The Amish Voice 6
In
Separation from the World, Part I
,
I
wrote: “
One of the [main] beliefs
maintained by the plain people surrounds
separation from the world. In fact, while
studying our rich culture, I discovered that
if you look past that one belief, the average
plain person isn’t [all that] different from
any other person alive.”
In this article, we’re going to look closer at
our plain culture’s practice of “separation
from the world.” The “world,” if you stop
and think of how we tend to view it, is
considered primarily to be men, women,
and children who do not visibly look or act
differently from those who do not profess
to be Christians. Often people who claim
Christ as their Savior, but dress in non-
Amish and Mennonite clothing, are
considered “in the world.”
Amish and Mennonite Symbols of
Separation from the World
Clothing is one of the biggest concerns in
the plain culture’s separation from the
world. In Amish communities, all clothing
must be custom made just for them, and the
colors and styles are different enough that
it’s impossible to mistake an Amish man
for anything other than an Amish. I
remember a preacher saying that plain
clothing is a plain person’s uniform, much
like a policeman, fireman, doctor, etc.
would wear to separate themselves from
others. He stated that the plain person’s
clothing is a confession to God and man,
showing separation from a worldly
lifestyle.
Other forms of separation from the world
include the belief that a person should work
with their hands, not own large businesses,
not interact too much with non-plain
people, drive horse and buggy, and various
other rules which clearly mark the plain
lifestyle.
Consequences of the Plain Structure
All of these rules of separation make plain
communities a much tighter group, a kind
of world in and of itself, though it
unfortunately doesn’t always draw the
members closer to each other in friendship.
In that regard, many are no closer to each
other than those of the world might be.
While there is some lack in close
friendships, however, plain people make it
up by assisting one another when help is
needed in barn raising, repair, etc. My
heart’s cry to the plain people is the same
as Paul’s in 1 Corinthians 1:10:
Now I
beseech you, brethren, by the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the
same thing, and that there be no divisions
among you; but that ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same
judgment.
In a similar way, we see an unfortunate
amount of peer pressure among the plain
people as a result of the religious lifestyle
they live. As stated in Galatians 3:10, if a
person attempts to live up to a standard,
when he fails, as we all will, that person
will be rather miserable. In fact, Paul says
it’s a curse to not live up to all the laws.
This is true because we are held to the law
if it is what we trust in, instead of
surrendering to Christ:
For as many as are
of the works of the law are under the curse:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that
continueth not in all things which are
written in the book of the law to do them.
(
Galatians 3:10)
Our inability to live up to Christ’s
standards is clearly stated in Acts 15: 10
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a
yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which
neither our fathers nor we were able to
bear?
My friends, even the best of the best
in the Bible weren’t able to live up to
God’s standards and, I confess, so much
more are we unable.
But, we who accept Christ’s righteousness
in place of our own are no longer under the
curse of the law:
But now we are delivered
from the law, that being dead wherein we
were held; that we should serve in newness
of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
(
Romans 7:6).
We are free indeed and now
do serve
,
but
we serve in the
life of the spirit
rather than
according to the law – works which
produce no life.
If the Son therefore shall
make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
(
John 8:36)
Plain but Living in the World
It is true that plain people separate
themselves from the world, and that is a
good thing. However, based on Matthew
13:22,
we know that plain people do face a
very real reality of being part of the world
unless their focus is on Christ alone
...
and
the care of this world
,
and the
deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and
he becometh unfruitful:
When Jesus speaks of the world, He’s
speaking not as much of particular habits,
but of the
things of
this world
-
as He
mentioned in the previous verse, the
cares
of this world
.
We all, whether plain or not,
have only one of two things to focus on:
earthly things or heavenly things.
No man
can serve two masters: for either he will
hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
(
Matthew 6:24)
We can see that even the plain person’s
separation from the world, alone, cannot
keep a person from living according to the
world’s standards. Christ’s standard is set
in Matthew 6:24 - we either care for things
of heaven (serving God) or things of earth
(
serving mammon or self).
Religion, whether plain or otherwise, will
even lull oneself to sleep as he starts
thinking he is living the “right way,” as he
thinks God intends that he live, and forgets
that Christ alone can atone. May we all be
firm in accepting Christ’s righteousness
—
continued next page—
Separation from the World (Part 2)
—
by J. Martin
