Andrei Anghelescu

Master PPE, 1st year

Amish Society
- Ethics and Economics -

Why the Amish?

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the way Amish ethics shape their society and
the effects this has on the way the community interacts with the outside world, mainly
focusing on the way the community is structured and how it interacts with the external
government.
Although there are many communities whose religious beliefs and ethical systems dictate the
parameters in which a "good" society should function, the Amish are a good example of how
a closed and almost self-sustained society can still prosper, while being surrounded by a
modern, capitalist system. It is interesting to note that this community lives by rules built
entirely on christian morals and that this generates a strong sense of community. Most of their
activities are carried out within the community and interaction with other non-Amish US
citizens is kept as minimal as possible.

Historically, the Amish population's origins can be traced to 17th century Germany
and Switzerland, where Jakob Ammann, the religious leader that created the Amish sect,
distanced himself from other regional anabaptist1 cults by implementing stricter rules by
which the community should abide, which are developed based on different interpretations
of the Bible.2 Every moment of an Amish's life should be dedicated to trying to approach God
and understanding the teachings of Jesus. Most of the time, the Bible is interpreted in a
literary manner, and living by the social rules imposed by this practice greatly influences the
community's practices and moral boundaries. Ammann's followers started leaving for the
American continent, following tensions among the group, regarding the use of technology.3
Nowadays, there are quite a few Amish settlements in the center and north-eastern parts of
the United States, with a growing population of about 300.000 people.4 In the community,
everything revolves around the settlement, including schooling and religious practices.

1
​The practice of being baptised at a later age, followed by some Christian cults
2
Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Amish", accessed June 2018
3
Idem
4
Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies “Amish Population Change 2012-2017”, Elizabethtown
College
1
Social structure built on christian morals

The rules and practices are not written down in any sort of codex or piece of
legislature, and are taught to children from an early age. These rules are called ​the Ordnung​,
which is the German word for "order" and it stresses the importance of an united community,
that's focusing on living by God's will. Although every Amish society uses the same term for
their set of rules, there is no standard version whatsoever; one Ordnung may be stricter than
other. Basically, each community has its own Ordnung, which is nothing more than their
interpretation of the Bible, as they saw applicable for today's needs.5 The Amish don't see the
church in the traditional, institutional sense and they do not recognise a central authority;
there is, however, a certain form of organisation present within the settlement. Some
establishments recognise local religious leaders, which are usually preachers; they don't have
the ability to enforce decisions on their own. Every time there is an important aspect that
needs the attention of the community, the matter at hand is judged and decided upon by all
the adult, baptised members. The debates usually revolve around assessing the meaning and
potential impact of the change and deciding whether it's truly necessary or not, if it might
prove to have a benefic effect on the society as a whole or not.6

Altruism is central to the sect's ethical beliefs system, and it needed to be so, as the
doctrine states that the best way to remain pure and focused on doing God's will is to remain
distant from "normal" society and put their settlement needs above anything else. They
became popular in modern culture and media as the community that refuses to use modern
technology and electricity. However this is not always the case, as some Amish chose to use
batteries and even solar panels, as the ​Ordnung ​only prohibits the use of public energy;
however, the majority of the Amish population still choose to avoid the use of electricity and
only rely on traditional tools and lighting equipment.7 This choice, not to use modern
technology, is deeply rooted in what they understand a good relationship with God should be.

5
Kraybill Donald B. ​Introduction: The Struggle to Be Separate in Kraybill Donald B., “The Amish Struggle
with Modernity”, University Press of New England, 1994, p. 5
6
Coren, Michael J ​The Amish understand a life-changing truth about technology the rest of us don’t​, Quartz
Online Media, 2018
7
Amish America Online, ​Do Amish use electricity? ​in ​FaQ​, accessed on June 2018

2
Modern equipment and electronics are viewed as luxuries that have the potential to distract
one from their true purpose, as servants of God. Because electronic products, such as TVs,
radios and phones are not present in Amish everyday life, this encourages an even stronger
community bond, as many activities rely around grouping up, whether it's for work, Bible
study and discussion or even leisure time.

