A riveting parallelism I want us to consider is that of faith versus fear, and how this relates to the Amish world. Any group of people, I think we would say, to some degree lives by faith. That’s only common sense. But the faith we are focusing on today is faith that is the opposite of the concept of fear. Faith as in living by the good that is unseen, or the hope for good. This idea, then, is contrasted with fear, which is living by the bad that is unseen, or the bad which could happen in the future. It is the expectancy that bad is, or may happen. Nonetheless, let us examine my beliefs that the Amish do in fact live by faith, a virtuous faith, which is tied into their environment and what source they use to guide that faith. And after that, we’ll have a general discussion of faith versus fear as pertains to the Amish.

An Environment of Faith

       Within Amish existence, the basic needs for life are almost assumedly present. Whether it is food, clothing, or shelter, not only are they at hand, but existing in abundance. That is what the society allows for, or at least, what it has accomplished within itself. Now, certainly, there are several reasons for this, and let’s mention three here. One is that the plain people are hard working. Naturally, this hard-working attitude has begotten a tremendous amount of blessing for them in relating to their provisions. Another reason is the following of Biblical principles. The Bible, whether followed morally or whether using its wisdom from books like Proverbs, assists to make the Amish wealthy toward their needs. Thirdly, we could say that the Amish look out for each other. Definitely so. Being a more collective society, with a further collective focus, that means that no one is really going to go with severe lack. They take care of each other.

       And really, I think part of this pertains to that fact I mentioned, regarding the Amish following the Bible for their individual characters as well. This faith in the Scripture, faith that what the Bible says is actually beneficial, in and of itself, overtime reaps benefits. When the Amish live by personal moral principles, these principles protect them from unnecessary hardship. And, the belief that God will provide, no matter what the need, can reduce the tendency to worry. This may not be true for everyone, but assuredly is for a lot. Or, perhaps more accurately stated, the temptation to worry is reduced. Worry happens at a less severe level? One thing we might note, for instance, is that I believe death is less feared within their group than many other groups. Because they believe they will go to be with God when they die, death looses power.

       As a matter of fact, this whole idea of not being afraid of death can create a mental atmosphere where life can be enjoyed to a greater degree. I mean, think about it. The Amish farmer can work his fields, first of all, knowing (believing) that God will provide. Furthermore, he doesn’t fear dying out there during his work. He doesn’t fear, hopefully, what will happen to his wife or his children if he does. He believes God would take care of them if that was to happen. This kind of mindset can make work more relaxing, more enjoyable, as the burden has been lifted. The fears have been mellowed, perhaps quenched. What a wonderful state to be in to enjoy one’s work. What a great way to go about life, really in whatever area you consider.

       This whole kind of mindset contrasts greatly with the person who has the thought in mind that good or bad fortune in life comes from what just randomly happens in one’s experience. What I mean is that one can attribute the quality of one’s life to what kind of experiences they have. Or, we could say, it is whether they have good luck or bad luck. The individual just hopes they don’t get burnt, or screwed. They hope life doesn’t deal them a bad hand in a given situation. But, the Amish person doesn’t think like this. The Amish believe that God is with them, that he will take care of their needs, and that whether good or bad happens, whether something easy or hard occurs, whether something liked or disliked comes about, they will be okay in the end. Even if what is happening isn’t desirable inside their mind, they know that the time will pass and a better time will come again.

       Besides, reward awaits in the future, right? Certainly that’s what the Amish person believes. This life is a journey by which they pass through the earth, they have a life experience, and that life experience is one in which good is sought after and achieved. It is not believed to be the only life experience to be had. No. On the contrary, it is a journey through the earth, one in which good is done, is accomplished, for a greater purpose. It is to benefit one’s character, to grow, and it is also to benefit others. And both these accomplishments, done throughout life, beget the reward that is expected in the next life, the afterlife. We could even go so far as the say that the Amish funeral service has hope behind it, for surely it does, because they don’t believe this is it. Sure, it is ‘it’ for now, but a fuller, greater experience is to come also for those left behind, that experience which is already occurring for the individual who has passed over.

