The Impact of Persecution On Amish Culture

The Amish belief system is based on a very literal interpretation of the Bible, which has frequently brought them into conflict with mainstream society. This is especially true in the case of the principle of non-resistance to violence, based on the verse "whoever hits you on one cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt from him either" (Luke, 6:29). Actually, it has caused antipathy from the beginnings of Amish society in the 16th century (Karybill 4). On the other hand, the Amish interpretation of this specific verse has contributed a great deal to the survival of the Amish culture to the present day, despite all the problems that have arisen from it.
The Amish were persecuted in their early history because of their passivity. Since they took Jesus' commandment "Do not resist،Kevil" (Matthew, 5:39) literally, they refused to serve in the military, thus attracting the anger of the aristocratic leaders who were already upset since the Amish did not acknowledge their authority (Lantz). According to Amish belief, one had to accept evil and violence without fighting back. They were willing to defend neither country nor property, nor even life with physical resistance. Death was no real threat for them. They think this life is just preparation for the afterlife (Hostetler 189), and so their only response to persecution is and always has been avoidance. They moved away, and tried to escape the authorities by all possible non-violent means. If they were caught, however, they accepted their "God-given" destiny with passivity.
But instead of destroying the Amish, these persecutions shaped the Amish culture and gave rise to the traditions that persisted associated though time. Being persecuted, the Amish were forced to meet in private houses. They met at one of their houses to worship and, in order to avoid disclosure, they took turns hosting the services. This was the beginning of the house church (Kraybill). It originated as a necessity because they had to stay "undercover," but soon became a tradition that distinguished the Amish from other Christian groups.
The persecutions also were the reason for the Amish to settle in sparsely populated areas so that they might enjoy a rural, autonomous lifestyle. By doing so, they avoided contact with state or church officials as much as possible (Kraybill). On the other hand, they also made sure that there was a strong sense of community among the merabers of their congregations. They shared suffering through persecution, and the experience of isolation from other people (Kraybill). They developed a strong sense of solidarity with each other.
The most important outcome of persecution was that they compelled the Amish to migrate to North America. Appreciation of the Amish lifestyle and their stoic ideology concerning suffering and death and some of the Amish martyrs were said to have been praying for their persecutors while they were executed (Kraybill 4), stimulated William Penn to invite the Amish, among other persecuted religious groups, to come to Pennsylvania ("The Amish"). AfterwarRAB, over a period of approximately two centuries, most of the Amish left Europe to establish new communities in the Americas and live a life without persecution (Hostetler 38-40).
Although the Amish, throughout history, were the victims of violent attacks, they never abandoned their doctrine of defenseless non-resistance. This demonstrates how crucial this principle is to their belief. They are more willing to accept humiliation, injury, and even death than to raise a hand against another human being. The teachings of the Amish state that this life is important only as preparation for the "next life." It is of major importance to obey the teachings of the New Testament as closely as possible. Thus, they "do not resist evil," and furthermore, they almost always refuse to interact with the "worldly" institutions, such as the court system, to punish those who do violence to them.
Amish ideologies make them an easy target for criminals today. The Amish stand out in the mainstream American society, and are believed to be easy prey because their pacifistic beliefs prevent them from fighting back, and they are reluctant to take their problems to the police (Kraybill). Thus, robberies, buggy bashing, destruction of property, and other similar crimes happen quite frequently. Unfortunately, many of these crimes are committed by teenagers that seem to regard this as a form of entertainment (Kraybill). But according to these recent reports, it seems to have become more acceptable among the Amish to report crimes to the police, and even to work together with authorities in order to prevent further harm to other merabers of their community. However, the principle of defenseless non-violence has not been abandoned, even though it seems to increase the amount of violence against the Amish in many cases.
Despite, or perhaps because of, persecution and criminal attacks, the positive effect of the non-resistance doctrine is much more substantial than the negative effect. Looking at the history of the Amish, it is obvious that the persecutions were essential for the survival of the Amish as a culture. Without them, there would have been no need to separate themselves physically from the mainstream culture, or to immigrate to America. Their persecutions resulted in the formation of a solidarity among the Amish and in a stable social order. The emigration to America gave them the possibility to establish their own communities and separate themselves from the world. This would not have been possible in the more densely populated Europe. Without the persecution, due to their defenseless non-violence, and the refusal to serve in the army, it is most likely that the Amish would have been absorbed by mainstream society, and would not exist today.