.
1. Ordnung: This practice dictates dress style, use of technology and overall social behaviors for the Amish, although this can change slightly among the various groups.
2. Shunning: This occurs when members of the community violate communal ethics yet exhibit no signs of repentance. The member will experience isolation from the community (shunning) until they return in humility and repentance over the offense. The Amish believe that this is mandated for the church in 1 Corinthians 5:11
3. Worship and Singing: Amish worship is via acapella singing from a hymnal called the Ausbund which dates back to the 16th century (no modern music or accompaniment) worship can take place in their homes or barns.
4. Family and Marriage: Amish place a high value on biblical marriage and large families. Children learn complementarian roles early in life (male and female roles are different but complement one another in building and maintaining a healthy home and family) while the entire community pitches in with mutual support, schooling, and vocational training for the children and younger members. Because of this, divorce rates, poverty and crime are extremely low or non-existent in Amish communities.
The Amish migrated to America where today they number almost half a million primarily residing in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin and New York. Some have even migrated up north to Canada around Toronto.
No one receives eternal life and eternal presence with God (from Whom all good things come – James 1:17), by belonging to the right church, denomination, world religion, or by having a particular world view. Rather only those who trust in the Lord Jesus (preached by the Apostles in the Bible) for their own sin. We will not trust in a Savior for sins that we either don’t believe we have or that we think aren’t deserving of hell. But the Bible says that ALL have sin and the wages of that sin is eternal separation from God (death). The good news is that the Bible says that you can know that YOU have eternal life. Click the button below to see if you are genuinely saved from your sins according to the Bible: