Don't glorify the Amish life

Ex-Amish back on TV with new series


By Janese Silvey of The Daily Columbia Tribune, Columbia, Missouri


Monday, April 30, 2012


A Columbia man who left his Amish roots and now helps others do the same is back on the small screen.


Moses Gingerich is the star of a 10-episode series, "Amish: Out of Order," on the National Geographic Channel. The program airs at 9 p.m. Tuesdays.


Dubbed by the cable channel as the "de facto mayor of the ex-Amish community in Columbia," Gingerich serves as a mentor for Amish teens trying to explore the outside world. He not only helps them escape when they reach out to him, Gingerich also helps them find work and stay out of trouble when they're here. Some ultimately decide to return to their communities, making Columbia a sort of revolving door for Amish.


The latest series highlights the challenges the teens face when they get here. Not only do they struggle with leaving family members and questions of faith; they also have to adapt to a new, modern world.


In tomorrow's episode, for instance, an ex-Amish teenager gets his driver's license but then has a car crash that lands him in the hospital. Making matters worse, according to an online preview, is that he doesn't get support from his family, including his father, who tells him he would have spent eternity in hell had he died.


Gingerich has provided the public with a rare glimpse of Amish life for years. After leaving his own community in Wisconsin, he was one of the stars of "Amish in the City," a one-season reality show that aired on UPN in 2004. Two years ago, he worked with the National Geographic Channel to produce two specials on the Amish life. The main reason Gingerich said he is willing to work with media to highlight his life is to show ex-Amish they aren't alone.


"I wanted to leave the Amish for many, many years and couldn't and wouldn't because I had no support," he said. "No one was there to tell me, 'It's OK.' There are hundreds of thousands of Amish kids in that same boat."


Gingerich's story caught the eye of North Carolina author Alice Wisler, a Christian author who works with Bethany House Publishers. That's the same company that publishes Beverly Lewis, best known for her dozens of novels about Amish life. Wisler said she was inspired by Gingerich's willingness to provide an alternate view of a life she feels has been somewhat glorified.


"There's so much more to the Amish than what people choose to believe," she said. "It was refreshing to hear that he was viewing his Amish life differently than what you usually hear when you're reading fiction about Amish."


Gingerich has since become inspiration for Wisler's latest book, Still Life in Shadows, which revolves around a character who left the Amish and helps others escape, including his brother. The book is set to be released in August.


Gingerich wasn't familiar with the book when asked about it but wasn't surprised. He hears from countless other non-Amish people who have read or watched his story.


"Many people in the outside world can relate to my story about how difficult it was for me to make a jump on my own," he said. "I'm not anything special, I just tell my life story, and it inspires people. And if I can inspire people, why the hell not?"


Reach Janese Silvey at 573-815-1705 or e-mail jsilvey@columbiatribune.com.


This article was published on page A8 of the Monday, April 30, 2012 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline "Ex-Amish back on television: Columbia man's efforts followed." Click here to Subscribe.

Ex-Amish: Why?

"Out here in the world, you leave the Amish, you are on your own," says Mose Gingerich, an ex-Amish man who left his home in Wisconsin for Columbia, Missouri. Now he helps youth leave their sheltered communities, calling himself an Ex-Amish Underground Railroad. He says the young men and women leave their Amish communities for a variety of reasons, some due to wanting more religious freedom, others wanting to further their education beyond the standard Amish eighth grade level.

Mose takes care of the young adults who leave, letting them stay with him and work for his construction business. He knows it isn't easy starting a life outside of the confines of the tight-knit Amish Old Order life. In the modern world, drivers' licenses are needed and since the majority of the Amish have no birth certificates or social security numbers, obtaining the necessary papers take time.


Mose supports the youth and cares for them, giving them advice about staying off of drugs and alcohol. Although far from his birth place, he has not left what he's learned from his Amish roots about helping those in need.


Much to his sorrow, Mose is not recognized by his parents in Wisconsin as their son. When he does go home to visit, he's told that he will only be accepted again if he plans to stay. He asks, "How can you turn the love switch on and off just like that?" His family thinks he's doomed for hell due to the decision he made seven years ago to leave his Amish lifestyle.


Mose's story fascinates me. I've seen his National Geographic documentaries on TV and plan to watch the upcoming ones. He is the inspiration for my new novel, Still Life in Shadows, due out August 1 from River North. In my story, Gideon Miller is known as the Getaway Savior, helping escapees leave the Amish lifestyle. Gideon's reason for leaving his own Amish home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania was due to his abusive father. He held questions then and continues to wonder about his faith and yes, feels he's headed to hell. Yet he misses parts of being Amish and is nostalgic, especially during the harvest season.

My hope is that readers will see the struggle Amish face instead of the unrealistic view many choose to hold of the plain people. The Amish are human and deal with suicide, alcohol, abuse, and bigotry, just as the outside world does. And their need for redemption and forgiveness is just as strong as it is for the most evil of men.

As my character Gideon asks, "Did you know that the Amish look down on those who do not dress or live as they do?" Later he claims they are close-minded.


Gideon shares what he believes to be true. "Jesus say to love everyone. He even said to think of others more highly than we think of ourselves. I don't see that in the Old Order communities at all."


Of course, Mari, the waitress he is talking to, can't believe this. She believes the Amish are the epitome of perfection and wholesomeness. Much like the rest of America does.

Still Life in Shadows is a novel about the ex-Amish, but it is mostly about yearning to belong, something each of us desires in our own way.


For further understanding of those who leave the Amish life, view the National Geographic videos about the Ex-Amish lifestyles.