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THE AMISH:
Beliefs
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This essay is currently being updated
and expanded.
Amish beliefs which are shared by Evangelicals:
The Amish are a very conservative Christian faith group. Many of their
beliefs are identical to those of many Fundamentalist and other Evangelical churches,
including:
Adult baptism.
Belief in the Trinity, the virgin birth, incarnation,
sinless life, crucifixion, resurrection
ascension, and atonement of Jesus Christ.
Amish beliefs that are not shared by most Evangelicals:
Salvation: Essentially all conservative Protestants, including
Amish, look upon salvation as an unmerited gift from God. However,
Evangelical Christians have traditionally looked upon the salvation
experience as an intense emotional event which happens suddenly, after a
convert repents of their sin and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. The new
Christian's ethical behavior and daily routine are of secondary importance
to the experience of being saved. The Amish have always looked upon
salvation as being experienced in everyday living. Salvation is "...realized
as one's life was transformed day by day into the image of Christ."
1
Rituals: Evangelicals look upon communion and baptism as rites
that are primarily between an individual and God. To the Amish, "The
church itself, as a body of believers, shared in communion as a sign of
their unity with Christ and with one another. Baptism in the Amish church
symbolized a commitment to both god and fellow believers." 1
The world: They believe in remaining quite separate from the rest of the world,
physically and socially.
Part of this may be caused by the belief that association with others may be
polluting. Part may be because of the intense persecution experienced by
their ancestors as a result of government oppression.
Pacifism: They rejection of involvement with the military or warfare.
They believe that Amish must never resort to violence or to take up arms in
war.
Local control: They believe that each district is to remain autonomous.
There is no centralized Amish organization to enforce beliefs and behaviors.
Evangelization: They believe that it is not their role to go out
into the larger community -- "The English" and attempt to seek converts. However, some
Amish groups have recently become active in evangelization.
Customs: The Ordnung is an oral tradition of rules which regulates
how the Amish
way of life should be. Specific details of the Ordnung differ among various church
districts. The rules are generally reviewed biannually and occasionally revised
as needed.
