I watched an intriguing movie last night: “Devil’s Playground.” It focuses on that critical period of life between 16-20 something, when children leave the protection and watchful eye of the family and explore the world in shocking ways. Sounds like typical America right? However, this film has a twist…the fledglings are all Amish.
The featured community is located in rural Indiana, and is inundated with the typical horse-and-buggies, one-room school houses, horse-drawn plows, plain clothing, etc. Much is revealed about the beliefs, family structure, and social network of our Anabaptist neighbors.
When teenagers in the Amish community turn 16, they are expected to venture out into the “english” world for a period called “rumspringa.” They are free to buy and drive vehicles, get jobs, consume alcohol and drugs, date, dress “english,” listen to music, watch TV, etc. Rumspringa parties would put any college town party to shame! They often draw thousands of Amish kids in from across the country.
This completely undermines the Amish’s main focus: to remain removed from the world in order to stay closer to God. The family comes second, only to God. They believe that relying on modern conveniences (like electricity or machinery) would take the focus away from family cooperation. However, since following Christ is a decision that only an adult can make, they put it in the hands of these kids. Come back to the church and leave the world behind, or be lost.
While there is a lot of pressure on the teens to join the Amish church, get baptized and settle down, 10% choose to not return to the Amish lifestyle. Those that do not return home may still have limited contact with their families, while those that join the church, but then decide to leave are banned forever. This film was certainly eye-opening, and I recommend it if you can tolerate some harsh language.
The featured community is located in rural Indiana, and is inundated with the typical horse-and-buggies, one-room school houses, horse-drawn plows, plain clothing, etc. Much is revealed about the beliefs, family structure, and social network of our Anabaptist neighbors.
When teenagers in the Amish community turn 16, they are expected to venture out into the “english” world for a period called “rumspringa.” They are free to buy and drive vehicles, get jobs, consume alcohol and drugs, date, dress “english,” listen to music, watch TV, etc. Rumspringa parties would put any college town party to shame! They often draw thousands of Amish kids in from across the country.
This completely undermines the Amish’s main focus: to remain removed from the world in order to stay closer to God. The family comes second, only to God. They believe that relying on modern conveniences (like electricity or machinery) would take the focus away from family cooperation. However, since following Christ is a decision that only an adult can make, they put it in the hands of these kids. Come back to the church and leave the world behind, or be lost.
While there is a lot of pressure on the teens to join the Amish church, get baptized and settle down, 10% choose to not return to the Amish lifestyle. Those that do not return home may still have limited contact with their families, while those that join the church, but then decide to leave are banned forever. This film was certainly eye-opening, and I recommend it if you can tolerate some harsh language.
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