LITR 5737: Literary & Historical Utopias
Historical Presentation 2007
Thursday, 28 June: Kristen Bird
The Amish
Humility, family, community, and separation from the world
History of the Amish
- Led by Jakob Ammann (c. 1644-c. 1730) who caused controversies in Europe by his teachings
- The controversial teachings included insisting that excommunicated members of the Mennonite church should be socially shunned and that anyone who lied should be excommunicated.
- He introduced foot washing into the worship service, taught a specific dress and that beards should not be trimmed, and that no one should attend services in a state church
- Because of his enforcement of “shunning,” he eventually broke with the Mennonite church
- When the Amish began emigrating to the U.S. in the 18th century, Amish communities remaining in Europe gradually assimilated back into the Mennonite culture.
The Amish Today
- At the end of the 20th century, there were approximately 150,000 Amish in the US
- Largest populations are in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas
- Church districts include approximately 75 baptized members at a time. Each district has a bishop, two to four preachers, and an elder.
- Unlike other religious communities, the Amish do not have mission groups or attempt to evangelize.
- Amish attire distinguishes them:
- Two orders of the Amish: Old Order rejects social change and technological innovation while the new order accepts the changes for the most part.
- Agriculture is their primary form of livelihood. They also use their hands to make products for sale occasionally.
Beliefs
- Believe in the Bible as the inspired Word of God
- Believe that salvation comes through faith in Jesus’ death for their sins and in His resurrection, but if you ask them if they are going to heaven, they will not respond in the affirmative because they believe that claiming such a right would be arrogant.
- The Ordnung is an unwritten code of behavior and the Meidung is the shunning.
- Services are held in members homes, rotating the location
- Services are spoken in High German and Pennsylvanian Dutch
- New members are baptized as a symbol that they formally join the church, and this usually occurs between the ages of 17 and 20.
Social Life and Amenities
- The Old Order believe that such modern technology as electricity could quickly lead to other temptations and sins that they would rather avoid. However, they will accept modern medical treatment and will, at times, ride in automobiles operated by someone else. They will also, at times, use a communal telephone and use heaters and windshield wipers in the family buggy.
- Singing is an important part of social life for the younger generation, but no harmonies or instruments are allowed. Barn raisings are also an important part of the communal aspect of the culture because the members come together to help one another.
- The Amish are pacifists and reject social security and insurance, pooling their own resources to help their members instead.
- The Amish truly attempt to live in the world, but not be of the world, as the Bible encourages Christians.
Amish: The New York Times regarding shootings at Nickel Mines, PN
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/03/us/03amish.html?ex=1183089600&en=190e85e4f0da41bf&ei=5070: Man Shoots 11, Killing 5 Girls, in Amish School
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/us/08amish.html?ex=1183089600&en=1643aafbb28c99f8&ei=5070: Amish Residents Attend Funeral of Killer
Questions:
Objective 1d: What stylistic or affective elements recur?
· Specifically, what elements in our reading are evident in the Amish culture? (examples: nostalgia, hope, alienation, displacement or transference, didacticism)
Visual Aid of the Utopian View: http://www.amishphoto.com/
Objective 3g: What is utopia’s relation to time and history? Does a utopia stop time, as with the millennial rapture or an idea of perfection? Or can utopias change, evolve and adapt to the changes of history?
- How is the Amish utopia different from the other religious utopias we have examined? Will they last?
Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-233461/Amish