It's hard to imagine the Amish as revolutionaries, and even more difficult to see them as a threat to the government. But that is the way the ancestors of today's Amish and Mennonite communities were described almost five centuries ago.

In sixteenth century Europe, church membership was determined by place of birth. Nations and kingdoms were governed by rulers who were both head of State and head of the Church. Church law was civil law, and citizenship in one country or region dictated one's religious affiliation. In 1519, Martin Luther launched his campaign for religious reformation, but even his ideas were not considered far-reaching enough for a zealous group of German-Swiss Protestants who called themselves "Brethren." They objected to infant baptism, feeling the Bible's call to "repent and be baptized" applied to persons old enough to understand and respond. They began to baptize one another, eventually earning the nickname "Anabaptists," which means "re-baptizers." The Swiss Brethren did not care for this title, as they viewed their original baptism as infants to be invalid; therefore, in their minds, the ceremony in which they engaged as adults was their first real baptism. But the name "Anabaptist" stuck, and is still in use today.

Their scattered congregations, meeting in secret, grew rapidly, but quickly found themselves at odds with government authorities. Infant baptism sealed a child as an obedient citizen, as well as a member of the church, so the Anabaptists' refusal to baptize their children was viewed as a rejection of government authority. Furthermore, the Anabaptists had developed several other doctrines -- separation of church and state, salvation by faith rather than works, an emphasis on a personal religious life rather than obedience to the laws, and traditions of church leaders -- that branded them as heretics and rebels, dissenters against the State/Church system.

Anabaptist families were forced to flee from the ruthless persecution that sought to stamp out their movement. A group formed in Holland by Menno Simons became known as "Mennonites." They wanted to live a simple and quiet life, using the Bible as their guide to life. Reacting both to what they saw as excesses around them, the knowledge their beliefs might draw more persecution at any time, and desiring to live a holy life separated from the world, Mennonites tended to withdraw into a communal lifestyle with other like-minded Brethren. But life was always hard for those whose beliefs conflicted with the world system of their day.

The Mennonite population grew as others embraced their ideas. But as their numbers increased, so did disagreement. Some congregations felt Mennonites had become too worldly and lax in their practices. In the late 1600s, a group led by Jakob Amman broke off from the Mennonite church and established a new congregation that called for stricter rules regarding plain dress, worship traditions, and excommunication for those who did not conform to rules agreed upon by church elders. This group became known as "Amish," from the name of their leader.

By this time many Germans, wearied by endless war, famine and suffering in northern Europe, were looking to the newly discovered continent across the water as a place to start life anew. Mennonites and Amish joined them, longing for religious freedom and the opportunity to raise their families in peace. The first Mennonite emigrants arrived in Pennsylvania in 1683 and established the city known as Germantown. In 1737, a ship called the Charming Nancy docked in Philadelphia, bearing 21 Amish immigrants. Anabaptists found a welcome in William Penns colony, which was founded on principles of religious freedom and brotherhood. Mennonites and Amish, as well as Quakers, Brethren and other related sects, prospered as they worked hard, putting their farming skills to good use.

In 1786 the new nation of the United States of America included in its Constitution the revolutionary notion church and State should be separate. No longer would the government require membership in an authorized church, nor could citizens be harassed, arrested or persecuted for their personal religious beliefs. This concept was considered radical for its time, but Anabaptists had already suffered and died for more than 250 years to establish that right.

Amish and Mennonite families joined the 19th-century westward migration, eventually spreading across the United States. But the heaviest concentration of Anabaptist population remains in the Midwest, with the largest Amish community in the world located in and around Holmes County, Ohio. As Amish congregations grew and moved farther apart, there inevitably became differences in rules and practices. Concerned, Amish bishops began corresponding by letter, proposing a general conference of church leaders. The first such meeting was held in Wayne County, Ohio in 1862. The conferences continued annually for 15 years, but the diversity was such that eventually congregations in different areas and with different views decided to go their separate ways.

Today, most Amish and some Mennonites are still readily recognizable by their dress and way of living. They have remained, in general, true to the standards first laid down by their European ancestors more than 500 years ago. They continue in Anabaptist principles of separation from the government, church membership by choice and personal decision, baptism of adult believers, acting as peace-makers, and simplicity of lifestyle. Over the centuries, as their communities have spread across the continent, moving into Canada, Mexico and even Central and South America, Anabaptists have maintained a remarkable cohesiveness, strengthened by family unity, a communal life, and thoughtful, prayerful consideration of change as needs or new circumstances arise. They have found ways to adapt to and accept rapid change in society around them, while maintaining their strong sense of identity and history.

The people who were once considered dangerous radicals now attract tourists, scholars and admirers who are finding, perhaps, centuries-old Anabaptist principles may hold solutions to modern-world problems.