Religious Practices
The Amish today still maintain a tradition of holding church service rotated among the residences of their members, eschewing church buildings. In their early days, persecution compelled the Anabaptists to hold church services secretly, often in caves and woods. wo key concepts for understanding Amish practices are their rejection of Hochmut (pride, arrogance, haughtiness) and the high value they place on Demut (humility) and Gelassenheit (calmness, composure, placidity), often translated as "submission" or "letting be". Gelassenheit is perhaps better understood as a reluctance to be forward, to be self-promoting, or to assert oneself. The Amish's willingness to submit to the "Will of Jesus", expressed through group norms, is at odds with the individualism so central to the wider American culture. The Amish anti-individualist orientation is the motive for rejecting labor-saving technologies that might make one less dependent on the community. Modern innovations such as electricity might spark a competition for status goods, or photographs might cultivate personal vanity. Electric power lines would be going against the Bible, which says that you shall not be "conformed to the world" (Romans 12:2).
Faith-based Amish traditions include wearing plain clothing, living in a simple manner and helping a neighbor in need. Church buildings with pews are traded for services in community homes, choirs for solemn hymns without music and professional pastors for community leaders. The Amish church service is an act of worship, a preservation of tradition, a renewal of faith, and an affirmation of community. Communities are divided into church districts geographically, which enables services to be held in church members' homes, as opposed to designated church buildings. Services are conducted every other Sunday, with each family in a district hosting neighbors for worship about once a year. Singing is usually very slow, and a single hymn may take 15 minutes or longer to finish. In Old Order Amish services, scripture is either read or recited from the German translation of Martin Luther. Worship is followed by lunch and socializing. Church services are conducted in a mixture of Standard German (or 'Bible Dutch') and Pennsylvania German. Communion services, held each autumn and spring, frame the religious year. These ritual high points emphasize self-examination and spiritual rejuvenation.
Members confess their sins and reaffirm their vow to uphold the Ordnung at a council meeting held prior to the communion service. Communion is held when the congregation is “at peace”; that is, when all members are in harmony. The eight-hour service includes preaching, a light meal during the service, and the commemoration of Christ’s death with bread and wine. Pairs of members wash each another’s feet as the congregation sings. At the end of the service, members give an alms offering to the deacon. This is the only time that offerings are gathered in Amish services. As Anabaptists, the Amish practice adult baptism, or what they call "believer's baptism," because the person choosing baptism is old enough to decide what they believe in. In Amish baptisms, a deacon pours a cup of water into the bishop's hands and onto the candidate's head three times, for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Members who do not conform to these community expectations and who cannot be convinced to repent face excommunication and shunning. The modes of shunning vary between different communities. On average, about 85 percent of Amish youth choose to be baptized and join the church.
Faith-based Amish traditions include wearing plain clothing, living in a simple manner and helping a neighbor in need. Church buildings with pews are traded for services in community homes, choirs for solemn hymns without music and professional pastors for community leaders. The Amish church service is an act of worship, a preservation of tradition, a renewal of faith, and an affirmation of community. Communities are divided into church districts geographically, which enables services to be held in church members' homes, as opposed to designated church buildings. Services are conducted every other Sunday, with each family in a district hosting neighbors for worship about once a year. Singing is usually very slow, and a single hymn may take 15 minutes or longer to finish. In Old Order Amish services, scripture is either read or recited from the German translation of Martin Luther. Worship is followed by lunch and socializing. Church services are conducted in a mixture of Standard German (or 'Bible Dutch') and Pennsylvania German. Communion services, held each autumn and spring, frame the religious year. These ritual high points emphasize self-examination and spiritual rejuvenation.
Members confess their sins and reaffirm their vow to uphold the Ordnung at a council meeting held prior to the communion service. Communion is held when the congregation is “at peace”; that is, when all members are in harmony. The eight-hour service includes preaching, a light meal during the service, and the commemoration of Christ’s death with bread and wine. Pairs of members wash each another’s feet as the congregation sings. At the end of the service, members give an alms offering to the deacon. This is the only time that offerings are gathered in Amish services. As Anabaptists, the Amish practice adult baptism, or what they call "believer's baptism," because the person choosing baptism is old enough to decide what they believe in. In Amish baptisms, a deacon pours a cup of water into the bishop's hands and onto the candidate's head three times, for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Members who do not conform to these community expectations and who cannot be convinced to repent face excommunication and shunning. The modes of shunning vary between different communities. On average, about 85 percent of Amish youth choose to be baptized and join the church.
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