Amish Beliefs and Religion

The Amish are first and foremost a religious community. Historically, their lineage begins with the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther in 1517. Soon after, diverse groups who called themselves the Anabaptists formed. The Anabaptists believed that infant baptism as practiced by the Catholic Church was insufficient for salvation; rather, a believer must commit their lives to God willingly as an adult and be baptized again into the faith. In 1536, a young Dutch Catholic priest named Menno Simons became part of the Anabaptist movement. He was a great writer and leader who brought the scattered Anabaptists fellowships together. These groups were labeled Mennonites for following Menno Simons' teachings. The Mennonites later split over the topic of shunning, a form of church discipline intended to bring the offender to repentance. Under the leadership of Jacob Amman, who believed that shunning should apply to the entire sphere of relationship rather than just the communion table, a splinter group formed, now known as the Amish. These many divisions occurred because the Amish Reformation predecessors emphasized reliance on an individual's interpretation of the Bible; their leaders are not formally educated, rather they are elected by the community based on the quality of their lifestyle.

According to the Mennonite Information Center in Lancaster, the Amish "believe that God loved the world so much that he gave his only son to die on the cross and that through faith in the shed blood of Jesus (they) are reconciled to God. (They) believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God, that as Christians (they) should live as brothers, that the church is separate from the State, that (they) are committed to peace, and that faith calls for a lifestyle of discipleship and good works." They also "believe in one God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-17). (They) believe that Jesus Christ, God's only Son, died on the cross for the sins of the world. (They) believe that the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, and also empowers believers for service and holy living. (They) believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, a free gift bestowed by God on those who repent and believe." See http://www.800padutch.com/amishfaith.shtml .

The scripture often quoted in Amish worship services and that much of the Ordnung is based on is: "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2) The Amish strive to follow this by living a life that is separate from the world. Other Bible verses that reveal the source of the Ordnung are: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) and "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord." (2 Corinthians 6:17).

The practice of shunning originated with 1 Corinthians 5:11, which says, "But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but (acts in disobedience to God's law). With such a man do not even eat." The Amish believe that man's obedience to God must be absolute.

Regarding Amish pacifism, a Mennonite Information Center representative shared these thoughts: "There is no assurance that use of force would save my life or the life of my family if confronted by an attacker. We could recall many accounts of un-hoped for deliverances, whether by mediation, nature, or divine Providence, when Christians refused to use force when confronted by an attacker. If the result is death at the hands of the attacker, so be it; death is not threatening to us as Christians. Hopefully the attacker will have at least had a glimpse of the love of Christ in our nonviolent response. The Christian does not choose a nonviolent approach to conflict because of assurance it will always work; rather the Christian chooses this approach because of his/her commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord."