Faceless Dolls

One of the well-known traditional crafts in the Amish community is the creation of what are called faceless dolls. Recently, while viewing pictures of these artifacts, I was reminded of the implications of such craftsmanship.

The Amish are a traditional group known for their simple lifestyle and Protestant faith, particularly within the Anabaptist denomination. They’re recognized for living in communities in the US that abstain from most modern technologies, including electricity and automotive machinery, among others. Instead, they continue to use horse-drawn vehicles for transportation. Visitors to Amish communities often feel as though they’ve stepped back into the premodern, preindustrial ages of the seventeenth or eighteenth centuries.

Like various minority ethnic groups around the world, the Amish lifestyle attracts many people. Some are drawn from an anthropological or sociological perspective, others due to eco-tourism, and still others have an interest in their religious faith. In a broader sense, they belong to the Protestant tradition but stand quite apart from contemporary denominations, ranging from mainline to emerging churches. Interestingly, within Amish communities, there are no special roles like pastors and professional clergymen.

In one sense, this could be seen as a radical approach to “sola scriptura.” As long as we possess the Words of God, such as in the form of the Bible, everyone in faith could assume a pastoral role and responsibility. Indeed, their services resemble more of a Bible study where an assigned individual acts in the role of a pastor, which could rotate periodically. This way, no one takes pride in their faith or special status; instead, everyone should be proud of their faith as a child of God. There are no specially anointed authorities like priests or pastors, no charismatic celebrities or highly-educated specialists expected to guide the rest.

Following the very first Beatitude of the Gospel, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), humility and selflessness are crucial prerequisites for their Christian faith. Without this, we can never understand the Words of God correctly, as one of the most dangerous aspects of dealing with the Scriptures is the contentions, divisions, and conflicts arising from differing interpretations. One of the biggest ironies in Christian history is that people have hated and even killed each other over differences in interpreting the Words of God. We all have insisted our interpretation is right and others’ wrong, even to the point of deeming them blasphemous and worthy of death.

The positive effect of “sola scriptura” was the democratization of the Words of God, made possible by the invention of the printing press, which used to be controlled by the church. However, this led to everyone interpreting the Words of God, resulting in countless theologies, interpretations, and Bible versions, especially within Protestantism. If one asks how many denominations Protestantism has, the answer could be as many as there are believers. There are only two logical solutions: restoring the single authority of a central church, like Catholicism or Orthodoxy, or completely removing any authoritative, specialized roles for pastoral and priesthood. Indeed, the Words of God are for everyone, without need for worldly, specialized mediators. The Amish approach appears to align with the latter.

Understanding this context helps us grasp the profound meaning of their “faceless dolls.” Why are the dolls’ faces indistinct? The absence of a face discourages vanity and pride, teaching children that everyone is equal in God’s eyes and that inner worth is what truly counts. These dolls, often dressed in traditional Amish attire, can be made from various materials, including cloth or corn husks, and serve as cultural artifacts reflecting the community’s values.

This anonymity is a key aspect of Christian modesty. No one should boast, as we are all equal in God’s eyes. Therefore, everyone is equally proud as children of God. While we may have different talents, we must strive to enhance them, yet never boastfully so. We mustn’t approach Jesus arrogantly, asking what more we need to do to enter heaven, as the rich young man did in the Gospel. Jesus’s answer remains the same: give up everything, including yourself. It’s easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a proud person (even one who feigns humility) to enter the kingdom of heaven.

We come into this world with nothing and leave with nothing, as stated in 1 Timothy 6:7. Our identities are worldly and superficial; without them, we are all equally skeletons. Buddhist monks traditionally meditate in front of corpses as a reminder of this. Ultimately, we are nobody special and should take pride in nothing except what we receive from God. In the same way, iconographic painters remain anonymous to be blessed in poor spirit. The faceless dolls crafted by the Amish convey the same message.

In today’s post-modern digital age, we suffer from neurotic hypersensitivity, overly concerned with our identities and how others perceive us. The digital sphere, especially the attention economy, amplifies this neurosis. We fear both excessive attention and being ignored. We dislike being bothered yet feel lonely. This paradox stems from our self-consciousness. True anonymity, as embodied by faceless dolls, icon painters, or traditional artifacts, rests on selfless awareness that everything is from God. Therefore, no one can boast of themselves; instead, everyone can find pride in Him.