The Amish within the Period of Rumspringa

44 Pages·2011·0.4 MB·English

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Masaryk University
Faculty of Education
Department of English Language and Literature

The Amish within the Period of Rumspringa

Bachelor Thesis

Brno 2011

Supervisor: Author:
Rita Chalmers Collins, EdD Andrea Bartuňková
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Declaration

I declare that I worked on my bachelor thesis on my own and that I used only the
sources mentioned in the reference list.

…………………………………..
Andrea Bartuňková
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Acknowledgements

I would like to express special thanks to my supervisor, Rita Chalmers Collins,
EdD, for her kind guidance, patience, useful comments and professional advice on
writing my bachelor thesis.

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Content
1. Introduction 6
2. The Amish 7
3. History 8
3. 1. The Anabaptists 8
3. 2. The Birth of the Swiss Brethren 8
3.2.1. The Schleithem Articles 9
3. 3. The Origin of Mennonites 11
3. 4. The Founder of the Amish 12
3. 5. Migration to America 13
3.5.1. Old Order Amish Division 14
4. The Old Order Amish Society 15
4.1. Population 15
4.2. Language 15
4.3. Social and Religious Organization 16
5. Ordnung 18
5.1. The Term and Differentation 18
5.2. Ordnung Key Principles in Practical Life 18
5.2.1. Disciplinary Practices 19
5.3. Physical Appearance and Clothing 20
6. Family 22
6.1. Family Relationships 22
6.1.1. Relationship between Husband and Wife and Gender Roles 22
6.1.2. Relationsip between Parents and Children 24
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6.2. Schooling 25
6.3. Retirement 26
7. Adolescence Age and Rumspringa 28
7.1. Rumspringa 28
7.1.1. Traditional Courtship within Old Order Amish Community 29
7.1.2. Testing the Boundaries 30
7.1.3. Attitude of Parents and Community 34
7.2. The Reasons for Letting the Amish Teenagers be in Rumspringa 35
8. Consclusion 36
9. Resumé 38
10. List of References 39

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1. Introduction
As a student of English language I was always interested in the culture of the
English language speaking countries, especially the United States of America. When I
was choosing the topic of the work, I finally decided to describe the lifestyle and culture
of Amish society. Although the values the Amish culture are based on are completely
different from what is generally considered typically American, the Amish undeniably
belong to American culture since parts of the United States (together with Canadian
Ontario) are the only place in the world resided by the Amish.
The bachelor thesis deals with culture of the Old Order Amish, the major Amish
group living in North America, keeping the most strict and traditional way of life of all
Amish and other religious groups of the same origin.
The main aim of the work called The Amish within the Period of Rumspringa is
to describe both the basis of Old Order Amish life within their community and treating
their young people during the period of rumspringa. The thesis subsequently provides
explanation why the baptism is chosen by the vast Amish adolescents majority after the
end of rumspringa.
As the sources studying the Old Order Amish are limited, I primarily use the
work of Hostetler (focusing on the Old Order Amish society), Greksa and Korbin
(dealing with Amish as the whole) and the “Amish Studies”, the academic website
developed by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown
College (Pa.), of which the research team is led by Donald B. Kraybill, the major
scholar and investigator on Anabaptist groups studies. The work by Tom Shachtman
serves as the chief source as far as rumspringa activities concerns.

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2. The Amish
The Amish are a conservative Christian faith group that accepts the basic tenets
of the Christian church. They emphasize traditional values such as humility, family,
separation from the outside world and the authority of the local church over the life of
its individual members (Britannica Encyclopaedia , “Amish”).
They are known for their simple way of living, plain dress and opposition to the
modern society lifestyle.
According to J. Gordon Melton, the largest concentration of current Amish
population is in Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York and Canadian Ontario (in
Robinson, “Amish: History, Believes, Practices”).

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3. History
3.1. The Anabaptists
The Amish are direct descendants of the Anabaptist movement of sixteenth-
century Europe at the time of the Protestant Reformation (Hostetler 1980: 25).
Various views on the origin of the Anabaptist movement can be found among
scholars. Although a number of theories exist concerning the history and origin, the
three main ideas survive. First, Anabaptists began in a single expression in Zűrich and
spread from there (monogenesis), second, Anabaptists arose out of several independent
movements (polygenesis), and third, Anabaptists are a continuation of New Testament
Christianity (apostolic succession or church perpetuity) (Nicholas Weber).
Since it is agreed on the monogenesis theory origin in the majority of sources
used for my bachelor thesis and so as not to digress from the intended subject, this
chapter will not deal with the polygenesis theory or the idea of apostolic succession or
church perpetuity.

