Epigraph

Allah is He save Whom none is worthy of worship, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that dares intercede with Him, except by His permission? He knows all that is before them and all that is behind them, and they cannot compass aught of His knowledge, except that which He pleases. His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the care of them wearies Him not. He is the Most High, the Most Great.

There shall be no compulsion in religion, for guidance and error have been clearly distinguished; then whoso rejects those who hinder people from following the right path and believes in Allah, has surely taken hold of a strong and dependable support which will never break. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Al Quran 2:255-256)

Written and collected by Zia H Shah MD

Abstract

Shunning (German: Meidung) is a longstanding disciplinary practice among the Amish, used to enforce communal norms by socially ostracizing wayward members. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Amish shunning. It first traces the historical origins of the practice to the 1690s Amish-Mennonite schism sparked by Jakob Ammann’s insistence on strict excommunication and social avoidance. It then examines the biblical and theological foundations of shunning, including Amish interpretations of scripture (e.g. Matthew 18:17, 1 Corinthians 5:11) that frame shunning as a form of tough love and spiritual “medicine” meant to restore the sinner and protect the church. Differences in the application of shunning across Amish groups are described – from the strict lifelong shunning of the ultraconservative Swartzentruber Amish to the more lenient or symbolic approaches found among New Order and Beachy Amish. The psychological impact of shunning is analyzed through firsthand testimonies of ex-Amish individuals and scholarly studies, highlighting the profound emotional trauma, loneliness, and identity crises that excommunicated individuals often experience, as well as the emotional toll on families and the community. Comparisons are drawn to analogous practices in other religious traditions, including the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ disfellowshipping, forms of excommunication in Orthodox Judaism (cherem), and other Anabaptist sects’ disciplinary measures. In conclusion, a thematic reflection considers how the Amish practice of shunning illuminates the tension between maintaining community cohesion and respecting individual autonomy, a dynamic that raises broader questions about freedom, belonging, and the costs of religious commitment.

Historical Background of Amish Shunning

The practice of shunning stands at the very foundation of Amish identity. In the late 17th century, Jakob Ammann – the Swiss Anabaptist leader for whom the Amish are named – championed a “stronger interpretation” of the ban (excommunication) and its enforcement through complete social avoidance amishamerica.com encyclopedia.com. This strict stance on church discipline was a major point of contention between Ammann and more moderate Mennonite elders like Hans Reist. Ammann accused the others of laxity in not fully applying the biblical mandate to shun errant members; he insisted that excommunication must entail total severance of ordinary social relations, not merely barring an individual from communion encyclopedia.com. The conflict culminated in 1693 when Ammann excommunicated Reist and like-minded leaders, permanently splitting the Anabaptist community. Ammann’s followers became known as the Amish, a separate branch defined largely by their commitment to rigorous shunning of those who “did not meet [the community’s] high standards” encyclopedia.com.

Once established, the Amish carried the practice of shunning with them to North America in the 18th and 19th centuries. Over time, shunning remained a potent mechanism for preserving Amish identity and obedience to the Ordnung (the unwritten church rules). In Amish history, debates over the extent of shunning have periodically caused internal rifts. For example, in 19th-century and mid-20th-century Ohio, some Amish communities split over whether to shun members who left to join related Anabaptist groups. Conservative factions held to a “strong Bann” (strict shunning), while more moderate factions felt that if someone joined another plain Mennonite or Amish church, excommunication might not be necessary jhupress.wordpress.com jhupress.wordpress.com. These schisms gave rise to new affiliations – notably the ultra-conservative Swartzentruber Amish, who broke from the Old Order in the early 1900s in order to enforce more severe shunning practices jhupress.wordpress.com. In all cases, however, the underlying principle remained: shunning was seen as vital for maintaining the spiritual purity and cohesion of the Amish church-community.

Biblical and Theological Justifications

The Amish justify shunning through their interpretation of Christian scripture and a theology of church purity. A key Bible passage is Jesus’s instruction in Matthew 18:17: if a sinning church member refuses to repent even after repeated counsel, “let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” encyclopedia.com. The Amish understand this to mean the person must be treated as an outsider. Likewise, Amish teachings frequently cite Paul’s writings on church discipline. For example, 1 Corinthians 5:11 instructs believers “not to eat” with anyone who claims to be a Christian brother but persists in sinful conduct, and 2 Thessalonians 3:14 says to “have no company” with those who disobey apostolic teaching gameo.org. Amish ministers see in these verses a clear mandate for Meidung – avoiding normal social interaction with unrepentant members. Other scriptures often invoked include Romans 16:17 (“mark them… and avoid them”) and 2 John 1:10 (do not welcome those who bring false doctrine) gameo.org, underscoring the concept of separation from those deemed spiritually wayward.

encyclopedia.com Theologically, Amish shunning is framed as an act of redemptive discipline rather than malice. Amish leaders describe it as a form of “salvific medicine” applied to the erring soul – a drastic remedy to spur repentance and eventual restoration encyclopedia.com. By cutting off social ties, the community sends a strong message about the seriousness of the individual’s breach of faith, hoping the person will “see the error in his ways, change behavior, and re-affirm his commitment” amishamerica.com. In this sense, shunning is practiced out of what the Amish consider tough love: it aims to save the member’s soul from eternal consequences by inducing remorse jhupress.wordpress.com. At the same time, shunning serves to “protect the integrity of the church-community” jhupress.wordpress.com. The Amish believe the church must remain undefiled by willful sin; removing and avoiding an unrepentant member keeps the “body of believers” pure and upholds the community’s collective commitment to God’s laws encyclopedia.com. This was precisely Jakob Ammann’s argument – that obedience to Christ required a complete break in fellowship with those who stray encyclopedia.com. To do otherwise, in the Amish view, would make the church itself complicit in disobedience and even endanger the spiritual welfare of the whole community.

Amish church members make a solemn vow at baptism to live according to the Ordnung and to submit to the brotherhood of the church. Thus, violating church rules or leaving the Amish faith is seen not just as a personal choice but as a broken promise to God. By the Amish rationale, every member is duty-bound to enforce shunning once the church has excommunicated someone, lest they themselves become covenant-breakers. As one account explains, when an Amish person leaves after having been baptized, fellow members feel they “have no option but to excommunicate and shun that person” – to do otherwise would be to break their own vows to God jhupress.wordpress.com. In Amish sermons, shunning is often portrayed as fulfilling Jesus’s teachings and preserving the church “without spot or wrinkle.” Outsiders may view the practice as cruel or extreme, but to the Amish it is an expression of obedience and communal love – a temporary social pain inflicted for the errant member’s ultimate spiritual good, and a fence to keep the “wolves” of sin and worldliness at bay amishamerica.com.

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