While many people find solace and purpose in their faith, others may perceive these same beliefs as unconventional or even belonging to a cult.
Despite societal judgment, one woman has demonstrated remarkable courage by fully leaving her faith and community behind, and documenting her journey on social media.
Lizzie Ens used her TikTok page to share three surprising facts about her upbringing in a strict Amish community
Highlights
- Lizzie Ens fled her strict Amish community at 19 and joined TikTok to share her story.
- Lizzie's parents had 19 children, including three sets of twins, all born naturally.
- She left without a social security number and only $20 to her name.
- Lizzie is trilingual, speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, German, and English.
Image credits: lizzieens_wellness
36-year-old Lizzie Ens escaped from her highly regimented Amish community, unveiling three aspects of her upbringing that never fail to astonish people.
The Ohio resident fled from the Amish way of life at the age of 19 and has never once glanced back.
As a former Amish member turned nutrition coach, Lizzie now shares eye-opening details about her early years with her 183,000 followers on TikTok.
Lizzie was raised within a Swartzentruber Amish community, recognized as the strictest faction
Image credits: lizzieens_wellness
In a recent video, the influencer divulged the three most surprising facts about her upbringing, which included having 18 siblings and being proficient in three languages.
In the now-viral TikTok entitled “3 of the biggest things that shock people about my Amish life”, which has received 2.6 million views, Lizzie said that one of the most astonishing aspects of her life was the fact that her parents had a total of “19 children.”
She explained: “My parents have 19 kids and within those 19 kids are three sets of twins and I'm a twin.
“But not only that, my mom birthed all of these kids naturally.”
The 36-year-old ex-Amish posted a TikTok which has received 2.6 million views
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
The ex-Amish followed this fact by saying that she did not possess a social security number during her upbringing.
According to Investopedia, a social security number is a numerical identifier assigned to US citizens and other residents to track income and determine benefits.
“When I left, I had to go apply for a social security number, and let's not forget I had $20 to my name when I left,” Lizzie revealed.
Many people were particularly amazed at the fact that Lizzie's mom had given birth to 19 children
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
Finally, the entrepreneur also shared that it was her proficiency in three distinct languages that never failed to amaze people.
“We are bilingual. Actually, we are trilingual,” Lizzie said. Our first language is Pennsylvania Dutch, and then we learn German and English when we went to school.”
The Pennsylvania Dutch are a group of Americans of German ancestry who came to the US in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to escape religious and political persecution, The Collector explains.
The website states that the language has endured in the 21st century, thanks in part to many of its speakers having strict rules surrounding their culture and traditions.
Moreover, groups like the Amish still speak it as a first language in their communities.
Lizzie revealed that when she fled her community and sought out a social security number, she only had "$20 to her name"
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
The TikToker went on to reveal that she had grown up in one of the most strict forms of Amish communities one could possibly grow up in.
Lizzie was raised within a Swartzentruber Amish community, recognized as the most traditional faction.
Within the Swartzentruber Amish community, members abstain from indoor plumbing, milking machines, and communal phone booths.
The group is also known to reject observing daylight savings time, relying on horse-drawn buggies for transportation, and exclusively utilizing wood-fired ovens for cooking and heating.
Windmills and traditional hand pumps are their means of obtaining water, while women are required to wear dresses that extend down to the hem of their shoes.
Lizzie speaks Pennsylvania Dutch, German, and English
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
According to Ohio’s Amish Country official website, the Amish are “averse to any technology which they feel weakens the family structure.”
Ohio’s Amish Country magazine also states that “it is common for Amish communities to allow the use of telephones, but they do not allow them in the home.”
Additionally: “several Amish families will share a telephone housed in a wooden shanty in a nearby location.”
Image credits: lizzieh_wellness
Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm President Clinton Marti told Bored Panda that although most Amish allow phones, there were some exceptions, such as with the ultra-strict Swartzentruber Amish sect that does not allow phones of any kind.
He also revealed that some Amish are only allowed flip phones with no internet, while others do have smartphones, and are not supposed to use applications such as Facebook and YouTube.
Lizzie has previously mentioned that members were permitted to date, but with restrictions. They could only meet a potential partner once every two weeks and were prohibited from being seen together in public.
The influencer who happens to own her own nutrition business also pointed out that typical dates involved spending hours cuddling.
You can watch Lizzie's original video below
Her initial attempt to break free from the Amish world occurred when she was 17 years old, alongside her twin sister. However, they both returned shortly after their initial departure.
Two years later, at the age of 19, Lizzie made a permanent departure, just before her sister's wedding. Leaving the community meant she was no longer allowed to attend the wedding.
Exploring Amish Country explains that “Amish shunning is the use of social exclusion as a method used to enforce Amish church rules.”
Lizzie's surprising Amish facts sparked many questions on social media
When asked about whether some Amish parents keep seeing their non-Amish kids regardless of shunning policies, Ex-Amish Misty Griffin told Vice: “The rule of thumb, if you’re shunned, is that you can only visit every few years.
“You would have to eat at a separate table. It is like this in most Amish churches, but some of the most liberal Amish churches have relaxed the shunning a bit. I do know that usually, parents and siblings don’t want to enforce the shunning policy, but they have to or they’ll be shunned themselves.”
As Lizzie used her TikTok page to shed light on her unusual Amish upbringing, many people couldn't resist asking for more
