Random Fascinating Facts About Amish Beliefs and Culture (21 items)

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  (#9) The Amish Don't Evangelize

  Differing from many other religions, most Amish don't make any efforts to boost membership of their religion. They prefer to stay a closed society, and focus on improving life in the community. Not only do Amish not actively recruit, their rigid lifestyle makes joining relatively prohibitive.

  The Amish don't deny those who wish to join their ranks, but learning Pennsylvania Dutch and giving up all technology are often hurdles that few choose to cross.
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  (#15) The Ausbund Is A Centuries-Old Amish Hymnal With No Musical Notes

  The traditional Amish hymnal, the Ausbund, contains words but no music. The tunes to the songs are passed down from one generation to the next and can differ between congregations. First printed in 1564, the songbook dates to an era in which persecution and imprisonment for Anabaptists in what is now Germany was common.

  During their time in a castle jail, Anabaptists wrote the songs Amish churchgoers still sing today. Despite the lack of music notes guiding the way, songs during an Amish church service can last as long as 30 minutes. Singing is described as slow, drawn out, and "music for the soul rather than music for the ear."
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  (#17) Women Are Expected To Be Subservient

  Because of their conservative, biblically motivated views, the Amish have specific expectations regarding how women should behave within their society. When at home, husbands and wives can create whatever power dynamic best serves their household. In public, however, a wife is always expected to defer to her husband in order to maintain an image of subservience. She is also prohibited from participating in any position of church leadership.

  Traditionally, the roles of an Amish women are wife and mother, and her job is to maintain her home. Some Amish women, especially those who are young and single, do choose to venture out of the house and into the work force. Common jobs for women include helping with their family's business, teaching, waitressing at Amish restaurants, quilting, and sewing.
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  (#4) The Amish Are Never Baptized Before Adulthood

  Rather than enforcing baptism upon its members, the Amish religion holds that baptism should be an individual choice. As such, they discourage young members from making the decision flippantly––they believe baptism is a lifelong commitment. This view is similar to the beliefs of most Anabaptists, the religion from which the Amish are derived. 

  Members of the Amish community may not be baptized before the age of 16 and generally don't make their decision until they are between the ages of 18 and 22.
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  (#1) The Amish Have A Lot Of Babies

  Inspired by the Bible's call to "be fruitful and multiply," the Amish typically abstain from birth control, leading to a rapidly increasing population. With most Amish families in the U.S. averaging 6 or 7 children, the group's numbers have increased from approximately 180,000 in 2000 to nearly 320,000 in 2017.

  Unfortunately, some of these births are plagued by genetic defects. As a closed society, most Amish and Mennonite people are descendants of the original 200 families that first settled in America. Due to this limited gene pool, recessive genes linked to birth defects are frequently present in both parents of a given family, thus allowing the defects to be passed down.
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  (#14) The Amish Don't Allow Musical Instruments

  With very few exceptions, the only musical instrument the Amish use is the human voice. They believe playing instruments promotes self-expression, hubris, and individuality, and thus, musical instruments are prohibited. One exception is the harmonica, which is permitted on occasion. For Amish adults, dancing is forbidden as it is considered immodest. Young people are permitted to dance and listen to music during Rumspringa.

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