Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 7
Rosie calls the Amish “unmatched in effortless community” and says it’s what she misses most, even while she couldn’t stay Amish; what does her testimony reveal about God’s purposes for community, and how does it expose both the strengths and spiritual dangers of communities built on conformity?
Another way to ask: Rosie misses the Amish community even though she couldn’t stay. What does that teach about why God wants community, and how can communities built on conformity be both strong and spiritually dangerous?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Her testimony shows community is a real good gift—something that can ground faith and provide support—but that community built mainly on conformity can also pressure conscience and blur the difference between belonging and spiritual life. God’s purpose for community, as she frames it, includes brotherhood, humility, and shared discipleship that goes deeper than cultural sameness.
- She says, “One thing the Amish are unmatched in is effortless community… the thing I miss most.”
- Yet she also notes Amish life can be hard for nonconforming people: her dad’s life was hard because “conformity is like one of the highest values.”
- She experienced loneliness when trying to live seriously for God: she avoided “youth things,” and her mom was “really unfriendly towards my attempts to live for God.”
- She longed for “a community that was more spiritually alive,” implying community can exist without spiritual vitality.
- Later she says being part of a brotherhood is a “real blessing” because “some things in Christian life must be experienced collectively,” and it teaches humility and cooperation.