What is the Difference Between Amish and Mennonite
What is the difference between the Amish and the Mennonites? This is a question that loads of people have. I was raised Amish and then became a Mennonite. In order to answer your question, I will try to show you how Mennonites and Amish churches are different.
While Amish and Mennonites may not seem to be very different, there is a big difference between the Amish and the conservative Mennonites. There seems to be a big difference when you are in that circle, though. It’s also important to note that the most conservative Mennonites are very different from the most simple Amish.
There are many Amish and Mennonite churches, and each has its own set of rules.
I was raised in Lancaster County, PA, as a New Order Amish child. In the Lancaster area, I know the most about the New Order groups and the Old Order Amish. I have only learnt more about some of the simpler Amish in the last few years. I didn’t know how some of them lived or how strict they were.
Who are the Amish?
The Amish are a Protestant group that began during the Reformation. To start the Amish church, Jacob Ammon went to Europe in the late 1600s. The Amish believed in anabaptism, which means baptism for adults. Most churches baptised children, but Ammon and his followers thought that adults should be the ones to choose their religion. Before they finally settled in the United States, Ammon and his followers, who became known as the Amish, were persecuted for their beliefs and chased around Europe. William Penn’s colony of religious freedom drew them there.
Who are the Mennonites?
The Mennonite church began almost two hundred years before the Amish church. Menno Simons started the Mennonites. He believed in adult baptism, which was a very new idea at the time. Simons and those who followed him also believed in pacifism, which says that violence should never happen. Mennonites have always been against war and other violent acts. The founders of the Amish church thought the Mennonites weren’t going far enough in their views of simplicity and separation, so they broke away from the Mennonites.
Differences Between the Amish and the Mennonites
Some of the most simple groups are the Swartzentruber and Nebraskan Amish, who don’t have cars or bathrooms inside. The only clothes they wear are long-sleeved dark clothes. Their rules are also different in many other small ways.
There is indoor plumbing and a few other modern conveniences for the Old Order Amish.
The New Order Amish and the Beachy Amish/Mennonites are a lot alike. The main difference is that the Beachy drive cars, while the New Order drive horse-drawn buggies. Also, some New Order groups do not allow electricity.
Because I wanted a car and liked the way the Beachy Amish dressed better, I left the New Order Amish and joined them. On top of that, they could have cameras, listen to a cappella music on stereos, and have a churchhouse. We were pretty much the same other than that.
The Amish Mennonite group in Beachy is their name. Because they are a group that isn’t quite Amish or Mennonite, but not quite either.
The horse and buggy is what I think sets the Amish and Mennonites apart. Yes, but not quite. The Wenger Mennonites, also called horse and buggy Mennonites, call themselves Mennonites, but they are more like the Old Order Amish than they are like other Mennonites.
The rules are very different, and if you pay attention, you can tell them apart by the way Amish and Mennonite people dress.
Conclusion
Mennonite and Amish communities have been strong for hundreds of years and still follow their traditional values, even though they are different in these ways. They are living examples of a time when faith was more important than modern conveniences. We can all learn from how dedicated they are to their beliefs.
FAQ
What’s the difference between the Amish and the Mennonites?
Old Order Mennonites let technology and cell phones be used in the home. Old Order Mennonites also gather in meetinghouses to worship. The Amish try to stay away from electricity, and most of them choose to worship at home instead of in a meetinghouse.
What faith do the Amish follow?
What do the Amish look like? People in North America are called Amish. They are a Christian group. This word mostly refers to the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church. The church was started by people who followed Jakob Ammann in the late 1700s.
Where do most Amish live?
The Amish have moved to as many as 32 US states, but most of them live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The biggest Amish settlement is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the counties that surround it. Holmes County, Ohio, and the counties that surround it are next, located about 78 miles south of Cleveland.
