Amish (disambiguation)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Amish are an Anabaptist Christian denomination formed in 1693 by a schism among some German-speaking Mennonites over the practice of shunning. Today, the term can be applied to:

• The Old Order Amish, who live in rural communities in North America and are famous for their plain dress and limited use of technology.
• Amish Mennonites, a broad term used for churches which split from the Old Order Amish, mostly in the 1880s. Some have a lifestyle similar to the Old Order Amish, while others do not.
• The Beachy Amish (formed 1927), who have fewer limits on the use of technology and do not shun those who join Mennonite churches.
• The New Order Amish (formed 1966), the least restrictive Amish group. They permit the use of electricity in the home and do not practice shunning.
• People of Amish descent. The conservative Amish community has remained largely isolated in North America and can be considered a distinct ethnic group. Many people from Amish families who do not join the church still identify themselves as Amish.

Many churches descended from the Amish now consider themselves conservative Mennonites.