Can anyone fill me in on what the Amish community is all about?

Question

I'm pretty ignorant on the Amish way of life, can anyone give me a brief run down please being in the UK it's not something that crops up every day. Was the chap who did the killing a local or from "outside" their group?

Answer 1

On the surface, many Amish look like they stepped out of the rural 19th Century.

The most conservative, Old Order groups of these reclusive, religious people drive horses and buggies rather than cars. Many have no telephones or electricity in their homes.

They send their children to private, one-room schoolhouses until the age of 13.

They eschew technology and preach isolation from the modern world. They do not join the military or accept assistance from the government.

The Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was a model for the 1985 film Witness starring Harrison Ford, a thriller which contrasted the violent modern world with their peaceful existence.

The Amish experience many of the same problems as other communities, but keep them private.

Strict regulations

Some 200,000 Amish people live in more than 20 US states and in the Canadian province of Ontario.


FACTS ABOUT THE AMISH
Anabaptist Christian denomination
Communities in the US and Canada
Many communities reject links to outside world
Most Amish shun modern technology including electricity and cars
Plain clothing - no buttons allowed in some communities
Speak English and a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch

In pictures: School attack

The oldest group of Old Order Amish, about 16,000-18,000 people, live in Lancaster County, a rural, farming area where Amish first settled in the 1720s - many fleeing religious persecution in Europe.

The Amish are divided into dozens of separate fellowships, broken down into districts or congregations. Each district is fully independent and lives by its own set of unwritten rules, or Ordnung.

The Old Order are the most conservative of these groups, and observe strict regulations on dress, behaviour, and the use of technology, which they believe encourages humility and separation from the world.

An Amish boy rides a pony in Ohio, USA
Men and boys wear straw broad-brimmed hats
Old Order Amish women wear modest dresses with long sleeves and a full skirt, a cape and an apron. They never cut their hair, but wear it in a bun on the back of the head.

Men and boys wear dark-coloured suits, straight-cut coats and black or straw broad-brimmed hats. They grow beards only after they marry.

Modern technology is not rejected out of hand. Some farms have telephones and local groups can allow electricity to be used in certain circumstances.

Most Amish are trilingual. They speak a dialect of German called Pennsylvania Dutch at home, use High German at their worship services, and they learn English at school.

In some ways, the Amish are feeling the pressures of the modern world. Commentators say child labour laws, for example, are threatening long-established ways of life.

While many Amish own firearms, used to hunt and kill wild animals, their communities have until now been largely free of violent gun crime.

Answer 2

The Amish are a very religious group from Germany. They do not use modern convinces such as electricity, phones, cars, computers etc. They mostly farm, they still use horse and buggies for transportation and try not to associate with the outside world. They mostly run their own schools because they don't want their children subjected to our modern form of life. They don't believe in getting their pictures taken because of vanity. Which is why their dress is simple and they all ware hats (women ware hair long and in hats in and out of the house). When a boy becomes a man (I believe when they get married) they grow a beard. They are very strict, but loving and forgiving. They have a higher standard of living, responsibility, and honer than any group I have learned of.

The man that killed those lovely little girls was an outsider and according to this mornings news had some kind of grudge that he had been holding for 20 years...the state police are supposed to have some more information at noon today. How he could kill those innocent children is beyond me...of all people in the USA the Amish are the most innocent, kind, respectful folk here. We should all rally to their defense....for they never do harm to anyone.

Answer 3

The Amish are an Anabaptist Christian denomination found primarily in the United States and Ontario, Canada, that are known for restrictions on the use of modern devices such as cars and telephones. The Amish separate themselves from civil society for religious reasons: they do not join the military, draw (nor are forced into) Social Security, or accept any form of assistance from the government, and many avoid insurance. Most speak a German dialect known as Pennsylvania Dutch (or Pennsylvania German), which the Amish call Deitsch. The Amish are divided into dozens of separate fellowships, which are each broken down in turn into districts or congregations. Each district is fully independent and has its own Ordnung, or set of unwritten rules. This article primarily discusses the conservative Old Order Amish fellowships that observe strict regulations on dress, behavior, and the use of technology. There are many New Order Amish and Beachy Amish groups that use electricity and automobiles, but still consider themselves Amish.

Answer 4

I think the first guy covered what the Amish Community is about but the guy who perpetrated the crime was not Amish and they think he walked into the school because the opportunity was there for him as they had no security measures in place. And they believe it is related to something that happened to him when he was 12 years old that has psychologically damaged him although they will not say what; or if he had any medically diagnosed mental illness due to the laws they have.

My heart goes out to all of them, including his own family. And although I do not pray very often I have lit some incense and offered a prayer for them all.

Answer 5

plainly put... the amish are a christian faith that has been in existence for approx. 2 centuries. there are close to 200,000 active amish in the united states and canada. their children attend school until the eighth grade in one room schoolhouses. upon completion of school they go to work. they shun all modern conviences including electricity and cars. they speak german and english. they are a peace loving close knit community, that do not believe in violence.
the intruder was someone from the outside that took advantage of their simplicity. he was from the local area, where he had knowledge of their ways. the fact that he knew that the children were in a one room schoolhouse, without a security system or even a phone made his actions even more repulsive.
However, the amish community will forgive and probably even support his family through this horrific act.
its a shame that everybody can't be this forgiving, because if everybody was, grudges wouldn't exist and we'd all be safe.

Answer 6

Amish community - me personally don't know the exact & precise answer, but it's Commune No.1 and its origin is sw. in some hundred years ago. It's secure. It's like a religion. You may find a friend there. It's got it positive and negative sides, just the same as any religion, not Church. Enter it! try your best to cognate what it offers and what it expects from its members. Then decide - Yes or No . Certainly U will find some friends there (if you could afford it). Not decided? Try it.

Answer 7

that was a great answer. Just seen the news and the killer was local, but not Amish. He had his own family and was a delivery man in the Amish community.

Am sure we will be hearing all the theories on why he did this over the next few days

Answer 8

the leaving cert film witness is a great way to learn of the amish community it contrasts greatly between modern american life and the real amish way of life in general their life is easy going and very communal. the chap that slaughtered those girls was an outsider from america.

Answer 9

The news says he was a 32 year old milkman who had an issue with something that happened 20 years ago. He sent the boys and adults out of the room and shot the girls in the classroom and then shot himself. That is all I know

Answer 10

They decided 200 years ago not to let any modernisation from the outside world filter into their community. Watch the film 'Witness' with Jodie Foster. That will show you all you need to know.