The Amish of Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania is home to the largest Amish community in the United States. Although the first Amish arrived in North America in the mid-1700s, the European Anabaptist movement began well before that, in 1525, as a rather radical wing of the Protestant Reformation.
Anabaptists (“rebaptizers”) differed from other Christian denominations primarily in two things: they practiced adult baptism, which went against the beliefs of Catholics and other Protestants at the time, and they insisted on a “free Church” separate from state interference. In the late 1600s, there was a religious dispute among the Anabaptists, and they split into the Mennonite and Amish branches.
The Amish began migrating from Europe to Pennsylvania because of its lack of religious persecution and attractive land offers from the state. Between 1717 and 1750, approximately 500 Amish migrated to Pennsylvania, many eventually settling in Lancaster County.
The population of North American Amish grew slowly in the 18th and 19th-centuries but began thriving by the middle of the 20th century. Today, their population has swelled to more than 250,000 people in nearly 2,000 church districts. While each church community follows its own lifestyle guidelines, all Amish groups have an “Ordnung” — a set of unwritten behavioral regulations that members must follow. These rules vary by church district, but they usually limit or ban certain technologies, and restrict interaction with the outside world.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
The Amish people take this Bible verse very seriously. In the early 1900’s, Amish leaders agreed that connecting to power lines would be a connection to the world, and therefore, not in the best interests of the Amish community. They did not make this decision because they thought electricity was evil in itself, but because easy access to it could lead to many temptations and the deterioration of church and family life.
Today, most of us would think it’s impossible to live without modern conveniences such as electricity and cars. But the Amish value simplicity and self-denial over comfort and convenience. Their lifestyle is a deliberate way of separating from the world and maintaining self-sufficiency. As a result, there is a bond that unites the Amish community and protects it from outside influences such as television, radios, and the Internet.
The Amish of Lancaster
Randall acts as the lead writer for ColdWater’s Drive Thru History® TV series and Drive Thru History® “Adventures” curriculum.
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