Ordnung
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ordnung is the Amish rules of living. It is the German word for order, arrangement, organization, system. Every Amish church has its own set of rules therefore follows its own Ordnung.
These rules are both written and unwritten. Because the Amish have no central church government, each community administers their own guidelines. Once a rule has been adopted, it is nearly impossible to have it rescinded or changed.
The 'plain' folks, Amish, believe in an exact interpretation of the Bible and the Ordnung is meant to ensure that all members live according to the Word of God.
Some of the most common rules are: separation from the world, hard work, a woman's submission to her husband, clothing, refusal to buy life insurance, and many more.
The Ordnung may also contain a set of behavioral rules. The purpose of these rules is to live a simple life devoted to God, the family, and community, always following God's laws. Outsiders think mostly of restrictions like no electricity or automobiles. However many of their gudelines are for guarding a person's character. The attempt is to try to prevent pride, envy, vanity, laziness, dishonesty, etc.
