Subculture: Amish

Subculture: Amish

Tina Curry

Georgia Northwestern Technical College

Subculture: Amish

One of the subcultures that I chose to write about are the Amish. The live as we did before the Industrial Revolution. They live without electricity or most modern conveniences that many of us take for granted. They wear simple clothing and believe that too great a focus on individuality distracts from the devotion of God; likewise technology interferes with this devotion as well as family connections.

One reason the Amish tend to live in separate communities is that they fear that the outside world is a threat to their religion and culture. They also fear corrupting influence of outsiders so much that if a member chooses to leave, they cannot have a meal with the Amish family members unless they repent and return. Americans focus on individualism, consumption, and instant gratification and this is not what the Amish focus on. The Amish culture stresses obedience rather than self-fulfillment.

Women tend to wear plain black dresses and white bonnets and men wear black hats, white shirts and suspenders. Because of limited amount of money earned from farming, many seek to work outside the Amish community and they stand out because they do not change their attire for outside work.

The Amish movement was founded in Europe by Jacob Amman, from whom their name is derived. In many ways, it started as a reform group within the Mennonite movement; an attempt to restore some of the early practices of the Mennonites.

The beliefs and practices of the Amish were based on the writings of the founder of the Mennonite faith, Menno Simons (1496-1561), and on the 1632 Mennonite Dordrecht Confession of Faith. The Amish who split from Mennonites generally lived in Switzerland and in the southern Rhine river region. During the late 17th century, they separated because of what they perceived as a lack of discipline among the Mennonites.

Membership in the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church...