by Ganymede314 » Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:17 pm
Hey Jamish, I have a couple more questions about Amish-y things if you don't mind!
So, I was watching some BBC documentaries recently about the Amish, and they brought up the practice of Rumspringa (hopefully I have spelled it correctly) where young adults leave for a period of time to go and live outside of the Amish community. I know there are different groups of Amish, and some are far more strict than others, so I was wondering, does every Amish group practice Rumspringa? And does this result in many losses from the Amish community, with people deciding not to be baptised into the Amish community after they return from Rumspriga? Also, if one were to leave the community in such a fashion, would that person be cut off entirely from contact with those of their family still part of the Amish?
I recall you saying that your family left the Amish due to attending Bible study groups, and I didn't really understand the significance of this until I saw a few rather interesting documentaries about Amish people who have been through a similar ordeal. I did not realise until I saw that, that the Amish forbid the reading of the Bible in the English language, even though apparently the language the Amish Bible is written in is no longer widely understood and is different to the spoken language they use. I am given to understand that the Amish people who want to study the Bible in English are just looking for a deeper and clearer understanding of their holy book, and they do so even though they risk excommunication from the community. I think it is pretty admirable and brave to do this in the face of such risk, and I hope your parents found what they were looking for. I was wondering, if it is not too personal, if your family still have much contact with the community they left?
"The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us -- there is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as if a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries."
-Carl Sagan