I have wondered for a long time why Christian women love to read fiction books about the Amish when the Amish faith doesn’t point people to salvation in Jesus Christ. But it is a huge niche in the publishing industry with a steady stream of books coming out every month.
I knew my own difficult experiences with people who have adopted similar lifestyles impacted how I viewed this topic. But even after acknowledging my own inclination to view high-control groups negatively because of that, I have long thought there was something very off with the Amish.
Above all else, are they truly Christians? They are very religious, but do they trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation?
Many Christians would immediately call that a very judgmental question. After all, who am I to question their sincere faith?
But I challenge you to consider what I’ve assembled below and then revisit that question.
Amish Transformed with Martha Ross
The YouTube channel Amish Transformed popped up in my feed a few months ago. Martha Ross describes her channel this way:
My videos are about educating people on the differences of the Amish religion and the teachings of the Bible. My goal is to help people grow stronger in their faith, and hopefully, they’ll be helpful to others who leave the Amish community or other religious groups. I love and respect the Amish people, but their teachings do not correspond with the teachings of the Bible and Jesus Christ, our Savior.
I have watched several of Martha’s videos and here is what shines through to me. This is a young woman who heard the Gospel and trusted Jesus Christ for her salvation. And in doing so, she fully grasps how much her Amish upbringing is in direct contradiction with the Gospel.
She has no apparent ax to grind. She seems genuinely concerned for the lostness of the Amish people and full of joy because of her faith in Jesus.
Are the Amish Christian? I would answer this in the same way I would regarding any other person.
What are they trusting in for their salvation?
If it is anything other than faith in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for our sins, then they are not saved. This is true for anyone who is Amish, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, etc. The system doesn’t save you. Your works don’t save you. Your theology doesn’t save you. Your community doesn’t save you. Your birth family doesn’t save you.
Salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Here are some of Martha’s videos. I also included some of the descriptions she wrote for each one.
I was SHOCKED by the Bible After I Left the Amish!
In this video, I will be talking about how the Amish viewed the Bible, and when I was Amish, we did not know the bible. There was certain things that we would hear from the adults now and then, or at church service, that ‘sounded biblical,’ but Amish beliefs are not biblical. Words can be very deceiving as the Bible warns quite often. I’ll be talking about how, when I was Amish, I did not know how many books of the Bible there were, what the names of the books of the Bible are, who wrote the Bible, and that the Bible is inspired by the Spirit of God Himself. There are many, many details in the Bible that absolutely shocked me! Amish are not allowed to have any beliefs that come only from the Bible, it has to be only what the Amish preachers say.
Why do Americans Romanticize the Amish?!
Since I left the Amish and started doing social media, I have noticed how many people romanticize the Amish, and I know firsthand how harmful that can be. There are two sides of the spectrum where some people hate the Amish, and others completely romanticize them.
What Religion are the Amish?
The Amish teach that they are Christians. But they do not explain what that even means. Not even in the Amish church. The definition of Christianity is someone who follows and teaches the teachings of Jesus Christ written in the Bible. In the process of me leaving the Amish, I studied the Bible for myself and realized that there is tons of things the Amish do not teach about or have any sort of knowledge about, things that are clearly written in the Bible. Even the core doctrines of Christianity. The question “Are the Amish Christians” doesn’t have to be answered, I’ll let you have your own opinion about that. But it is important to know what they believe and if they are truly teaching what the Bible teaches or not.
I Finally Read Psalms After Leaving the Amish!
In this video, I will be going over some details of a recap on what I learned from personally reading the book of Psalms for the first time, in a language that I can understand, since I left the Amish. I talk about how King David was certain of his salvation, but this goes against the Amish beliefs entirely. I talk about how much the book of Psalms talks about singing praises to God, singing and dancing with instruments, alongside praising to God, which is so opposite from the Amish beliefs as well. So the Amish would definitely dislike the book of Psalms.
Who Is Joel Webbon?
“The Amish believe that the Bible can deceive you and will deceive you if you read it too much.”
There’s the tell in one sentence from the first video.