Ordnung

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Ordnung are Amish rules of living. Ordnung is the German word for order, arrangement, organization, and system. Every Amish church is its own governing authority and has its own set of rules; therefore, it follows its own Ordnung. These rules are largely unwritten. Because the Amish have no central church government, each community administers its own guidelines and each local assembly is autonomous within itself. Therefore the Ordnung may vary from congregation to congregation, from church to church. The church members' lives are ordered by this code.

The Amish blueprint for expected behavior, called the Ordnung, regulates private, public, and ceremonial life. Ordnung does not translate readily into English. Sometimes rendered as ordnance or discipline, the Ordnung is best thought of as an ordering of the whole way of life … a code of conduct which the church maintains by tradition rather than by systematic or explicit rules. A member noted: The order is not written down. The people just know it, that's all. Rather than a packet or rules to memorize, the Ordnung is the understood behavior by which the Amish are expected to live. In the same way that the rules of grammar are learned by children, so the Ordnung, the grammar of order, is learned by Amish youth. The Ordnung evolved gradually over the decades as the church sought to strike a delicate balance between tradition and change. Specific details of the Ordnung vary across church districts and settlements."

— Donald B. Kraybill , The Riddle of Amish Culture

Anabaptist people, such as the Amish, believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and the Ordnung is meant to ensure that members of the church live life by following the Word of God. The Ordnung contains a set of behavioral rules. A person is expected to live a simple life devoted to God, family and community according to God's laws. Once a rule has been adopted, it is nearly impossible to have it rescinded or changed.

Some of the most common rules are: separation from the world, hard work, a woman's submission to her husband, mode of dress, refusal to buy life insurance, and many more. Outsiders often think in terms of restrictions, i.e. no electrical power lines, no telephone in the home, and no personal ownership of automobiles. However many of their guidelines are for the purpose of guarding a person's character. The attempt is to prevent pride, envy, vanity, laziness, dishonesty, etc.

The foundations of the Amish life are: an unassuming character, the love of friends and family, respect for the community, and separation from the rest of the world. The Ordnung defines who the Amish are. This code's purpose is to guide the behavior of the church's membership into Christ-likeness. Disobedience of these integral lifestyle regulations are punished by disciplinary actions initiated by the church leaders. Shunning (Meidung) is one of the most severe actions that the Bishop can mete out.

An Amish minister says of the Ordnung:

A respected Ordnung generates peace, love, contentment, equality, and unity. It creates a desire for togetherness and fellowship. It binds marriages, it strengthens family ties to live together, to work together, to worship together and to commune secluded from the world.

— Donald B. Kraybill , The Riddle of Amish Culture, p.98

Contents

[edit] Gelassenheit

An important part of Amish life is Gelassenheit (Gay-la-sen-hite), letting be, or submission to the will of God. This concept comes from the Bible when Jesus said, "not my will but thine be done,"[1] making individuality, selfishness, and pride abhorrent. Serving others and submitting to God therefore, permeates all aspects of Amish life. A person’s personality must be modest, reserved, calm, and quiet. Submission, obedience, humility and simplicity are values which must be apparent in a believer’s actions. Gelassenheit should be an overriding aspect for every person within the Amish community and it must show through their possessions and their actions.

Gelassenheit must be produced by the Ordnung, showing up as a yielding of spirit to the traditions. The Amish glance back into the past and examine their traditions, treasuring them. The past is always the main resource for coping with the present. Some Amish businessmen look forward as they plan for new markets for their products, however, they never lose sight of the past and it's precious legacy. "To give yourself under the church means to yield, to submit." Modern culture's aggressive individualism sharply contrasts with the Amish gelassenheit. Through gelassenheit, the Amish person yields to the Ordnung, in other words, the will of God, church, elders, parents, community, and traditions. The individual suppresses the will of 'self' in lieu of the Amish community.

