If you’ve done any research into the Amish culture and lifestyle, you may have come across two different subgroups: the old order and new order. Both of these ‘factions’ have their own unique beliefs regarding religion and ultimately life. Although some settlements have both new order and old order families living in them, they are usually separated for the most part. So, what differences separate the new order and old order Amish? In this post, we’re going to go over a quick comparison of these two factions, revealing why they separated in the first place.
Up until the mid 1800s, the Amish culture was a single, unified body. It wasn’t until the 1860s when a portion of the Amish — now known as “old order” — decided to break apart from the rest. These members left to create their own community in rural locations far away from the rest. Even today, there are still two primary factions of the Amish: old order and new order. And you can find communities of both factions throughout the country.
There were several factors leading to the separation of the old order Amish from the rest, but the most significant was their religious beliefs. Those considered “old order” has more conservative views which placed an emphasis on religion. It’s important to note that both the old order and new order are heavily focused on religion, but those in the old order prohibit the use of certain convenience items. They believe items like the telephone and other electronics takes away from their religious activities, sending them down the wrong path. This is why you will almost never find a telephone in the possession of an individual who’s beliefs are old order Amish.
Of course, there are other differences between old order and new order which shouldn’t go unnoticed. While both factions use horse-drawn buggies rather than cars, the buggies found in new order Amish settlements contain modern improvements. It’s not uncommon to find rubber tires with comfortable interior improvements in new order buggies. On the other hand, old order Amish settlements typically use basic horse-drawn buggies with few, if any, improvements.
Hopefully, this will give you a better understanding of the old order and new order. They both share similar beliefs, but those in the old order have more conservative views which affects their way of living.
If you’re interested, you might want to read more about Amish education.
