Who Put Up This “Anti-Rumspringa” Billboard?

On our recent post “Nearly 40 Amish Youth Partygoers Arrested,” reader Al in KY commented about an unusual billboard.

It can now be seen on the edge of Shipshewana, the center of the northern Indiana Amish community where the arrests occurred:

Near the intersection of Hwys 5 and 20 (the main, very busy intersection as you enter Shipshewana from the south), I saw a large billboard that stated, “Parents, Rumspringa is not BIBLICAL. Stop the Tradition. Titus 2:11-13”. I stopped by the billboard to look at it closely and nowhere did it have a disclaimer on it which stated what person or what organization paid for it. I asked several local Mennonite and Amish people and none of them knew who paid for it.

Here is a photo, via Amish Workshops, of the billboard:

The small text below says: “TITUS 2:11-13 teaches us to say NO to ungodliness and worldly passions, & to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”

Here is the text of Titus 2:11-13 (KJV):

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

The question of who is responsible for the billboard remains a mystery, as Al suggests.

Would an Amish person be behind it – say a concerned business owner and parent in the community?

I am doubtful of that. It doesn’t really have an “Amish” feel. I doubt that an Amish person would use the term Rumspringa in this way.

It seems the conceiver of this message is using the term “Rumspringa” the way an outsider might use it. That is, in the sense of the popular idea of this adolescent Amish period – as a stand-in for the wild behavior and partying like that seen in the recent police bust.

That would be as opposed to using Rumspringa to simply describe Amish youth in their adolescent years in general, the broader usage. So to me it feels like an outside voice.

One suggestion I’ve heard is that perhaps another non-Amish church has taken it upon themselves to send this message.

amish indiana buggy

Does it matter who put the billboard up? Perhaps the person or organization wishes to remain anonymous.

Maybe it is a non-Amish church (perhaps one with some membership of former Amish) who sees what is happening in the community, and wants to send a message.

It seems non-Amish who live nearby aren’t comfortable with the big parties.

“It’s a little disheartening to know that that’s happening in our neighborhood so close to our home,” an non-Amish neighbor says about the party arrests, “especially with young children we don’t really want them to be influenced by that.”

Supervised youth activities

On a related note, I wondered on the last post about parent-supervised activities in the Elkhart-LaGrange community.

Both Vanetta Chapman and Al in KY brought up The Cove, an Amish-run youth-oriented center in the settlement.

Al shares a description of The Cove:

In the November 2019 issue of “Connection” magazine, there was an interesting article about “The Cove — Plain Community Youth Center” in Shipshewana, written by Harley E. Yoder, manager of the center. The center has a gym area 110 x 100 feet; dining, lounge, kitchen and restroom area 60 x 80 feet, with total acreage of the center being 14 acres, including two softball diamonds. He stated, “The reason for The Cove is that we have around 3000 youngie um rumspringa (young folks in their teen years) in this community. We felt that there was a need for (a center) in this north central area to provide clean, fun things to do for the youth. Our mission statement: ‘we provide a safe and relaxed environment for our youth, where they can create friendships, memories, and practice God’s love’. The Cove is not trying to be a sports center, rather a facility surrounded by people concerned about our future, trying to give our young folks a place to meet and greet other young folks.”

Another person familiar with the venue adds:

The Cove is really nice, we were there a few months ago for an Amish art show. The place was packed with locals on a day when it was pouring rain, so packed we could hardly walk around.

The Cove sounds like a nice venue. I am curious how many of the 3000 youngie The Cove regularly attracts.

Going by the description of this one event it appears to be popular. This second source also adds about the nearby Centreville (St. Joseph County), MI settlement:

There’s a similar place up in St. Joseph County….It used to be called the M&M but the name changed recently.

There was also once another location called the 850 Center in the northern Indiana community, but it appears it is no longer functioning as a place for youth gatherings. It looks like The Cove has filled that role.

What is Rumspringa?

In view of today’s topic I’m republishing here one of my favorite posts on Rumspringa – a discussion of Rumspringa by an Amish father of six.

Do Amish parents encourage their children to “sample the world”? Is Rumspringa a time to decide whether you should join the Amish church or not?

