The Amish Rumspringa

Paper Summary:

This paper covers a general background of the Amish in the United States before discussing the practice of rumspringa. The paper shows that when Amish teenagers reach the age of 16, they are given much wider latitude in the community and permitted to experience the outside world and even experiment with it. The hope is that this practice will grant the children just enough freedom that they will not feel stifled if (and usually when) they decide to return to the community to be baptized as adults.

From the Paper:

"Some believe that the teenagers are drawn back to the Amish lifestyle because even though it does not offer the materialistic amenities of the Western world it possesses physical, emotional, and spiritual security that cannot be easily found outside the Amish world. In an Amish community, all will be provided for so long as each individual follows the exacting code of conduct of the community. For this reason, despite the sensory overload and materialist appeal that the Western world might offer Amish teens on rumspringa, returning to the community is almost assured."

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