Anthropology: The Amish And Their Ways

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The Amish and Their Ways Jason Campbell Anthropology 101 September 24, 2012 Anthony Jerry The Amish and Their Ways Envision the Amish people and many things come to mind, horse drawn buggies, to raising a barn and the people being clad in mostly black clothes. The Amish are to most people in society a backward group because the Amish shun most technology and advancements in favor of a simpler lifestyle. As an agriean society the Amish grow much of the food consumed by the community and also utilize livestock as a food source, transportation and for farming purposes. Among the culture of the Amish, the three ideas that will be discussed are the belief structure, gender roles and social organization from a firm belief in the Christian…show more content…
Child rearing, not economic competence, for example is considered the primary task of the parents (Fisher, 2002), and gender roles in the Amish community are considered to be traditional. The man works, the woman raises the children. However, the Amish family is non-traditional in the way that the man has the absolute say in any matter. As in most families, gender roles in Amish marriages vary by personality; there are shades of dominance from husband to wife across a wide spectrum with many variations. In non-farm families, typically the husband is the primary breadwinner, but in cases where a wife owns a business, she may provide most of the family income. When husbands work at home, there is often considerable cross-sharing of roles—women assisting in the barn or shop, and men in the garden or around the house. (Amish Studies, 2012) Amish family life can be difficult at times, but the one thing the Amish have is each…show more content…
While family is always on their minds, living life up to the church standards are even more so. Often times should one sin, they must confess to it, but should they not; they run the risk of being shunned, and expelled from the community. Church authority is disproportionately the prerogative of older males. Ministers must be nominated and then selected by lot. All are family men, respected by the community, and involved in regular occupations. The ministers, assisted by the deacons, conduct the bi-monthly worship service. (O'neil, 1997) Twice a month, the Amish gather for church and religious services reflect the simplicity and plainness of Amish life. There are no altars, candles, organs, stained glass windows, choirs, or pulpits. Children sit with their parents during the long service. Youth, separated by gender, sit in a special section of the congregation. No special classes or Sunday school is part of the morning worship service (Amish Studies, 2012). The Amish believe that to get into heaven, one must follow the ways set down by their ancestors. While the church services follow somewhat to traditional Christian services, the Amish hold their services completely in German. During the service, like many Christian services, there is the hymnal singing. The Amish differ in this from other traditional Christians, as they do in most of their Sunday service. Slow, unison singing in
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