[edit] Technology

Modern technology is used selectively and if any such equipment does not maintain principles of Gelassenheit, it is banned. Anything which could promote sloth, luxury or vanity is strictly prohibited within the home. Because 120v electricity connects to the outside world, it violates the Amish idea of separation from society. Owning an automobile could be a sign of status and it would promote vanity and competition between the church members; a direct violation of Gelassenheit's value of modesty. A telephone in the house would be a temptation to stay at home speaking to a friend rather than walking or taking a buggy ride to visit a neighbor.

Some people think the Amish are 'stuck in time.' This is not necessarily true. Their home and social life has remained mostly unaltered but a new technology can be considered into their society once it has passed a rigorous examination. The Ordnung is used to examine any new proposed use of technology. A proposal may be accepted for business reasons, but never for personal wishes, for entertainment or for self indulgences. A proposal will likely be rejected if it could have social implications. A telephone in the home is prohibited among the Old Order Amish because it interferes with face-to-face visits with the neighbors. Conversely, a few of the more liberal districts have allowed the telephone. Any technology that is seen to be corrupting spiritual or family life is rejected out of hand. Television would never be considered because it brings unbiblical values into the home.

Amish dairy farms have discarded the metal milk bucket and three legged stool in favor of a completely automated milking system. The Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture demand that certain guidelines be followed before milk can be marketed. Thus, power equipment and refrigerated bulk tanks are a necessity and are thereby permitted. However the electricity needed to run a modern dairy must be produced from gas or diesel generators. This is more expensive than power line electricity, but generators avoid the intrusion of electricity in the home.

In farming, horses are used to pull wagons, buggies, and agricultural equipment. Gasoline engines may be allowed to run the machinery but horses are required for locomotion. The Old Order Amish are permitted use modern transportation as long as they don't own or operate the equipment.

All of these guidelines are set out in the congregations' Ordnung, thus creating a balance between tradition and change.

[edit] Types

Two types of Ordnung must be distinguished. (1) The special conferences in history, from the 1500’s onward. (2) The contemporary rules defined by each church district.[2][3] The first are printed rules, the second are generally verbal and are universally understood by the local members. All rules guide the Amish believer in the application and practice of godly principles.

Both types clarify what is considered worldly and sinful. To be worldly is to be lost. Any rule that is not directly supported by biblical references will be justified through reasoning as to why it would cause the believer to turn worldly.

Separation from the world is to be different from the world. The entire congregation must agree on how they are to be different. Two times each year the members come together (Ordnungsgemee) and express their unity before they partake in communion. Their concurrence on the Ordnung must be unanimous, implying satisfaction with it. The agreement brings peace among members and peace with God. If there is no group unity, then the Lord’s Supper is not held.

The Ordnung not only means to be different or separate, but it provides a common way to refrain from the human tendency of being self-exalting or manipulative. Anything viewed as disruptive or dangerous to their society—such personal power, wealth, and status—are, through the Ordnung, funneled into the social order of love and brotherhood.

Obedience is a close associate to Ordnung because it is a symbol informing the body of believers as to whether a member loves the church or does not. There is no middle ground. To an outsider the Ordnung may appear as law, or bondage of suppression. However, the person who has learned to live within a respectful church Ordnung appreciates the value of freedom of heart, peace of mind, and a clear conscience. Such a person actually has more freedom, more liberty, and more privilege than those on the outside. The Ordnung creates boundary fences, much like a children’s schoolyard. Remaining within allows complete freedom. To cross the fence means worldly danger.

[edit] Change

A district’s Ordnung is meant to convey the rigid traditions of the community, but it can be changed. When members begin exploring new things that raise concerns, the local church must decide if such activities should be allowed. Twice a year each Amish district holds a counsel meeting, led by the bishop, but all adult church members, men and women (all are expected to attend unless they are ill), vote on the issue in question. To ensure the new practice is carefully considered, voting is designed so that change is difficult. If two or more people reject the change, the Ordnung remains unaltered.[4] The Amish allow for change, but the emphasis is on tradition.