       It’s not that the Amish love death, or suffering for that matter. At least, I don’t deem they should love suffering if they do. While suffering, in one sense, is part of everyone’s life, it is also true that suffering is not a desirable thing. Sure, suffering may lead to greater reward in Heaven. That’s obvious. If one is martyred for their faith, for instance, people generally feel that person is going to receive a greater reward. But at the same time, I don’t reason that means Amish people look for ways to suffer. At least, a lot of them. That’s really not the purpose of the rules, is it? They have rules for protection from things they consider harmful, or detrimental. They actually exist, in a way, to prevent suffering. They exist to make life better. While some might create greater effort, like using horses to gather the harvest instead of a tractor, the purpose is to ultimately, down the line, prevent laziness. Think about that.

The Bible is the Guide

       No doubt exists that the foundation to Amish moral life, and even productive life (as I already mentioned), is the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. These books contain the guide to living life, especially the New Testament. These are the principles by which they live. This is in contrast to a lot of people in regular society, in society which is outside the Amish people’s world. Many individuals pick and choose what they believe. They create their own code, and they follow that code of conduct. It is very subjective. It is very à la carte. Individualism to its maximum potential, or to a creative (or deconstructive) potential. What is compelling to this approach is that answers, really to any question, are endless and all correct. There really are no ‘correct’ answers, other than that which the person decides is correct for him or herself. It is an interesting way to go about things, though, the results definitely vary, and I don’t think in a favorable way a lot of the time.

       What is a potential downfall, or pitfall, to using the Bible as the mode of text by which one guides life? We could say that it is disturbance within the mind, an ‘emotional upset’ as it has been called. What? Why does emotional upset occur? Well, it’s because the Bible is not going to always line up with what the inner-person desires. Even for the Amish person. There will be times when an individual realizes that what he or she wants doesn’t line up with what God desires from the individual. And this contrast, this mis-match, creates a disruption in one’s thoughts. It makes things uncomfortable as the individual’s mind is misaligned with what the Scriptures say (with what the Amish person believes God wants). However, this is allowed with the end in sight. It is believed that if one denies the self, to use a familiar idea of Christ, that one will reap benefits in character and in life later.

       Now, surely one might say, “But the Amish don’t just use the Bible as a guide. They use additional rules that aren’t found in the Bible and live life by those.” Well, that’s true, sorta. I say sorta because, really, when carefully analyzed, I suppose all of the Amish people’s additional ‘rules’ actually stem from a principle found in the Scripture. One of the common principles things are tied to is separation from the world. That is a New Testament concept that is taught. Now, different groups of Christians vary in how they practice this separation from the world. The plain folks practice it in certain ways that they see fit (i.e. the use of the horse and buggy, lack of electricity, etc). Now there might be a couple, or even multiple reasons behind a specific practice. There might not be just one reason. Nonetheless, I don’t know of anything personally that the Amish do that can’t be traced back to a particular Scriptural principle, howbeit loosely and stretching in some cases.

       Using the Bible as guide could lead to the prohibition of numerous resources that a lot of people might disagree with, which are labeled worldly. Indeed, I feel there is great value to be found in the use of resources outside the Scripture to benefit one’s life. One area we could discuss is the world of psychology. While the Scriptures can and do provide some helpful psychological advice, I think a more precise insight, or further elaborated insight, can be gained from studying certain areas in psychology, certain specifics as it pertains to the mind, and how to think properly. The Bible doesn’t always come out and clearly elaborate these areas. A housewife’s depression, or even a suicide, could be stopped and prevented by the use of psychology resources, by a greater understanding of the techniques of how to focus one’s thoughts. That certainly is my opinion.

       All this talk about using the Bible as guide is not to say that the Scriptures can’t be twisted or perverted by someone, like an Amish Bishop. Unmistakably, this does happen from time to time. Undoubtedly, there are people who could tell you of such deceptions, and how it negatively affected their lives. Perhaps people who have even left the Amish. This deception can come in the form of taking the trusted resource, the Bible, and misinterpreting it, or using it in a negative, harmful way, so that the hearers are hurt. Leaders can become bad, and want people to follow after them so that they feel they have the greater power. Power-hungriness can definitely be a problem. Obviously, an attempted safe-guard against this is the use of the lot by Amish churches. Nonetheless, the perversion of the truth, people being misled, can lead to psychological damage that hurts lives and takes years to overcome.