He covers these and other questions in this succinct piece of writing, originally inspired by a talk that he gave to a college class:

And now turning to Rumspringa. I’ll try to recap what Rumspringa is and what it is not. What is mythical and what is reality. The reality is at the age of 16 the young begin attending youth gatherings. The purpose of these is to socialize with peers and to find a marriage partner. Once married this period of life is over. The myths are that Rumspringa is the time to decide whether you want to be Amish or not.

That choice is made sometimes earlier than 16 but not acted on until later in the teenage years, or sometimes when one fails to find a marriage partner that person gradually drifts away to another way of life. Then also sometimes the choice to leave the Amish is a result of a mid-life crisis of some sort–happening even after baptism and marriage.

The idea that parents encourage the youth to sample the world with the hope that this inoculates them against the world is very much a myth.

Amish parents like any other parents are very concerned about their children’s behavior and do everything they can to help the young make good choices. The youth are not encouraged to sow their wild oats. When a young person decides to be rowdy and engage in deviant behavior they are making a choice of their own. Certainly not at their parents’ behest or suggestion.

Although the degrees of parental resistance and correction vary some, poor choices and deviant behavior by the youth cause all parents anxiety.

Rumspringa is not a period of temporary freedom. Some of the young are baptized members of the church and as such are accountable for their behavior to the body of believers. This doesn’t mean their behavior is always perfect and always in the Ordnung but nonetheless they are responsible for their actions. Other youth are unbaptized and are not members of the church and as such are not accountable to the church. However they are the children of concerned parents and since the unbaptized are usually in their early to mid teens they are therefore still the responsibility of their parents, who are doing the very best they can to be good parents.

The youth are also learning about peer pressure, some of which is positive, such as that produced by girls seeking decent guys!! And then also some peer pressure as any American teenager knows is not so positive.

In spite of parents’ best efforts it seems the young everywhere sometimes only learn the hard way.

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    50 Comments

    1. T. Miller

      The truth is the truth!

      There is a lot of speculation about this billboard, BUT the truth some times hurts, and most plain people agree with this message, including many many of the old orders. It’s time to put an end to all this nonsense.

    2. Good post Erik. A timely reminder of what Rumspringa is, and isn’t.

      1. It makes me wonder if the average Amish parent would see a party like this – with alcohol but attended mainly by other Amish youth – as a bigger threat than their children owning smartphones and all that they can access with them. I’m not so sure which it would be.

    3. John J. Keim

      Rumspringa

      I would venture to guess, it was probably the city council or the local law enforcement that put up the billboard.

      I grew up in a Swartzentruber Amish community, back in the 50’s and 60’s. I left that lifestyle in 69. I don’t think kids are any different these days then they were back then. I believe we hear more of those kinds of things these days, for the simple fact that information technology is at everyone’s fingertips.

      Give those kids a break, it’s not like they were doing anything kids for centuries.

      Ya’ll have a wonderful day.

      1. thom

        I would be pretty surprised if a government body or law-enforcement would put up such a religious sign. I would hope they would not. It definitely seems more like someone trying to convert. Someone with a more evangelical agenda. It does seem odd to take out a billboard criticizing teenagers for acting like teenagers.

    4. thom

      Yeah, this doesn’t sound like something that an Amish person did. More likely a nearby evangelical church or maybe even a group of evangelical ex-Amish

      1. Yes it feels more evangelical to me.

    5. Amish parenting

      I can only speak to the Amish parents I’ve met, but those were very concerned and practical people. One bishop told me he knew his son went to a “television shack” that he and his buddies had built, but that he forbid him to have any dvd’s in the house. When I asked what they watched in the “television shack,” he said sports and Sylvester Stallone movies.

      Thanks for the clarification on what rumspringa is/isn’t. We (authors) often get that wrong in our books.

      VC

      1. That’s an interesting anecdote Vanetta. I guess Sylvester Stallone is still making action movies even recently. I think many are just streaming content on their phones.

        Last year in Lancaster County I was on my laptop in a gas station in New Holland and a group of Amish teens came in, and caught the NFL game on the TV in the eating area for awhile. Watching sports is probably less a concern than these big parties, I would think.

    6. Stephen

      Amish kids Corrupting our Children !!!

