Amish FAQ (300+ Questions)
Question on the Amish? We answer over 300 questions below in over 40 categories.
Scroll down for the full list, or jump to category:
Beliefs
Bible
Buggies
Business
Children
Church
Clothing
Controversies
Death
Diversity
Education
Family
Farming
Fiction
Food
Furniture
Government
Health
History
Holidays
Homes
Joining the Amish
Language
Marriage
Mennonites
Myths
Old Age
Outsiders
Photos
Population
Products
Recreation
Rumspringa
Sex
Shunning
Technology
Tourism
Travel
TV Shows
Women
Work
Answers based on sources including Amish writings and input, scholarly articles and non-fiction books on the Amish. References and further reading listed at bottom of each page.
Can’t find your question? Ask us in the comments section below.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Amish
- Are the Amish Christian?
- What are basic Amish religious beliefs?
- Why don’t Amish fight in wars?
- Do Amish think technology is evil?
- Why do Amish believe in separation from the world?
- When do Amish get baptized?
- Do Amish believe in assurance of salvation?
- Why do Amish practice shunning?
- Do Amish carry insurance?
- Why don’t Amish work on Sundays?
- Are the Amish hypocrites?
- Are Amish allowed to read the Bible?
- In which language is the Bible Amish use?
- Which version of the Bible do Amish use?
- Do the Amish use both Old and New Testament?
- Which Scriptures do Amish most frequently use?
- Do Amish use the Apocrypha?
- Why do Amish refuse to drive cars?
- How much do Amish buggies cost?
- Who makes Amish buggies?
- How many buggies do Amish own?
- How fast do Amish buggies travel?
- How far can a horse-and-buggy go?
- What colors are Amish buggies?
- Are Amish buggies heated?
- What safety features do Amish buggies have?
- Why do some Amish refuse to use the buggy safety triangle?
- Why are Amish businesses closed on Sunday?
- What are typical Amish businesses?
- How can I find an Amish business?
- Why are small businesses popular among Amish?
- How many Amish businesses are there?
- Do Amish make a lot of money?
- Can Amish women run businesses?
- What kinds of auctions do Amish hold?
- Do Amish have to pay taxes?
- Where are Amish children born?
- How large is the average Amish family?
- Do Amish ever adopt?
- How are Amish children disciplined?
- What games do Amish children play?
- When do Amish children go to school?
- Do Amish have church buildings?
- What’s a church district?
- When do Amish create a new church?
- Who are the leaders of the Amish church?
- How do Amish select ministers?
- When are Amish church services held?
- How long is an Amish church service?
- What happens at an Amish church service?
- When are Amish baptized?
- What is Council meeting?
- When do Amish have Communion?
- What happens at Communion?
- Do Amish practice footwashing?
- What is the Holy Kiss?
- What is the Ausbund?
- What songs do Amish sing in church?
- What does being “in fellowship” mean?
- Do Amish bishops control their people?
- What do Amish think about other faiths?
- Do Amish proselytize?
- Can I go to an Amish church service?
- Do people ever join the Amish church?
- Why do the Amish dress plainly?
- Why do Amish women cover their heads?
- What is Amish women’s headwear called?
- Do Amish women cut their hair?
- Why do Amish men wear beards?
- Do Amish wear buttons?
- Do Amish men wear collars?
- What is a mutza suit?
- What are broadfall trousers?
- Do Amish men wear belts?
- Do Amish wear athletic shoes?
- Do Amish make their own clothes?
- What should I wear if I visit the Amish?
- What conflicts have Amish faced?
- Do Amish run puppy mills?
- Do Amish drink alcohol?
- Does abuse happen in Amish communities?
- Do Amish always report crimes?
- Why are Amish targeted by criminals?
- What about the beard-cutting group led by Sam Mullet?
- How has fracking affected the Amish?
- Do Amish follow building codes?
- Can I buy raw milk from the Amish?
- Do Amish use corporal punishment?
- Can Amish people be individuals?
- Do Amish believe in an afterlife?
- How do Amish mourn the deceased?
- What happens at an Amish funeral?
- Are Amish embalmed?
- Do Amish use funeral homes?
- Where are Amish people buried?
- Who makes coffins for the Amish?
- Are Amish all the same?
- What does Old Order mean?
- How many Amish groups are there?
- Why are there so many Amish groups?
- Who are the most conservative Amish?
- Who are the least conservative Amish?
- Are there any non-white Amish?
- Do all Amish get along?
- Why does Amish school end at 8th grade?
- Do Amish children go to high school?
- What are Amish schools like?
- When do Amish children go to school?
- Do Amish children attend public schools?
- Do Amish homeschool?
- Do Amish schools offer special education?
- Who teaches Amish children?
- Can Amish men be schoolteachers?
- Who administers Amish schools?
- Why do Amish revere farming?
- Do all Amish like farming?
- Why are fewer Amish farming?
- Is Amish-grown food organic?
- Do Amish farmers use pesticides?
- Are the Amish “green”?
- Why do some Amish raise tobacco?
- What are popular Amish dishes?
- What are popular Amish desserts?
- Do Amish grow all their own food?
