Posts by Saloma Furlong

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…

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…

If we cease to hope, then that which we fear will surely come. ~ Christa Wolf To fully understand the pressures a young Amish person faces to stay in the faith they were born in, one needs to first understand that from the time Amish children can understand the concept, they are taught that anyone…