When considering an Ordnung modification, the members must also consider the implication to the districts around them. If neighboring districts believe a particular change is too radical, the offended districts could break off communications and no longer recognize them as fellow Amish. This threat is of concern not only for community reasons, but because of close family ties between districts. An Amish woman might decide that voting for a change is not worth the risk that she may never again talk to her daughter who married a man from another district. Because of the threat of being shunned, change to a district’s Ordnung is usually incremental and done in concert with other districts.

The precise reasons why specific things are regulated by the Ordnung is difficult to explain. The Amish have few written explanations, and non-Amish are not allowed to attend their counsels. Therefore most Amish are hesitant to discuss the details of meetings with outsiders. They formulate rules with two interconnected goals in mind. First, is it compatible with their values. If a particular decision might disrupt their religion, tradition, community, or families, they are likely to prohibit it. The second purpose is to create a fence between themselves and Englishers. Most Americans see the Amish as different because they drive buggies, use horse drawn farm implements, dress plainly, etc. These differences are not accidental. When asked today why they have rejected a specific thing, many members of the church will simply reply: “Because it’s not Amish.”[4]

[edit] Examples

Because each Amish district is a separate church, Ordnung rules will differ from locale to locale. There are various groups among the Amish, thus creating distinctions within the Ordnung. The following is a general list and not exhaustive. [5][6]

  • Motorized vehicles are not allowed to be owned or driven. The Amish are permitted to request a neighbor to drive them, or the believer may hire a driver and rent a car.
  • The Amish may not travel on an airplane.
  • Clothing codes are to be followed:
    • Males are to wear hats when outside. Black is for the winter, straw color is for the warmer months.
    • Suspenders, not belts, keep the trousers up.
    • Once boys marry, they are expected to grow a beard but shave their upper lip.
    • Clothing must be home sewn
    • Women are never to shave any part of their body nor to cut their hair.
    • Females must keep their head covered, usually with a prayer bonnet. The color denotes their marital status.
  • Social Security or any other insurance is forbidden.
  • Children are to attend school through the eighth grade. After that they are expected to work on the farm or in the home. A parent may find them a job which will bring in additional income for the family.
  • School subjects are reading, writing, arithmetic, and English. No sciences.
  • Any Amish person who has taken the church vow, and who has been found guilty by the church or bishop of breaking one of the Ordnung rules, can be punished by the shun.
  • Mobile vehicles such as buggies or farm implements must not have rubber tires.
  • Power line electricity is not allowed in the home.
  • Amish young women and young men are expected to marry other Amish.

Examples of Practices Prescribed by the Ordnung:

  • color and style of clothing
  • hat styles for men
  • order of worship service
  • kneeling for prayer in worship
  • marriage within the church
  • use of horses for fieldwork
  • use of Pennsylvania German
  • steel wheels on machinery

Examples of Practices Prohibited by the Ordnung:

  • air transportation
  • central heating in houses
  • divorce
  • electricity from public power lines
  • entering military service
  • filing a lawsuit
  • jewelry, including wedding rings and wrist watches
  • joining worldly (public) organizations
  • owning computers, televisions, radios
  • owning and operating an automobile
  • pipeline milking equipment
  • using tractors for fieldwork
  • wall-to-wall carpeting
— Donald B. Kraybill , The Riddle of Amish Culture, Revised Edition p.115

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Luke 22:42
  2. ^ Ordnung Types - My Amish Quilt
  3. ^ Amish Society by John A. Hostetler Pg. 82-83 Fourth Edition
  4. ^ a b *Jameson M. Wetmore - "Amish Technology: Reinforcing Values, Building Community,” IEEE’s Technology & Society 26(2), June 2007, pp. 10-21.
  5. ^ Tim Roper's senior class report at the Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School
  6. ^ David Yoder's page summarizing Swartzentruber Ordnung rules.

[edit] External links