The Amish live a lifestyle that is both simple and complex. Historically, it would not be inaccurate to say that those outside the faith have little understanding of what the lives of the Amish entail. This is largely in part due to the fact that the Amish faith places restriction on being filmed. As a consequence, interviews with Amish families are few and the information obtained in the amount of available time is limited. People outside of the community of the Amish have little knowledge of what goes on inside their subculture…until now. In 2012, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) filmed a documentary with an Old Order Amish family, the Lapps. Dave and Miriam Lapp risked excommunication from their church to participate in the filming
…show more content…
Of primary interest and relation to Chapter 8 of Families and Their Social Worlds is the importance of faith in the Amish culture. Belief in a higher power and subsequent religious study, worship, and other activities are central to the family’s interactions with one another. The parents and children spend a great deal of time at home reading from the Bible and singing religious hymns. Gatherings with other church members revolve around worship as well, although some underlying tones of socialization are present. The Lapp family also consider their lifestyle choices to be directly supported in the Bible. Miriam’s obligations in the household and the lack of equal distribution of chores is supported by the Bible’s instruction for a wife the keeper of the home and to be submissive to her husband. Dave and Miriam also believe that by not using contraception, they place their reproduction and family size in the “hands of God.” The ideal family size communicated by Miriam, 10 to 12, shows a distinct difference from that of the American average household size in 2014, 2.54. The social capital provided by the Amish faith is also a central concept in the BBC documentary. The Amish church is presented as the sole source of financial, social, and emotional support outside of the home. The church is so influential, in fact, that if they decide to excommunicate or force …show more content…
The struggles within these groups are not always known or understood by those who are not closely involved in or with them. Excommunication and shunning practices of the Amish church have received publicity in recent history through reality television. One can apply their own personal life experiences in a way that makes them empathetic to a family or individual who is facing excommunication from the church. Still, it is difficult, if not impossible to understand how this impacts an Amish family. Their faith plays an active role in every moment of their life. The church restricts how they live, what they do, and who they talk to. When an individual makes an independent religious decision, such as Dave and Miriam Lapp being re-Baptized, their behavior is considered to be act outside the desires of the church. Having to keep this secret and being forced to hide the true passion they have for their faith out of fear shows a dark aspect of the Amish faith. Being raised in a typical American household today makes it hard to fathom living without electricity and all that comes with it (e.g. television, internet, and vehicles). Including additional aspects of the Amish faith and it’s restrictions makes it almost impossible to truly “walk a mile in their (proverbial)
Of primary interest and relation to Chapter 8 of Families and Their Social Worlds is the importance of faith in the Amish culture. Belief in a higher power and subsequent religious study, worship, and other activities are central to the family’s interactions with one another. The parents and children spend a great deal of time at home reading from the Bible and singing religious hymns. Gatherings with other church members revolve around worship as well, although some underlying tones of socialization are present. The Lapp family also consider their lifestyle choices to be directly supported in the Bible. Miriam’s obligations in the household and the lack of equal distribution of chores is supported by the Bible’s instruction for a wife the keeper of the home and to be submissive to her husband. Dave and Miriam also believe that by not using contraception, they place their reproduction and family size in the “hands of God.” The ideal family size communicated by Miriam, 10 to 12, shows a distinct difference from that of the American average household size in 2014, 2.54. The social capital provided by the Amish faith is also a central concept in the BBC documentary. The Amish church is presented as the sole source of financial, social, and emotional support outside of the home. The church is so influential, in fact, that if they decide to excommunicate or force …show more content…
The struggles within these groups are not always known or understood by those who are not closely involved in or with them. Excommunication and shunning practices of the Amish church have received publicity in recent history through reality television. One can apply their own personal life experiences in a way that makes them empathetic to a family or individual who is facing excommunication from the church. Still, it is difficult, if not impossible to understand how this impacts an Amish family. Their faith plays an active role in every moment of their life. The church restricts how they live, what they do, and who they talk to. When an individual makes an independent religious decision, such as Dave and Miriam Lapp being re-Baptized, their behavior is considered to be act outside the desires of the church. Having to keep this secret and being forced to hide the true passion they have for their faith out of fear shows a dark aspect of the Amish faith. Being raised in a typical American household today makes it hard to fathom living without electricity and all that comes with it (e.g. television, internet, and vehicles). Including additional aspects of the Amish faith and it’s restrictions makes it almost impossible to truly “walk a mile in their (proverbial)