For an Amish, the capacity to value one's own actions and judge between different
courses of action is of utmost importance. Each individual is considered responsible for
themselves and given full capacity to decide what their life choices will be. This is evident in
the way the Ordnung is introduced in their lives from an early age, as being the rules that they
should strive to follow, but that they are not expected to fully commit to just yet.8 This focus
on responsibility can also be observed in the relationship between the individual and their
religion: as in most christian-type religions, baptism represents spiritual cleansing and the
commitment that human has towards living in God's will; however, the Amish interpret this
commitment of being of utmost seriousness and therefore only choose to baptise individuals
after they have fully understood what this lifetime commitment implies. The ritual is set to
symbolise leaving their old life behind and dedicating themselves to God and the community;
everything is treated solemnly and given great importance. Besides carrying important
symbolic meaning, the baptism acts as a type of contract for the new, official member.
Although there is no written contract per se between the individual and the settlement, all
adult Amish know and abide by the same rules; in the same way everybody knows and
accepts the punishment in case they fail to follow the Ordnung: exclusion. As it is considered
that the adult fully understood that they have to dedicate themselves to God, failure or
straight up refusal is totally unacceptable; they will be banished from the settlement and
nobody will be allowed to speak, engage in business or interact with them by any means, not
even the close friends and family, a practice called ​shunning​.9 As with the majority of Amish
practices, shunning is justified by their christian ethic, and is meant to be a lesson for the one
being punished, a way of making them realise the severity of their mistakes, so that they can
change their behaviour and commit to the church once again.10 As I see it, shunning is both a

8
​Amish America Online, ​Education ​in ​FaQ,​ accessed on June 2018
9
​Amish America Online, ​Shunning ​in ​FaQ,​ accessed on June 2018
10
In the communities in which shunned members are allowed to return within the church. Shunning is
permanent in many Amish communities
3
way to punish the wrongdoer for breaking his oath, but also a way to protect the society from
his potentially misleading character. By forcing everyone, including his family, to avoid him
you also protect the integrity of the whole faith. People will know that not following the
Ordnung has the potential to literally ruin their lives. The impact is even greater, as we think
of the way these people have lived their entire life thinking about the outside world: it is
strange and the people are living far from God's will; nobody wishes to be thrown in this
deranged world, when they haven't lived in any way, other than the Amish way.
Metaphorically, we could compare the situation to forcing an elephant to live in Greenland: it
will probably manage to adapt and survive for some time, but its life will be miserable. But,
yet again, this shows us how important moral commitments are for the organisation of the
whole society.

In relation to their ethical system, there is another practice I want to bring up and
discuss, as it seems to me that even though the intentions are good, in practice it is strongly
biased towards the faith. I am talking about ​Rumspringa​, which roughly translates to "running
around". Because the Amish value responsibility so much, some offer their teenagers the
ability to get a taste of the outside life, so that they can better decide whether they want to
remain inside the community and join the church or abandon it entirely and join the everyday,
modern life. Rumspringa usually takes place in late adolescence and give Amish children the
opportunity to ignore the Ordnung for some years, experience things otherwise forbidden
and, after they have returned back home, make a permanent decision regarding their future.11
This practice is supposed the give the young access to experiences that are uncommon in the
settlement and help them make the right decision. I would argue, however, that Rumspringa
presents a heavy bias towards the faith: the young are supposedly free to make any kind of
decision they want; however, by the time they reach the proper age for those experiences,
because of their upbringing, the decision is kind of already taken, long before they have the
option to choose. It is presented as living the alternative life, that is actually quite hard to
accomplish for somebody that lived his entire life in a social setting dominated by clear moral
rules and that has only interacted with like minded individuals. Many of the outside world's
practices may seem very odd and anti-christian to the young Amish wannabes, who have
been taught the "right" life principles since they were little kids, and whom have been told to

11
Amish America Online, ​What is Rumspringa? ​in ​FaQ​, accessed on June 2018
4
avoid certain things that might lead them astray from the correct path. Even if they are not
exactly supposed to respect the Ordnung before their baptism, the way they interact with the
family and the rest of the community forces them to unknowingly apply these rules everyday;
they live by these rules and expect others to do the same, in day to day interactions. That is
why I think the concept of Rumspringa is flawed, and this can be observed in the statistics, as
around 90%12 of the teenagers choose to be baptised after Rumspringa is over. The practice is
clearly well thought around keeping the faith alive and well, but it seems to present the young
adult with a false impression of choice, because very few will actually choose to leave the
family and society that shaped their entire way of being and behaving. Rumspringa is another
reason why the Amish society is so harsh on the members that do not follow the rules, as it is
considered that they made the final decision in full awareness of what both worlds have to
offer.

