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Amish Bible Conflicts

rockfox

rockfox

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Starting a new topic to not distract the original thread...

yoderfamily said:
The Amish heritage is one I am proud of but I have a far greater Heritage. As a son of the Father. The Amish are a world within a world. They are constantly evolving. The only way they survive is thru control. Very little Life. There are some who become born again but when faced with following the Holy Spirit or the system most choose the system. We were told by those around us that we shouldn't have Bible study and prayer meeting as history proves people who do that don't stay Amish. We shrugged our shoulders and said it wasn't our intention to leave. The more we studied the more glaring conflicts we're exposed. Thru pointing out those conflicts the ministers from all the neighboring churches got together , said we were undermining their authority and the majority voted to excommunicate us. Quite a few people didn't agree with them but ended up being pressured to keep the peace.
Not saying one size fits all.
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I find the Amish curious as they have kept many Biblical practices/beliefs which American Christians have forgotten or rejected (such as head coverings, rejecting divorce, excommunication, separateness, etc).

But what kind of conflicts did you find between Amish practice/belief and the Bible?
 
Ask most amish women why they wear a head covering and most won't know why. Or there only answer might be, because the Bible tells us to.
Rejecting divorce. But living with pain and tension and broken homes. A minority yet still reality. Again very little concept on the why.
Excommunication. Now used as a tool to control members. Adultery might result in being banned for 6 weeks. Choose to leave for a Godly calling outside the amish and you are exed till you return. A member who has committed a death sin can be fully repentant and broken before God and they would still be exed for a period. Yet exing is for the unrepentant.

Separateness... Sigh.... A world within a world. The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life is just as prevalant within the amish as with the englisher....
I would say the biggest conflict is the path to salvation. Joining the church is a matter of sitting under catechism for 8 sundays, being approved by vote of the members and making a verbal commitment then baptized. They mention the new birth but few knows what that entails. Most teach you can only hope to get into heaven. That's why it's important to obey your parents and the church.
I believe in a Living Hope. I have this memory of when I was baptized. I was asked whether I would promise to uphold, support and work within the church for the rest of my life. Somehow the way they worded it in German I got the implication they were referring to the Amish church. So here I was kneeling on a concrete floor in front of the whole church, my mind spinning a thousand miles an hour. I digested the question, dissected it in my mind, wondered if they were actually arrogant enough to actually mean the amish church, decided they had to mean The Church and answered with a yes. I still have this clear memory of the whole proceeding. I answered with a clear conscience. Yet years later after I left the amish my grandpa approached me about having left his grieviance being that I broke my promise that I made on my bended knee. So I explained what I settled in my heart that day. He didn't know what to say. He was a bishop since he was 27 years old. I often wondered if he was born again. At his death one of my cousins asked me if I thot he went to heaven. I said I don't know. I believe he did the best he knew how. Offended my cousins as he was highly revered. Considered a pillar in the amish church. Yet I also know he excommunicated Holy Spirit filled believers because they chose to join other Spirit filled fellowship. Their sin was leaving the amish faith. So I wonder how the Holy Spirit can cast the spirit of one of His Own over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.
 
rockfox said:
Starting a new topic to not distract the original thread...



I find the Amish curious as they have kept many Biblical practices/beliefs which American Christians have forgotten or rejected (such as head coverings, rejecting divorce, excommunication, separateness, etc).

But what kind of conflicts did you find between Amish practice/belief and the Bible?
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They have kept a form of the commandments yet miss the heart of the matter.
Take the verse. Children obey your parents. They construe that to mean until YOU die. Beings I left the amish I am in direct disobedience to my dad's wishes. So to him I am rebellious.
That verse in Timothy where Paul is admonishing Timothy to continue in the traditions he was taught is now used as a club to keep you inside the church standards. 3 1/4 inch brim on your hat instead of a 3 inch. A 1.75 inch sash instead of 2 inch for the woman.etc. trivial material things splitting churches apart. With each other excommunicating the other. The church in Seymour Mo. split because some chose to install a flat glass windshield on their buggy so they wouldn't get as cold in winter. The other side declared they were following after the world and exed all those with windshields.
 
It seems that while the Amish can die fighting the Battle of Nitpickery, the western church would still do far better emulating them than present practice. Something a former pastor called Sloppy Agape.
 
