How did the Amish religion begin?
The Amish people are direct descendants of the Anabaptists of sixteenth century Europe. Anabaptism is a religion that came about during the reformation era. The term Anabaptist first started out as a nickname that meant re-baptizer, because this group rejected the idea of infant baptism, since an infant doesn’t yet have the knowledge of good and evil. The Anabaptists were seen as a threat to Europe’s religious and social institutions and were therefore persecuted. The Amish religion is actually a branch of the Swiss Mennonites. The group received its name from its founder, Jacob Amman. In the Netherlands an influential leader of the Anabaptists was Menno Simons. He became such an advocate for Anabaptism that many Anabaptists came to be known as Mennonites. The Amish division came about as a result of particular reforms Amman wanted to make that turned into disagreements with other Mennonite leaders. As a result, a new religious division known as the “Amish” was formed under the leaders