Interactions with the government

Another central value in Amish communities is non-resistance and non-violence. This

plays an important role in their relationship with the US Government, as they refuse to join
the army, uphold political functions and even sue in a court of law.13 Basically, everything
that is in any way related to holding positions of power, or implying the use of force against
other individuals. This pacifist view is based on the passage from the Bible in which Jesus
advises his followers to chose to turn the other cheek instead of resorting to revenge and
violence; this also applies to facing punishment for refusing to participate in something that
the government mandates.14 Although they refuse to undergo military training and
enrollment, throughout the many wars that the US have fought, Amish communities have
participated by means of alternative military service, such as factory work and even being
involved in supporting the army with mobile housing equipment15

12
Milicia Joe, ​Amish teens rebel but most stay true to faith​, World-Wide Religious News, 2004
13
​Amish America Online, ​Why don't Amish serve in the military?​ in ​FaQ​, accessed on June 2018
14
​Kraybill Donald B., "The Amish and the State", Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003, p. 215
15
Thomas J. Meyers, ​Lunch Pails and Factories in Kraybill Donald B., “The Amish Struggle with Modernity”,
University Press of New England, 1994, p. 170
5
 Being that the communities are so small and isolated, the majority of the activities are
carried out around the settlement and for its benefit. Amish families own substantial amounts
of land, which is used to its full extent, both for harvesting produce and animal food (of
course, Amish are as productive as they can be, with using what many consider antiquated
tools and practices). Besides farming, Amish learn many vocational skills, such as carpentry,
weaving and metal working.16 This means that it is not hard to develop a self sufficient
society, by growing their own food, producing clothing, building vehicles and settlements on
their own, which means that exterior interaction is not really a necessity. Although this would
probably be most desirable for the majority of the cult, they still live on what is considered
US soil, which makes them American citizens. In general this would mean that they have the
same rights and duties in relationship to the government as regular citizens. But, as time
passed, the Amish have had numerous complaints and conflicts in regards of what the
government demands.

Being a community formed around a christian type religion, they are heavily focused
around the importance of family, and that is what helped this type of social organisation
survive throughout the centuries. Gender roles are clearly defined: the man is supposed to
provide everything that is necessary for the family, while the woman will cater to the needs
of the children, cook, create clothing and care for the home. Children are often engaged in
activities with their parents: boys usually helping around farms and developing carpentry
skills, girls learning all about what a good wife should be for her husband and for her family.
The Amish oppose the American public school system, and are against mandatory education
after the 8th grade, as education is largely seen as something that does not focus on the
development of skills that will help the young into their adult life. In 1972 US Supreme Court
established that Amish children should not be forced to go to school past grade 8th, as it
could impede religious freedom of exercise.17 Because Amish children are not enrolled in the
federal education system, they are part of the community's school. This normally consists in a
big room in which they are taught basic skills such as reading and mathematics, probably by
the same teacher throughout their schooling; Amish parents usually disagree with the all the

16
Amish America Online, ​Work​ in ​FaQ​, accessed on June 2018
17
Gertrude Enders Huntington, ​Persistence and Change in Amish Education in Kraybill Donald B., “The Amish
Struggle with Modernity”, University Press of New England, 1994, p. 83
6
extra subjects taught in a public school, as they fear children will be misguided from
understanding their real purpose in life and resort to reading in the detriment of physical
labour.18 The Amish schools are also beneficial for the survival of the community, by raising
children in the spirit of the general values of their establishment. It is in this period that
children learn what ​the Ordnung is and how to live in relationship to it. The school setting
helps the children not only learn what values they should aspire towards, but also provide the
special occasions in which they can exercise them with other like-minded individuals.19

However, the public schools system is directly funded by the government, via
taxpayer's dollars. In regards to taxation, Amish communities are not exempt from paying
taxes, even though a case can be made that they do not fully benefit from all the taxes they
pay. For example, a portion of the taxes are used for upgrading and repairing infrastructure,
which is not exactly widely used by the Amish, given that the majority is opposing motorized
vehicles. For long distance commutes they mostly use public transport, and in some cases
even air travel, depending on the Ordnung followed.20 The Amish do in fact pay the majority
of that taxes that any other US citizen is required to pay, with a few exceptions: Social
Security and Medical Care taxes. Although the Amish usually agree to pay taxes, because
they believe that they should "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's", these are seen as
insurances provided by the government.21 Paying for insurance is seen as a sign of distrust in
God; if you fully trust God and His will, you don't need to look for other means to acquire it
on Earth. As far as medical procedures are concerned, the Amish are strong believers in
traditional medicine and think that it is their duty to maintain the health that God has given
them, as best as they can.22 Even though they have no paid health insurance, the Amish will
seek medical attention in extreme cases. The interesting thing is that, when this happens, the
procedures are usually paid by the entire community23, as they tend to be on the expensive
side, them being not covered for by the public budget.

