The Amish piano player
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William Branham told an amazing story of an Amish piano player. But there is a serious problem with the story... The Amish don't play musical instruments.
Facts about the Amish people
The following is from the website - Amishamerica.com:
- Amish church music is unaccompanied, and generally, the Amish do not play musical instruments. Stringed musical instruments such as guitars and banjos are seen as avenues for self-expression which call unnecessary attention to the individual. In some communities, however, small harmonicas or mouthharps may be acceptable. On a similar note, Amish do not dance to music or song. A few Amish may write their own songs, though it is not common.[1]
William Branham tells the story
William Branham's facts are suspect. Here is the story told on several occasions:
- Poor old fellow, been raised in the Catholic church. He—he didn't understand nothing about the supernatural. And I said to him… There was a little Amish girl at that time (you've heard the story) jumped up from—from the piano (was playing "The Great Physician Now is Near"), jumped up and begin to screaming. Her hair fell down across her—her body like that, and she begin to screaming. And the continually playing of the piano, The Great Physician now is near, the sympathizing Jesus. And then standing there, she was glorifying God.[2]
- And this young lady was a famous pianist, a beautiful young woman, and long, blond hair fixed up in the back. And when she looked across… Now, she was Amish, she knowed nothing about Pentecost, and neither did I. But when she looked across the platform, and seen that little boy going, walking across there, she threw up her hands in the air. 58 Now, I know there is fanaticism, and I hope I'm not prone. I—I am not a liar. And I—I'm not. If I'm wrong, I—I am not willfully wrong, I'm ignorantly wrong. 59 But that girl threw her hands in the air, and that hair fell down across her shoulders, and she started singing in an unknown tongue. And she was playing that hymn, "The Great Physician now is near, the sympathizing Jesus." And when she jumped up from there… I know this sounds very strange now. But this girl had never knowed nothing about speaking in tongues, but she was singing in an unknown tongue, "The Great Physician now is near, the sympathizing Jesus." And that piano continually played, "The Great Physician now is near, the sympathizing Jesus." Well, they piled them altars, and down through the balcony, into the floor, people screaming! That girl standing over there, with her face up like that, speaking in other tongues; and, the piano, the ivory keys still moving...[3]