The Amish

When I left my California home in 1980 to begin touring in a band out of Columbus, Ohio, I soon learned that the culture I was raised in wasn't the only one that existed. Traveling throughout the U.S.,  I found two cultures to be extremely interesting: Cajuns and the Amish. The latter was the most intriguing to me.

I saw, first-hand, their horse-drawn and buggies while driving through small farming communities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I was also mystified with Amish 19th century-style clothing, and that they lived without electricity, telephones and TV.  How could this seemingly backward religious sect survive and coexist alongside a fast-paced society full of electronic gadgets and gas-powered cars? They do and have for over 300 years.

A wonderful documentary called "The Amish" was broadcast last night on PBS. I was reminded of my intrigue after first encountering them up close 32 years ago. Their faith, traced back to the Reformation in Europe, morphed into a religious sect, based on purity. They were originally led by leaders such as the Dutch ex-Catholic priest, Menno Simons (Mennonites) and Jacob Amman, who split with the Mennonites in 1693 over excommunication principles--his followers became the Amish. Their aversion to change has not only affected their dress but their staunch belief in schooling their children themselves, even to the point of government intervention and imprisonment when compulsory education laws were broken. 

The most moving part of the documentary was when, in 2006, a crazed 31 year-old non-Amish man tied up and shot 10 Amish girls inside their one-room school house in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. The man eventually killed himself as police stormed the tiny building. After 5 girls lost their lives and 5 others held stubbornly to life, an Amish neighbor of the killer's parents paid a visit to the grieving family. The Amish man held out a hand offering forgiveness and grace. Several of the Amish families who lost children in the carnage would attend the murderer's funeral.

Even as their culture is foreign to our own, we have much to learn from them. In their culture the individual is not as important as the group, church, or family. Because of this, they avoid anything that would steer the faithful away from their belief system. Some have left the fold, only to be "shunned" or excommunicated, just as Jacob Amman instituted over 300 years earlier.

What does the future look like for the Amish? Only time will tell. But I hope their amazing practice of Christian grace doesn't disappear with their culture.

Watch The Amish: Nickel Mines Clip on PBS. See more from American Experience.