18
Ibid. pp. 79 - 82
19
Ibid. pp. 88 - 90
20
Kraybill Donald B., ​Plotting Social Change Across Four Affiliations​ in Kraybill Donald B. “The Amish
Struggle with Modernity”, University Press of New England, 1994, pp. 59 - 60
21
Green Parman R. ​Taxation Tidbit. The Amish - Social Security and Medicare Taxes
22
​Cleveland Clinic, ​Treating the Amish and Addressing their Health Care concerns​, 2009
23
Idem
7
Of course, in order to be able to pay taxes, the Amish need money, which they acquire by
engaging in economic exchanges with those who have it. There are many businesses owned
by the Amish, and in general they are quite prosperous, providing goods and services for
people outside their community.24 The Amish make use of the skills they developed for the
proper functioning of the settlement, such as farming, weaving, building and carpentry.
Amish products are selling well because people tend to appreciate the good quality and
attention to detail that goes into their products. Of course, for all these economic transactions,
they are still obliged to pay income taxes.

Final remarks

Amish society is simple and stable, and those are some of the main characteristics that
guaranteed its survival throughout the centuries. It is fascinating to observe with how much
steadiness they managed to resent modern technology, as everyone else around them adopted
it to improve their quality of life. But if your purpose is to establish a meaningful relationship
with God, quality of life is not your primary concern, as concentrating too much on this
aspect will distract you from reaching your ultimate goal.
The Amish have managed to create a functional and stable society based on nothing more
than the interpretation of a very old book, managing to strike a surprisingly good balance
between faith and the ability to adapt when in need. This could have only been achieved by
having strong social capital: the members do genuinely trust their beliefs and would do
anything to impede anyone from altering the proper functioning of their society, even banish
a member of the family that has the potential to destroy the established order. It is interesting
to observe how the concept of kinship is handled by the Amish: the settlement acts as a very
big family, where altruism reigns supreme, until somebody steps out of line; at that point the
individual is seen as a threat to the community, that must be removed in order to preserve
stability.

Olshan Marc A.,​ Amish Cottage Industries as Trojan Horse​ in Kraybill Donald B., “The Amish Struggle with
24

Modernity”, University Press of New England, 1994, pp. 135 -136

8
 Bibliography

❖ Kraybill, Donald B., “The Amish Struggle with Modernity”, University Press of New
England, 1994

> Kraybill Donald B., ​Introduction: The Struggle to Be Separate

> Thomas J. Meyers, ​Lunch Pails and Factories
> Gertrude Enders Huntington, ​Persistence and Change in Amish Education
> Kraybill Donald B., ​Plotting Social Change Across Four Affiliations
> Olshan Marc A.,​ Amish Cottage Industries as Trojan Horse

❖ Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies “Amish Population Change
2012-2017”, Elizabethtown College
URL:https://groups.etown.edu/amishstudies/files/2017/08/Population_Change_2012-
2017.pdf

❖ Cleveland Clinic, ​Treating the Amish and Addressing their Health Care concerns​,
2009
URL:http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/1700/1783.asp?index=69
55&src=newsp

❖ Milicia Joe, ​Amish teens rebel but most stay true to faith​, World-Wide Religious
News, 2004

❖ Green Parman R. ​Taxation Tidbit. The Amish - Social Security and Medicare Taxes​,
URL: http://agebb.missouri.edu/agtax/issues/ssandse/amishss.pdf

❖ Amish America Online - Frequently Asked Questions

URL: http://amishamerica.com/faq/

> "Work"
> "​Why don't Amish serve in the military?"
> "​What is Rumspringa?"
> "​Do Amish use electricity?
> "Education"
> "Shunning"

❖ Kraybill, Donald B. "The Amish and the State", Johns Hopkins University Press,
2003

❖ Coren, Michael J., ​The Amish understand a life-changing truth about technology the
rest of us don’t​, Quartz Online Media, 2018

❖ Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Amish"