Are Quakers Amish?

This week's Quaker video: "You're a Quaker? You mean, like, Amish?" It's something all Quakers have heard. Max Carter, professor of Quaker religion studies at Guilford College, tells us about the differences between Quakers and the Amish.

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Quakers aren't Amish, but they are open to learning from the Amish, as suggested in the Friends Journal article, "Forgiveness: An Amish Lesson for the Rest of Us?"

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Transcript:

Are Quakers Amish? That's a question that almost everyone who goes to Guilford College (where we're filming this today) gets. A number of my students will say when they find out they're going to a Quaker College, "Will we have to ride a horse? Will we have to give up electricity? Will we have to wear gray?"

What I often tell my students is the main difference between the Quakers and the Amish is that the Amish drive their own buggy; Quakers drive others buggy.

Are Quakers Amish?

The real answer is that there's a spiritual connection between the Quakers and the Amish. There's no organic connection between the Quakers and the Amish.

The Amish grew out of the radical reformation, the anabaptist movements of the 1500's and 1600's, out of southern Germany, the Alsace area of France and Switzerland in response to the protestant reformation, and a desire to take those reforms further, to create the "true church" of adult, voluntary believers who accept the discipline of the church and associated themselves around the gospels especially and lived out the meaning of the gospels in plainness, in simplicity, in adult baptism, and pacifism, or what they would call "biblical nonresistance."

The Quakers emerged out of the English Civil War period a century later. Similar desires to restore original Christianity—it was a restorationist movement too—but there's no organic connection with what was happening on the continent.

How Quaker Used to Dress

The reason so many people make the mistake of equating the Quakers with the Amish is the Amish dress the way that Quakers used to. The Amish came into the American colonies in the early 1700's on the invitation of William Penn and other Quakers to Pennsylvania for religious freedom. They came as German Peasant stock, dressing like German Bauern would dress, and they looked at their Quaker neighbors and saw them dressing in their broad brim hats and bonnets and plain clothes and said, "works for us."

The Differences Between Quakers and Amish

But there are very significant differences between the Amish and the Quakers. The Amish, for example, believe in separation from a fallen world. A fundamental theological understanding is to be separate. "Come out from among them and be ye separate."

Quakers have followed William Penn's dictate of "loving the world with weaned affections," to be "in the world but not of it," so Quakers have not been as separate from the world.

The Amish have a theology that is still fairly Calvinist without the pre-destination. Quakers have a theology that is more open to the possibility of understanding one's salvation in this life. The Amish will not talk about eternal assurance or the ability to know in this life whether one is in reconciliation with God.

And quite importantly, the Amish do not allow women to speak or have authority in church. Quakers from the very beginning have always seen the spiritual equality of men and women. So if you go to an Amish worship service, which is 3 and a half hours in German, women will not speak a word, unless they're singing a hymn. There are no women in authority, no women in leadership, and that just isn't the case among Quakers.

There are also a variety of differences in terms of form. Quakers do not use the outward forms of baptism and communion typically, and those are very central to Anabaptist and Amish understanding. The importance of baptism as a sign of entering into the church as an adult, and the importance twice a year of the Lord's supper, foot washing as well.

[loro]

My father was Quaker. His family lived out the principals beautifully. They were the first in their community to have electricity, the first to have a car etc. They were very big on education, both men and women. My grandmother had a college degree in 1902.

[allyelliott]

One of my great-great-great-great grandmothers’ was a Quaker.

[trevorgwelch]

I bought a dog from a Mennonite farm .... $35, healthy and strong - well behaved .

[davidwagner]

My grandparents were Lutheran on my father's side, Unitarian on my mother's side, though my mum's dad was raised a spiritual (non-Orthodox) Christian from southern Russia. Mennonites, Amish, Doukhobours, and Quakers seem like good people to me, and thank you for explaining the similarities and differences. "In the world but not of it" -- that is a tricky thought to navigate. I'm going to take a deeper look.

[ElDerpy]

Also misses out that a Quaker invented KitKats (among many other things), built a modern transport network, social housing and was one half of the inspiration to Willy Wonka.
See Joseph Rowntree.

[MrSwifts]

An interesting fact:~
When the Declaration of Independence was being drawn up (before it was issued) a group of 12 Quakers approached the Second Continental Congress, they pointed out to them that the statement~
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed"
was flawed, as it did not cover either the Slaves, nor the Native Americans.
Sadly their views were ignored.Imagine if Slaves and the Native Americans had been franchised.There might have been no Civil War, or any Native American wars.

