Healthcare for the Amish and Mennonite Culture

1323 Words3 Pages

There are many different cultures throughout the world. They each have their own distinct customs and beliefs relating to marriage, rites of passage, conflict resolutions, education etc... The most interesting aspect of each culture is how they incorporate their religious beliefs into the healthcare they receive. Some cultures are not affected by their religious beliefs when dealing with healthcare. They are not regulated in the terms of medical procedures and practices they can obtain from healthcare professionals. However, this is not true for every culture in this world. The Amish and Mennonite culture is depicted upon separating themselves from this world and living a plain life. These two cultures are heavily rooted in their religious beliefs and have tendencies not to stray away from those beliefs regardless of the possible benefits of modern technology. Amish and Mennonite culture may share some similarities, but they have some differences also. A culture’s religious beliefs will be the main determining factor in the healthcare they choose.
In the 1700s, the Amish settled mainly in the Midwest after fleeing persecution in Germany (Rearick, 2003). They are branched off of Christianity and came shortly after the Protestant Reformation (Weyer, Hustey, Rathbun, Armstrong, Reed, Ronyak, & Savrin, 2003).
The Amish are very dedicated to their faith and believe they should live their life like their savior. They do not believe in modern conveniences such as automobiles, electricity, and any other modern technology. “The Amish are also known as the “plain people” because they tend to separate themselves from the modern world” (Rearick, 2003).
The characteristics of the Amish has made healthcare professionals take in consideratio...

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...n, A. M. ( 1995, Spring) The Amish Struggle with Modernity. Virginia Quarterly Review. Vol. 71, Issue 2
Naka, T. (2010). Faith At Work: Mennonite Beliefs and Occupations. Ethnology: An International Journal of Cultural and Social Anthropology 47. Retrieved January 27, 2014 from http://ethnology.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/Ethnology/article/view/6040/6217
Rearick, E. (2003, Fall). Amish Culture and Healthcare. Journal of Undergraduate Nursing Scholarship. Vol.5 No.1. Retreived January 27, 2013 from www.juns.nursing.arizona.edu/index1.htm
Wenger, K. C. (1959). Glimpses of Mennonite History and Doctrine. Harold Press
Weyer, .M S., Hustey, R. V., Rathburn, L., Armstrong, L. V., Reed, S., Ronyak, J., Savrin, C. (2003, April). A Look Into the Amish Culture: What Should We Learn? Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Retrieved January 27, 2014 from tcn.sagepub.com/content/14/2.toc

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