September 26, 2008

Cornucopia / Cynthia Dewes

Chosen people come in many forms

Cynthia DewesDirectly west of Indianapolis is Parke County, famous for its covered bridges and maple syrup. It is also the home of a substantial community of Amish people, who emigrated there mainly from Amish areas in Pennsylvania.

The Amish are hardworking farmers and construction workers, who embrace what they consider to be a purer form of Christianity than the Swiss Mennonite faith from which they broke away in the 17th century. They speak Platt-deutsch (low German) at home, and do not learn English until they enter school.

They follow the rhythms of nature, rising early and going to bed early. They do not use electricity and, therefore, they have to pump water from outdoor wells and carry it indoors. They use outhouses, and they do farm chores with horses rather than power-driven machinery.

Schooling is limited to eight grades or about age 14. At that time, kids are permitted a year of “wilding,” or freedom to explore other ways of life than their own. They may move from home, drive cars, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or whatever else they want to try.

At the end of the year, they must decide if they want to be baptized into the Amish church. If they do, they must live in the Amish way. If not, they will be shunned forever by other Amish.

Naturally, most opt to remain Amish. And many just find the values of the “English,” as they call the non-Amish, scandalous.

Young people spend the years following their schooling by working at home. Some of the girls become school teachers for the children. During this time, boys and girls meet at weddings, funerals, church services and other occasions. They don’t “date” in the way we are used to, but somehow find suitable partners.

The Amish marry at about age 21 and spend the first year visiting all their relatives and receiving wedding gifts. They recognize the truth of genetic inbreeding problems, which is why they move occasionally from state to state to form new communities and seek marriage partners from other Amish groups. Nevertheless, there are incidences of disabilities.

The Amish way of life is based upon Scripture. The Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians reads, “Do not yoke yourselves in a mismatch with unbelievers. After all, what do righteousness and lawlessness have in common, or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor 6:14). The passage continues with the warning that our special covenant with God as a chosen people is threatened by association with “unbelievers.”

Amish take this to be a mandate for removal from “English” society in favor of simplicity and virtue, including humility.

For instance, they use snaps and Velcro (!) rather than buttons on their clothing to prevent showiness. And they avoid being photographed, which may lead to vanity.

In short, they try to embrace Christ’s teachings, including forgiving one another. We saw this in their reaction to the tragic murder and wounding of Amish kids in a school in Pennsylvania. Not only did they forgive the perpetrator, but they tried to comfort his family. All of us were impressed by their truly Christian love.

Perhaps we “English” sometimes misuse our free will in ways that rightfully scandalize the Amish. We must admire the fact that their rules may prevent quite a few sins. But then, maybe all of us should try to remember the spirit of the law, not just the rules.

(Cynthia Dewes, a member of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Greencastle, is a regular columnist for The Criterion.)

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