      Probably parents living nearby to Amish community, wanting those wild Amish kids to stop encouraging their 16 year old children to drop out of school…

    7. Maureen NY

      TV/NFL/Betting

      Erik,

      Such good information [as usual]; thank you. NFL betting among the Amish boys has become a favorite pastime in several areas. Their English friends [and Mennonites] make it possible – and to be clear the Amish boys seek them out. Amish parents either look the other way, or pray for the day their son Baptises and ultimately takes a wife. It doesn’t solve all the forbidden activities, but it decreases somewhat because of added responsibilities.

      1. Interesting Maureen. Personally I do follow some professional sports. I have no interest in betting, but have noticed how gambling – which used to have a seedy aura about it – has become very normalized in the sports media and general culture over the past 5 or so years.

        Technology and smartphone access makes it all the easier. So I guess while I haven’t heard a lot about it, I’m not surprised this would be a thing in some Amish youth circles. Online gambling pitches itself as added fun, which is the attraction of gambling – making even otherwise uninteresting games suddenly very interesting when you have money riding on the outcome. Of course, some find what started out as seemingly innocuous fun can be habit-forming, even to a debilitating degree.

    8. J.O.B.

      Party.

      The Amish youth parties are real and common.

      Yes, there’s alcohol, cigarettes, drugs(usually marijuana), and pre-marital sex.

      They take place in some rich Amish family beach house or house in the mountains.Local high school or college houses. Out in the woods under tents. They find places.

      What’s odd is that some of the Amish parents partied in their own youth. I wonder if that is what causes some to let their kids get away with so much. I’ve heard parents “say” the right things. But some don’t make much effort to stop their kids from partying.

      Sadly, some of these youth do not know what they are getting into at these parties. there are Amish girls who end up with broken hearts. Sometimes by local high school and college boys. Every year there is another class of high school and college boys who target these girls for bragging rights.

      More and more Amish youth are living and working around non-Amish people. I think this can affect their behavior. Not just parties, but I’ve known Amish women being “friendly” with different guys behind the back of the boyfriend. (Guys do similar)

      Awkward is watching drunk Amish girls in dress and head covering passed out on the ground. Or singing songs with graphic lyrics.The

      With this said, I’ve seen plenty of Amish youth who do not behave in this manner. Plenty.

      1. Stephen

        Amish girls with broken hearts????

        My two oldest daughters and middle son went to public school. I don’t know where your getting your ideas about the lifestyle of non amish youth. But most of the promiscuity is on the part of the girls, not the boys. Same goes on with non amish adults. The overwhelming majority of promiscuous behavior is initiated by young girls and women. The liberal feminist media portrays boys and men as the evil ones who lack moral conscience. But in my experience, and in the experience of everyone I know, including my children, it’s not been boys or men practicing that behavior. The overwhelming number of divorces in this country are initiated by women who follow the advice of the feminist slanted media
        and throw away their vows and marriage in search of greener pastures.
        It is very unlikely that young men would throw away the opportunity to marry an Amish girl. There are 3 men in the church I attend ( Mennonite) who come from non amish backgrounds, who all met and married Amish ladies at a young age. All are happily married.
        I’ve also heard the stereotypes being parroted around at church to scare young people into staying on the straight and narrow. In my experience they are just that, false stereotypes.

        1. Miller from Canada

          This is totally off-the-wall.

          Stephen, the “Mennonite”, you are making it sound like most of the Amish young women are the fault. PLEASE!!!! This is totally off the wall, and it’s very sexist. Shame. Most Amish youth, men or women, have nothing to do with the lifestyle you describe, and are disgusted to even learn that there are a few who are so far off the rails that they have no moral compass. BUT don’t blame the women. You might want to take a closer look at your own group to see what faults you find there. There are nasty, wicked people everywhere. That doesn’t mean everybody is like that. There are thousands upon thousands of good, clean-living, Christian men, women and young people amongst the Amish. A few rotten apples are hiding amongst the Amish (AND your Mennonites) too, but that doesn’t describe everybody. It might do you good to take a closer look right at home. Hypocrites are hiding everywhere. STOP blaming the sisters/women. That’s just off-the-wall. Thank you.

          1. Stephen

            You miss the point.

