Plain sects

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The Plain sects are a group of Anabaptist communities who grew from the teachings of Jacob Ammann (1644–1720). They are referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch in an area centered around Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and as the Amish elsewhere, and encompass a number of other groups with related beliefs and practices.

1 Nomenclature
2 Origins
3 Religious practices
4 Trends
5 Tourism
6 Health
7 Further reading

[edit] 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.

[edit] Origins

The Mennonite movement was a reform movement within Protestant Christianity based on the teachings of Menno Simons 1496–1561, and the 1632 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 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.[2] 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.[5]

[edit] 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 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.

[edit] Health

The Pennsylvania Dutch generally do not prosetylize and discourage intermarriage. Because of close consanguinity, certain genetic problems occur more frequently. Dr. D. Holmes Morton has established the Clinic for Special Children to study and treat families with these problems.[7]

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.[8] 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.