Posts by Saloma Furlong
Abuse Among the Amish: And what about the Innocent Victims?
Ever since I exposed the sexual abuse I endured as a child by publishing my book, Why I Left the Amish, I have been asked repeatedly, “how prevalent is abuse among the Amish?” I’ve always answered that there is no way to know. One would have to be a fly on the wall in every…
Read MoreFlowers are Blooming!
Spring has finally arrived in all its glory in the Northeast: trees are leafing out, flowers are blooming, the temperatures are spring-like, and best of all, there is no snow in sight! Hooray, Hurrah, Hooray! Last week, our crocuses bloomed, while there was still a big, dirty pile of snow across the street in the…
Read MoreDispelling the Winter Blahs
Because of our extended winter here in the Northeast, I’ve been coming up with ways of surviving until Spring finally shows her beautiful face. Over the years I’ve come up with different strategies for getting through the month of March. This year, David and I have been playing a lot of “Settlers of Catan.” In…
Read MoreBirthplace of the Schleitheim Confession
In February 2015, I wrote a blog post about Michael Sattler, one of the thought leaders of the Swiss Brethren after reading Arnold C. Snyder’s book, The Life and Thought of Michael Sattler. He is credited for having authored the Schleitheim Confession in 1527, which is the first known documentation of the beliefs of the…
Read MoreAnother Anabaptist Hideout
Yesterday it was a month ago that I returned from my trip to Switzerland. It is hard for me to believe it is only a month… it feels like it was eons ago! Before my memories of this pilgrimage fade much more, I want to write about two more visits to places of importance to…
Read MoreVisiting the Trachsalwald Castle
I will now be going back to the beginning of my Switzerland trip to the day that the Kochs and I visited the Trachsalwald Castle. It was what the Amish would call a dreab day. Drab and dreary is the closest translation in English. I didn’t mind it, actually. I felt it set a sombre…
Read MoreAnabaptist History Coming Alive
Before I left the Little House on the Farm, I went next door to say good-bye to Elizabeth and Martin. I felt I had made a good connection with them, and I was grateful for the information Elizabeth shared about the history of their farm, Hockboden, as it has been called for centuries. Just before…
Read MoreHow the Amish Came By their Name
On February 12, 1644, Michael Ammann and his wife Anna nee Rupp, had their infant son, Jakob, baptized in the village church in the town of Erlenbach in the Simmental Valley in the Canton of Bern. Jakob was their third child. They would have had no idea that their son would grow up and become…
Read MoreThe Golden Pass Line: Adventures in Switzerland
I always thought “Home Sweet Home” was a cliche. But when I finally walked through our kitchen door, it felt like my home was giving me an embrace. My mother used to say that the best part of going on a trip was coming home. I never understood that when I was growing up, because…
Read MoreAn Anabaptist Hideout
When I planned my trip to Switzerland, I was hoping to visit places important to Anabaptist history. In that, I have been quite successful — I’ve visited the Trachsalwald Castle, and the famous “Täuferversteck” (Anabaptist Hideout) in a barn above the town of Trub, known as the Fankhauser barn. I have also visited the first…
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