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The
Plain sects are a group of Anabaptist communities who grew from
the teachings of Jacob Amman 1644-1720. They are largely referred
to as Pennsylvania Dutch in an area largely centered around Lancaster,
Pennsylvania and as the Amish elsewhere, but they actually are
a number of groups with related but different beliefs and practices.
Nomenclature
The term Pennsylvania Dutch is a misnomer. The word comes from Deutsch,
meaning German. However, Pennsylvania
German is a misnomer as well. The lower Rhine valley where many
of these people immigrated from found itself in different countries
as time passed, as borders shifted.
In addition, the descendants of the Pennsylvania
Dutch immigrants refer to themselves as Pennsylvania Dutch even
if their parents or grandparents decided to leave behind the ways,
beliefs, and language of the plain sects. The term Amish is also
a misnomer, for the plain sects also include the Old Order Amish,
the New Order Amish, the Old Order Mennonite, the Beachy, the
Peachy, Pennsylvania Germans, Schwartzentruber Amish and at least
ten other sects, according to Dr. Donald Kraybill.
Origins
The Mennonite movement was a reform movement within Protestant
Christianity based on the teachings of Menno Simons 1496-1561,
and the 1632 Mennonite Dordrecht Confession of Faith. The Amish
movement was a reform movement within the Mennonite movement,
based on the teachings of Jacob Amman, who perceived a lack of
discipline within the Mennonites movement by those trying to avoid
prosecution. Amman argued that Romans 12:2 [1] prohibited that.
William Penn, having experienced religious prosecution as a Quaker,
offered asylum to others who were suffering religious persecution,
an offer that many followers of Jacob Ammann accepted, starting
with the the Detweiler and Sieber families, who settled in Berks
County, Pennsylvania in 1736. Many of them settled near Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, which offered some of the most productive non-irrigated
farmland in the world. By 1770, the Amish migration had largely
ceased.
Religious practices
Plain sects typically have a Bishop presiding over one congregation.
Some meet in church buildings, but most sects meet in members'
homes. Services are normally held in a language closely related
to Palatinate German, with extra vocabulary. Bishops are commonly
chosen by lot as a reflection of God's will. While the Bishop
tends to be influential, he tends to rule by building consensus
rather than by issuing edicts. Nowhere is the Bishop more influential
than in decisions concerning the Ordnung. The Ordnung is a largely
unwriten code of behavior, covering such items as attire, vehicles,
and the use of techology, and each congregation has its own Ordnung.
Violations are not considered sins, although wilfulness is considered
to be a serious violation of the faith. The Bishop leads the congregation
in changing their Ordnung over time. The Bishop may also grant
exemptions to the Ordnung. For instance, if a farmer is highly
arthritic and has no male children to help him harness horses,
the Bishop may tell the farmer to buy a tractor, even though that
would otherwise be a violation of the Ordnung.
Trends
The Old Order Amish are among the fastest-growing populations
in the world. They prohibit the use of contraception and have
low infant mortality rates. The average Amish woman can expect
to have at least seven live births. Other plain sects can be expected
to have similarly-explosive growth. Despite this, the Pennsylvania
Dutch are expected to become a smaller percentage of the population,
as the sects respond to high prices of farmland by spreading out
all over the United States and internationally, and the English
population spreads out from Philadelphia into suburban and rural
areas. Donald Kraybill believes there are plain sect communities
in 47 states.
Among people at least five years old living in Lancaster
County in 2000, 11 percent spoke a language other than English
at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home,
64 percent spoke some language other than Spanish [3]. The majority
of those people would be Pennsylvania Dutch. Most plain sects
do not admit children to their church, and impose no sanctions
on those who do not join, but shun those who fall away from the
church once becoming a member. Older adolescents are allowed to
experience a timeout or Rumspringa, in which they "sow their
wild oats" before settling down to join the church. In 1998,
Abner King Stoltzfus, 23, and Abner Stoltzfus, 24, were convicted
of buying $100,000 worth of cocaine from the Philadelphia Pagans
motorcycle gang and reselling it to other Amish youths [4]. A
movie about the incident, tentative titled Sinking Spring (for
the town in Berks County, Pennsylvania was planned with Steven
Tyler and Mariah Carey, to be produced by Anthony Esposito
Tourism
In 1972, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that states
could not compel the Amish to send their children to school beyond
the 8th grade [6]. News organizations and especially Life magazine
descended on Lancaster county, Pennsylvania to do feature stories
on the plain sects. Interest in the plain sects also resulted
from the movie Witness [7] in which Philadelphia cop John Book,
played by Harrison Ford hides among the Pennsylvania Dutch in
an attempt to protect a young Amish boy (and himself) who witnessed
a drug killing by a corrupt lawman. The strong characters, the
exciting plot, the beautiful pastoral scenery, and the juxtaposition
between Book's ways and those of the Amish made it a popular movie.
A subplot explores romance between Book and widow Rachel Lapp
(played by Kelly McGillis) and the difficulties presented by her
religion and his occupation.
Health
The Pennsylvania Dutch generally do not prosetylize and discourage
intermarriage. Because of close consanguinity, certain genetic
problems occur more frequently. Dr. Morton has established the
Clinic for Special Children to study and treat families with these
problems. The plain sects typically prohibit insurance, and they
assist each other charitably in case of sickness, accident, or
property damage. Internal Revenue Service Form 4029 allows one
to claim exemption to Social Security taxes under certain very
restrictive conditions, and members of the plain sects neither
pay the taxes nor receive death, disability and retirement benefits
from Social Security. Because of the lack of insurance, limited
access to modern transportation, and remote residences of many
plain sect members, the State of Indiana did a study in 1972,
finding to their surprise that the plain have equal or better
access to medical treatment, compared to other citizens. Dan Olmsted
of United Press International asserts the incidence of autism
is virtually nil among the Pennsylvania Dutch. He thinks that
it's because the Pennsylvania Dutch do not vaccinate their children,
a position that differs from that commonly accepted by medical
professionals.
