AMISH

also called Amish Mennonite, member of a conservative Christian group in North America, primarily members of the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church. They originated in Europe as followers of Jakob Ammann, a 17th-century Mennonite elder whose teachings caused controversy and schism during the years 169397 among the Mennonites in Switzerland, Alsace, and south Germany. Ammann insisted that any Mennonite who had been excommunicated should be shunned or avoided by all other Mennonites and that anyone who told a falsehood should be excommunicated. He introduced washing of feet into the worship service and taught that church members should dress in a uniform manner, that beards should not be trimmed, and that it was wrong to attend services in a state church. Although Ammann subsequently sought reconciliation with the Mennonites who disagreed with him, he continued to insist that all who had been excommunicated should be avoided, and reconciliation attempts failed. Amish settlements and congregations sprang up in Switzerland, Alsace, Germany, Russia, and Holland, but migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries and assimilation with Mennonite groups gradually eliminated the Amish in Europe. The Amish began migrating to North America early in the 18th century and first settled in eastern Pennsylvania, where a large settlement is still found. Schisms and disruptions occurred after 1850 because of tensions between the old order, or traditional Amish, and those who wished to adopt new order or progressive methods and organizations. During the next 50 years about two-thirds of the Amish either formed separate, small churches of their own or joined either the Mennonite Church or the General Conference Mennonite Church. (See Mennonite.) Those who continued the characteristic lifestyle of the Amish are primarily members of the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church. In the late 20th century there were about 50 Old Order Amish settlements in the United States and Canada; the largest were located in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, and Kansas. Their settlements are divided into church districts that are autonomous congregations composed of about 75 baptized members. If the district becomes much larger it is again divided because the members meet in each other's homes. There are no church buildings. Each district has a bishop, two to four preachers, and an elder; but there are no general conferences, mission groups, or cooperative agencies. The Amish differ little from the Mennonites in formal doctrine. Holy Communion is celebrated twice each year, and washing of feet is practiced by both groups. Adults are baptized when they are admitted to formal membership in the church at about age 17 to 20. Services are conducted in Palatine German with a mixture of English, commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch. The Amish are best known for their severely plain clothing and their nonconformed way of life. The men wear broadbrimmed black hats, beardsbut not moustachesand homemade plain clothes fastened with hooks and eyes instead of buttons. The women wear bonnets, long full dresses with capes over the shoulders, shawls, and black shoes and stockings. No jewelry of any kind is worn. This cultural nonconformity is thought by the Amish to be obedience to biblical strictures, but it is primarily the continuance of 17th-century European rural costume. The Amish also shun telephones and electric lights and drive horses and buggies rather than automobiles. They are generally considered excellent farmers, but they often refuse to use modern farm machinery. Children attend public elementary schools and are not sent to high schools. This practice has caused the Amish some difficulty because of compulsory school attendance laws, and some Amish parents have gone to jail rather than allow their children to go to high school.