The Amish: Technology Practice and Technological Change

by Jamie Sharp

The Amish view of technology and technological change is very misunderstood by modern society. With their plain style of dress, straw hats, suspenders, and buggies, it is not difficult to see why so many of us perceive the Amish as having a hatred of technology. In reality, the Amish do not despise technology and even have incorporated many technologies into their culture. Other technologies, however, have been rejected completely or used within certain limitations as a result of deep religious beliefs and the rules that guide and maintain their distinct culture.

To understand the modern Amish view of technology, it is important to first examine and gain an understanding of their religious beliefs and their history. The Amish stem from a sixteenth century reformation movement known today as the Anabaptist movement.¹ Anabaptists, or rebaptizers, believed that baptism should be reserved only for those who were ready to enter a life of faith, repentance, obedience, and discipline.² For this reason, the Anabaptists protested against the Roman Catholic doctrine of infant baptism and became enemies of the Church. Like the Roman Catholic Church, however, the Anabaptists still recognized the three ordained leadership positions of bishop, priest, and deacon³ The Anabaptists believed, following Jesus' example, that members of the movement should practice loving enemies, forgiving insults, and turning the other cheek. They also believed in separation from society and the separation of church and state.⁴ The Bible was, and is, literally translated.⁵ These beliefs still hold true in modern Amish life. The Amish prefer a culture based on a community of the faithful. Families tend to congregate in small communities such as Lancaster, PA, and most Amish have very few relations outside of the Amish faith. Their children do not attend public schools, and they do not involve themselves in the outside world. Those who are not Amish are considered outsiders and are simply referred to as the "English.⁶" The Amish are extreme pacifists and are exempt from military drafts.

Though they still practice Anabaptist beliefs, the Amish are technically not Anabaptists. Jakob Amman, an Anabaptist elder from the Alsatian Church of western France, officially split with the Anabaptist movement in 1693.⁷ Amman's split with the movement was less doctrinal and more ritualistic. He encouraged foot washing, just as Jesus had washed the twelve disciples' feet, having males grow beards after marriage, and a very strict dress code.⁸ The main difference between the Amish and the Anabaptists is found in the following of Meidung, or shunning.⁹ The Anabaptists used shunning as a form of discipline for those who had sinned and not repented. A shunned person was, in essence, excommunicated from the church for a short period of time and treated as a stranger. Discipline for the shunned person was rarely extreme. Amman expanded the traditional usage of shunning. He advocated the strict shunning of all people who left the Amish church and those who married outsiders.¹⁰ Amman preached that one should not buy from, sell to, or even eat at the same table as an excommunicated church member.¹¹ His rules regarding strict dress are witnessed in the plainness of modern Amish clothing. All clothing is sewn at home, buttons are not allowed, and only pins are used to keep clothing closed. Women's hair is covered at all times and men wear plain felt or straw hats when outside of the house. All married Amish men still wear beards today, and Meidung is still practiced.

In Europe, most Amish and other groups of the Anabaptist tradition were forced to live an agrarian lifestyle because city life, with its material indulgences, greed, and selfishness, was not conducive to Anabaptist values. When Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor of France in 1799, the Amish, who still lived in Alsace, were granted equal rights with Catholics.¹² In return for equality under the law, Napoleon insisted that the Amish serve in his army.¹³ Under this extreme pressure, and facing the extinction of their pacifist beliefs, the Amish were forced to emigrate to America. Most of the Amish settled in Pennsylvania between 1815 and 1860, where William Penn had granted anyone freedom of religious practice.¹⁴ Others settled in New York, Canada, Indiana, and Iowa.¹⁵ Besides finding the freedom of religious practice that their culture required, they also found an abundance of land and excellent soil. The Amish decided to maintain their agrarian identity here in America.

