by Elsie W. Hamel (Author)
This study is a comprehensive review of religious and secular utopian sects to determine why three Old Order Anabaptist groups have survived for four centuries and have thrived into the twenty- first century when hundreds of sects have failed. Utopian theory provides a background to elucidate the reasons why many people were attracted to these communities. A multitude of key factors contributed to the decline and failure of the non-Old Order sects; e.g., a lack of commitment, the absence of a central belief system buttressed by uniform governance, self-centered charismatic leaders, the inability to provide economic support, poor work ethics, a disparity of common goals and a decline in community membership. Also, readers are given a glimpse of mid-twentieth-century Pennsylvania Dutch farm life.
Author Biography
Elsie (Woodruff) Hamel lives in Bethlehem, PA. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Lehigh University where she is editorial manager of two scientific journals. She is married with three daughters and five grandchildren, and she grows most of her family's food. In her leisure time, she edits manuscripts, travels and writes children's books featuring Pennsylvania Dutch cultural themes based on her childhood farming background.