            I’m not blaming sisters in the church. I’m saying that society, including those in some churches still believe the
            steriotype that young men and men in general are out to use women only for sex. That may be what the liberal media likes to portray. But statistics show that it is mostly women who are today choosing not to get married. There are many women in modern culture that look at sex as something only to use as a tool for pleasure. Where as most men are still wanting traditional relationship s.
            We live in a country where most children in public school come from a single parent home. It is rare here in Tennessee for a child in school to have a home with 2 original parents at home. My wife and I had 5 children together. She would always get asked if they all had the same daddy. They were shocked to find out that they did. Most women around here have several children from different men. And why? Because that is what they are taught to be acceptable behavior. And they are rewarded through govt programs for practicing that behavior. They get child support, food stamps, free housing, medical , etc. Basically they are encouraged to do what they do. There is a reward for them, and for the poor men that married them or slept with them, only punishment. But the media makes out the men as the bad person. And those women who are choosing to be single parents, are also raising those children, indoctrinating those children to believe that their mothers lifestyle is acceptable and normal. Some Amish youth may believe that imitating what they see on TV as fun. But I can assure you it is hell on Earth for most people. And most men only wish they could have a loyal Amish wife. Because it’s not how women are out in the world today.

        2. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

          Stephen: Such nonsense from the stereotypical, evangelical Christian male! You lament the fact that women are no longer under the control of men. You believe you are a victim of the “liberal/feminist agenda”. The truth is, most men are fearful of what they don’t understand and can’t control. It isn’t the Amish girls who are responsible for those parties; it’s the Amish boys and girls. You’re falling back on the archaic belief that women are all temptresses and men are their victims. We know that is most certainly untrue!

          1. Miller from Canada

            Male and Female equally responsible

            Absolutely both genders are responsible for what happens at these “parties”, none of which are encouraged or endorsed by any Amish church member(s).

            Stephen needs to update his views. They are not Biblical. Blaming women for what is wrong in the world and in the church today is so off-the-wall. He doesn’t speak for most “evangelicals” either, of which there are many in the Amish and Mennonite churches. ( There are “evangelical” Amish, even “Charismatic” Amish.) They all know it’s not a WOMAN problem. It’s much deeper than that. It’s a HUMAN sin problem!

          2. Stephen

            You have it backwards Janice!

            I lament,and our children and country suffers, because our schools and the media are under the control of the extreme left. That’s why Amish and most Christians, including women, who can afford to, keep their children out of public school. They don’t want their children to be indoctrinated with the twisted lies that those who hate God and country want to instill in them. People like you, who find it easier to blame men for all the problems they themselves have created by turning away from God, rather than accept responsibility for their ungodly behavior and the consequences it brings. Feminism and it’s God hating philosophy has destroyed this world. And it’s your choice Janice to either accept responsibility for participating in it,and turn to God. Or keep on believing a lie, and keep continuing in your ignorance, creating more suffering in this world.

            1. Miller in Canada

              Wrong again.

              Stephen, MOST born again Christians have their children in PUBLIC schools, not private or fundamentalist learning centers. MOST are quite happy with their PUBLIC schools. Many wonderful Christian teachers and administrators are in these schools, too. You seem to be afraid of feminism. Not sure why you are so frightened of people who don’t believe that women are inferior. That is not an Anabaptist viewpoint either. It’s a fundamentalist thing.

              1. Eloise Krupp

                Anabaptists do not consider women inferior

                But we do follow the headship order that was created by God.
                We believe that both men and women are equally important, but with different roles. According to scripture the husband is head over the wife. And Christ over the man. And as a Christian wife I gladly submit to my husband’s authority knowing that he loves me as Christ loves the church. We both follow Christ in obedience. And that includes raising our children to live according to his word. We absolutely do not send our children to a public school. God’s word commands us to teach our children, to train up a child in the way he should go. Proverbs 22:6 We believe in living in obedience to God. We believe that sending a child to a public school to be exposed to those who find sin acceptable, to be completely wrong!
                Luke 17:2 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are sure to come, but Wwoe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to sin.