The most important factor of Amish life is Gelassenheit, or submission to the will of God. Gelassenheit is based primarily on Jesus' words, "not my will but thine be done."¹⁶ By giving up individuality and any thought of selfishness, they embrace God's will by serving others and submitting to Him. To the Amish, Gelassenheit is seen in all of the following aspects of Amish life:

Personality: reserved, modest, calm, quiet
Values: submission, obedience, humility, simplicity
Symbols: dress, horse, carriage, lantern
Structure: small, informal, local, decentralized
Ritual: baptism, confession, ordination, foot-washing

** Excerpted from Kraybill, Donald. The Riddle of Amish Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989, p.26.

The Amish feel that Gelassenheit should permeate every facet of their existence, and even be apparent in their material possessions. Consequently, they will only selectively use modern technologies. As seen in the symbols of Gelassenheit, the Amish believe that using lanterns and the buggies typifies their lifestyle of simplicity and modesty. Any technology that does not uphold the Gelassenheit principles is banned from use. Electricity is seen as a connection with the outside world and violates the Amish principle of separation from society. Electricity also promotes the use of household items, such as the television, that allow the outside, "English," values of sloth, luxury, and vanity to infiltrate the household. Automobiles are not often used because they degrade the Gelassenheit principle of a small, close-knit community. The Amish fear, with good reason, that these modern transportation technologies will cause them to spread apart, much like most modern American families. Also, the Amish fear that the automobile will promote competition among themselves. They worry that the car will become a status symbol and promote vanity, which is in direct violation of the Gelassenheit value of modesty. The telephone is banned from the household because, much like the automobile, it promotes a separation of community. Instead of taking a carriage or walking to a friend's house, the Amish feel that they would be tempted to simply stay home and speak on the phone. In order to uphold Gelassenheit, many modern technologies have been banned from regular use.

Each Amish community maintains a list of written or unwritten rules, called Ordnung, that regulates all aspects of Amish activity. The Ordnung originated with the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century as a basic outline of the faith. Since then, details and new rules have been added that help define what it means to be Amish. The rules pertain to all aspects of Amish life, such as clothing, child bearing, weekend activities, church activities, and occupational activities. 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.¹⁷

Amish children are instructed in the ways of the Ordnung at a very young age. Just as children in mainstream society learn that breaking the law of a particular state is wrong, Amish children learn that breaking the law of the Ordnung is wrong. The Ordnung is not considered the law of God; instead, it is interpreted as a set of guidelines for living a Godly and pious life.

Listed in the Ordnung are all rules pertaining to technologies that may or may not be used by the Amish. Many technologies are banned because they lead to self-exultation and an over- manipulative power. The example of the automobile holds true in this instance. The owner of a better quality automobile tends to exult his possession, exhibiting vanity, over those who own automobiles that are not as good. Using the prescribed horse and buggy of the Ordnung eliminates this problem. Everything looks the same and therefore unity and equality are preserved. Likewise, using a tractor or combine to plow a field or harvest crops diminishes the need for teamwork and asserts the work of the individual. Once a technology is banned in the Ordnung, the decision is rarely ever reversed. Therefore, many rules that seem meaningless or impractical are maintained because of a deep sense of tradition. In 1978, one Amish community from Indiana published parts of their Ordnung rules in order to reiterate their stance on the use of technology:

Farm with horses, not with power machinery in the field.
No rubber tires on implements or buggies.
No unnecessary lights on buggies except what is for safety.
No bulk tanks or milkers.
No one shall operate cars or trucks.
No electrical generators except for welding. No lightning rods.
No sinks or colored tub in the bathroom.
The young people shall not run after pleasure places, have a radio or TV, or watch movies. No wrist watches, bicycles, no drinking or tobacco.

**Excerpted from Hostetler, John, ed. Amish Roots: a Treasury of History, Wisdom and Lore. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989.

Ordnung rules vary from community to community. The strictness of the rules depends mostly on what religious order a person belongs to. The list above typifies the Ordnung rules of the Old Order Amish, a moderate group in comparison with many others. The enforcement of the rules depends on the Bishop, who is charged with upholding Amish values. All of the rules are designed to maintain Gelassenheit, unify members of the Amish church, and sustain their separation from the outside world.

Forced to maintain every rule regarding technology because of their strong sense of tradition, the Amish have had to find ways to utilize modern technology without breaking the laws of the Ordnung. The Amish reservation regarding electricity is understandable. With electricity comes light bulbs, ideas through media such as televisions, radios and computers, connection to the outside world, and the means to do things using easier, more modern methods. However, sometimes using electricity is a necessity. Many Amish farmers use electric fences for their cattle, and many older Amish people require the use of small reading lights. The Amish also must use flashing electric lights on their buggies as a warning system for people in automobiles.