3.2. The birth of the Swiss Brethren
At the time of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation in Europe, new
religious groups opposing the old authority system were formed. Subsequently, new
reforms were instituted by Ulrich Zwingli, who founded the Reformed Church in
Switzerland. The newly established Protestant group, however, sustained the concept of
a united church and state and strictly demanded infant baptism, which was considered
as unsatisfactory reform to the small group of dedicated persons in Zurich, namely
Conrad Grebel, Felix Mann and George Blaurock (Hostetler 1980:25-27).
These educated men claimed that the church should include only those who
publicly confirm their faith in Jesus Christ and the argument centred on infant baptism
(“Swiss Brethren”). Their thoughts were rejected first by Ulrich Zwingli, the head of the
Swiss state Reformed church and later by the Zurich City Council. Nevertheless, the
group continued to meet secretly to study the Bible and baptized one another into a new
church-community, free from hierarchy and power of the old church (Hostetler 1980:
27-28).
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From this point of view, the date of January 21, 1525, when Conrad Grebel
baptized George Bluarock, and Blaurock baptized other followers, is generally
considered the birth date of Anabaptist movement (Nicholas Weber). Its members are
said to be the earliest proponents of the separation of church and state in Europe. These
Christians regarded the Bible as the only norm of faith and rule for life (“Anabaptists”).
The movement strictly rejected infant baptism, defending that baptism should signify
voluntary adult decision to become a Christian and join the church. On the basis of the
belief in adult baptism, Anabaptists proceeded to baptize one another into the
movement. Since the radicals had all been baptized in state churches (either Catholic or
Protestant) as infants, they were nicknamed Anabaptists, meaning “re-baptizers”
(“Anabaptists”).
For the reason the group required a church free from state control and
expressed displeasure with economic and social injustices, seeking new ways of
reforming the church, and mainly for adult baptism— they were labelled by enemies as
“seditious, devil inspired nonconformists”. Both civil and religious authorities were
threatened by the rapid spread of Anabaptist groups. Consequently, due to their radical
beliefs, the Anabaptists in Europe encountered severe persecution and were punished in
a variety of ways: confiscation of property, imprisonment, torture, death or sent to Italy
as galley slaves (Hostetler 1980: 50-51).
The ubiquitous oppression scattered the Swiss Brethren across the Europe,
where over several decades, nearly 2,500 Anabaptist members were executed and more
than a hundred were imprisoned (“Amish Origin”).

3.2.1. The Schleitheim articles
To fully understand the Swiss Brethren, which the Amish are a branch of, it is
necessary to be acquainted with the seven Schleitheim articles.
The “Brotherly Union” declaration (since referred to as the Schleitheim Articles)
was adopted at the secret conference of Anabaptist leaders that took place on February
24, 1527 at Schleitheim, on the Swiss-German border, under the leadership of Michael
Sattler (Hostetler 1980:28). According to Weber, February 24, 1527 is therefore
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suggested the proper date of the origin of Anabaptism by the scholars of the last quarter
of the twentieth century.
The Schleitheim Articles (abridged below) are still regarded as basic guidelines
for life and faith of the Swiss Brethren and the Amish today (Hostetler 1980:29).

The Schleitheim articles (all qtd. in Hostetler 1980:28-29):
1. Adult baptism
Baptism shall be given to all who have been taught repentance and the
amendment of life, who believe that their sins are taken away through Crist, and who
desire to walk in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This excludes all infant baptism
2. The ban
After taking baptism as a sign of commitment to the fellowship, if any
inadvertently slip and fall into error and sin, the ban shall be employed. First they shall
be warned twice privately, and the third time publicly before the congregation
(according to Matthew 18). This shall be done before the breaking of bread, so they all
may in one spirit and in one love, break and eat from one loaf and drink from one cup.
3. Concerning the breaking of bread
Those who partake of the bread (the Lord´s supper) must beforehand be united
in the one baptism and one body of Christ. Those who desire to drink in remembrance
of the shed blood of Christ, cannot be partakers at the same time of the table of the
Lord and the table of devils. All who have fellowship with dead works of darkness have
no part in the light. We cannot be made one loaf together with him.
4. Separation
We have been united concerning the separation that shall take place from evil
and wickedness which the devil has planted in the world, simply in this that we have no
fellowship with them, and do not run with them in the confusion of their abominations.
Fall away from all u..Thereby shall also fall away from us the diabolical weapons of
violence—such as sword, armour, and the like, and all of their use to protect friends or
against enemies—by virtue of the words of Christ: “You shall not be resist evil.”
5. Shepherds
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