What do Amish think about the Catholic Church?

[TrueChurch]

Does anyone know how the Amish, and even Ana Baptist in general, believe about the Catholic Church? I’m just curious.

 

[House_Harkonnen]

Does anyone know how the Amish, and even Ana Baptist in general, believe about the Catholic Church? I’m just curious.

They ain’t Amishin’ you at all.

 

[SecretGarden]

From what I understand of the Amish church, I don’t think they care or even if they are aware that the Catholic church exists. They are more focused on what happens in their community and among their people that they don’t give it much thought. Since they are not as worldly as we are, their perspectives on life are different. They are more worried about losing their people to the English world in general verses concentrating on a particular branch of Christianity.

That said, I think the world can learn a lot from the Amish such as family values, living off the grid and eating fresh foods. Let’s face it most of them live with technology that dates back to the 1800’s which is great because they know how to survive when technology fails.

 

[johnnyc176]

I think they appreciate our use of candles.

 

[MaryT777]

From what I understand of the Amish church, I don’t think they care or even if they are aware that the Catholic church exists. They are more focused on what happens in their community and among their people that they don’t give it much thought. Since they are not as worldly as we are, their perspectives on life are different. They are more worried about losing their people to the English world in general verses concentrating on a particular branch of Christianity.

That said, I think the world can learn a lot from the Amish such as family values, living off the grid and eating fresh foods. Let’s face it most of them live with technology that dates back to the 1800’s which is great because they know how to survive when technology fails.

I lived in Amish land and it was interesting because they rejected technology but used the services of the local fire department, accepted rides from others although they can’t drive themselves and it was my understanding by talking to ONE that outsiders are in jeaopardy of going to hell. This group practiced shunning and once shunned you are “out for life” unless you resume ALL Amish ways.

One is not a huge sample though; he came to side our apartment building. It’s a sin in their mind to use these “new fangled gadgets” and a “danger” not to be Amish which was all he was willing to say for we had ended up being brief friends while he did the siding.

So I don’t know really even after living near their community. They were people that kept themselves shielded from the outside world and it was well known you could not photograph them of course for the graven images clause even though where I lived was touristy for that reason.

Mary.

 

[robwar]

Does anyone know how the Amish, and even Ana Baptist in general, believe about the Catholic Church? I’m just curious.

the Amish are Anabaptists who were an early radical reformists breakoff. They do not believe that infant baptisms are invalid. They would see Catholic Church as an apostate and the anabaptists as being true to the apostles. I think there is a web site called radical anabaptists and I think it is pretty anti-Catholic. Amish, Mennonite and Hutterite are all decendents of the early anapatists groups.

 

[Adeimantus4]

As someone originally from a community with some similar beliefs and practices (Pentecostal roots, but farmed with horses and worked with a lot of old-time handcrafts), I had a fair amount of contact with the Amish and Mennonites (mostly indirectly through their literature, but some in person as well). Historically, there’s a lot of bad blood, since Anabaptists were pretty heavily persecuted by Catholics and mainstream Protestants during Reformation times (to be fair, some branches of the Anabaptists at the time were pretty far-out and revolutionary). I grew up reading stories from books like Martyr’s Mirror, which generally portrayed the Catholic hierarchy in a rather unflattering light. There was also the general belief that Catholics were ignorant of scripture and superstitious. However, the Amish and Mennonites are some of the kindest, most Christ-like people around, who try to take Christ’s Sermon on the Mount as their guide for living. They also often claim to be neither Catholic nor Protestant–and there are some significant differences between their beliefs and those of mainstream Protestants (they tend to be more focused on the practical aspects of becoming like Christ than arid philosophies such as the Calvinism that tends to influence mainstream Protestants). So probably, like many Protestants, a serious distrust of what they think is Catholicism at the same time as a kindness and generosity toward actual Catholics.

 

[robwar]

As someone originally from a community with some similar beliefs and practices (Pentecostal roots, but farmed with horses and worked with a lot of old-time handcrafts), I had a fair amount of contact with the Amish and Mennonites (mostly indirectly through their literature, but some in person as well). Historically, there’s a lot of bad blood, since Anabaptists were pretty heavily persecuted by Catholics and mainstream Protestants during Reformation times (to be fair, some branches of the Anabaptists at the time were pretty far-out and revolutionary). I grew up reading stories from books like Martyr’s Mirror, which generally portrayed the Catholic hierarchy in a rather unflattering light. There was also the general belief that Catholics were ignorant of scripture and superstitious. However, the Amish and Mennonites are some of the kindest, most Christ-like people around, who try to take Christ’s Sermon on the Mount as their guide for living. They also often claim to be neither Catholic nor Protestant–and there are some significant differences between their beliefs and those of mainstream Protestants (they tend to be more focused on the practical aspects of becoming like Christ than arid philosophies such as the Calvinism that tends to influence mainstream Protestants). So probably, like many Protestants, a serious distrust of what they think is Catholicism at the same time as a kindness and generosity toward actual Catholics.