In the 1960's, the milk industry demanded that the Amish store their milk in large containers that used electric motors to stir the milk.¹⁸ Threatened with losing their lucrative milk industry, the Amish were forced to re-evaluate the rules pertaining to the use of electricity.. The Amish Church concluded that electricity could be used in very specific situations, but it had to be produced without access to outside power lines and the current was limited to twelve volts or less. Batteries were acceptable as long as they provided a twelve-volt current. Electric generators could only be used for welding, recharging batteries, and powering milk stirs.¹⁹ Today, solar panels and water wheels are also used to generate electricity. The reasoning behind the twelve volt system is that it limits what an individual can do with the electricity and acts as a preventative measure against potential abuses. Most worldly modern appliances, such as televisions, light bulbs, and hair dryers use 110 volt electricity, which will not operate under twelve volt current. Therefore, the Amish are "safe" from most modern amenities. The Amish lifestyle and tradition has changed very little as a result of the electricity allowances.

When the telephone first appeared in the late 1890's in rural Pennsylvania, the Amish did not reject it. In fact, several Amish families had purchased phones and had installed them inside their homes. Trouble soon followed, however, when two Amish women were caught gossiping.²⁰ The matter became a church issue and the phone was banned from household use in 1908.²¹ Today's Amish are not entirely sure why the bishops banned phones in the household, except that they made gossip too easy, were too handy, and were worldly.²² Today, though, the phone is seen as very impersonal, breaking down the closeness associated with Amish life.

There are loopholes to the phone issue. Though phones are banned from the household, they are not banned from being "used." Many Amish have no problem using the phone under certain circumstances. Phones are acceptably used for business purposes, to call for medical attention, police, or to call the fire department. While the Amish are not allowed to have phone lines leading directly to their houses, they can have what are called phone shanties. A phone shanty is a small shack with a telephone located at a site accessible to multiple Amish families. Anyone needing to use the phone can walk to these shacks and use one. The shack inhibits excessive use of the phone because it is dark, hot or cold depending on the season, and too far from the house to be convenient. The Amish can also use their neighbor's phone if they absolutely must. They will place phone calls, but rarely answer incoming ones. The only exception to this is a business phone, which can be connected to an individual building and is used more often.

The Amish have always rejected automobiles. The horse-drawn carriage is so much a symbol of Gelassenheit that the car became instantly incompatible with the Amish lifestyle. The term, "automatic mobility," suggests a worldliness that is not acceptable to most. However, if the Amish must use an automobile, whether to visit distant relatives, or to travel beyond the range of their horse and buggies, they are allowed to ride in one. The Ordnung specifically points out that the Amish are not allowed to physically operate automobiles. A driver must be hired to take the Amish where they want to go. Many groups rent busses to take them on mass excursions to old meeting houses or cemeteries. The Amish have also been known to use airplanes for long distance travel. As long as they are not operating the machines, they are not breaking the laws of the Ordnung. Even though many Amish travel by automobile and airplane, excessive long distance travel is discouraged. There is a fear that such travel will lead to an eventual separation of the community.

It is surprising to know that the Amish use modern farming equipment. The Ordnung requires all Amish to use horses to pull any equipment while working in the field. Therefore, many Amish have adapted haybalers, sprayers, spreaders, and reapers for use with horses. Also, many modern machines are operated by small internal combustion or steam engines that replace the large engines that would have been needed to propel them. One Amish Bishop is quoted as saying, "if you can pull it with horses, you can have it."²³ Tractors are permissible around the barn to haul things and to operate equipment. Chemical fertilizers and insecticides are also permissible.

There is a common misconception about the Amish opinion of medical technology. The Ordnung actually says nothing about the acceptance of modern medicine. Most Amish have no problem visiting an optometrist for vision correction, seeing a dentist for a semiannual checkup, or going to a local physician for an examination. The Amish usually will not refuse medical treatment for serious illness. They will take modern drugs, and will go to a hospital for surgery.

There are several ways that the Amish integrate a technology into their society. The most common way is that a technology will "slide" in and take its place unnoticed. Minor technologies, such as the rubber band, have slid into use without the need of a review. If a technology poses a real threat to the Gelassenheit values or threatens Amish traditions, than the threatening technology is reviewed at a meeting known as the Ordnungsgemee.²⁴ This meeting is held semiannually, right before communion Sunday.²⁵ Here, both church leaders and members debate upon the ramifications that a technology will have if accepted into the Amish society. After the debate, a vote is taken. If the church leaders are in agreement, the majority rules. However, if the church leaders disagree with the decision, the laity are overruled. The bishops, priests, and deacons, have the final word. The last way that a technology is accepted or rejected is by direct word of the bishop. If the bishop decides that a technology threatens to weaken Amish culture, he has the power to ban the technology instantly, without discussing the problem with the laity. Donald Kraybill has discerned that fourteen cultural regulators determine whether or not the Amish will accept a technology into their society:

Economic Impact: If the technology is likely to create higher profits, it is more likely to be accepted by the Amish. A mower on a hay baler is more likely to be accepted than a lawn mower.

