Little-known ‘bundling’ Amish chastity rule that makes Mormon sex restrictions seem tame
If there's one thing people love to hear about, it's the sex lives of other people - especially when they vary so much to their own.
Following the broadcast of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, a reality series from Hulu and available to watch on Disney+, people have become totally obsessed with what other people get up to in the bedroom.
Off the back of learning about what Mormons may or may not be getting up to in the bedroom as a result of the show, people are now becoming fascinated with what the Amish community are doing.
Amish people are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church followers, often of Swiss and Alsatian origin, who are known for simple living and traditional dressing.
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They avoid modern technology including electricity and automobiles, travelling by horse and cart.
Children aren't allowed to play with dolls with faces, which symbolises their belief that everybody is alike in the eyes of God.
When it comes to relationships, pre-marital sex is forbidden and Amish people don't believe in divorce - it is seen as going against God's word.
So, what is life like when it comes to intimacy?
It turns out there's something called 'bundling', and it may blow your mind.
Virginia Smith states that 'unmarried Amish young people sleep together.'
This meant in the literal sense.
She goes on to explain: "Uneheliche beischlaf, which is 'bed courtship' or 'bundling,' is a custom where an Amish boy spends the night in his girl’s bed, right in the same house with her parents.
"Pre-marital sex is strictly forbidden. The idea is that they can lie beside each other all night, talking but not touching, and that develops self-discipline.
"To discourage unseemly activity, one or both of them are wrapped sausage-style in a blanket. Sometimes the girl wears a special gown, more or less a sort of Amish chastity belt.
"Uneheliche beischlaf used to be practiced far more often than it is now, and in fact, most Amish communities these days don’t even like to talk about it."
Truly interesting stuff.
In case you haven't yet caught up on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, let us fill you in.
Then eight-episode reality show follows the lives of a handful of Mormon wives, who are also successful influencers.
Beyond the picture perfect images online - the series delves into a sexual scandal that rocked their community some years ago.
One cast member, Taylor Frankie Paul, was previously married to her husband Tate Paul and lived with him in Draper, Utah.
Two years ago, the Mormon religious community she had cultivated online was scandalised after she admitted that she and Tate were headed for divorce - and claimed the two of them had engaged in ‘soft swinging’.
Former Mormon Alyssa Grenfell often peels back the lid on what Mormonism is like - as well as what soft swinging refers to.
She explained on her YouTube channel: "Getting divorced and breaking up a temple marriage is a really big deal within Mormonism so they resort to swinging as a way to have their cake and eat it too.
"When Frankie Paul says 'soft swinging' she basically says that it means they didn't go all the way but they did everything else before that with each other."
Topics: The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Sex and Relationships, Real Life
Kya Buller