- How do Amish store food?
- How do Amish keep food cold?
- Do Amish eat fast food?
- Is Amish food fattening?
- Where can I find Amish recipes?
- Do the Amish pay taxes?
- Do the Amish vote?
- Are Amish “Republican” or “Democrat”?
- Can Amish run for political office?
- What is the Two Kingdoms doctrine?
- Do Amish follow the law?
- What is the National Amish Steering Committee?
- Do Amish believe in modern medicine?
- Do Amish visit doctors?
- Are the Amish healthier than other Americans?
- Do Amish get immunized?
- Do Amish carry health insurance?
- How do Amish pay hospital bills?
- Do Amish practice folk medicine?
- Do Amish use alternative medical treatments?
- Do Amish travel for medical treatment?
- Where do the Amish come from?
- Where does the name “Amish” come from?
- Who was Jakob Ammann?
- Who was Menno Simons?
- Who were the Anabaptists?
- Who was Dirk Willems?
- When did the Amish come to America?
- Which is the oldest Amish community?
- When did Amish disappear in Europe?
- Do the Amish change over time?
- What are Amish homes like?
- How do Amish decorate their homes?
- How do Amish heat their homes?
- How do Amish light their homes?
- Do Amish homes have shutters?
- Do Amish homes have carpets?
- Do Amish homes have bathrooms?
- Do Amish kitchens have refrigerators?
- How do Amish cook food?
- Do Amish have upholstered furniture?
- How do Amish wash clothes?
- Who builds Amish homes?
- Can outsiders join the Amish?
- Why do Amish converts leave the church?
- How do you become Amish?
- Can you keep in touch with family if you join the Amish?
- Where can I read about people who’ve become Amish?
- Do the Amish seek converts?
- When do Amish youth officially join the church?
- What language do the Amish speak?
- Why do Amish people call their dialect “Dutch”?
- Is the dialect Amish speak the same everywhere?
- When do Amish children learn English?
- Do Amish speak High German?
- Do Amish speak English with an accent?
- How can an outsider learn PA Dutch?
- At what age do Amish marry?
- Can Amish men have more than one wife?
- What’s an Amish wedding like?
- When are Amish weddings held?
- Do Amish wear wedding rings?
- Do Amish couples separate or divorce?
- Can Amish remarry after a spouse dies?
- Do all Amish marry?
- Do Amish husbands control their wives?
- How are Amish and Mennonites similar?
- How are Amish and Mennonites different?
- How many types of Mennonites are there?
- Who are the Old Order Mennonites?
- Do Amish and Mennonites cooperate?
- Where does the name “Mennonite” come from?
- Who are the Old Colony Mennonites?
- Who are the Beachy Amish?
- Do Amish pay taxes?
- Does a blue gate outside an Amish home have meaning?
- Do Amish marry close relatives?
- Do Amish use English men to impregnate their women?
- Do Amish speak Old English or mix German into their speech?
- Is Amish food “all-natural” and organic?
- Do Amish think technology is evil?
- How are older Amish included in the community?
- What is a dawdihaus?
- When do Amish retire?
- Do elderly Amish go to retirement homes?
- Do Amish accept Social Security payments?
- How many grandchildren do Amish grandparents have?
- What do Amish call the rest of us?
- Do Amish cooperate with non-Amish?
- Can I be friends with the Amish?
- Can I visit an Amish community?
- Do Amish accept outsiders into the church?
- Where do Amish live?
- Are there any Amish outside America?
- How many Amish are there in total?
- Are the Amish growing?
- How many Amish communities are there?
- Which are the largest Amish communities?
- Do Amish live in closed colonies?
- Why do Amish move to new places?
- What does “Rumspringa” mean?
- What is the purpose of Rumspringa?
- Are Amish youth encouraged to behave badly during Rumspringa?
- Do youth have to follow the rules during Rumspringa?
- Why is Rumspringa important?
- Do Amish youth leave home during Rumspringa?
- Why do Amish have youth groups?
- What is a “Buddy Bunch”?
- What happens at an Amish youth singing?
- Do Amish youth own smartphones?
- Do Amish get into trouble during Rumspringa?
- What do Amish do on dates?
- What is bundling?
- Can Amish use birth control?
- Do Amish accept homosexuality?
- Is sex education taught in Amish schools?
- Does premarital sex occur among Amish?
- Does inbreeding happen in Amish communities?
- What is the Bann?
- What is shunning?
- What is the Ordnung?
- Why and how are Amish excommunicated?
- Why do the Amish practice shunning?
- Who decides whether an Amish church member should be excommunicated?
- Who can be shunned?
- Are there different types of shunning?
- Can former Amish return to the church?
- Are the Amish the only religious group that practices shunning?
- Isn’t shunning cruel?
- Do Amish use technology?
- Why do Amish restrict technology?
- Why do Amish prohibit public electricity?
- Can Amish talk on the telephone?
- Do Amish own smartphones?
- Do Amish ever use the internet?
- Why can Amish use certain technologies outside the home?
- Do Amish use tractors?
- Do Amish ever adopt new technologies?
- How do Amish adapt technology to their needs?
- What is “Amish electricity”?
