In 2003 Melvin Mullet chose to leave his Amish upbringing behind, and in this interview he explains some basics of Amish life (no longer online) as well as offering a little insight on how he sees the group, now that he is ‘on the outside’.
One of the pluses of Amish life, according to Melvin, who grew up in a Michigan Amish settlement: ‘I miss the closeness of the community. If something happens to one Amish family, everybody is there to help. I miss that interaction of community.’
On the other hand, now that Melvin is no longer Amish, he feels his upbringing ‘has worked to my disadvantage because I did not receive formal schooling.’
It’s not immediately clear but it sounds like Melvin chose to leave before being baptized. In this case he would not be shunned by his community.
In reality, do Amish parents treat the children who choose not to be baptized differently from those that do? Perhaps some do. Having a lot of children stay in the faith is generally admired in the community.
Enjoy this post? Subscribe by email to get updates from Amish America:
Leave a reply to Leaving the Amish behind