It was not like that at all. For people who have a lot of photographs of themselves as children, they probably cant fathom only having a mental picture. Wholesale Motorcars, Lexington, OH, Special Thanks But that was trivial compared to learning the language and understanding the culture. At the same time, not all Amish would take this approach, and do report actual crimes when they occur. google_ad_width = 336; Once upon a time, Wayne was the enforcer for Merlin Miller, Levis arch-rival. Saloma: Even from a very young age, I always saw this side of my mother that wanted a little more freedom, questioned the Amish faith, but then shed try to fold herself into that and be the good Amish woman, the submissive Amish woman. Throughout we discover that these ex-Amish now find themselves struggling to understand modern life. Being there and being filmed was a reminder that my life is very different now -- all the memories at home, of where I grew up and just having. All the while, the members of the groups deal with internal politics and have their own ambitions regarding the mafias leadership. Thats the right to leave a church .. cult or whatever you wanna call practices. And then they were discouraged from that by the church. Discovery Channel's 'Amish Mafia' was a reality series that followed a group of people who apparently banded together to protect the Amish community in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Anna: Feels different to be in Amish clothes. I dont intend to write any more Bible verses to you. After their appearance on this show, the five cast members have also been a part of the spin-off series Return to Amish. Naturally, you must be curious to know how each of them is doing now. Amish researchers Hurst and McConnell note that in the Holmes County community, even those who refuse to confess will receive a grace period of six to twelve months during which members attempt to persuade the disobedient member to change behavior. Levi left his Amish family when he was 17, hoping to experience a different sort of life. ", Slate:What man, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave ninety nine and go after the one? Luke 15:4. Usually it takes them about six months to a year to get all the things they need and go out on their own. The Amish go to a one-room schoolhouse, and you only go to the eighth grade. Membership in the Amish church would be meaningless. And when we got there, we were all lined up because they wanted us to go in by age. ?, Im hoping for one. RMV Receptionist: Theyre going to ask you your name, your date of birth, and your address. I think they would now be afraid of me because I have left. In the early morning I walk about a mile. I had an aunt and uncle who lived there during the wintertime, so I had my parents' blessings. Transcription These are a people steeped in tradition. Folks make up and do thier own religious rules..from thier own educated inturputations from the Bible. 142K views, 7.7K likes, 200 loves, 2.1K comments, 6.1K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from OFF GRID with DOUG and STACY: My dad would either burn them or smash them up. Though she had no indoor plumbing, no electricity, and no modern conveniences, her young life was full of joy. Of course our parents, they didnt like that. A post shared by Jeremiah Raber (@jeremiah_raber). But it kind of made you think about, "Well, maybe we are missing out. He was shunned as an adult. Uffgevva. We werent doing a very good job of it. Watch the opening scene of The Amish: Shunned. I waited until I was 17 and I finally -- you know, I got caught with a phone again, I knew I was getting in trouble for it, and I just decided to leave. Ray drugged his vict Putin: A Russian Spy Story is a 3 part documentary miniseries that reveals how Vladimir Putin managed to make his way from being an unremarkable KGB recruit to one of the most powerful men in the wor Why The Industrial Revolution Happened Here. Walked with , was nailed on a cross next to a thief and told thief he would be with him in paradise .. he could have shunned him but he turned and spoke to him. To see how heartbreaking it was to my parents. ", Saloma: I didnt even know that photograph existed until many years later, after Id left the Amish. To show that theres another world out there. But the girls cannot pick out. The unidentified voices in this film are theirs. I didnt have newspapers. As alluded to above, excommunication is done as a last resort and with much remorse on the part of the church body. But he lost his community. If I would die out here, I might go to hell. I wait until it was dark. This documentary examines the crimes of David Parker Ray (November 6, 1939 May 28, 2002), who was charged with kidnapping, raping and torturing women in a small New Mexico town. She was shocked to see us. She might tell people. And the other, by far the more troubling, was dealing with anyone that has transgressed against the church. You learn how to work at a very young age, how to do chores. One serious criticism of Amish groups is for using internal church discipline to handle infractions that are in fact serious violations of the law. That will be hard. Case closed. I work with couple ex-Amish people. It's just a small starter house, nothing fancy. And we feel that sin cannot get into heaven. And we started walking. So three times a day, they know theres a place waiting for me. That means out of church. That was that. Respond if you wish, but I wont see it. When Robin came to visit, it was the first time we had ever met someone from the city. I was in Connecticut. It would be really hard for me to live that life anymore. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Shunning is a practice fundamental to Amish identity. And walked away from it. Jan: I was very close to my son Paul before all this mess started up. Regardless of its realism, the show and its cast remained popular until it ended in 2015. In the Midwest, shunning is practically not. And we didnt go. Youre a name. Slate: If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee Matthew 5:29. Once I left, it was actually not as hard as I thought it would be. Q: Where do they live? And not well educated . Saloma (in Pennsylvania German, subtitled): Will they continue to shun you if you go back? Sometimes I see pictures on the television. By. And thats hard for me. Ive given up my ability to even speak freely in my own home. He was married to Naomi Stutzman for six years, from 2005 to 2011, and together they have three children. Saloma: I got a call, and it was this man saying that he had just found my name on the Internet, and he needed someone to help a runaway from an Amish community. Tomorrow