                1. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

                  Eloise: That is why there are private, Christian schools. No one is forced to send their children to public schools. I never went to public school. My children were the first in my family to attend public school. I didn’t care which kind of school they went to as long as the academic standards were high. It shouldn’t matter what kind of school one’s children attend as long as one parents with morals and values. Teens who were raised by parents who loved them and showed them the way without being authoritarian and domineering, usually have teens who, while they might stumble and fall sometimes, but get back up and tread more carefully. The young do really stupid things sometimes. What’s important is they eventually find their way.

                  1. Maureen

                    Kid's and school

                    Well said, Janice! I agree with your philosophy with school and kid’s doing stupid things. And the one’s that are loved and have a strong family unit usually do find their way..

            2. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

              Dear Stephen,
              You lament your loss of control over women. The country does not suffer because women were given the vote and joined the Women’s Liberation Movement. In fact, the world is the better for it. Our schools and media are not under “liberal” control. Public schools are paid for by the taxpayers, most of whom do not want their children to be brainwashed by or preached at by conservatives of any religion. I am responsible for my children’s religious schooling. If I want my children to be taught religion in school, I will send them to a private school. I am a Catholic who went to an all-girls parochial school most of my school career. I can’t tell you how liberated I felt when I eventually went to a co-ed school! I also taught in the public school system for 22 years. I can tell you that most of the students came from Christian families. Of the 700 students in the school, never more than two students per year, asked for a waiver to not have to take Sex Ed classes in their Health/Home Economics classes. In 22 years, that’s an average of 44 students asking for waivers. Out of 15,400 students, only 44 students asking for waivers from Sex Ed classes would indicate that most families, including women, would prefer to keep their children in public schools. In my experience, most people want to keep their children out of public schools because public school academic standards are not always very high. It has nothing to do with a liberal agenda. I do not hate God. I hate what people have done in the name of God. i.e. religious wars, sexism, misogyny, slavery, racism, bigotry, the election of a lecherous, man-child like Trump. etc. Feminists don’t hate God. They hate men who use God to justify oppressing them. I will continue to fight against anyone who believes as you do., for you and those who think as you do, are the cause of most of the sufferance in the world. You can blame women for the world’s problems, but, if you were to do a modicum of research, you would learn that most politicians are male and it is they who make policies that affect men and women. Only 24% of women are politicians, worldwide. That would indicate that 76% of politicians are male. Therefore, common sense would then dictate that it is men, rather than women, who have the most power, and who make most of the decisions. Based on that alone, I would hazard to say that feminists and the liberal media agenda are not that powerful. I can sense your fear of women and frustration with our demands for equal rights. Your hatred for us is almost sociopathic. You were probably raised in a culture where women were subservient to men. Perhaps you think times were simpler then? They might have been for you, and the men before you, but, I doubt they were simpler for most of the women. You must live your life with your conscience, and I shall live mine as I see fit. My only real concerns for this world are animal welfare and human rights. By the way, are you as concerned about how immigrants are being treated at our southern borders as you are about “promiscuous” feminists and the liberal media agenda? In closing, I would like to add that I do not blame all men for the world’s problems. I also blame women who voted for Trump saying God told them to. My version of Christianity does not accept Trump-like behavior as God-like.

              1. Maureen

                Thank you!

                Janis,

                I went to an all girl Catholic boarding school straight through high school, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. I can’t agree with you more – thank you for stating clearly what needed to be said!

            3. Miller from Canada

              Those arrested graduated from PRIVATE, CHRIStIAN schools.

              Those Amish partying young people who were arrested attended or are graduates of PRIVATE,CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS!!!! operated by the Amish. Most of these troublemakers came from backgrounds where the parents were also raised in PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, whether in the “WORLD” or in the “WORLD of JAKOB AMMAN” or “MENNO SIMONS” either.

      2. It also occurred to me that while some parents might wish their children did not get involved in the parties, perhaps they feel hypocritical coming down hard against those parties if they themselves had done some partying as youth. They might find themselves in a difficult spot.

        In a previous post I talked about the power of the example of other family members. While I focused on youth seeing older siblings’ example, it may very well be the parents’ example from decades earlier that also helps to keep it alive.

