Amish dating in bed

Courting Amish Style

Although much of everyday life among the plain people is shaped by church rules and traditions, Amish youth in their late teens and early twenties are expected to take more responsibility for their choices. Courtship is one area of Amish life that is left more to the discretion of the parents and the youth themselves. Although the typical "date" for a young Amish couple does not include going to movies, bars or dances, courtship customs have changed in the last generation or two. This middle-aged woman, like many of her generation, married a second cousin and never left her home community. Her granddaughter, by contrast, visited friends in Indiana with a group who hired a van to take a three-day trip out of state, and is now corresponding with a young man she met there.

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For nearly three centuries, two groups of Americans have lived alongside each other, although the lives of the people in those groups have been completely different. One group — the vast majority of Americans — has plugged into modern society, taken advantage of modern conveniences, and lived and worked with others, cooperating with each other to move society forward. Another group, however, has kept to themselves, eschewed modern technology, and has tried and sometimes failed to avoid having any more than the bare minimum of contact with society at large.

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Going out to dinner is the most benign kind of date in mainstream American culture. That this would be more threatening than getting drunk on the regular basis, was surprising. In fact, bed courtship has often been the reason for families who were concerned about this practice to start up new communities. It is not clear to me what traditions these new communities have started around courtship. That same evening, Lester asked Sarah if she would accept a date with Jacob. She knew young folks in Geauga used bed courtship as their dating method, like they did where she lived, in Mercer County.

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Amish Bedroom Ritual

The Amish are a close-knit community with strong religious beliefs. They live a simple life without many of the modern conveniences we take for granted, such as electricity, technology, and automobiles. This way of life is reflected in many aspects of their culture, including their bedroom rituals. Amish rules are very strict, and understanding them is key to understanding their rituals.

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