- How do Amish get around?
- How do Amish travel long distances?
- Can Amish fly in airplanes?
- Why don’t Amish drive cars?
- What is an Amish taxi?
- Do Amish travel by train and bus?
- Do Amish stay in hotels?
- Is “Amish Mafia” real?
- Is “Breaking Amish” a realistic depiction of Amish youth?
- Why are there so many Amish television programs?
- Do the Amish ever watch TV?
- What programs or films are reliable sources of info on the Amish?
- What are traditional Amish female roles?
- Do Amish women have the same rights as men?
- Do Amish women run businesses?
- Are Amish women content?
- Are Amish women free to choose?
References
The following are among the primary references used to create this FAQ resource. Specific sources are listed at the bottom of each individual question page. Works listed here can all be considered recommended reading as pertains to the Amish.
- 1001 Questions and Answers on the Christian Life. Aylmer, ON: Pathway Publishers, 1992.
- Family Life. Aylmer, ON: Pathway Publishers. Monthly.
- Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (gameo.org)
- Hostetler, John A. Amish Roots: A Treasury of History, Wisdom, and Lore. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989.
- Hostetler, John A. Amish Society. 4th ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993.
- Hurst, Charles E., and David L. McConnell. An Amish Paradox: Diversity & Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.
- Johnson-Weiner, Karen. Train Up a Child: Old Order Amish and Mennonite Schools. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.
- Johnson-Weiner, Karen. New York Amish: Life in the Plain Communities of the Empire State. Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2010.
- The Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies (JAPAS). Online open-source academic journal.
- Kraybill, Donald B. The Riddle of Amish Culture. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
- Kraybill, Donald B., ed. The Amish and the State. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.
- Kraybill, Donald B, and Marc A. Olshan, eds. The Amish Struggle with Modernity. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1994. Print.
- Kraybill, Donald B, and Steven M. Nolt. Amish Enterprise: From Plows to Profits (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
- Kraybill, Donald B., Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven M. Nolt. The Amish. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013.
- Kraybill, Donald B, Steven M. Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher. Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2007.
- Kraybill, Donald B., Steven M. Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher. The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010.
- Nolt, Steven M. A History of the Amish. Intercourse, Pa: Good Books, 1992.
- Nolt, Steven M., and Thomas J. Meyers. Plain Diversity: Amish Cultures and Identities. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007
- Scott, Stephen E. Plain Buggies: Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren Horse-drawn Transportation. Lancaster, Pa.: Good Books, 1998.
- Scott, Stephen E. and Kenneth Pellman. Living Without Electricity. Intercourse, Pa.: Good Books, 1990.
- Stevick, Richard A. Growing Up Amish: The Rumspringa Years. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.
- The Truth in Word and Work. Baltic, Ohio: Amish Brotherhood Publications, 1983.
Carbon Footprint
Am I correct in suspecting the Amish have a very small carbon footprint?
“English” Cultureshock
For the last year, I have become intrigued with the Anabaptist people and their culture (fueled by two trips to Holmes County). I am intrigued by the thought of reverse culture shock – more precisely: what would be the biggest adjustments that a non-Amish person moving into a predominantly Amish community (without joining it) face? I would love to get some thoughts on that.
You are missing a whole central Indiana west community and east community. One near Belmore Indiana and the surrounding area up to Sunset store at the covered bridge in Parke County, Indiana. Also east near Rushville through to northern community by northern end of Richmond, Indiana. Very fine communities with general goods stores, groceries, farmers supplies and of course bakeries along with other small cottage industries. Like: bee keeping, discount bulk food, and solar supplies.
Amish pen friend ?
Hiya Eric, My name is David Falconer, & I live in Glasgow City, Scotland, U. K. Your exploits around the Amish contingents is very interesting, & I have read what you cannot do & this is one of them. Yet I still write to you looking for some other hints of procuring a friend, not for me, but for my brother who is into religion in a big way. The difficulty I have is that Fred’ my brother is housebound, as he has a few health problems. Also he is not IT literate, so e-mails are not on. He would like to do it the old fashioned way of writing, pen/pencil & postage. Also, he is getting on in years. a mere 84. If there is some way you can drop a wee hint to an Amish person, that would be superb. Address :- Fred Falconer. 10 St Mary’s Avenue, Dalneigh, Inverness, IVR 5AD. UK. Thanks, David.
Interview
Good evening,
My name is Tudor Petcu, I’m a Romanian writer and researcher and I would be very interested in making an interview about the history of Amish Community for my YouTube chanel.
Can someone tell me how could I get in touch with a representative of Amish Community for my project?
Thank you in advance!
Hutterites
Eric, how come you never mention Hutterites as an Anabaptist group, like you do Mennonites and Amish? Is there a reason for that?
Banduel
Erik, have you ever visited or interacted with any of the Amish from Banduel, Wisconsin? I would like to know what subset of Amish live in that area. Are they old order, or a different type?
I’ve seen they have a very nice quilt sale every summer.
Thanks for the interesting website!
Stacie, Indianapolis, IN
bear jam
amazon says will not deliver bear jam to Canada, how or where can we get some bear jam?