By Aaron Vankirk ’26, staff writer
Dr Jörg Meindl, associate professor of German and global studies at Lebanon Valley College, hosted a lecture that discussed the Amish and how their sense of community keeps them functioning.
The lecture was split into four different sections, and Meindl began with a section regarding Anabaptists. Anabaptists believe that one should only be baptized when they understand their faith and are ready to commit themselves to it. Amish happen to be Anabaptists, and this affects the way that they see people in and outside of their religion.
“Anabaptists emphasize the parts of the Bible that say they should be separated from nonbelievers,” Meindl said.
Another topic was the Amish community itself. This included how close-knit the people in the community are and how the rules and customs they have in place help guarantee that closeness. While the Amish do not have hatred for outsiders, they do try and keep to themselves as much as they can.
“They don’t have church buildings; they meet in people’s homes,” Meindl said. “They are a high-context culture and are very densely connected with each other.”
Language and identity also play a huge role among the Amish. While they know how to read, write and speak in English, they also speak in their own dialect of German.
Along with this, they do not believe in individuality. Unlike most of America, they do not see themselves as individuals but as a community.
“The Amish believe that one should not express their own opinions; they should yield,” Meindl said. “Language does not only reflect our identity but builds it also.”
The last section of the lecture explored how the Amish interact with outside communities. This happens when the Amish cannot provide or obtain certain things for themselves, such as long-distance travel or even groceries. As previously stated, the Amish do tend to keep to themselves, but that does not mean that they are isolated from the world.
“They are active parts of wider communities, such as their township,” Meindl said. “They meet with outsiders for things they cannot provide themselves, but mutual aid helps separate them from the world and allows them to avoid using things like insurance.”
By the end of the lecture, it was clear as to why community is such a large part of the Amish lifestyle.