The Amish

by Donald B. Kraybill

  Similar to the ways in which Amish think about the dialectic of self and community, paired oppositions—obedience and disobedience, humility and pride, plainness and luxury, work and idleness—also structure meaning in Amish consciousness. These polarities permeate the training of children, relationships in the community, and interactions with the outside world.

  Obedience

  Early childhood socialization is crucial to acquire the habits of obedience. Children learn to “give up” and “give in” at an early age. Parents teach uffgewwe, giving up, as they hold a toddler’s hands together for prayer before meals to prevent the child from reaching for food.10 The large size of families teaches young children to wait their turn every day as they yield to siblings—whether sharing toys, bedrooms, or food—and prepares them for living in community. One Amish saying is “The most decent person gives up first.” So it is not surprising that Amish children are less likely to use first-person singular pronouns—I, me, mine, myself, my—than non-Amish children.11

  Parents emphasize the importance of discipline (die Zucht) for a child. Incorporating obedience into daily routines makes it a taken-for-granted habit that becomes a powerful means of social control. Children are taught from the Bible: “Obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.”12 “By the time that the child reaches the age of three, the mold has started to form and it is the parents’ duty to form it in the way the child should go,” a leader noted. “When the child is old enough to stiffen its back and throw back its head in temper, it is old enough to be disciplined in a way that gently breaks that temper.” Said one young mother, “Spanking is a given. We start at about a year and a half, and the majority of it is done before they turn five.”13 And a grandfather observed, “The children of parents who teach obedience are much more likely to remain in the church.”

  An Amish brother and sister run an errand for their parents. Children learn the Amish values of humility and simplicity at an early age. They also learn hard work and responsibility. Some traditional groups consider ponies to be unnecessary hobby animals and prohibit them. Doyle Yoder

  Members are expected to accept church decisions. Spouses typically discuss issues together, but a wife is expected to yield to her husband if they come to an impasse. Ministers defer to bishops and younger bishops to those with seniority. And even older bishops must yield to the counsel of their peers and the authority of Scripture and tradition, or they may be removed from office.

  These rites of surrender are sacrifices for the larger goal of an orderly and unified community. But while obedience is expected, it is usually couched in a spirit of loving concern throughout the entire social system. Parents are not to discipline children in anger. Only with the congregation’s support may a bishop excommunicate a member in “hopes of winning him back.” Calls to obey typically echo concern for someone’s eternal destiny.

  Humility

  Stooping Low

  Humility is one sign of Gelassenheit. “If other people praise you …, humble yourself,” the Amish learn. “But do not praise yourself, for that is the way of fools who seek vain glory. … In suffering be patient, and silence your heart under the mighty hand of God.”14 Amish people frequently cite 1 Peter 5:5: “Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” They often point to Jesus, the meek servant, as the model of humility. Pride and humility (Hochmut and Demut) frame Amish consciousness and articulate the battle line between self-interest and community well-being.15

  Pride is a religious label for the sinister side of individualism, which the Bible condemns in verses suggesting that God “hates a proud look” (Prov. 6:17) and “resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6).16 One Amish publication says it starkly: “Pride … seeks the exaltation of the self.”17 The devotional text “Rules of a Godly Life” declares, “No sin [in Scripture] was punished more severely than pride. It changed angels into devils.”18

  One member, writing to another facing censure by the church, pleaded, “Humble yourself and stoop low enough so that you can forgive others. … And make peace with the church.”19 High-mindedness is equated with arrogance and worldliness, whereas lowliness reflects humility and weakness—the true spirit of Gelassenheit. Thus, “high” church districts are ones that are higher on a ladder reaching toward the proud outside culture. By contrast, “lower” Gmays are plainer ones that hold tighter to tradition.

  The presentation of the self is particularly vulnerable to pride, the Amish believe. In an essay entitled “A Proud Look,” one bishop wrote, “As the subtle spirit of pride influences people, the pleats are made more figure-flattering, the dresses are shorter, tighter, and lighter. The stockings are more sheer and the shoes more fashionable and less practical.”20 Because the size and prominence of mirrors in a society signal the cultural value attached to the self and appearance, it is not surprising that the mirrors in Amish homes are typically smaller and fewer than those in non-Amish homes and in lower groups are often hidden away in bureau drawers.21

  Modern society provides a full repertoire of props for making up and presenting a unique self for every occasion. “The primacy of bodily image is the very emblem of postmodern individualism,” argues one social analyst.22 Tattoos, hairstyles, clothing, jewelry, cosmetics, and suntans enable individuals to package and present themselves in unique ways that clamor for attention. Because such self-exaltation defies the Amish way, all cosmetic props are considered signs of pride. Jewelry (including wedding rings and wristwatches) is taboo. Any form of hair styling, fashionable clothing, neon color, or print fabric is also off-limits. Makeup is proscribed, even for the deceased in the casket.

