The Plain sects are a group of Anabaptist communities who grew from the teachings of Jacob Amman 1644-1720. They are largely referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch in an area largely centered around Lancaster, Pennsylvania and as the Amish elsewhere, but they actually are a number of groups with related but different beliefs and practices. Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) were Christians of the Radical Reformation. ... // Events February to August - Explorer Abel Tasmans second expedition for the Dutch East India Company maps the north coast of Australia. ... // Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... Lancaster is a city located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. ... Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County, Ohio, the site of one of the largest concentrations of Amish in the United States The Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists, found primarily in the United States and Canada, noted for their restrictions on the use of modern...

Nomenclature

The term Pennsylvania Dutch is a misnomer. The word comes from Deutsch, meaning German. However, Penmsylvania 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. The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German) are descendants of German speaking immigrants who came to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. ...

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. Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County, Ohio, the site of one of the largest concentrations of Amish in the United States The Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists, found primarily in the United States and Canada, noted for their restrictions on the use of modern... Donald B. Kraybill is a prolific author, lecturer, and educator on Anabaptist faiths and living, and especially recognized as an expert on Old Order Amish life. ...

Origins

The Mennonite movement was a reform movement within Protestant Christianity based on the teachings of Menno Simons 1496-1561, and the 1632 Mennonite 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. The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist (Re-baptizers) denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Menno Simons (1496–1561) was an Anabaptist religious leader from the Dutch province of Friesland. ... 1496 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ... See also: 1632 (novel) Events February 22 - Galileos Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems is published July 23 - 300 colonists for New France depart Dieppe November 8 - Wladyslaw IV Waza elected king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth after Zygmunt III Waza death November 16 - Battle of Lützen... The Canons of Dort is one of the confessional standards of the Netherlands. ... Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County, Ohio, the site of one of the largest concentrations of Amish in the United States The Amish are a denomination of Anabaptists, found primarily in the United States and Canada, noted for their restrictions on the use of modern... The Epistle to the Romans is one of the epistles, or letters, included in the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. ...

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 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. William Penn (October 14, 1644–July 30, 1718) founded the Province of Pennsylvania, the British North American colony that became the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ... Jacob Amman (Jakob Ammann) was born circa 1644 in Erlenbach im Simmental, Switzerland, but later moved to Alsace as part of a wave of Anabaptist emigration from out of the Canton of Berne. ... Berks County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. ... Events January 26 - Stanislaus I of Poland abdicates his throne. ... Lancaster is a city located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

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. A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ... A palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ...

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.

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. Donald B. Kraybill is a prolific author, lecturer, and educator on Anabaptist faiths and living, and especially recognized as an expert on Old Order Amish life. ...

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]. Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from an individual or group. ... Rumspringa is a traditional rite of passage in the Amish religion, and describes a period lasting months or years during which adolescents are released from the church and its rules. ... A motorcycle gang (also known as a biker gang) is a motorcycle club and gang whose members (outlaw bikers and one percenters) are motorcycle riders, usually of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. ... Berks County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. ... Steven Tyler in Be Cool Stephen Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948 in Yonkers, New York), better known as Steven Tyler, is the singer and co-songwriter in the band Aerosmith, formed in Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1970s. ... Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. ... Anthony Esposito is a film producer whose credits include Executive Target (1997), Camouflage (2001) and WiseGirls (2002). ...

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. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the U.S.. As the highest court, it provides the leadership of the judicial branch of the U.S. federal government. ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... Lancaster County is a county located in the south-central portion of the state of Pennsylvania in the Susquehanna Valley. ...

Interest in the plain sects also resulted from the movie Witness [7] 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. Nickname: City of Brotherly Love Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Official website: http://www. ... Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. ... McGillis as seen on the cover of the Top Gun DVD Kelly McGillis (born 9 July 1957 in Newport Beach, California, USA) is an American actress, whose notable movies include Witness (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), Top Gun and The Accused. ...

Health

The Pennsylvania Dutch generally do not prosetylize and discourage intermarriage. Because of close consanguinity, certain genetic problems occur more frequently. Dr. Morton has established the Clinic for Special Children to study and treat families with these problems.[8] Consanguinity, literally meaning common blood, describes how close a person is related to another in the sense of a family. ...

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 [9]. 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. Dan Olmsted is an investigative reporter and senior editor for United Press International (UPI), and the author of the Age of Autism report series. ... Front of UPI Headquarters, Washington, D.C. United Press International (UPI) is a global news agency headquartered in the United States filing news in English, Spanish and Arabic. ...

See also

• Puzzles of Amish Life by Donald Kraybill (ISBN 1561480010)