The Amish and The Mennonites

Who Are They, and What’s The Difference?

Like most of us, you probably know very little about the Amish and Mennonite people, save that they wear ‘funny-looking’ clothing, ride in horse-drawn buggies, and seem to be stuck in the past.

In an effort to help people understand these gentle and soft-spoken people, I present to you a brief history of their religion, and of their culture.

In the 17th century, during the religious revolutions in Europe, which historians now call ‘The Reformation’, many groups of like-minded people split away from the Roman Catholic Church. One such group was the Anabaptists, who believed that baptism should be the result of an adult decision to follow Christ in every aspect of life, and should not be used upon children in order to induct them into the Catholic religion before they were able to understand the true meaning of such a ceremony.

As expected, many Anabaptists were put to death as heretics by the Catholic and Protestant Churches, but others escaped the mass prosecutions, and joined a group led by Menno Simons (1496-1561), a former Roman Catholic Priest, to form their own religion. These people soon became known as ‘The Mennonites’, but a dispute occurred in the community over the teachings of Jacob Ammon (1645-1730), who taught that any church member who lied to the church should be excommunicated, and shunned by other church members. This was not a popular belief within the Mennonite church, so Ammon and his followers broke away to form their own church. These people soon became known as ‘The Amish’.

During the 18th century, Amish and Mennonite communities sprang up in Switzerland, Alsace, Germany and Russia. In the 19th century, many Amish and Mennonite groups immigrated to North America, settling first in Pennsylvania, then spreading slowly across the United States and into Canada.

In the late 19th century, the Amish church itself was faced with a parting of the ways, when a group of it’s members chose modernization over tradition, and left to form the ‘New Order Amish’ Church, which gave the ‘Old Order Amish’ Church their new distinction.

Today, there are as many differences between the Amish and the Mennonites as there are similarities. While both adhere to a literal translation of the Bible, and follow a set of rules called the ‘Ordnung’, the Mennonites are less strict in their way of life than the Amish. They are allowed to wear brighter colors, drive automobiles, have electricity and telephones, and make use of modern technology. The Amish, especially Old Order Amish, still wear muted colors, do not use buttons or zippers on their clothing, drive buggies wherever they go, although they are allowed to ride in automobiles under special circumstances, and may or may not have electricity and be allowed the use of phones. All of this depends upon how strict the various communities and churches are. Both, however, put a lot of emphasis on farming, being self-sufficient, family, religion, and living a plain life.

To these people, we are known as ‘Them English’, and for good reason. While they do not even pretend to understand our wild ways, they do allow their young adults to experience it for a time. This brief period of freedom is called Rumspringa, and gives teenagers, who will soon become adults, the chance to decide for themselves if they want to embrace the ways of their parents, and become members of the Church and community that they were brought up in. As a matter of interest, most do return to the fold.

In a world where gasoline prices are soaring, inflation runs rampant, and serial killers make the headlines, who are we to condemn these people for holding on to the old ways? Their food is paid for by honest sweat, hard work, and contains no life-threatening chemicals. Their clothes don’t cost a fortune, their families are close-knit and loving, their children are respecting of their elders and willing to work for their rewards, and crime is virtually unknown.

Yes, who are we to look down our noses at people who have everything we’ve always wanted in life?

These are the Mennonites, the Amish- honest people, who live honest lives in a less than honest world. Like our forefathers, they struggle to make a living off the land. Like us, they struggle to live in today’s society. All any of us can do is keep struggling, and keep the faith.

Tiffany T.J. Craig

Co-Author of ‘Just A Plain Man’s Love’