Do the Amish use electricity?

In the late 1600’s, a group led by Jakob Ammann broke away from the Swiss Mennonites.  Amish groups began arriving in the United States in the early 1700’s.  Today, 80% are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

The Amish follow a code of behavior known as the “Ordnung,” the German word for order.  Although rules vary from one community to another, Amish are generally prohibited from owning cars, televisions or computers, attending college or taking photographs (which are believed to foster personal vanity).

Technology itself is not considered evil, but the concern is that the technology will promote unwanted assimilation with the outside world.  TV programs might introduce external temptations, or automobiles might allow members to stray far from the community.

Contrary to widely-held beliefs, Amish are generally not opposed to electricity itself, but only to the public-power-grid connection.  Most Amish groups do use electricity in some form – electric fences for their cattle, powered by windmills, for example.  Buggies have battery-powered flashing lights for safety.  Diesel generators are sometimes used to power an appliance or provide lighting for a business, and even solar panels are becoming increasingly popular.

Bonus Fact: The common term “Pennsylvania Dutch” is erroneous; “Dutch” being a corrupted form of “Deutsch,” or German.