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The Amish and the State (Center Books in Anabaptist Studies)

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One of the key gauges to measure the health of a political society is to assess how a society deals with difference; it is for this reason that the study of Amish life is important for political scientists as well those interested in Anabaptism and religious movements in general. Fortunately I have a foot in both camps so this book was especially interesting. What makes the Amish particularly is that it is more commonly asserted that the often-cited public-private distinction in religion applies in far fewer instances than that of most people (it is a bogus distinction but is still often cited). Consequently there is far more willingness to concede that what some may deem to be innocuous actions by the state really to infringe on religious sensibilities. The essays in `The Amish and the State' offer a number of lines in the sand at which the free-exercise of Amish religion is directly threatened and detail how these have been addressed by both the (multiple varieties of) the Amish and the State, in doing so they exhibit how the Amish have often been treated as a special case.

While not addressed in this book this raises the question as to whether this really is fair, for example in the extremely important Wisconsin vs. Yoder US Supreme Court decision of 1972 the special treatment is based on the observable history of religious identity. What then of the many New Religious Movements who likewise have a religiosity that does not fit neatly into the public-private distinctions modern liberalism has come to love.

This book will be of interest to those interested in communal versions of Christianity and general religious topography, however it is also a fascinating case-study of the sustainability of the ideal of religious freedom in modern democracies. Definitely recommended.

Contents:

i) Negotiating with Caesar - Donald B Kraybill
ii) The Amish View of the State - Paton Yoder
iii) Military Service and Conscription - Albert N Keim
iv) The National Amish Steering Committee - Marc A Olshan
v) Education and Schooling - Thomas J Meyers
vi) The National Committee for Amish Religious Freedom - William C Lindholm
vii) Social Security and Taxes - Peter J Ferrara
viii) Slow-moving Vehicles - Lee J Zook
ix) Health Care - Gertrude Enders Huntingdon
x) Land Use - Elizabeth Place
xi) The Role of Outsiders - Robert L Kidder
xii) Canadian Government Relations - Dennis L Thomson
xiii) First Amendment Issues - William B Ball
Appendix) Significant Legal Cases - Elizabeth Place