Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-03-04
FAITH OF NEW AmIsA PEOPLE.
A Minister of the Sect Tells of Its
Peculiar Doctrine.

-'t'S siAAAN al tiitiI tAISltutt HeW
Amish minister consented to be in
terviewed relative to their church re-
hgion. He said:
According to his statement, III.
New Amish religion has no creed or
discipline; their faith is Democrat
ic. They have a church baptism or
immersion; they take the bible as
their guide. They follow the teach
ings of both the Old and New Testa-
ment as nearly as possible. If man
desires to enter the church the cere.
mony is no different from that of 9TH
er churches. He must have faith in
the church and the bible. and ac-
knowledge God and Christ as his lead
err and repent. and must asree to en-
deavor to lead a better life before he
is taken into the church. The elder
is the one who performs the baptism.
There is no church government.
strictly speaking. The man who pre-
sides over the destinies OF the con
Gregation is styled the elder; he is
elected by ballot the majority rul.
ing. He has no more power in the
church than any OF the other mem
bers. Sometimes there are two or
three candidates for the position of
elder The one receiving the major
ity of votes is declared the duly cleo
ted presiding officer of the church
The elder is the one who has the au-
thority to perform the marriage cere-
monies and baptisms. Aside from
this. his duties are simply those of
the presiding officer. When a ques-
ton is brought before the church or
a policy is up for consideration every
member is placed on an equality, the
elder acting only as a presiding Off
Ger, he having no more weight or in
fuence than any other member. The
question is adopted or settled only
by the consent of the majority of the
membership OF the church. The el
ders receive no pay for their SER
vices. All work they do is gratui-
tous. 1t may happen that many who
are not elders desire to preach. If
any feel called upon to speak as the
spirit has moved them, while they may
not have authority to perform the
marriage ceremony or baptismal ser
vice, they are exhorters the same as
in the other churches of the country.
1t may happen that they may have
four or five preachers besides the ell
der who speak to the congregation.
The church at fremont, the nearest
New Amish church to Pekin, has at
the present time four preachers and
no elder.
When man becomes a member of
h- icb is ,t
ed to live as disciple of Jesus Christ
just as member OF the other church.
es-the Methodists, Presbyterians,
Baptists or Catholics ,7aIe expected
to live. If a man has bad tenn
per. vicious habits or lives in viola
tion of the bible and such notice
comes to the attention of the members
of the church, he is warned in a
friendly way by the members of the
church, not by the preachers, but by
his friends. If he persists in his
wrong-doings and ignores the entrea-
ties of his brethren, he is put on pun
lshment'; that is, temporarily. This
IL not done by the elder, as has been
current in newspaper reports the last
three months, or as their enemies
would have it believed. The matter
is brought before the church in
business meeting, in which the man
has an opportunity to explain or de-
fend himself, and every other mem
ber of the church has right to speak
upon the subject matter. They have
a full discussion of the matter. and
II it is the sense of the majority of
the members, the man is put on pun
lshment. This suspends him only
temporarily from the councils of the
church, but if he persists in disobey~
ing the wishes of the church he is
expelled, but only after opportunity
hns been Given him to be heard or TO
explain his conduct. if he has any de-
fcnse. The elder acts pure
ly as the presiding officer, and is not
endowed with the autoorGtic power
that is ascribed to him. If a man is
expelled from the church the mem
bers of the church. outside of his own
immediate family, are not supposed
to break bread with him, this being
part of the punishment or symbol
cal of the fact that he has wandered
from the teachings of Christ. They
DO not interfere in any manner with
Lis family affairs. They continue
just the same as before,
1t has been represented that the
elder is the sole arbiter as to the mat
ing of the young people. This is al
so an error. If young man looks
with comely eyes upon young lady,
he has a perfect liberty to call upon
l.er at her home. 1t is not customa-
ry, however, for them to go picknick-
ing or riding together or go to dane
ing parties, as is customary in other
churches. He may visit her at her
home as frequently as he desires.
The processes of love are the same as
those practiced by members OF any
other religion. If the young man
becomes infatuated and is imbued
with the desire to wed this young
lady, he goes to the elder and con
ndes in him He being the one
member OF the church who Is vested