The Use of Faith vs. Fear

       With all this discussion of the mis-use of power, let’s talk now in general about the use of faith versus the use of fear with the Amish. I would say, certainly so, that I believe (and to reemphasize I feel this is key) that the Amish person should always have a choice as to whether he or she will stay in the faith (in this particular mode of Christianity) or not. While this includes leaving the faith altogether (if one doesn’t believe), it also includes going to a higher church. Now, my guess is, and hopefully I’m wrong, is that a lot of people won’t agree with my point in that last sentence. But, I think it has to be this way. I don’t think God forces anyone to believe in him, and I don’t think God forces anyone to stay in a certain way in worshipping him, in a certain church that is. I mean, if a person wants to leave the Old Order world, for instance, and go to a higher church, they should be able to do that without fear. Fear of their peers. Fear of the Bishop.

       What is interesting as regards this idea of leaving is that my understanding is that a lot of Old Order leaders have been more tolerant of those who do in fact choose to go to a higher church. I was surprised myself when I first heard about this. Anyway, a person who has been in a particular Amish faith (I’ll keep that specific exclusive) was telling me that the Old Order leaders now, in many cases, will not ban or shun an individual who decides to go to a higher church, let’s say in the instance of marriage. That is, let’s say an Old Order woman wants to marry a New Order man. She can leave the Old Order, go to the New Order, and actually not be banished by her family and church. She will still have fellowship. Now, I have not seen any instances of this myself, so I cannot verify such ‘freedom’ with my own eyes, at least as of yet. But that is what I have been told is true.

       Why is the use of fear bad, though, someone might wonder? I mean, shouldn’t the Amish leaders use fear to keep people in the Amish church, the Amish faith? I would say, in what I understand as pertains to psychology, and what I know about the way life works in general, is that the use of fear will only bring about a false following, and furthermore create an internal drive in an individual to want to resist, whether that be consciously or subconsciously. I mean, think about it this way. What is self-evident in analyzing faith versus fear? What is more desirable? Is it more desirable to be in a constant state of faith or a constant state of fear? It is obvious that a continual state of faith supports life, while a continual state of fear harms life. Someone might say, “Obviously that isn’t correct. Fear protects.” I would say, should we serve God because we love him, or should we serve God because we are afraid of him?

       Let us understand then that fear is tied to selfishness. That means, invariably, that faith is tied to helping others. This is an intriguing concept. It means that the Amish use faith more than fear, I would deduct, because they are indeed about helping others. If people have faith, they are empowered. Empowered people can then move past themselves to being of assistance to others. This means enhancing the lives in the community in which one resides. It means not only having a focus on the self (because really to not focus on the self is impossible), but also having a focus on what the needs of others are. Putting others in mind, in the simplest sense, adds meaning to life. I have noticed, personally, that meaning can get lost when we only focus on serving ourselves, and focus on what we want. That’s when loneliness can set in. But, within proper thinking, comes proper conduct, and the loneliness gives way to a sense of community.

Conclusion

       I think, in contemplating all of this, we have seen that the Amish side with faith. Fear is present everywhere, for there is no doubt concerning that, and while it would be present with the Amish to some degree, I believe we have seen that faith prevails. And that’s the beautiful thing. Where faith prevails, I feel we see a society that is truly admirable, and one of which will continue to thrive on down the road. We’ve seen that the Bible has a lot to do with that. Faith allows the Amish to focus on their sense of community, so that they are supportive of their individual selves, and supportive of others. This doesn’t mean every Amish church district is perfect across the board. Certainly not. But the idea, the general formula is there. And with that lack of fear comes life. Life to be lived, in a happy way, and life that is beneficial to those who use faith over fear.

- Daniel Litton

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