Welcome to Gaia! ::

ninth grade so that would be in 2001-2002, about 5-6yrs ago.

Tonight, I celebrate being Irish.

Happy St Paddy's!

doing a dance for multi-cultural show tomorrow!

here are the songs:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=XNtyE-RMmDM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wP12RVZgeKE

i'm so excited! domokun blaugh

what religion is the Coming of Age Ceremony for zach?

hmm...sounds interesting....

jewish people have bat/bar mitzvahs
catholics have confirmation

what do i get? nothing neutral
well sweet sixteen is coming up soon 4laugh

There is no consensus on exactly where the Amish fit within Christianity:
* Some consider them conservative Protestants.
* Most Amish would probably consider themselves to be Anabaptists
* J Gordon Melton, head of the Institute for the Study of American Religion, classifies them as part of the European Free-Church Family along with Mennonites, Brethren Quakers and other denominations.

The Amish movement was founded in Europe by Jacob Amman (~1644 to ~1720 CE), from whom their name is derived. In many ways, it started as a reform group within the Mennonite movement -- an attempt to restore some of the early practices of the Mennonites.

The beliefs and practices of the Amish were based on the writings of the founder of the Mennonite faith, Menno Simons (1496-1561), and on the 1632 Mennonite Dordrecht Confession of Faith. The Amish who split from Mennonites generally lived in Switzerland and in the southern Rhine river region. During the late 17th century, they separated because of what they perceived as a lack of discipline among the Mennonites.

Some Amish migrated to the United States, starting in the early 18th century. They initially settled in Pennsylvania. Other waves of immigrants became established in New York, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri Ohio, and other states.

The faith group has attempted to preserve the elements of late 17th century European rural culture. They try to avoid many of the features of modern society, by developing practices and behaviors which isolate themselves from American culture.

James Hoorman writes about the current status of the Amish movement:

"In America, the Amish hold major doctrines in common, but as the years went by, their practices differed. Today, there are a number of different groups of Amish with the majority affiliated with four orders: Swartzengruber, Old Order, Andy Weaver, and New Order Amish. Old Order Amish are the most common. All the groups operate independently from each other with variations in how they practice their religion and religion dictates how they conduct their daily lives. The Swartzengruber Amish are the most conservative followed by the Old Order Amish. The Andy Weaver are more progressive and the New Order Amish are the most progressive." 2

Membership in the Old Order Amish Mennonite Church and other Amish denominations is not freely available. They may total about 180,000 adults spread across 22 states, including about 45,000 in Ohio and smaller numbers in Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, etc. About 1,500 live in south-western Ontario, in Canada.

Almost all members are born into and raised in the faith. Converts from outside of the Amish communities are rare. Some Amish groups have a very restricted gene pool and are experiencing several inherited disorders.

Amish beliefs which are shared by Evangelicals:

The Amish are a very conservative Christian faith group, with an Anabaptist tradition. Many of their beliefs are identical to those of many Fundamentalist and other Evangelical churches, including:
* Adult baptism is done after one makes a commitment to the church.
* Belief in the Trinity, the virgin birth, incarnation, sinless life, crucifixion, resurrection ascension, and atonement of Jesus Christ.
* One lives on after death, either eternal rewarded in Heaven or punished in Hell.
* Salvation is a gift from God, through unmerited grace.
* The Bible's authors were inspired by God. Their writings are inerrant. The Bible is generally to be interpreted literally.
* Satan exists as a living entity.
* Etc.

