The Amish are members of the Anabaptist Christian denomination, but are more famously known for isolation from modern day society. This means that they try to completely separate themselves by living in Amish communities, reject most modern day technology and dress conservatively so that no individual stands out from the rest of the community. As the Amish don't use electricity or the internet, the website that I have chosen put this statement in their FAQ section:
"The Amish do not use the Internet themselves personally or for business purposes. Englisher neighbors or entrepreneurs operate websites that sell crafts, furniture and quilts that the Amish make. Amish.Net provides Internet surfers with information about the Amish lifestyle, and offers a service for merchants, including some Amish owned businesses, to list their businesses that sell Amish Made goods and provide tourism services for visitors to America’s Amish Country."
As this website is not directly managed by the Amish people, it is hard to analyse the actual website in much detail. It tries to give as accurate information about the people and their lifestyle, and also tries to promote the products that they produce. There seem to be many websites dedicated to selling Amish goods, from quilts to handmade furniture, which can suggest a desire of the American people for these goods, either for the homemade care or that the goods are fashionable in a traditional home. The website seems to have a keen interest in the Amish horse drawn buggy, and sees it a symbol of Amish life that would be recognisable by any outsider of the modern day. The website is not very advanced and has a very simplistic design, so it is probably managed by someone who doesn't have much experience with creating a website - ironically, that would be similar if the website was run by the Amish.
The Amish denomination originated in Switzerland from splitting from other Anabaptist denominations under the strict teachings on Jacob Amman in 1693. Communities then began to spring up in Switzerland, Alsace, Germany, Russia and Holland, although there are no Amish remaining in Europe today. Amish began emigrating to North America early in the 18th Century to avoid religious persecution and compulsory military service. They first settled in eastern Pennsylvania, where a large settlement remains today. In 1850, there was a schism between traditional Old Order Amish and the 'New Order' Amish, who accepted social change and technological innovation but retain other Amish practices. Today, communities can be found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas, but it is claimed that Amish is one of the fastest growing religious groups in the US - it is estimated that numbers will quadruple to 1 million from the current 250,000 in about 20 years. This shows that the religion is one that has developed and grown in America, which suggests that it can be classed as an American religion - and also because its the only place in the world where this denomination still exists.
The Amish faith is a group of traditionalist Christians that form a subgroup in the Mennonite churches. The Amish submit themselves to the will of Jesus and the church focuses on: Hochmut (pride, arrogance, haughtiness), Demut (humility) and Gelassenheit (submission, letting be, calmness). Baptism occurs between the ages of 18 and 25. In the Amish church you must be baptized in order to be married and once you are baptized you are only allowed to marry within the Amish community. During adolescence, teens are sent on Rumspringa - a chance for teens to experience the English world and be emerged in the culture of modern society. If a teen decided not to come back to the community, they are excommunicated and are shunned from the community and cannot have social interaction with their family or friends. This shows the conviction which the Amish follows their religion shows their commitment to it, and therefore don't value those who don't have the same commitment and so will shun them.
What makes this denomination particularly 'American' in character is the lifestyle and the strong ties to the Christian church. Their lack of electricity and reliance on farming and agriculture to survive could be seem to resemble early America during the time of settlement. Although the denomination may of originated in Switzerland and Europe, the Amish have become to be mainly associated with American ties and history. It is well known that in modern day America, that the church has a big part in every day life and that many Americans follow their religion quite closely. Therefore, the way that the Amish and Americans conduct their religions are very similar and don't like those who don't choose the same path as themselves. Overall, it would seem that Amish is 'American' due to the similarities that they have with the modern day America, even though they lack the modern technologies.
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