Happy Rumspringa!

So, I’ve never been a big fan of the Amish. Even during my family vacation years ago through Intercourse, Pennsylvania, I found it hard to stop laughing long enough to appreciate the strong culture that surrounded me. But what I’m writing about today is the somewhat unknown custom of secular sampling the Amish refer to as Rumspringa, a tradition that would shock the most open-minded American parent!

When they turn sixteen, Amish teens are permitted to leave the community and get a taste of non-Amish life – as much of a taste as they want, for as long as they want – before returning and committing themselves to a lifetime of good, clean Amish living. They are allowed to live free of the strict Amish codes of conduct until they decide whether or not they want to be baptized and join the church. This period of time is called rumspringa, which literally means "running around." Amish parents anxiously await their children's return from it, perhaps comforted somewhat in knowing they have raised them to have strong consciences and high morals.

Do any teens return? What's astonishing is that almost all of them come back. In fact, research tells us that more come back now than ever before. For two years, a woman by the name of Lucy Walker lived among Amish teenagers who were testing the boundaries of their new freedom. Her documentary, Devil's Playground, borrows its name from the Amish term for the American way of life.

The point I’m trying to make here: THEY HAVE A CHOICE!!

I just need to give props where props are due here. This is a great custom! Why hasn’t the Southern Baptist Convention gotten word of this yet?! It’s so damn interesting!

One teenager named Emma, encountered in Lucy’s documentary, was cited as saying, "I'm never going back; that's my personal choice. I still respect [the Amish]. They're still my people. I love my family, but there were too many things that were kept from me."

Amish one-room-schoolhouse education stops at eighth grade. These kids have limited schooling and no gathered real-world experience to draw from at the age of sixteen. Just FYI, this is where the Amish regain their fucked-up status with me. No wonder the retention rate is so high. They make these kids chose at such an early age that most of them are completely overwhelmed and pick the easier option, doing what they’ve done their whole lives.

Think about this for a moment: When it comes time to decide, are they making the choice to join the church or are they making the choice to be with their loved ones?

Amish teenagers are forced to choose between a cold but interesting outside world and their families, between a life of solitude and a life of direction. If the teenager chooses to join the church and subsequently leaves, they are shunned. They are no longer welcome in their own homes. They must leave their friends, their families and their communities.

In conclusion, I WAS NEVER GIVEN A CHOICE, BUT SHOULD HAVE HAD ONE (not screaming, just venting)! Where as my homosexuality is not a choice, a person’s religious beliefs should be. I was never given a choice by my parents to make my own decisions regarding religion, and obviously that is coming back to bite them (and me) in the ass. I might be over-exaggerating my situation, but that’s my prerogative!!

This post is just something for everyone to think about. And if you’d like a list of my sources, f-off because I’m not getting paid to write this bullshit, and therefore did not keep track!! :-)

In unrelated news, click below to check out the film I saw this weekend, Mysterious Skin.