    9. John J. Keim

      Rumspringa

      Back in the 60’s when I was growing up as a Swartzentruber Amish kid in the Ashland, Ohio community, I used to sneak over to my english neighbor to watch Gunsmoke and Wild Wild West. I also went coon hunting a lot, so sometimes I would stop off at the nearby junkyard and find a car with working radio in it. I would sit that car and listen to music for hours sometimes. My favorite song was, “Sitting on the dock of the bay,” by Otis Redding.

      1. It’s funny to see that Otis Redding classic as an example of what was forbidden to you in the 60s. Seems like a very innocent and peaceful song compared to music that came later (even though some of the lyrics about wandering and wasting time don’t feel very “Amish” – perhaps that was part of the appeal to you?). Nice story, thanks for sharing it.

    10. Maureen

      Memories

      John, those are great memories. One of my favorite songs was and still is, “What a wonderful world” by Sam Cook. And as per your earlier post, I’m with you — “Give those kid’s.a break….”

      1. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

        Maureen: Louis Armstrong sang “What A Wonderful World”. I consider it to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

        1. Maureen NY

          Janice - What A Wonderful World!

          Janice, hi!!

          Yeah, there are two songs — one by Cooke one by Armstrong – same title.. Cooke’s is fun and light hearted, Armstrong’s is the beautiful love ballad. Here is the Cooke one…. [I’m sure you know both}

          Wonderful World
          Sam Cooke
          Don’t know much about history
          Don’t know much biology
          Don’t know much about a science book
          Don’t know much about the French I took
          But I do know that I love you
          And I know that if you love me, too
          What a wonderful world this would be
          Don’t know much about geography
          Don’t know much trigonometry
          Don’t know much about algebra
          Don’t know what a slide rule is for
          But I do know one and one is two
          And if this one could be with you
          What a wonderful world this would be
          Now, I don’t claim to be an A student
          But I’m trying to be
          For maybe by being an A student, baby
          I can win your love for me
          Don’t know much about history
          Don’t know much biology
          Don’t know much about a science book
          Don’t know much about the French I took
          But I do…

          1. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

            Maureen: You are correct! I had forgotten about Sam Cooke’s song. Thanks for the reminder!

    11. Bill Rushby

      Encounter with an Amish Father near Shipshewana

      My wife and I were talking to the owner of an Amish furniture store near Shipshewana several years ago. I guess because we were conservatively dressed, he confided in us, saying that he and several other Amish parents were meeting frequently to work on promoting greater piety among the youth in their fellowship. He was very much in earnest.

    12. J.O.B.

      Parent interview

      I think when the parents have partied in their youth, they might be more likely to let their kids go out and do the same.

      This could explain why some Amish communities have such a history/problems with youth alcohol, drugs, and so on. It has become a part of that communities culture to spend rumspringa that way.

      Side note: John’s comment reminds me of Amish youth, who, when on break from work, will be glued to a englisch customer playing a game on their cell phone or a tv on the wall at a Amish market. You can see just how interested/curious they are about what they are watching.

    13. J.S.Y.

      Parties

      From my own experience of spending many hours working in shipshewana w/ Amish youth and now having many relatives and talking to them about why they would even consider letting their children attend these parties, it seems to boil down to the fact that they don’t approve of everything that goes on, but are too cowardly to be the ones that actually take the stand and tell their own they arnt allowed to go because then they would be looked at as the “goody goodys!!
      personally, I would much rather have my child classified as a goody goody than to be at any of the parties whatsoever!! I myself have never attended one, but my husband was raised Amish so I know what goes on and it’s not at all a good place to be!

    14. Miller from Canada

      The devil's playground?

      The way you describe these “parties” it sounds more like the DEVIL’s playground. Is it really that bad? Are there no Christians left amongst the Plain People? I thought all Amish were “goody goodys”. It goes with the territory, doesn’t it. Otherwise we’d be looking at a bunch of hypocrites. I’m not prepared to agree with that thought. HELP!!!

      1. J.s.y.

        Parties

        Yes, I honestly think allowing parties like that to go on is allowing the devil to have a playground! There is no way anyone can tell me that it is all innocent fun when drinking, casual sex and drugs is allowed and parents turn a blind eye because the kids have not joined church yet! I’m not at all saying that I don’t think there are no Amish christians,I know many of them, but I really do think that as a whole they should be taking A much, much stronger stand against abstaining from all appearances of evil- Their activities are much more well known thanks to social media and news coverage and the only thing it is doing is giving them all a black name instead of being seen as a group of non-conforming Christians

    15. Bill Rushby

      "Most"

      Miller from Canada: You make sweeping claims about how “most” Christians, born again believers, evangelicals feel about sending their children to public schools. What documentation do you offer for these rather dubious claims???

