The Amish are a group with over 200,000 members who are American Protestants. This group originated from European Anabaptists as they escaped persecution. These people follow a written code of rules that they call Ordnung.
These rules define all life aspects including what it really means to be an Amish. However, different communities within the Amish community have different rules and this may explain in part why one Amish may differ from the other. Nevertheless, Ordnung defines all rules regardless of which community uses them. This paper focuses on the family life of the Amish.
The Amish family life is defined by communism where individualism is highly disregarded. The community should come first and then the individual. Therefore, the top priority in one’s life is family values, God, and finally the individual (Olson, 2009). Top on agenda in their lives is true love whereby peace and happiness rule the day.
These people bring up children; upholding family values that would abide by the Amish values. Therefore, the ultimate purpose is to bring up people who add more value to the whole society, not to an individual. The governing principles for children are honesty, compassion, and mutual respect amongst themselves and to the community at large. These principles do not stop after youth; they persist to adulthood and in a lifetime.
According to Powell (2008), children are taught from a very young age that anything short of good morals is contrary to God’s will whereby, anything contrary to this is heinous, and God will punish the culprits appropriately. The Amish people live as one body with several parts whereby, if one person is hurting, then the whole community is hurting and he or is accorded the necessary help and attention (Powell, 2008). People do not encourage dishonesty at any cost and any person who lies commits an inexcusable sin.
Amongst these people, material gains are of no use and they live a simple life void of pleasures that come mostly with material gains. Actually, materialism, pleasure, and individuality are nonexistent among the Amish. For instance, taking a shower is primarily meant to become clean; not any other purposes like relaxation. Interestingly, Amish are very proud of their culture and to live without the material things, which the mainstream society terms as necessities; is an achievement to them.
Every teenager’s ambition is to marry and start a family with children who will conform to the Amish culture. Marriage without children is an abomination and birth control is not part of these people (Oslo, 2009). These people are unique in all their undertakings, as they have chosen to live simple lives void of contemporary conveniences like technology.
The key family values lie in self-denial in matters of pleasure, convenience, and comfort which translates to simplicity. In general, these people are self-reliant; therefore, they immune to outside threats or evils that may threaten the strong family bond they enjoy.
Diversity-wise, the Amish are not diversified. In terms of numbers, they are around 200,000; their culture is very strong, and they honor it. Upholding family values links closely to their culture. The culture among the Amish is part of life and any deviation from cultural roots is tantamount to abomination.
In conclusion, the Amish family values are very positive. The world would be a better place if every community observed close family values like the Amish. Upholding these family values extends to the society where love, honesty, and mutual respect would be the rule of the day; hence a better world.
References List
Oslo, A. (2009). Amish Family Values. Web.
Powell, A. (2008). Amish Culture, Beliefs & Lifestyle. Web.