[jdproctor]

LMAO! Reading this as someone who was once in a relationship with a Quaker lass and is now a member of a Mennonite church, I understand the mixup!

[CarolineJoyAmico]

I've been asked if I'm Amish because I made cloth diapers for my kids. Meanwhile, I'm standing there in my PANTS, next to my CAR...

Some folks just don't think things through.

[qkranarchist]

Most Quaker Meetings have added hierarchy, leadership, singular authority, layers and systems to gain permission, letters, protocols, and procedures. I encourage seeing the story of Quaker Benjamin Lay to see how these practices evolved in the biography by Marcus Rediker. I invite Quakers to reconsider the system of rules and live in the full free spirit of our Guiding Light.

[swanbrown]

I think that if General Mills updated the package design of Quaker Oats, a lot of the confusion could be avoided. I'd suggest that James Dean's image could sell as much cereal as William Penn's

[HeatherFaraMS]

The modern answer might that some Quakers are nearly Luddite, but most are not. There is a universal desire to "live simply, so that others can simply live." Protecting the environment and living simply (personal definition) are desired for multiple reasons. I just bought a manual typewriter and use my computer rarely - I would say that's unusual in most circles, but not Quaker ones.

[stormywaters]

Fascinating, this would be such an interesting class to take!

[RolandHutchinson]

Did I spot a moustache in that drawing of an Amish family meal? If so, quite a slip on the part of the artist.

One thing that Amish and Quakers do have in common is the Quaker Peace Testimony and Amish Non-resistance. In connection with this, Amish men do not wear moustaches because moustaches were worn by millitary officers back in the day in their countries of origin.

[sheilanixon]

To begin with, in the 17th Century, the Quakers were rather like modern Pentecostals and Charismatics.but have evolved into something very different.They wear normal clothes and believe in education and learning. Their meetings are very quiet . they are like the Amish in their pacifist views, but otherwise they are very different. My husbands relatives belong to the Quakers in Pickering, Yorkshire and used to attend the Bournville meeting . They do not drink alcohol WE went to a quaker wedding in Bournville, when cousin Alison got married.

[lorriemiller]

A lot of people firget tou can be of various ethnicities and be of a particular religion such as Catholic or Protestant. Usually Amish/ Mennonite are German by ethnicity from places like Germany, Switzerland, . You can be of various ethnic groups and be Jewish, Muslim, or Christian.

[imightmakeit]

Very interesting 😐 thanks for making this video to inform those who do not know 😀

[SharonPoet]

This is good to know. ❤ I view the original authentic Quakers as people who had found and honored, the most important part of the natural spirituality that ALL human beings are born with - the Heart - the Love - the Light - the God that exists within us all. And they aimed to show the rest of humanity this natural human capability, which is why they were targeted.
As I learn more about the original Quakers, I am finding validation for my own experiences and beliefs, as well as for my work. The core Quaker belief was that God is Love and we can directly connect to Love/Light/God through our own Hearts. And I realize the truth in this, because I've had experiences with it, since going through a grieving/healing process in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since then I have felt that when we release the suppressed pain that blocks our Hearts, we automatically connect more deeply with Love/Light/God. This is why my work has focused on embracing our feelings and healing our Hearts, in order to bring more Love and compassion into our world. Many people have put me down and thought I was crazy. So, I am glad to be able to back up my realization with a stand for people who had also found the same reality many centuries ago - the original Quakers. I feel much less alone now, even though I do not know if any of the Quakers had realized how people can deepen their direct connection to God, through focusing on healing their own Hearts - through focusing on releasing the suppressed emotional pain that blocks Hearts. So, I am adding this part to the table here.

[edwinf]

What you didn’t mention is that there are 3 different forms of Quakers: evangelicals, conservative and liberal. Today here in Germany most are liberal. The Bible is not really important, as a liberal Quaker you might see yourself as Christian but you could also be an atheist.

[jayparr]

"The main difference between the Quakers and the Amish is the Amish drive their own buggy and the Quakers drive others buggy." Yup. That's the Max we all know and love.

[weddiedon]

Not just men and women being equal but everyone us equal to the point of not having a leader of the church group.. no one preacher, everyone sits together in silence until you want to speak and then you can, saying whatever comes to you