Thanks for giving us a fuller view of “rum springa.” I was curious about what traditional courtship would entail. Going out to dinner is the most benign kind of date in mainstream American culture. That this would be more threatening than getting drunk on the regular basis, was surprising. Okay, AnnnieM, I am ready to tackle your question about “traditional …
All living things respond to the warmth of love. ~ Author Unknown I remember well those Christmases when our family would visit my grandparents (Momme and Dodde) on my mother’s side of the family. In the following vignette, I am combining several typical years when we visited Mem’s relatives. When we arrived at my Momme and Dodde’s on Christmas morning, …
I am ready to suffer my head to be struck off, much rather than apostatize from my faith. ~ Hans Haslibacher This quote comes out of the Martyrs Mirror, an extensive collection of stories about the the persecution of the Anabaptists, who were the forerunners of the Amish, Mennonites, and Hutterites. This book can be found in nearly every Amish …
Since we are to be conformed to the image of Christ, how can we then fight our enemies with the sword?… Our weapons are not weapons with which cities and countries may be destroyed, walls and gates broken down, and human blood shed in torrents like water. ~ Menno Simons It’s been a while since I last posted. With the …
Someone asked me to clarify what it means to be shunned by the Amish. First I will mention that there are two different kinds of shunning –– temporary shunning and permanent shunning. In this essay I will focus on permanent shunning, which is reserved for those who have left the fold. I refer to my home community, because it varies …
Hi Saloma, I enjoyed your thought provoking articles. What, if anything, have you missed about being Amish since you left? In 2004, when I went back to my original community for my father’s funeral, I was reminded of the sense of community that comes from many people working closely together. Seeing how the other families came in and pretty much …