is a new day basically, so. I dont think that they have a lot to say if I am not staying Amish. And I want to get to that point, but I just havent yet. Written, Produced, and Directed by But maybe not in the next. Paul: Up to that point, nobody ever looked real close at what my parents did. In this documentary, we delve into the heart of this issue, exploring the causes and con. We had no idea what it meant to be Amish. We got together and left notes in our parents mailboxes. Everybody was in a hurry. She was writing a book about teenagers from different cultures and religions, and she was interviewing them. Absolutely zero. So they just moved on. I just wanted to go to Florida, to get away, get out of my community for a while. Sometimes when we care about somebody we just want to hug them and hold them close. We love to sit at the same table to eat, and you cannot. One is from Pennsylvania, and the other one is from Ohio. Jan: My son and his wife had their first child, my granddaughter. The Amish lived in connecting farms all over for miles. Titus 3:10,11 And because I would have broken my promises to the church, I almost wouldnt be comfortable with my family anymore. He is married to a lovely woman named Ashley and has worked in the Lifetime movie Amish Witches: The True Story of Holmes County.. I was 15 years old. So she wanted to interview some Amish girls. Amish Man Four (audio): It is one of the oldest schemes of our spiritual enemy Satan to isolate people. Due to her struggle with drug misuse, she lost custody of her daughters, Oakley and Arianna. They want to make you realize the depth of your fall, and return to repentance and redemption. Submission may even entail suffering. This practice said it done in love does damage to folks being shunned and thats what they want. Despite being loyal, he did not seem up to many tasks as he often messed them up. We, I guess, probably envied what they had, and thought, "Well, if they can do it, we can too.". My palms were all sweaty, and my heart was pounding. Theres a case of an Amish bishop here, its the most conservative group, he said, "I ran away when I was 17, came back when I was 19," and he said, "I joined church and was baptized." But why is it hard for me to let go? Im kind of surprised Mom and Dad allowed that. The Amish are non resistant. And if the individual has joined another approved church that is not deemed necessary also. The Amish: Shunned | Clip A Teen Leaves the Amish. Read on and with humbleness that you arent God.. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter. Id go to bed at night, next morning I wake up, hes sitting out there on the concrete steps. But I'll get to see my family. At any given time they might come in here for dinner. There are a lot of things that I never saw that might happen when I am on the outside world. And the situation requires that we open our arms and let that person go. Saloma Furlong Instead of traffic congestion giving me asthma, an accident or almost an accident every five minutes, rude, inconsiderate drivers, people yelling at bad drivers cussing them out, cussing out somebody everyday about this or that, everybodys in a rush to get no where, dog eat dog. Her eldest child, a son, turned 20 in December 2020, while her youngest son turned 5 in May 2022. That was the beginning of the end. At the same time, the Amish always allow the possibility of return, confession, and reinstatement into the church. Doesnt that word just make us cringe to its authority? The aim is to bring about a change of heart and get the individual to cease his errant behavior. I remember thinking to myself, "I hope Im one of those grains that falls off the grindstone. Steve Bores I got married early. I never see any Amish houses or buggies since I am out here. David and I decided to go to the funeral. Turn to Romans chapter 12. Dads heart is heavy till the grave. I didnt show. "The Amish: Shunned" is a follow-up of sorts to another "American Experience" film, "The Amish." The documentary's website says there are 40 different types of Amish, and rules vary from one group to another. The Amish way of life is grounded in the belief that technology should be simple and unassuming. But later I became a deacon, and I was placed in a position of more authority. Levi (audio): There you go, a horse and buggy sign. As shunning is a concept with Biblical basis, other groups have practiced it in the past, and some still do today. Make payments on it instead of paying rent. And everything got so still. Anna (audio): I didnt tell anybody that I am leaving. They specialize in helping former Amish people start their new li. Pastor John (audio): Why would you say no to Jesus? Naomi: Nice to meet you, thank you for coming. If they do not repent, they must be presented publicly before the church. Just something to get me ahead. In Us Weekly's exclusive sneak peek of the season 7 trailer, returning cast member . They would say its worldly. I figured thatd be a better decision. She came to our farm, and she started shooting a bunch of photos of us. Saloma (in Pennsylvania German, subtitled): For how long? google_ad_slot = "4022093171"; : Anna (audio): We dont have to have anything like ID or social security number. And it wasnt that we were doing anything terribly illegal by Amish standards or, you know, we werent wearing red pajamas or anything. Also, you know, if they allow us to come back too often, theyd probably get in trouble by the church. A Five O'Clock Films production for American Experience. And if youre not content with that, then youre going to have a hard go of it. In this form of shunning, an individual will be subject to Meidung for life, unless he or she returns to an Amish church (in some cases, his original church) and makes a confession. But I cant accept some of the trade-offs. Because there are rules. And then we read German. Kate was born in Myerstown, Pennsylvania, in a family with seven children. I really incourage you to volunteer looking up laws regarding illegal activites regarding shunning .. I would be living such a different lifestyle. Although she does not live the Amish way of life, she remains on good terms with her parents. But then, you know, if you leave, you just wont have the connection with the family, all my aunts and uncles and brothers and sisters, cousins, and the close-knit relationship. And Esther goes in, and she gets them some food. Apart from this, he has been embroiled in controversies for a long time. Her dad was a senior bishop, and my family couldnt do the things that they had done for years, without being noticed. 3:14,15. And I didnt remember being happy. Amish often point out that an individual can't sit on the fence.