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Jebediah Yoder __Culture: __ Amish

 __ Language: __

Most Amish are bilingual. They speak Pennsylvania Dutch and English. They refer to non-Amish people as English. They speak Pennsylvania Dutch in group gatherings of Amish. Examples of these are church, and dinner. For business and to be nice to non-Amish they speak English. English is spoken more and more.

 __ Beliefs: __  Their beliefs come from the Ordnung an oral rule set for living handed down from generation to generation. They hold much in common with the Mennonites. They are Anabaptists which means they practice adult baptism. They believe the person is old enough to choose their beliefs. Before they choose they can participate in Rumspringa. It is where Amish people can go out and try English things. They view the bible as the word of God. They practice communion in the spring and in the fall. They believe in Heaven and Hell. Heaven is a place for people who believe in Christ and follow the churches rules. Hell is for people who reject Christ as a savior and live as they please. They believe Jesus Christ was the son of God and died for the sins of humanity. They believe in separation, which is isolating themselves from the rest of the population. They do not like modern technology. They do shun, which means they avoid people who break the rules. They have church on alternating Sundays in each other’s homes. They bring in backless benches and men and women sit in separate rooms. They sing and Deacons give sermons. They then eat lunch and socialize. On other Sundays they visit neighboring congregations, friends and family.

 __ Values: __  They approach technology in a different way than others. They live with very strong religious and social values. These are very important to them. As it says in //Humility and Simplicity: The Building Blocks of Amish Society//, “Humility, simplicity, obedience, and self-discipline are keystone values in the Amish community and inculcate this submission.” The horse and buggies are part of their values. This limits their traveling distance. This keeps the communities small. They also forgive people very easily. This is because it is part of their culture to forgive the enemy.

 __ Behaviors: __  There are many behaviors common with the Amish. One is women do not cut their hair. The women also cover their heads. This is because it says not to in the bible. Children start working when they are young and only get a basic education. This is because learning beyond the basics is viewed as foolishness by God. They do not like to have their picture taken. In the bible it says they should not. They also do not believe in modern technology, but do not always ban it right off the bat. For example, in Lancaster they originally adopted the telephone. They only banned it after they saw the problems it caused. An Amish person would be a good ambassador for many reasons. They could provide a perspective many people overlook. They could show what the world looks like from a plain person’s point of view. They could explain how non plain people influence Amish life. They could also show how they live. A topic they could talk about would be how some people treat them. They could tell how they feel about current issues.

An Amish person would not be a good ambassador because of their plain lifestyle. They do not widely use cars, so travel might become an issue. Also they do not like having their pictures taken. So, they could not be used for print ads or in television commercials. Also not all Amish people have the same rules. This is because the church they belong to makes the rules. So what one person may not be allowed to do, another person may be allowed to.

Works Cited "Amish Folklore." //Amish Folklore//. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. . <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">"Amish." //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Jan. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Guss, Jon. "The Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Amish Values." //The Pennsylvania Center for the Book - Amish Values//. N.p., 2007. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/AmishValues.html>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview by JOE PALCA. //The Amish Culture of Forgiveness//. NPR, 9 Oct. 2006. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6225726>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Interview by John D. Sutter. //Despite Horses and Buggies, Amish Aren't Necessarily 'low-tech'// Cable News Network, 22 June 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/06/22/amish.tech.brende/index.html?iref=allsearch>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Kraybill, Donald B., Steven M. Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher. //The Amish Way: Patient Faith in a Perilous World//. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012. Print. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Zavada, Jack. "Amish Beliefs AndÂ Practices." //About.com Christianity//. About.com Christianity, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://christianity.about.com/od/Amish-Religion/a/Amish-Beliefs.htm>.