The decision for Amish teenagers to embrace the modern world, with its conveniences and fast pace, is a significant one, often setting them apart from the rustic lifestyle of their communities. While many choose to remain within the structured security of Amish life, characterized by horse-and-buggy transportation, an eighth-grade education, and a focus on salvation through simplicity, a growing number of young individuals seek more. This article explores the experiences of young Amish who have chosen to leave their traditional communities, highlighting the challenges they face and the support systems they create for each other.
Matthew Gingrich, at 19, exemplifies this transition. He enjoys activities like playing the guitar, which is often frowned upon in traditional Amish settings. This desire for personal expression is one reason he left his Amish life behind. He is now part of a group of young former Amish in north-central Ohio who gather on Friday nights for activities like bowling and skating, or simply to connect and share their religious beliefs, offering each other crucial support. “That’s about, I learned this, I learned to play guitar basically on my own. I never took a lesson in my life. It’s all just by ear,” Gingrich shared. He mentioned that his father also played guitar before joining the Amish church, but kept it discreetly to avoid censure from the community.
Like many of the estimated five to fifteen percent of Amish who leave their traditional lifestyle, Matthew also rejected the strict rules, embracing aspects of modern life such as drinking, partying, and driving cars. Amish children are typically given a period of “Rumspringa” around age 16 to experience these things, with the hope that they will later return to the Amish way of life.
William Keim, now 25, organizes these non-alcoholic Friday night gatherings. He is one of four brothers who left their Amish family. He and his older brother now dedicate themselves to helping other former Amish navigate their new lives. “Because when they come out they have no money, no clothes, no nothing, and no home to live in. Ya know, I’m not out there trying to get the Amish to leave, I’m trying to help them if they do decide to leave,” Keim explained.
Keim, who first left the Amish at 17, expressed his reasons: “I left because I was tired of being Amish, just tired of everybody ruling me and my life, telling me what to do. Like the preachers would come up and tell you that you got to do this.” He recounted an incident where he was reprimanded and potentially punished for wearing sunglasses while driving during the day, even when heading away from the sun. After a year and a half away, he returned and was baptized. However, two years later, with only $50, he left for good. His 18-year-old brother, Perry, recently joined him. Perry left after getting into trouble for driving a car without a license and crashing it. He expressed a commitment to rectifying his past mistakes, stating, “And I’m working right now, I’m working down at Fredrick Door Furiture Factory. And, I wrote a letter to my dad before I left, and I said that I’m going to come out here and pay my bills what I did wrong. ‘Cause I owed the court like $630 for court costs and everything.”
The transition from Amish to modern life is fraught with difficulty, exacerbated by the severing of normal family relationships. “After I left, Dad didn’t want me to come out to see them, because he doesn’t want me to be a bad influence to the rest of the brothers and stuff so,” William Keim said. He respected his father’s wishes, though it was difficult. Eventually, his father visited, torn by the situation but adhering to the preachers’ directives. Keim shared that they now see each other perhaps once a year, and these meetings are often emotional, with his family frequently crying and urging him to return.
However, not all former Amish face such strained relationships. Matthew Gingrich and his sister Miriam will soon be joined by their parents, who are also leaving the community. Miriam values the responsibilities and work ethic instilled by her family’s Amish upbringing, which she intends to pass on to her own children. “They taught us how to work, they taught us a lot of responsibilities, and I want my kids to grow up like that,” she said. She contrasted this with some of her non-Amish friends, noting that many lack basic domestic skills.
Miriam now works at a local pizza parlor, William Keim is in construction with aspirations of training horses, and Matthew Gingrich works in masonry, though he harbors a dream of playing guitar professionally.
Despite the conflicts and challenges encountered in their original communities, these former Amish individuals hold no grudges against the Amish lifestyle. They universally express respect for the strong work ethic they learned, a value they intend to carry with them throughout their lives.