  Off Camera

  Pride has many faces. The well-known Amish aversion to personal photographs is legitimated by the second of the Bible’s Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing …” (Exod. 20:4).23 In the middle of the nineteenth century, when photography was becoming popular, the Amish applied this biblical injunction against likenesses to photographs of individuals. Discussions of photography surfaced five times in the Amish ministers’ meetings held from 1862 to 1878, and attendees agreed that portraits encouraged self-adulation, the exact opposite of self-denial.24 An 1865 Ohio Ordnung advised members not to “carry hidden photographs made into likeness of men or to hang them on the walls in the house to be seen.”25 A late twentieth-century Daviess County, Indiana, regulation says simply, “No photographs.” Grounded in religious objection, the prohibition discourages pride because posing for a photograph is considered self-exalting. In most Amish communities, members who readily pose for photos or face television cameras will be censured by the church.

  There is also a deeper cultural meaning beneath this restriction. Photography decontextualizes; it extracts people from their social context. Moreover, photographic images become objects for study, making the self an object for reflection, which encourages a rational, analytical mindset. In the 1860s, one minister noted that people were tempted to “send their pictures around.” Portrait photographs not only challenge the virtue of humility but also disturb the thick social context of Amish life.26

  If photographs of Amish people are forbidden, why do so many circulate? Media photographs are often snapped with telephoto lenses and without permission. Some Amish permit outsiders to take pictures of farming, business operations, gardens, and home furnishings but not of people, especially not ones in which individual people can be identified. The moral line, for many, is the direct face-on shot, especially if the subject appears to be posing. If someone is photographed from a distance without their consent, the moral burden falls on the photographer, the Amish reason. Some more progressive Amish parents may allow pictures of their children who are not baptized church members. Similarly, unbaptized teens may be more willing to pose, and some might even own cameras until they join the church.

  Plainness


  Simplicity

  The lowly spirit of Gelassenheit denies worldly pleasures and costly entertainment. Purging selfish desires means yielding to the plain standards of Amish dress and accepting restrictions on transportation, technology, and home appliances. When things become too convenient, they border on luxury. In the Amish economy, rags are recycled into carpets, clothing is patched rather than discarded, and toys are passed down to younger children. The exaltation of thrift rests on the belief that the habit of austerity—developed over the decades—produces a wholesome life by stifling vanity and discouraging waste.

  “Our Master [Jesus] instructed us to despise things of this world and not permit them to sidetrack us or weigh us down in our journey toward eternity,” explains one Amish man. “If we planned to stay here, then it would make sense to accumulate and enjoy all the earthly comforts,” but “it just makes sense to travel lightly,” since heaven is our destination.27 An elderly leader writes, “We should not be looking to and depending on the scientists all around us who are still promoting the unproven assumption that BIGGER IS BETTER. This is a mistaken idea. Our goal is to make use of the simple ways of living and retain the faith of our forefathers as handed down to us from the generations who have gone before us! It is entirely in vain to depend on the morals of the world today to take us the route we want to go.”28

  “How can we instill in our children the value of plain life?” one mother asks. “Pray for our children, consistently practice simple living in our homes. Unless we are truly humble, we are not truly plain. We must be willing to be something less than our neighbor across the road. … Eventually our children will see that the luxuries and complexities of the world are a hindrance to our faith.” Simplicity is “not the key to eternal life, yet we feel plainness is necessary fruit—evidence that we have set our affection on things eternal.”29 She concludes by offering these guidelines to teach children simplicity:

  • Keep toys few and simple.

  • Dress and name dolls plainly.

  • Teach basic, practical sewing skills rather than embroidery and painting.

  • Make new out of old, such as hooking, braiding, and sewing rugs.

  • Teach that modest clothing is a safeguard in an evil world.

  • Encourage them to wear the hidden ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.

  • Eat plainly, using homegrown foods rather than luxury or snack foods.

  • Remind children “that the trend toward what is bigger, fancier, and more expensive leads rapidly in one direction—away from God.”

  This modest home in Ethridge, Tennessee, is owned by members of the ultratraditional Joe Troyer Swartzentruber Amish. Ordnung, family wealth, and regional economy may influence the architecture, appearance, and plainness of a house. Erik Wesner

  Frugality

  The Amish are consumers, but not conspicuous ones. They are concerned more about usefulness than show, practicality than display, saving than spending. These habits of frugality are rooted in old agrarian traditions as well as in explicit religious values.30 One expression of thrift is a strong ethic of saving money. In a booklet about “principles for everyday living,” a business leader underscores saving as a “spiritual principle for everyday practice” and advises, “Save all that you can. … It’s not what you earn, but what you save and give that counts … every dollar which has been saved will come in handy … nobody ever went broke saving money.”31

  One father explained how he teaches his children to save: “When we attend a social function or community event such as an auction or local farm show, or before we take a trip—say, to Washington, D.C.—I hand my children a twenty-dollar bill and tell them, ‘This is your allowance for any extra food or souvenirs you want to buy.’ Anything they don’t spend they are allowed to put in their piggy bank for savings.”32 In many communities, children under the age of twenty-one turn their earnings over to their parents but may keep any “tips” for themselves. One eight-year-old Amish girl helped her aunts with their summer produce stand and was pleased to have nearly ten dollars in tips by the end of August, although she had no plans to spend the money.

