S1E4 James Schwartz: The Burning Question Every Amish Person Faces + An Amish Underground Railroad

Part 2: James Schwartz, author of The Literary Party: Growing up Gay and Amish in America, addresses dilemmas that challenge every Amish person who wants to leave the church. He talks about how he had to take personal responsibility to educate himself in order to learn about the outside world and find answers that make sense to him. James has always loved books and when he was a child, he wanted to skip church and stay home to catch up on his long reading list. That love for reading led to works like Rumi, Buddhism, Judaism, meditation and other philosophical viewpoints. James also answers Torah’s set of questions that she asks every guest in Season 1: In one sentence, why did you leave the Amish, your community or situation? What were some of the challenges you faced navigating a foreign culture? What is your guiding principal in life? What is your understanding of forgiveness? What is your definition of acceptance? Why do bad things happen to good people? Is there a God? IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN: - A very brief history of Amish origins (we’re immigrants from Europe) and what it means to be Amish (it’s not just the clothes, peeps) - James’ message to those inside the church who want to leave - Resources for Amish gays who are both inside and outside the church - More Trump politics and the Amish connection LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: James’ Facebook: www.facebook.com/GayAmish LGBT Amish: www.LgbtAmish.com Twitter: @LgbtiAmish See S1Ep1: James Schwartz on Growing up Gay and Amish in America, Unconventional Schooling and Trump Politics for Part 1 of James’ story See S1Ep5: Fiona Teng on Breaking the Cycle of Societal & Romantic Traumas—Trauma Doesn’t Discriminate—and How Mindfulness Can Help PTSD & Abandonment for what motivates Fiona to keep working on her personal growth ******************** Connect with Torah, speaker + memoir author of An Amish Girl in Manhattan: Escaping At Age 15, Breaking All the Rules, and Feeling Safe Again http://www.TorahBontrager.com ******************** Connect with James: www.facebook.com/GayAmish