Summary
"Rumspringa" is the period during which the Amish allow their children, 16 and older, to doff their modest traditional clothing and religious strictures and taste the temptations of the outside world before deciding whether to become baptized and join the church for life. Some teens go the route of fairly sedate adventures, but others engage in wild parties and dangerous behavior complete with, as Tom Shachtman says, "sex, drugs and rapid transport."
Mr. Shachtman's title is slightly misleading in that his book is as much about the Amish faith and way of life in general as it is about rumspringa in particular. It is as good an introduction to Amish culture as the average reader could ask for.See the full content of this document
Extract
Choosing Their Religion, an Amish Rite of Passage
Also misleading, I think, is Mr. Shachtman's translation of rumspringa. He says it derives in part from the German noun Raum, meaning space in the sense of outdoor space to roam about, whereas rumspringa ...
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