Friday, April 23, 2010

Leaving the World Behind

A couple months ago I read this article in CT which relates to some of the things I've been writing about in my desire for a bit more serenity...A Lutheran pastor went to visit the Amish to explore the appeal of a plainer life:
"Being a Lutheran can be a cross, especially in trying times. Why insist on believers having citizenship in two distinct kingdoms—earth and heaven—when one of them, the world around us, is so dysfunctional? So I took a three-day leave of absence to join an Amish congregation whose bishop, Vernon Raber, told me, "We are citizens of one kingdom only, the kingdom of Jesus Christ!" I thought they were an excellent group to escape to, good Christians singing and praying in German, my mother tongue, and avoiding the vulgarities of politics. I liked it."
>> Article continued in Christianity Today.

What do you think, you who like me walk a media-rich, multi-tasking, ever-outward-reaching way. Do you sometimes long to get away from the fragmentation and ambiguity of modern life? Should we go spend some time with the Amish?

3 comments:

Pat said...

We have a lot of Amish in Northern NY and I don't think they are necessarily 'stress free.' Farming, for me anyway, is a stressful occupation. Personally, my time spent in an Amish home, was VERY stressful. (I was having my third child in the Amish midwife's home!)
I suppose one man's stresser is another's...what? Pacifier?

Dean Smith said...

Or maybe the Buddists?

Marti said...

Pat, as I was looking for photos to suggest Amish-ness I remembered how much work farming can be!

Dad, you're right - if I wanted to get serious about disengaging from pain, the world, unmet expectations... Buddhism would be the road to take! I can see the appeal.