Here’s an interesting look at one of America’s most misunderstood religious communities: an article about rumspringa, an Amish “rite of passage in which young adults are allowed to dabble in the indiscretions of our world before officially joining the church.” The essay profiles a number of teenage and twentysomething Amish who, exploring the (not terribly spiritually edifying) secular world, find themselves caught between the lure of modernity and the traditions they grew up with.
Obviously, there is a big cultural difference between Amish communities and typical evangelical households. But the underlying issues—the desire teenagers feel to explore the world outside their Christian tradition, the temptation to overindulge in things their parents wouldn’t like, and the question of leaving their childhood faith or returning to it—these are all things that most Christian families will recognize, I think.
(Via Metafilter.)
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March 20, 2007 at 15:38
I live not too far from Lancaster, PA. I don’t know any Amish personally but I do know people who are friends with “them”, including my pastor. He tells me that “most” Amish are not Christians by the biblical sense, although some do actually know the gospel and confess Jesus as savior. As he tells it, it is more of a lifestyle than faith. I found that interesting. I guess they are not really that different inside, just like us minus the earthly goods.
March 21, 2007 at 15:41
My wife and I saw “Devil’s Playground” several months ago. The documentary deals with rumspringa. You can hear an NPR interview with the director here.
We couldn’t help but think that these were earnest people bound by good works and tradition. Truly sad.