Amish Religious Community In Indiana
There is no doubt that Amish comprise an essential element of the American identity. Especially when it comes to the Midwest region in the United States, one shall be aware of the individual aspects that characterize the religious community. Thus, to briefly introduce the content of the research paper, I would stress on the following aspects that will be taken into consideration while analyzing Amish in Indiana. First of all, I read the information about Amish culture with the particular stress on history. Then, I found some contacts to the community and asked a person about current living conditions in the state that might be useful to know for people who come from different states or even from different parts of the world. Also, the paper will discuss the outcomes of the communications with the consideration of the historical and religious context on the organization of the way of living in the state of Indiana.
The first barrier I encountered while researching about the religious community is the fact that Amish belong to the traditional Christian practitioners and do not follow the current trends in the world. On one hand, it seems to be making their lives more complicated and incomprehensible for many, including me. Thus, the first barrier I encountered could be described as the comprehension of what an inclusive society looks like. As the religious freedom belongs to the essential freedoms in the US Constitutions, it is still hard to understand the way of living these people practice and how it is particularly connected to the Christian religious culture. Also, in that regard the following barrier I encounter was the reluctance of Amish to the modern technology. The religious community that lives in Indiana does not use electricity and does not use any technology that could simplify their lives. Consequently, Amish have a different perception of medical treatment and rely solely on the things that could be cured with their hands. So, just as a previous consequences, for me it is a barrier in understanding the living habits of the religious community. Another barrier that is mostly related to the religious practices could be described as traditionalism. In fact, it is a known fact that Amish are allowed to marry a person who belongs to the same confession. Thus, the community grows only from within the existing. Comprehensively just as other Christian denominations, Amish do not use contraception, and there is no option of the birth control as the perception of medicine is also traditional within the religious community. Thus, this is the barrier that is tightly bound to the religious practices.
In terms of communication, I have learned certain aspects that make me more open towards other cultures as an individual. In fact, In understood that Amish is represented by a rather small community but their traditional methods of practices provoke the thought that a community will be growing due to no use of the birth control. What’s more, a sole individual I briefly met belonged to a rather reserved type of person who had some difficulties for communications with me as the religious perception of the world in the Amish community influenced the perception of the world around. What I definitely find rather an unlike tradition is the fact that Amish do not use electricity, do not do shopping in the supermarkets or any other civilized places. Instead, they largely rely on the handcraft that certainly deserves a lot of respect. They also have a unique perception and interpretation of the Christianity, even though they represent a Protestant culture.