horizontal rule
Amish beliefs that are not shared by most Evangelicals:
* Salvation: Essentially all conservative Protestants, including Amish, look upon salvation as an unmerited gift from God. However, Evangelical Christians have traditionally looked upon the salvation experience as an intense emotional event which happens suddenly, as a convert repents of their sin and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. The new Christian's subsequent ethical behavior and daily routine are of secondary importance to the experience of being saved. The Amish have always looked upon salvation as being experienced in everyday living. Salvation is "...realized as one's life was transformed day by day into the image of Christ." 1
* Knowledge of one's salvation: For Evangelicals and other conservative Protestants, salvation is an unmistakable experience which happens when one trusts Jesus. Amish are different. They don't believe that anyone is guaranteed salvation as a result of a conversion experience, baptism, joining the church, etc. "...they would consider it arrogant or prideful to claim certainty of salvation." 2 The Amish believe that God carefully weighs the individual's total lifetime record of obedience to the church and then decides whether the person's eternal destiny will be the reward of Heaven or the punishment in Hell. If a person is baptized into the Amish church and later leaves the church or is excommunicated, they have no hope of attaining Heaven. As a result, an Amish believer lives their life and dies not knowing if they are saved and will attain Heaven. This lack of certainty has made the Amish church susceptible to raiding from other Christian evangelists at various times in its history. 2
* The state: The Amish are enthusiastic supporters of the principle of separation of church and state.
* Authority: They believe that their church has received the authority from God to interpret his will. "Submission to church is submission to God." 2
* Rituals: Evangelicals look upon their two ordinances -- communion and believers' baptism -- as rites that are primarily between an individual and God. To the Amish, "The church itself, as a body of believers, shared in communion as a sign of their unity with Christ and with one another. Baptism in the Amish church symbolized a commitment to both god and fellow believers." 1
* The world: They believe in remaining quite separate from the rest of the world, physically and socially. Part of this may be caused by the belief that association with others -- often referred to as "The English" -- may be polluting. Part may be because of the intense persecution experienced by their ancestors as a result of government oppression. Amish homes do not draw power from the electrical grid. They feel that that would excessively connect them to the world.
* Nonresistance: They reject involvement with the military or warfare. They believe that Amish must never resort to violence or to take up arms in war. However, they do not generally view themselves as pacifists, because this would involve them in political action to promote peace. Their rejection of violence does not extend to the disciplining of their children. The Faith Mission Home in Virginia housed mentally retarded children and adults. They used physical punishment to control the children. It took "...the form of slapping the hand several times or spanking the buttocks a maximum of four strokes with the hand or a 'simple light paddle." 3 Bruises on a young woman led to the state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation obtaining an injunction which prohibited the use of force by staff in the Home. The case caused Professor Alvin Esau to comment: "There is of course great irony on this issue, as groups such as the Amish and Hutterites use physical punishment, sometimes excessively, while supposedly believing in nonviolence in human relationships." 4
* Local control: They believe that each congregation -- called a "district" -- is to remain autonomous. There is no centralized Amish organization to enforce beliefs and behaviors.
* Evangelization: Most believe that it is not their role to go out into the larger community and attempt to seek converts among The English. However, some Amish groups have recently become active in evangelization.
* Customs: The Ordnung is an oral tradition of rules which regulates how the Amish way of life should be conducted. Specific details of the Ordnung differ among various church districts. The rules are generally reviewed biannually and occasionally revised as needed.
* Sex roles: In common with many conservative Christian faith groups, their family life has a patriarchal structure. Although the roles of women are considered equally important to those of men, they are very unequal in terms of authority. Unmarried women remain under the authority of their father. Wives are submissive to their husbands. Only males are eligible to be become Church officials.
* Oaths: Their faith forbids the swearing of oaths in courts; they make affirmations of truth instead.

Church organization:

The Amish adopted a congregational organization. Each congregation is independent and has its own leadership. There is no formal national head office.

Like most conservative Christian denominations, the Amish do not allow women to hold positions of power. The four church offices are reserved for men. They are:
* Völliger Diener: (a.k.a. Full Servant or Bishop). He provides spiritual leadership for the congregation. He preaches, and performs baptisms, marriages and ordinations. He pronounces excommunication on unrepentant members of the congregation.
* Diener zum Buch: (a.k.a. Servant of the Book or minister). He assists the bishop in preaching and teaching. Most congregations have two ministers.
* Völliger Armendiener: (a.k.a. Full Servant of the Poor or Full Deacon). This office is rare in North America, but was once common in Europe. He assists with baptism and does some preaching. His main role was as guardians of doctrinal orthodoxy.
* Armendiener: (a.k.a. Servant of the Poor or Deacon). He reads from the Bible at church services, assists the bishops in various duties, and administers funds for the poor.

Candidates for leadership positions are initially selected by vote. Typically, those who received more than one vote would draw lots to determine who would be ordained. Ordination is generally for life.