I second that comment. The anabaptists reject authority structure of Catholic and Protestant churches. They did not believe in teaching authority. They mostly fled Germany and Switzerland to the US to escape persecution. They are real pacifics. I think their desire to live simple humble lives in some ways mirrors the Fransicans.

 

[runningdude]

I lived in Amish land and it was interesting because they rejected technology but used the services of the local fire department, accepted rides from others although they can’t drive themselves …

They don’t officially reject technology; they reject dependence on others. They also expect no special treatment.

For instance, they will use battery powered lamps to make their wagons road legal.

They will substitute synthetic rope for natural rope, especially where safety is an issue.

They will even use generators for limited purposes, such as powering carpentry tools.

The will also operate modern dairy barns on generator power, to pasteurize and refrigerate milk, so that it could be legally sold.

They are generally non-proselytizing; their is no need for outsiders to convert to Amish, and in fact the Amish lifestyle preclude entering certain professions, such as doctors. Thus they openly rely on the outside world for medical services. They also freely sell merchandize produced by Amish artisans and craftsman to support themselves and their families. It is not insular so much as trying to remove distractions from moral living.

 

[on_the_hill]

As an earlier poster replied, I doubt they think much at all about Catholicism. They have many of the same problems all people do: drugs, unwed pregnancies, young people leaving the faith, etc.

It’s funny what people think of when they think of the Amish/Mennonites. People ask me, “Where can we go to see the Amish?” I always answer truthfully, “Go to Walmart at about 10 o’clock at night.”

Yep, they are volunteer firefighters. They carry cell phones. They grab breakfast at Sheetz on their way to work. (Sheetz is a local/regional chain of quickie-mart gas stations)

That being said, they’re friendly, kind, decent, compassionate people who are preserving a way of life many people, including me, envy. (is that a sin?)

And please…please…PLEASE do not watch “Amish Mafia” and believe any of it is true. It’s all completely fabricated.

 

[pensmama87]

Different communities have different rules too and methods of living. My grandparents live near a community that has a lot more contact with “the English” than other groups might, and use more technological innovations (the one near them is fairly unusual in that they allow the use of electricity if they purchase a building that is already wired, for example.)

Still, I don’t think they think much about Catholics at all. To them, everyone who is not Amish is “English.”

It’s funny what people think of when they think of the Amish/Mennonites. People ask me, “Where can we go to see the Amish?” I always answer truthfully,** “Go to Walmart at about 10 o’clock at night.”**

Yes!

The community I am familiar with has some pretty rowdy young people, who dress up in “English clothes” and go to bars, and then put their Amish clothes back on before returning home (this happens before they are baptized, of course). Many do a fair bit of sampling of “English life” before deciding to stay in their own communities after all.

 

[gh4]

Lots of Mennonites here where I live. Love them dearly. My quilting teacher is a Mennonite and I attend their monthly quilting day at their church. They are very much aware of other religions. They do not try to convert anyone, but would be most happy to talk to someone who wanted to convert.

Menno Simons was the founder of the Mennonites. He was a catholic priest for about 15 years. He had problems with transubstantiation.

This is where the Mennonites come from. The Amish broke off from the Mennonites because they (the Amish) felt that they were much too accepting of modern things. Then the Holdeman Mennonites broke off from the regular Mennonites because they felt that the regular Mennonites were way too accepting of modern things. (they do drive, but no radios, no tv’s, no music other than what comes out of their mouths, no movies, no fairs, no public swimming pools, no computer games, no handheld electronic games, no kindles etc. and so forth)

My friends are the Holdeman Mennonites. They are wonderful Christian people, and probably they follow their religion more closely than any other religion that I know of. They live the talk and they walk the walk. I would trust any of them without reservation with anything. They are not perfect, and there are some I like a lot more than others, and some I don’t really care for much, but all in all they are wonderful people, but very normal folks.

Mennonites are known for their singing and often they sing at Catholic funerals or wakes here where I live. I’ve had many discussions about religion with them. They are very aware of other churches and their beliefs, and they do their level best to never step on toes or insult other religions. When the girls are baptized, they begin to wear the prayer head covering and the boys begin to grow a beard, so that’s how you know they have been baptized. They sprinkle.

I’m sure that the Amish are just like this, only they use even less modern things than the Mennonites and are even less present in “every day life” as we ‘modern’ folks know it.

They are good people and make great friends.