Don’t know much about the Amish? Welcome to “Amish 101″ where you can learn the basics. These are lessons compiled from two decades spent among the Amish, these are compiled by Amish Cook editor, Kevin Williams (yours truly). I am NOT an academic, so use this is as a general guide. I am an expert on my own experiences and that is what this material conveys.
One of the first things you should know about the Amish is that for almost every rule or custom listed below, you’ll find an exception somewhere. Which brings us to the first “Amish Lesson”
LESSON 1 – CHURCH STRUCTURE: Like snowflakes, no two Amish churches are alike. The Amish church lacks a central administrative structure like other churches have. The centralized structure of most churches whether it be the Mormons and their headquarters in Salt Lake City or Roman Catholics taking their direction from the Vatican, the highest authority in the Amish church is he LOCAL bishop. There is no “Amish Pope”. So while most Amish churches share similarities in theology and tradition, one can also see wide variations. Some Amish churches permit indoor plumbing, while others do not. Most Amish prefer not to be photographed, but in some church districts the rules are more liberal and photography is permitted.
LESSON 2 – PHOTOGRAPHY
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.”
The above verse from Exodus is the Biblical basis that most Amish use for rejecting photography. Over 20 years ago when I first start studying and spending time with the Amish there was one main rule outsiders had to embrace: whatever you do, do NOT photograph them. I even heard stories about some Amish who had angrily grabbed the cameras of outsiders and run over them with their buggy. Sheesh, that made me think twice about taking out my point-and-shoot camera that I got free with my Time Magazine subscription. You know, the kind of camera that actually took old film that used to be sold in rolls? Remember Time Magazine? I’m not sure if any cameras were ever actually run over by buggies, it could have been a “rural legend.” But clearly most Amish were very opposed to photography. Today, it’s more complicated. Not all Amish interpret Exodus as constituting a prohibition on photographs. To be sure many Old Order Amish and Mennonites still very much object to being photographed. Others, however, say “well, if you catch us in a documentary type photograph….it’s okay, just as long as we aren’t posing.” If they are out baling hay, for instance, or putting up a barn. The posing is viewed as vain or frivolous and perhaps a more blatant violation of Exodus. And still other Amish have no qualms about being photographed, they just don’t want to be photographed for fear of being ostracized by others who don’t feel the same way. So where does this leave the visitor to Amish country? My advice remains: don’t photograph them and that is based more on common courtesy than theology. Would you want someone photographing you out hanging wash? Or your children playing? The answer is probably – if you are like me – no. Now, I do think it is perfectly permissible to ask if it’s okay to get a photo if you already have a rapport with an Amish friend. I just think sometimes even asking puts pressure on an Amish person. So follow the “golden rule” and use your own judgment and I think you’ll be fine. Personally, I think photographing a buggy from behind is probably okay.
LESSON 3 – AUTOMOBILES VS. BUGGIES
One of the ways the Old Order Amish stay tethered to their simpler, slower pace is by refusing to own automobiles. Notice the word is refuse to own, not use. There is a distinct difference in the two terms. The Amish fear that owning automobiles would tear apart the fabric of family life in much the same way it has non-Amish America. Suburbs now spread out like thin pancake batter on a hot griddle far from the city. People are disconnected, neighbors don’t know one another like they used to. By refusing to own cars (besides saving a ton on gas and insurance!), the Amish are making a statement about community and connection. Churches stay close-knit geographically because everyone needs to live close to one another when buggy is your main mode of transport. Like with many technologies, however, the Amish have made compromises to adapt to the changing world around them. The reality is that to attend a wedding or funeral faraway, horse-and-buggy is impractical. So the Amish will hire non-Amish drivers to take them. This can get pretty expensive and actually can offset the savings of not having car payments and insurance, depending on how many times an Amish person needs to hire a driver throughout the course of the year. In some smaller generally more conservative Amish settlements hiring a driver is still a relative rarity. In larger Amish areas it can be a weekly occurrence. In these communities the Amish often maintain a list of “Amish taxis”, non-Amish drivers who make their living driving Amish people around. While outsiders may roll their eyes or whisper “hypocrisy” at this practice, it still – in the eyes of the Amish – beats owning a car. By hiring a driver an Amish person can at least exercise a measure of control over how much the outside world encroaches on their existence. Other modes of long-distance travel that are acceptable to the Amish include trains and buses. Airplane travel is generally not permitted, but some Old Order Amish, however, will fly to their destinations if the needs are urgent and faraway. In the far-flung Amish settlements of St. Ignatius and Rexford, Montana, air travel is relied on from time to time to visit family out east. So a theme you’ll read in many of these posts is also prevalent with this issue: since it’s impractical to totally shut-out certain technologies, the Amish will do what is in their minds the “next best thing” and that’s keep it at arm’s length.
I hope yopur next column on photography and the Amish will be out soon…We like to travel and have hesitated taking photos to be sensitive to Amish customs…but there are many opportunities for great photos that we would like to take advantage of…..how we can we photograph in the Amish countryside and still be sensitive to their wishes. Is it possible to find an Amish family who would allow me to take a series of photos of their farm and family. Thank you for responding and for your advice.
I will be posting about that in the next few days, so stay tuned! Thanks for stopping by!
Where is the photo of the Breakfast Haystack and the ingredients?
Joanne,
Thanks for stopping by! You can check it out here http://www.oasisnewsfeatures.com/2012/01/06/breakfast-haystack/
The vanity prohibition is much more important than the graven images one – most Amish families will have photographic portraits done and have for a hundred years. No one, though, like to be a zoo exhibit. I get photographed often; I sometimes see the phone cameras come up to shoulder height in the grocery store! I am not Amish, but I hold to their standard of refusing to pose for photos, for their sake. Frequent posing does make one vain about it. I would suggest that photographs at a distance, inobtrusively taken, that do not show people’s faces, would be all right. And as adorable as Plain-dressed children are, please don’t go photographing them without asking parents’ permission.
I just found your site as I have been reading the Amish cook in the paper for a long time and just never thought to see if there was a web. site glad to have found it. I have been so curious about the Amish for a long time , I love the simple life they live . I will be back for more about there life style.
Sharon, welcome, so glad you found us! What newspaper do you read The Amish Cook in? – Kevin