Devils play ground Essays - Amish, English-language Films

The Devil?s Playground main subjects are Amish kids, who live in a strict society, under tight control of their family and close-knit rural community. They are in many ways like deeply religious suburban kids anywhere, confused, self-obsessed, but basically civilized, and given to projecting a theological dimension on the normal pains of growing up. Underneath the strange clothing is a familiar conflict between godliness and hell-raising. Despite the horse-and-buggy accessories, the Amish are not opposed to technology, just technology that they consider disruptive to their way of life. So cars and televisions were excluded, but a solar-powered battery charger is okay. Their attitude towards sex, while barely tolerant is surprisingly laid-back and practical. A little premarital fooling around can be overlooked as long as it leads to an Amish marriage and Amish children. When the Amish teenagers turn sixteen, they are encouraged to leave their communities and experience the pleasures and conveniences of life in the urban world. By the time they turn 21 they have to decide whether they are going to return to the Amish church and way of life forever, or live in the outside world and be disowned by their families. This period is called Rumspringa; you get just enough of experience within other concepts of culture, when you give it up you?ll never wonder what you're missing. The intentions are to ensure that the Amish who come back will have made a conscious choice to do so. The tempt to free will is well-intentioned, but ultimately devious When given their first experience of adult freedom outside of the rural community, Amish teenagers do what many teenagers do: they experiment with controlled substances, have unprotected sex, and spend a lot of time driving around in cars. For most teenagers this is just a phase, for the Amish it's the preliminary to the most important decision of their life: whether or not to join the Amish church. The subjects of The Devil?s Playground are no better prepared for the trials of adolescence than any other group of sixteen year olds, and it comes as no surprise that most of them, after a few chaotic years, make the decision to return to the way of life that represents their culture, family, security, and a responsible sense of identity. They have to face temptation before they can reject it. It?s claimed that about 90% of Amish teens do eventually commit to their religion for life