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yoderfamily said:
They have kept a form of the commandments yet miss the heart of the matter.
Take the verse. Children obey your parents. They construe that to mean until YOU die. Beings I left the amish I am in direct disobedience to my dad's wishes. So to him I am rebellious.
That verse in Timothy where Paul is admonishing Timothy to continue in the traditions he was taught is now used as a club to keep you inside the church standards. 3 1/4 inch brim on your hat instead of a 3 inch. A 1.75 inch sash instead of 2 inch for the woman.etc. trivial material things splitting churches apart. With each other excommunicating the other. The church in Seymour Mo. split because some chose to install a flat glass windshield on their buggy so they wouldn't get as cold in winter. The other side declared they were following after the world and exed all those with windshields.
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Wow! We live next to Mennonites and we love them to death but I did not know it was like that. They have invited us to Church numerous times. Man that is sad. I don't think there is anything in the world worse than religion.
 
There are lots of Mennonites around where we live. They’re really good hearted people for the most part and i would say a good number of them are saved. They do have their hang ups... just like the rest of us haha

I’ve heard that in some places plural families are permitted to fellowship with them because they don’t have any doctrine against polygyny. They don’t advocate for it but it isn’t against their view of family structure.
 
Slumberfreeze said:
@Soldier's Psalm I'm sure Mennonites have their own problems but they are distinct from the Amish.
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They are but there not that different. Our Mennonite friends were telling me that the Amish are actually an offshoot of the Mennonites. Their history was pretty fascinating from what they were saying. They fled Germany way back in the day because Germany wanted to conscript their children into the military so they fled to Russia from what I could catch and then from there to the Americas.
 
Soldier's Psalm said:
Wow! We live next to Mennonites and we love them to death but I did not know it was like that. They have invited us to Church numerous times. Man that is sad. I don't think there is anything in the world worse than religion.
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I would not lump them all together. Usually the more conservative they are the more legalistic. The more liberal = more spiritual. Until you get to those that are Mennonite in name only. There you have women pastor's, open homosexuals etc
 
I think ours are pretty conservative but not sure. It takes a long time to get them to warm up to you. We went to their market right near everyday for a year before they would even talk to us past the weather and how to grow/cook some of the vegetables they have. I enjoy electricity but one day we were at there house and there young son of probably 4 and there little girl were barefooted on top of hay bails in the field playing and giggling. The dad and sons was in the field and the mom and daughters were in the house cooking. It was so honest and pure that if you had of asked me if I wanted to become a Mennonite right then I would have said yes. For all the luxurys and conveniences we have as a people, we have lost a lot.
 
Soldier's Psalm said:
I think ours are pretty conservative but great people. It takes a long time to get them to warm up to you. We went to their market right near everyday for a year before they would even talk to us past the weather and how to grow/cook some of the vegetables they have. I enjoy electricity but one day we were at there house and there young son of probably 4 and there little girl were barefooted on top of hay bails in the field playing and giggling. The dad and sons was in the field and the mom and daughters were in the house cooking. It was so honest and pure that if you had of asked me if I wanted to become a Mennonite right then I would have said yes. For all the luxurys and conveniences we have, we have lost a lot.
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Lifestyle is a choice You definitely don't have to be Mennonite to enjoy a life like that.
 
We do have quite a few of Mennonite friends. I am usually hesitant in encouraging them to leave a church. Most believe and teach the new birth. My conflict is when the church takes the position of the Holy Spirit. Or closes doors where He can't work.
 
yoderfamily said:
Lifestyle is a choice You definitely don't have to be Mennonite to enjoy a life like that.
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Your right. I was already wanting to live a slower more fam oriented life but seeing that really put the desire in me. What is Mennonite/Amish belief on the Holy Spirit? I was kind of interested on there end times beliefs as well.
 
My Dad told me the Holy Spirit was only for the ushering in of the church. Then the power was given to the church. That is why they place the church in the headship order. Interestingly I had a church of the Nazarene pastor make the same comment. I politely disagreed.
 
Varied endtimes beliefs. Nothing taught doctrinenally. As a whole, in-depth Bible study is discouraged among the more conservative. Things start to change when you get to new order Amish. I guess I could post the presentation from MAP ministry about the Amish. Mission to Amish people.
 
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