Two incidents of violence in America have tested different Amish communities. Have they remained true to their belief in non-violence and pacifism in the face of these assaults?
Shunned Sam Mullet Leads a Rebel Amish Sect
Sam Mullet is Amish, living in Ohio. Apparently his faith community was in the process of shunning him, a form of discipline used for serious offenses against the religious norms of the congregation.
Rather than being isolated from all family and friends, however, Mullet seems to have become the leader of a "breakaway Amish group".
Although standard Amish beliefs include pacifism and non-violence, there have been incidents where men of the main Amish community have been attacked and shaven against their will.
The Historic and Religious Perspective on Sam Mullet
As recounted in greater detail in "How the Amish Split from the Mennonite Anabaptists", Jakob Amman broke from his Mennonite congregation in the late 1690s. In some respects he was an innovator, but considered himself to be a conservative who held closely to original Anabaptist and Mennonite beliefs, including shunning. There have been other schisms in Amish and Mennonite denominations.
Mr. Mullet would not be the first person to split from his congregation to found a new one. The use of force, even to the limited extent of forcibly shaving his "rivals", is unusual. There were historic precedents for groups to mutually shun each other.
Generally, the victims did not press charges so the police were often stymied from intervening. It is likely that the Amish victims see these incidents as an unfortunate way the shunning discipline is working out. The overall goal of this process is to lead the person to repentance and then into restored fellowship with the Amish community.
How Serious are the Shaving Assaults?
Although Western society generally sees a man's beard as his own concern, once they are married Amish men do not even trim their beards.
The typical style has no moustache, and may preserve a straight shaved line on the upper cheek. The untrimmed beard grows below those markers. More details are in "Hairstyles for Amish Men".
So the clean-shaven look carries a message that the man is no longer a responsible adult, but has reverted to being a teen-ager. If this man had decided to shave himself, presumably the church's leaders would speak with him about failing to follow the church's practices.
Since the shaving is against the will of the victim, presumably there is also a feeling of being helpless in the face of an attack.
Some degree of force must have been used, although it is not clear that any of the victims needed medical treatment.
Some men, labelled as followers of Mullet, have been arrested and charged with kidnapping.
Charles Roberts Killed Five Amish Children at West Nickel Mines School
In October of 2006, Charles Roberts entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Armed with three guns, he ordered the adults and boys to exit the building. He shot the girls, including a teen-aged teacher's aide; three died that day, and two more shortly thereafter. Other children were seriously injured.
Roberts committed suicide at the scene. The police theorized he had targeted this school simply because it had girls and would be an easy target.
Other than Roberts, all the victims were members of the Old Order Amish community in Lancaster County.
Roberts left behind his wife and children; they were not Amish. Roberts drove a milk truck for a living; his routes included Amish farms.
The Amish Response to Violence at Nickel Mines
Many were astonished at the quick, positive response by the families of the victims at Nickel Mines. They did not simply speak of forgiveness; they expressed concern for the killer's family.
In fact, it was more than an expression. Some members of the Amish community met some of Roberts' relatives to console them. The Amish also set up a charitable fund for the benefit of the Roberts family.
This response is also consistent with the Anabaptist belief in loving one's "enemies" and returning good for evil. The Sermon on the Mount, and Matthew 5:43-44 in particular, are normative for Anabaptists.
Consistent Amish Responses to Incidents of Violence
These two situations are very different in severity and the degree of violence: the loss of life is far more tragic than the loss of a beard. Yet both are cases of attacks on Amish individuals, resulting in emotional pain in their communities.
Both communities, however, exemplify the Amish belief and practice to "turn the other cheek" to incidents of violence, as Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:38-40.
References:
Roy Strom, in Reuters: "New beard-cutting attack on Amish man in Ohio, police say", (Nov. 11, 2011), referenced Nov. 24, 2011.
Kim Palmer, in Reuters: "FBI arrests seven over Amish beard cutting attacks", (Nov. 23, 2011), referenced Nov. 24, 2011.
Kraybill, Nolt and Weaver-Zercher, in Christianity Today: "Amish Grace and the Rest of Us", (Sept. 17, 2007), referenced Nov. 24, 2011. (The author highly recommends this article).
As reported by AP and NBC: "5th girl dies after Amish schoolhouse shooting", (Oct. 3, 2006), referenced Nov. 24, 2011.
Mike DeHaan - Copyright (c) Mike DeHaan, B. Math., of DeHaan Services. Well written and well researched freelance articles; ghost writing for clients.
