Rumspringa represent's the Amish's most important coming of age moment. Becoming in adult in any community is often paired with a ceremony, party, or baptism. Being recognized as an adult in your community gives you a level of authority and a wider ranger of responsibilities in oder to serve your community. Amish Rumspringa is both a coming of age moment and a transition into the church. After experiencing the outside world in order to make an informed decision, they let the church know if they are committing to the church or staying in the outside world.
"The rite of passage emphasizes the voluntary nature of Amish bap-
tism: no one is baptized against her or his will. One must
approach baptism, if at all, with a full and honest heart.
And the decision may be made only after a period of
"running around"-Mazie (0000).
A rite of passage is something meaning you get do in a community that represents a transition from one state to another, often from child to adult. Rumspringa is something you both are privileged to do and have to do. Arnold Gennep (1960) said that "for every one of these events there are ceremonies who essential purpose is to enable the individual to pass from one defined position to another." Once coming back from Rumspringa and making this decision they become a whole other person in the community.
According to Mesh (2006) 80-90 percent of teenagers choose not to leave the church.
Experiencing the temptations of the modern world brings them to a level of understanding that all the other adults in the community are already on because they went through the same ritual. Going through a journey of changes and new experiences with a freedom like never before often brings a person to understand themselves better.
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