Free Essays on Amish Culture

Paper Two- Folk Culture There are many folk cultures still alive throughout the world, but the one that seems to be the most vivid of all has to be the Amish folk culture. First we have to have a clear idea of what a folk culture represents to understand the Amish way of life, their beliefs and their values. The word folk describes a rural group that still lives the old-fashioned way, following some simple rules and practices. A group of people that generally stick together and are less influenced by modern technology than the overall population. The Amish people fall under all these characteristics. The Amish are a very conservative Christian faith group. Many of their beliefs are identical to those of Fundamentalist and other Evangelical churches, including baptism, a literal interpretation of the Bible, etc. Of course, there is some differences such as their belief in remaining separate from the rest of the world and their rejection of involvement with the military or warfare. Each district is self-governing, there is no centralized Amish organization. They have traditionally avoided attempts to seek adaptation. Recently, some Amish groups have become active in converting to Christianity. The Ordnung is an oral tradition which regulates the Amish way of life, specific details of the Ordnung differ among various church districts. Some Amish migrated to the United States, started in the early 18th century, and started settling in Lancaster County, PA during the 1720's. Other groups settled in or moved to New York, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio. They have attempted to preserve the elements of late 17th century European rural culture. They reject most of the developments of the modern society. During the 1860's, a series of conferences were held in Wayne County OH to deal with modern pressures. Partly as a result of these conferences, the Amish split into a number of divisions, including t... Free Essays on Amish Culture Free Essays on Amish Culture Paper Two- Folk Culture There are many folk cultures still alive throughout the world, but the one that seems to be the most vivid of all has to be the Amish folk culture. First we have to have a clear idea of what a folk culture represents to understand the Amish way of life, their beliefs and their values. The word folk describes a rural group that still lives the old-fashioned way, following some simple rules and practices. A group of people that generally stick together and are less influenced by modern technology than the overall population. The Amish people fall under all these characteristics. The Amish are a very conservative Christian faith group. Many of their beliefs are identical to those of Fundamentalist and other Evangelical churches, including baptism, a literal interpretation of the Bible, etc. Of course, there is some differences such as their belief in remaining separate from the rest of the world and their rejection of involvement with the military or warfare. Each district is self-governing, there is no centralized Amish organization. They have traditionally avoided attempts to seek adaptation. Recently, some Amish groups have become active in converting to Christianity. The Ordnung is an oral tradition which regulates the Amish way of life, specific details of the Ordnung differ among various church districts. Some Amish migrated to the United States, started in the early 18th century, and started settling in Lancaster County, PA during the 1720's. Other groups settled in or moved to New York, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Ohio. They have attempted to preserve the elements of late 17th century European rural culture. They reject most of the developments of the modern society. During the 1860's, a series of conferences were held in Wayne County OH to deal with modern pressures. Partly as a result of these conferences, the Amish split into a number of divisions, including t...