Visible Changes: A change that is noticeable is more likely to be rejected than a less noticeable one. A rubber band is more likely to be accepted than a Ford minivan.

Relationship to Ordnung: Changes that reverse or contradict the Ordnung are less likely to be accepted than those that are unrelated to past decisions.

Adaptability to Ordnung: Changes that are adaptable to previous Ordnung specifications are more acceptable than those that are not.

Ties to Sacred Symbols: Changes that threaten ethnic identity are less acceptable than ones unrelated to key symbols.

Linkage to Profane Symbols: Changes linked to profane symbols are less acceptable than those without such ties.

Sacred Ritual: Changes that threaten sacred ritual are less acceptable than those unrelated to worship.

Limitations: Changes with specified limits are more acceptable than open-ended ones.

Interaction with Outsiders: Changes that encourage regular, systematic interaction with outsiders are less acceptable than those that foster ethnic relationships.

External Influence: Changes that open avenues of influence from modern life are less acceptable than those without such connections.

Family Solidarity: Changes that threaten family integration are less acceptable than those that support the family unit.

Ostentatious Display: Decorative changes that attract attention are less acceptable than utilitarian ones.

Size: Changes that significantly enlarge the scale of things are less acceptable than those that reinforce small social units.

Individualism: Changes that elevate and accentuate individuals are less acceptable than those that promote social equality.

** Excerpted from Kraybill, Donald. The Riddle of Amish Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1989, p.86.

The Amish have a unique and interesting way of dealing with the effect that technology has on their society. Unlike modern America, where people are now expected to conform to the technology that is placed before them, the Amish have devised a way of selecting which technologies are "good" and which ones are better off left alone. The Amish view technology as something that comes second to religion and cultural identity. If the introduction of a new technology weakens either of these two key components, they reject it. Martin Heidegger saw the world as conforming to a technological template, where humans are taught to think and act like machines. Jacques Ellul saw a world where, instead of using machines to meet our ends, we are used to meet the ends of the machine; we become second to the technology. The Amish have avoided these grim realities by placing Gelassenheit and the will of God above all else. They are masters of selective technology practice.

Like the Amish selection of technology use, the are also selective of their financial paths. Many Amish are quite business saavy and look into savings, investments and the pros and cons of annuities. They are very resourceful and do what they can to get by, make extra money when possible and steer clear of debt. There is much to be said and much to be learned from the financial successes and plans in the Amish community.

Endnotes

1. "The Amish." http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/˜jkh8x/soc257/nrms/amish.html (24 Feb 1999)

2. "Anabaptists," The World Book Encyclopedia, 1988 ed., Vol. 1, p.450.

3. Gross, Leonard. "Background Dynamics of the Amish Movement." http://www.goshen.edu/˜1onhs/ GCPUBLICATIONS/GROSS.html (24 Feb 1999)

4. "Anabaptists," The World Book Encyclopedia, 1988 ed., Vol. 1, p.450.

5. "The Amish." http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/˜jkh8x/soc257/nrms/amish.html (24 Feb 1999)

6. "The Amish, The Mennonites, and the ‘Plain People." http://www.800padutch.com/amish.html (24 Feb 1999)

7. "The Amish." http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/˜jkh8x/soc257/nrms/amish.html (24 Feb 1999)

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. "The Amish Movement." http://www.oc.edu/pages/brian.westmoreland/amishmovement.html (24 Feb 1999)

13. Ibid.

14. Ibid.

15. Ibid.

16. Donald B. Kraybill, The Riddle of Amish Culture, p.26.

17. Kraybill, p.98.

18. Kraybill, p.155.

19. Kraybill, p.158.

20. Kraybill, p.143.

21. Kraybill, p.143.

22. Kraybill, p.144.

23. Kraybill, p.178.

24. John Hostetler, Amish Society, p. 82.

25. Hostetler, p.82.

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