What Do You Think? Amish “Rules”
“Limitations on Amish life are dictated by the Ordnung, which is what the Amish call the unwritten set of rules and regulations that dictates their day-to-day life.” (Quote from A Pocket Guide to Amish Life, by Mindy Starns Clark).
Today’s question for all you readers is, What do you think about the Ordnung, as you understand it? Would you be able to live under it? Do you think being under the Ordnung is very different for the Amish than being under our own laws is for us?
What Amish “rules” would be the hardest to follow? Would you ever be able to shun another person?
Let’s talk about it!
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I think it is wise for everyone to have laws and beliefs to live by in day to day life, especially if they are Christ centered. We are all called to live separated and holy unto God. Even in the Bible He calls us to be a “peculiar people”. Having said that I believe I could live with most of their unwritten rules and I think the one I would struggle with the most would be missing my air conditioning in the summer and a phone to speak to my family that lives far off. The shunning would most definitely be hard for me
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Janet Martin Reply:
September 20th, 2010 at 9:53 am
i agree with everything you said i would feel the same except i can an have to now do without air conditioning
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The ordnung as I understand it are the rules that the Amish abide by. While most of us may find some of them strange and harsh, most other religious groups also have their own such rules. The Catholics and the Jewish and I am sure others have certain rules and restrictions that they are expected to follow. I think if you are born and raised under the ordnung it is not much different than being raised under other rules. It is what you grow up knowing and understanding. Most people feel that they couldn’t live without the electricity, but I don’t think that would be my hardest part, since many of their things can be battery operated. I think the hardest part for me would be the hard work they do. By that I mean they are up early and doing the gardening and harvesting and canning(I’m speaking as a woman)and sewing the clothes. I would much rather go to the store and just buy those things. As far as the shunning goes, I think I would have a really hard time with that. Especially if it was an immediate family member. If it was just a person in the community it wouldn’t be as bad, but if it was a spouse or son or daughter or a parent, I don’t think I could do that.
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I would like to see what exactly is in the Ordnung, would be very interesting. But I think that everyone needs rules in their lives if they want their society to run smoothly. In most fiction books I read about it seems that shunning is a t…errible thing to happen but it also seems like you are given many chances to change your ways, and you are let back into the fold once you have repented,and brought back to “good standing”.We can’t say that happens in our church, like they say “we are the only ones who shoot their wounded” in many cases.See More
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I think that the rules are very reasonable. If everyone obeyed their rules of their faith, we probably wouldn’t have as much crime. The shunning is a way to straighten up a person’s thinking about his/her faith. Rules are meant for a reason. They shouldn’t be broken.
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AsAn Amish woman living without electricity would be very hard for me. But I think after time I would get used to it. But the hardest thing for me would be to tell the bishop my personal business. I go to God with my sins to ask forgiveness. The Amish must go to their bishop for his guidance & wisdon.
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