What is the difference between Amish and Menenites?

Answer 1

Amish
The Amish are a Protestant anti-modernist religious group founded in the 1690s by Jakob Ammann, a Mennonite preacher who criticized other Mennonites for their failure to adhere to traditional standards. Ammann was able to attract followers from among the Mennonites in Switzerland, Holland and Germany. In the early 1700s they began to immigrate to the United States where their communities thrived.

Today, Amish live in rural areas, refuse to use electricity and other modern things, and dress very plainly. They are, perhaps, the most visible of all religious "dissenters" in the United States - those who endeavor to fully isolate themselves from wider American society. They don't vote and they don't enlist in the military, but they do pay taxes.

In addition with trying to live as close as possibly to the ways of members of the early Christian church, the Amish also follow a practice introduced by Ammann known as "shunning" (Meidung). If a member of the group fails to follow the rules (Ordnung), they are to be ostracized by everyone in the group, including family, children and their spouse.

Mennonites
The Mennonites are part of a Protestant tradition which goes back directly to the Anabaptists, the most radical groups of the Protestant Reformation. This tradition encompasses those Christians who wished to create communities of "true believers" patterned after the earliest Christian communities in terms of their faith and their simplicity.

The name of this group is derived from Menno Simons (1496-1561), a former Roman Catholic priest who later joined an Anabaptist group in Holland. Here his preaching and teaching attracted a large following - leading also to his persecution at the hands of authorities. Where he differed from other Anabaptist leaders, however, was in that he told them to try and submit to the commands of civil authorities so long as those commands did not contradict biblical teachings.

Evidently this did not matter much because his followers were eventually driven out - from Holland to Poland to Russia and finally to North America. Like other radical Anabaptist groups, the Mennonites have always been pacifist in nature and refuse to participate in the general activities of society. They are very similar in nature and doctrine to the Amish and the Hutterites.

Answer 2

That question is fairly simple but, very difficult to answer. There are hundreds of types of Amish and Mennonites. The Amish drive horse and buggy but, so do the "Horse and Buggy Mennonites", the Amish may not use electricity, no radio, no modern conveniences. The Amish however, may have a phone in the shed behind the house but, not in the house. Mennonites are very different from community to community. The Mennonite church I used to belong to we had electricity, cars, but we were not allowed to listen to the radio, just acapella cds. Instruments were out of the question. We had to wear very plain dresses, no flashy colored fabrics, plain without print, and our coverings had to be at least a quarter to your ear. Then, there are some communities that are stricter, and some that are more liberal.

Answer 3

I thought the Menenites were very strict Amish, while Amish in gerneral is a religion.

Answer 4

Amish drive a horse and buggy, menenites drive black cars with no radios. Neither pay social security. That is why I am thinking of switching over. Plus I hear the women dont wear any drawers.

Answer 5

amish are more strict in their adherence to their faith. like hasidic vs. jewish.