Question about the Amish faith

[Corie]

(from Grey's Anatomy last night)

On the show, the two Amish girls who were best friends. One was baptized and
one was not. Both were the same age. Both of them left home at age 16.
For some reason, I had thought that in the Amish faith, you were baptized as
a teen but why wouldn't both of them had been baptized.

Just curious!

[lilycat88]

The Amish practice adult baptism and teens when they feel ready (no prescribed age) take classes and become baptized. From my understanding it's not like as soon as they become 15 (for example) they automatically either get baptized or not. I think it's pretty unusual for an Amish teenager to get baptized and THEN decide to leave the community. They are given an opportunity called Rumspringa to leave the community for a while and explore the outside world. When they are finished *exploring*, most choose to be formally join the community through baptism.

[SquamLake]

I believe it has something to do with Rumspringa. Perhaps this link (from Wikipedia) will help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumspringa

[Corie]

So, the one teen was obviously baptized before the age of 16 and that is why she
was shunned when she left the faith.

But the other teen was not ready for baptism and she is able to go back to her
Amish life since she was never baptized.

Got it. Wow! That's a fine line.

[lilycat88]

It is. But in the Amish faith only upon making a conscious decision as an adult to join the faith do you truly join the church community. When they become baptized they are true members of the congregation and agree to follow all of the rules, marry in the faith, etc. Consequences of straying from the path they have chosen can include excommunication and shunning.

Jamelin
Mom to Susanna born 6/29/2004

“We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.� --Unknown

[Mommy Of A Little Angel]

Haha, so you are saying that I am not the only one who had questions and rushed to wikipedia to figure it out? :)

[Emmas Mom]

Does anyone remember that "reality" TV show last year or the year before that? I cannot remember the name & didn't watch but a couple episodes but it was about a group of Amish teens going through Rumspringa & a group of "city" kids...they were all thrown in a house together to see what would happen. I was curious to know how many of them went back to the Amish lifestyle but never saw how it ended. I would think it would be very hard to go back after living in the "21st century" (as the girl from GA put it last night), but if you grew up in that life & community I could see how it would be hard to leave friends & family. Very interesting.

[SummerBaby]

I thought that was odd too, but not nearly as odd (and unbelievable) as the fact that Addison delivers babies and operates on them, thus making her an OB/Gyn AND a neonatal specialist/surgeon.


It's still my favorite show though!

Val
Mom to Madeline
7/28/04

[LarsMal]

Ditto that- I have always wondered how/why she is both delivering babies AND saving babies. What a woman she is!!!

I still love the show, too!

[pb&j]

Yeah, that's totally fake. But I love her (and the show) anyway!


-Ry,
mom to Max the one year old
and my girl in heaven

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/37124.gif

[Corie]

When I was in 8th grade (in Ohio), my parents built a home and the builders were Amish.
The owner of the construction company was Amish but he left the faith. He would go
pick up the workers and then take them back home at the end of the day.

And, as far as I know, this man was not excommunicated or shunned by his family after
he left the Amish faith. This is a grown man. He would be over 60 years old now.
He had a daughter a grade below in school. I have no idea how old his was when he
left the faith. Maybe he left before he was baptized? That would explain why he wasn't
shunned.

[JMS]

All that AND she still has time to be Chief!

[Mommy_Again]

Yes, I actually enjoyed watching that show. The name was a spin-off of another show- like Amish in the City or something like that.

I really got attached to the Amish kids- they were so cute and pure. I always do wonder if they went back or not. I think it is a fascinating religion/culture.

[StantonHyde]

I think most of them went back. They have very little education or skills to make it "outside". They can work for Mennonites who live in the same community but to find a place to live etc would be very hard. I lived outside Philly for 7 years--about an hour from Lancaster so I got some exposure to the lifestyle etc.

[Melanie]

I loved that show! I'm a reality addict, but it was actually educational!