      1. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

        Mr. Rushby: Please prove Mr. Miller wrong. I think that much ado is being made of Amish teens wanting to spread their wings or sow their oats. As for Christians not wanting to put their children in public schools, based on the number of public schools and student enrollment in them, and being that Christianity is the most prevalent religion in this country, I think it is safe to assume that most Christians do enroll their children in public schools. I’ve met many over the course of my 22 years of teaching in a public school!

        1. Miller from Canada

          Vast majority of Christian children attend public schools.

          There is no question but that the huge majority of Christian children attend public schools, and most have a good outcome. This is a matter of choice, of course, but many “Christian” schools don’t measure up either. In the public schools there are hundreds of thousands of Christian children and many Christian teachers, administrators, and board members. Let us not forget that the Amish young people faced with disorderly conduct were or are all products of private, Christian schools. I sent my children to private, Mennonite Christian schools, but that was our choice. I cannot diss the Christians who attend public schools, nor the thousands of Christian teachers and administrators in their midst. What it all comes down to is the home, the family, and the influence one receives there.

        2. Bill Rushby

          Reply to Janice Reamer

          Miller from Canada is the one making sweeping assertions. All I did was ask him for documentation! It’s not up to me to “prove him wrong!” In fact, I do think his claims are unfounded, but they are his claims, not mine!

          1. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

            Mr. Rushby: Based on statistics, Miller from Canada is not wrong. But, does it really matter? That billboard was put up by persons who have an issue with teens being teens. My philosophy has always been: “Live and let live.” Unless you are doing harm to a person or animal!

    16. Paula
      1. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

        Paula: You are free to agree with Stephen. How sad!

        1. Paula

          I agree...

          Janice: you say I am free to agree with Stephen, then shame me in the next breath.

          Adam was tempted by Eve. That’s as far back as this goes. I trust men far more than I will EVER trust a wiling woman. Women have proven this manipulation to me more times than I can count. And for you to dismiss it as not true means that women will never own up to this. And therefore women will never be as strong as they could be.

          On the other hand, men have been so belittled & beaten in the last decade that our entire biology is confused. I am a survivor of rape…3x’s mind you, all before the age of 19. So it has been extremely disgusting to me to watch women become so loose, so shameless, no dignity. Women throw themselves at men with ALL THE POWER of accusations. Women should depend on their TRUE & IMMENSE strength. Strength is in truth & dignity.

          I will consider this the end of this discussion, but Stephen…I hear you & I understand. Man bashing or shaming is never an answer.

          1. CErmle

            Must have been written by a man.

            I’m sorry, but that last “Paula” comment must have been written by a man or maybe a man-wannabee. I might be wrong, but I can’t get this out of my head. HELP.

          2. Partying teens;Amish or non-Amish

            Paula: If you are indeed a woman, and I highly doubt it, I urge you to get some intense psychiatric help! You write as a man spurned by women. Get help!

    17. Maureen NY

      Paula - Makes little sense

      Erik,

      Paul, I mean Paula, is contrary.

      Someone “raped three times all before the age of 19” goes on to blame “women” citing Eve is the catalyst? Further, reasons women’s manipulation of men is justification as to why men are “belittled and beaten” — “in the last decade”. Do I have this right?

      No man I know would agree that first, they are “belittled and beaten” by women, and that their “biology” is at all “confused”.

      If you were raped three times, that’s three times too many; any age not withstanding. I “assume” you were raped by male[s]. If this statement is true, and you are indeed a woman, your problem does not stem from Eve. Rape is a serious violent act done to inflict hurt, power, and shame on the victim.

      Surviving rape once is enough. Three times? And you’re blaming Eve? Women?

      1. Sexual abuse among the Amish

        Maureen: I agree. There is something really wrong with Paul(a). Either that, or he/she is trying to cause some controversy. Either way, he/she needs help!