Practices of the Old Order Amish:

Practices shared by most of the Old Order Amish, the largest Amish group, are listed below. Some smaller Amish groups have adopted practices which are either more progressive or more restrictive.
* Language: Members usually speak a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch). High German is used during worship. They learn English at school.
* Education: Schools are one-room buildings run by the Amish. Formal education beyond Grade 8 is discouraged, although many youth are given further instruction in their homes after graduation.
* Appearance: Men follow the laws of the Hebrew Scriptures with regards to beards. They do not grow mustaches, because of the long association of mustaches with the military.
* Clothing: Men usually dress in a plain, dark colored suit. Women usually wear a plain colored dress with long sleeves, bonnet and apron. Women wear a white prayer covering if married; black if single. Brides' gowns are often blue or purple.
* Modern conveniences:
* Vehicles: With very few exceptions, Old Order Amish congregations do not allow the owning or use of automobiles or farm tractors. However, they will ride in cars when needed.
* Electrical devices: They do not use electricity, or have radios, TV sets, personal computers, computer games, etc.
* Telephones: In-home telephones are not normally allowed. Some families have a phone remote from the house.
* Government programs: Most Amish groups do not collect Social Security/Canada Pension Plan benefits, unemployment insurance or welfare. They maintain mutual aid funds for members who need help with medical costs, dental bills, etc.
* Photography: They do not take photographs or allow themselves to be photographed. To do so would be evidence of vanity and pride. Also, it might violate the prohibition in Exodus 20:4, the second of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that...is in the earth..."
* Marriage: Marriages outside the faith are not allowed. Couples who plan to marry are "published" in late October. They are married in one of their homes during November or early December.
* Days of Celebration: They celebrate the traditional Christian holy days. They also observe a Fast Day on October 11.
* Religious services: These are held biweekly on alternate Sundays. One the "in-between" Sundays, members often attend another congregation's service, or visit friends or family. Services consist of singing, two prayers, Bible reading, a short opening sermon, and a main sermon. Each baptized male then offers a comment on the biblical correctness of the sermons.
* Communion services: These are held twice yearly, in the spring and fall. Before the service, a council meeting is held in which the attendees resolve any disagreements that they have with each other. They also discuss matters regarding proper lifestyle and conduct.
* Meeting places: Services are usually held in the homes of members. As a rule, they do not build meeting houses or churches. One source speculates that this practice may have been done "...out of frugality, perhaps out of necessity, or perhaps to emphasize that people (and not the building were really the church..." 4
* Funerals: These are conducted in the home without a eulogy, flower decorations, or other display. The casket is plain, without adornment. At death, a woman is usually buried in her bridal dress. A simple tombstone is erected after burial.
* Rumspringa: Some Amish groups practice a tradition called rumspringa ("running around"). Teens aged 16 and older are allowed some freedom in behavior. It is a interval of a few years while they remain living at home, yet are somewhat released from the intense supervision of their parents. Since they have not yet been baptized, they have not committed to follow the extremely strict behavioral restrictions and community rules imposed by the religion. Depending upon the behavioral rules of their particular community, they may be allowed to date, go out with their friends, visit the outside world, go to parties, drink alcoholic beverages, wear jeans, etc. The intent of rumspringa is to make certain that youth are giving their informed consent if they decide to be baptized. About 80% to 90% decide to remain Amish. 1,2
* Slavery: In the early years of the movement, there are no records of any Amish family owning slaves, even though this was a common practice among "The English" (non-Amish) in Pennsylvania until the late 18th century. However, some families did purchase redemptioners. These were skilled European immigrants who had no money with which to pay for their trip to the New World. They promised to work for a family for a defined number of years in exchange for the cost of their passage.

OMG! burning_eyes i'm going out of my freakin' mind, on the verge of breaking something, and ready to cry gonk

my gaia time is seriously being restricted because they think i'm too obsessed with this crying
it's already been nearly 3 weeks of this enforced half-hiatus and i'm going insane!!! wahmbulance

and I'm afraid that they're going to say no more gaia until summer time eek *faints* that would be cruel/unusual punishment/ torture!
gonk

gaia gets me through my life stressed how much longer will this go on? mwah evil

*rants on about unfairness of my situation*

sorry i needed to get this out sweatdrop

I didnt want to post this in the main forum so i'm doing it here....

yea i'm trying. this is part of my rebellion>going to the library :/ but i cant go everyday gonk
i think half an hour on school days is reasonable?

i suppose they are just overly-worried rolleyes blah