  Amish people save money in traditional ways, including savings accounts, certificates of deposit, real estate, and, among some groups, mutual funds. Some Amish communities operate modest savings and loan funds to encourage saving. Instead of banking funds for college, young adults save to buy a home or begin a business. One young adult earned $24,000 a year, saved half of it, and soon bought a small house with almost no mortgage. Another had saved $200,000 by the time he was twenty-eight to invest in a farm.

  Amish frugality may seem paradoxical since the impulse to save could border on self-reliance, which counters communal values and dependency on the church. In fact, saving and frugality often have collective expressions, whether that be avoiding purchases or entertainment because of church rules, borrowing money from an Amish-managed mortgage fund, or joining with other households to buy in bulk. A striking example of such thrift is the dozens of Amish-run bulk-food stores and “bent and dent” stores that market unsold food and dry goods from major chain stores. Open to the public, these retail stores cater to Amish and English customers alike.

  This professionally landscaped and well-appointed Amish home near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is similar to nearby English homes. The definition of plainness and simplicity varies widely by settlement and group affiliation. Daniel Rodriguez

  Telling the Truth

  Integrity is an outgrowth of plainness, a cultural coin with two sides: honesty and trust. Based on Jesus’s teaching “Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay” (Matt. 5:37), Amish people believe that truthfulness reflects godliness and lying is a sin. Children are promptly punished for lying. Honesty is so deeply bred into Amish culture that it creates complications for defense attorneys with Amish clients. Rather than accept the assumption of “innocent until proven guilty,” most Amish offenders readily admit guilt in court for the sake of a clear conscience. Others refuse to say “with absolute certainty” that particular events or stories are true, because they believe that only God is all-knowing and humans are prone to mistakes—a belief that also proves difficult for the legal system to accept.

  For example, when a member of the conservative Andy Weaver affiliation was attacked by a burglar, he told police that, when the intruder had attempted to strangle him, he had gotten a good look at his face. The home invader was convicted and sent to prison, where he died. In response to a lawsuit filed by the convict’s family after his death, a reporter contacted the Amish man and asked if he were “absolutely certain” about his testimony. The Amish man replied that, no, he could never be certain; only God could be certain. Not surprisingly, the news report provoked a storm of public criticism of the Amish. Writing about the event later, the Amish man noted, “Once I became aware of the consequence of that answer, I wrote and explained the reason to the newspaper office and the prosecutor. I think that helped settle the issue.”33

  The Amish consider transparency in financial matters to be an expression of integrity. In their oral culture, deals are sealed with a handshake and grounded in trust rather than in legal documents. Attorneys and contracts are used for real estate transactions and major business agreements; nonetheless, a handshake and a verbal promise still certify many transactions. Apart from trust’s moral value, social theorists note that high-trust societies function efficiently because they can conduct business more quickly and inexpensively and with fewer legal and contractual fetters.

  At some charity auctions organized by Amish auctioneers and attended by both Amish and outsiders, sale managers do not require bidders to register, provide identification, or even pay a financial clerk for products they purchase. Instead, auction-goers receive a pencil and paper and are instructed to record their own purchases, add their total charges at the end of the auction, and then deposit a check or cash in “donation boxes” placed throughout the auction area.34

  Concern for
honesty is also at the root of Amish resistance to bankruptcy. The Amish view bankruptcy not only as a financial failure but also as a moral affront, because creditors might not be repaid in full. In the words of an Amish statement, “Bankruptcy is morally abhorrent and is not consistent with the values we hold regarding honesty and integrity. It is a dishonorable discharge of debts.”35 Personal and business bankruptcies are very rare. If a business is struggling financially because of mismanagement, changing market conditions, or some other reason, church-appointed trustees will step in and oversee the operation to avoid legal bankruptcy and attempt to ensure that creditors are fully paid.

  Joy in Everyday Routines

  Family and Nature

  Gelassenheit, with its emphasis on obedience, humility, and plainness, may appear to cast a shadow of austerity over Amish life. But the Amish way also provides for personal joy and pleasure. It is not the pleasure of a spa, individual sports, musical accomplishment, or the performing arts. Amish pleasures are rooted in family, nature, and community events, not in individual performance or upscale creature comforts.

  Calling his three young children “our little disciples,” a father exclaimed, “What a great joy it is to raise God’s children.”36 Amish people regularly cite family as the source of innumerable joys, while also acknowledging its challenges. They find fulfillment in family activities—raising children, working together, and gathering with kin. There are countless small joys—sipping homemade root beer on a summer day, smelling freshly baked pies, enjoying a surprise visit from out-of-state friends, watching chicks hatch, and quietly viewing a sunset. Many families spend hours together trying to conquer large jigsaw puzzles. In a variety of activities—from shelling peas to singing for the elderly, from remodeling a kitchen to ice-skating, from quilting to cleaning, from playing table games to pulling weeds, or simply sitting in a circle visiting—many Amish people delight in chatting with family and friends as they work and play. “Visiting is our national sport,” one Amish man said with a wink.