The Amish Subculture - Essay Example

Down the ages the Amish have faced religious, social and ideological turbulences but clung to their faith steadfastly. Based on their religious ideology they had developed their own social norms and have been rigidly following them irrespective of the changes towards modernism in the bigger social world. Basis of development Ethnic development in Europe The ethnic origin of the Amish could be traced back to Switzerland. According to studies a small group of Swiss Christians under the guidance of Conrad Grebel and Fexix Manz was up for reformed changes in the state Protestant church.

Their plea for recommendation being rejected, they went ahead to form the organization of the Swiss Brethren in Switzerland. This group believed in adult baptism and baptized each other as members of what they called the believer’s church. It was because of the re-baptism custom this group came to be known as Anabaptist (Nguyen, p.3). The Amish under Jacob Amman was a small group of Mennonites that broke off from the Mennonite movement led by Menno Simons, a Dutch Anabaptist, due to ideological differences.

The small group called Amish, named after their leader Jacob Amman, was mainly centred along the southern banks of River Rhine and in Switzerland as the religious reformation movements in Europe had gathered momentum from these parts (Religious Tolerance). Regional development in the U.S and Canada It has been recorded that quite a big population of the Amish migrated to the U.S and Canada during the beginning of the 17th century due to financial and political pressures in Europe. The regions that they chose to settle down were the three areas in Pennsylvania.

The reason for choosing the province of Pennsylvania is linked to the English Quaker William Penn who was said to be keen on building a colony that would allow religious toleration. This explains why the Amish as well as the other reform-minded groups like the Mennonites and Quakers chose Pennsylvania. There was a second rush of the Amish to the U.S in the 19th century for reasons related to religious and economic destabilization (Religious Tolerance). Ideological development The Amish ideology was based on the ideology upheld by the Mennonites that stressed on the teachings of the Gospel and shunned the materialistic rituals of the church (Religious Tolerance).

They also believe in shunning a person who has been excommunicated (Nguyen, p.3). However the Amish ideology under the leadership of Jacob Amman further deviated from the Mennonites. The Amish held onto the belief that anything that has material association should be rejected. These hard core believers would not use any modern gadgets, equipments, telephone, electricity or cars in their home (Byers, p.231). They purposefully rejected any modern invention that makes life easier and comfortable for they considered these luxuries as corrupting to the soul.

They are firm believers of non-violence and would stay neutral during wartime. The Amish ideology has contrasting concepts. On one hand they rejected the puritanical ways of the Roman Catholics, upholding individual perception of religion and on the other hand they are stringent about their own ideology. Probably that was the reason why there have been so many orders of the Amish culture. Social Development: classless society As a result of their non-permissive and stern convictions the Amish was cut off from the outside social world.

This has made them a marginalised community,