Jewish people: how do you view Christianity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry that your life has been so unkind to you that you have to attack a small faith, its precepts, and apparently your own children who rejected the religious education you gave or didn't give to them such that they as adults or choosing a different path. I am sure that this is painful and explains your behavior on this forum. Rejection, shame, etc. are powerful feelings. Not every one is kind in this world. I am sorry for whatever trauma you have experienced. Or if your children have chosen to be a different faith than you and you are unhappy. Part of parenting is learning to put your ego aside and allow your children to make different choices as adults. Good luck on your struggle with this.

+100

My kids stayed in my faith, thanks for asking. But can you answer the question about how you’d feel if your kids wanted to marry a Catholic or Muslim and had to convert, or simply wanted to leave your faith?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry that your life has been so unkind to you that you have to attack a small faith, its precepts, and apparently your own children who rejected the religious education you gave or didn't give to them such that they as adults or choosing a different path. I am sure that this is painful and explains your behavior on this forum. Rejection, shame, etc. are powerful feelings. Not every one is kind in this world. I am sorry for whatever trauma you have experienced. Or if your children have chosen to be a different faith than you and you are unhappy. Part of parenting is learning to put your ego aside and allow your children to make different choices as adults. Good luck on your struggle with this.

+100

My kids stayed in my faith, thanks for asking. But can you answer the question about how you’d feel if your kids wanted to marry a Catholic or Muslim and had to convert, or simply wanted to leave your faith?

She won’t answer, so I’ll answer for her. She’d be on DCUM shrieking about pressure to convert away from her faith.

[Anonymous]

She would probably feel the shame and guilt you apparently feel that you need to spend your lunch hour lashing out at strangers: ;P

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She would probably feel the shame and guilt you apparently feel that you need to spend your lunch hour lashing out at strangers: ;P

More like anger. DD was pressured to convert to Judaism and refused, so the relationship ended. The pressure wasn’t pretty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This isn’t Hunger Games, believe or be banished. People should be allowed to keep their own identities without pressure. You keep insisting there’s no pressure—I and apparently others here think that’s laughable.

People should be allowed to marry whom they wish, and to set any conditions they prefer. If I were dating a gentile, and we were considering marriage, I would have the right to condition that on conversion. I would presume she would then make whatever decision she feels is right for her. I do not have an obligation to marry a gentile who has not converted to Judaism. You are saying I would not have that right.

Sure, you have the right to put pressure on someone (because we need to call it what it is), but that doesn’t make your behavior a good thing.

Tell us that you wouldn’t be outraged if your kid’s fiancé demanded that your kid convert to Christianity or Islam. In those circumstances, you wouldn’t respect your kid’s decision to leave Judaism. Instead all you’d see is pressure.

I would suggest that my kid decide to not marry that person. Since my (grown) kid is a committed, active Jew, I suspect she would follow that advice. If she did not I would have a problem with her. NOT with a Christian or Muslim who refused to marry outside their faith.


Its not my job to tell Muslims or Christians what to believe, or what their requirements for marriage should be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am sorry that your life has been so unkind to you that you have to attack a small faith, its precepts, and apparently your own children who rejected the religious education you gave or didn't give to them such that they as adults or choosing a different path. I am sure that this is painful and explains your behavior on this forum. Rejection, shame, etc. are powerful feelings. Not every one is kind in this world. I am sorry for whatever trauma you have experienced. Or if your children have chosen to be a different faith than you and you are unhappy. Part of parenting is learning to put your ego aside and allow your children to make different choices as adults. Good luck on your struggle with this.

+100

My kids stayed in my faith, thanks for asking. But can you answer the question about how you’d feel if your kids wanted to marry a Catholic or Muslim and had to convert, or simply wanted to leave your faith?

She won’t answer, so I’ll answer for her. She’d be on DCUM shrieking about pressure to convert away from her faith.

You do realize some of us have lives off of DCUM, right? BTW, I was born as and identify as a male.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She would probably feel the shame and guilt you apparently feel that you need to spend your lunch hour lashing out at strangers: ;P

More like anger. DD was pressured to convert to Judaism and refused, so the relationship ended. The pressure wasn’t pretty.

People break up because of difference about whether to have kids, about politics, about differences regarding sex, about all kinds of things. Mature adults move on. Mature parents help them move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This isn’t Hunger Games, believe or be banished. People should be allowed to keep their own identities without pressure. You keep insisting there’s no pressure—I and apparently others here think that’s laughable.

People should be allowed to marry whom they wish, and to set any conditions they prefer. If I were dating a gentile, and we were considering marriage, I would have the right to condition that on conversion. I would presume she would then make whatever decision she feels is right for her. I do not have an obligation to marry a gentile who has not converted to Judaism. You are saying I would not have that right.

Sure, you have the right to put pressure on someone (because we need to call it what it is), but that doesn’t make your behavior a good thing.

Tell us that you wouldn’t be outraged if your kid’s fiancé demanded that your kid convert to Christianity or Islam. In those circumstances, you wouldn’t respect your kid’s decision to leave Judaism. Instead all you’d see is pressure.

I would suggest that my kid decide to not marry that person. Since my (grown) kid is a committed, active Jew, I suspect she would follow that advice. If she did not I would have a problem with her. NOT with a Christian or Muslim who refused to marry outside their faith.


Its not my job to tell Muslims or Christians what to believe, or what their requirements for marriage should be.

What does this mean? What would you do if your kid left Judaism for atheism or another faith?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She would probably feel the shame and guilt you apparently feel that you need to spend your lunch hour lashing out at strangers: ;P

More like anger. DD was pressured to convert to Judaism and refused, so the relationship ended. The pressure wasn’t pretty.

People break up because of difference about whether to have kids, about politics, about differences regarding sex, about all kinds of things. Mature adults move on. Mature parents help them move on.

But according to 13:27, he would pressure his kid to break up over religious differences; this parental pressure doesn’t usually exist in the case of politics or sex. Further, 13:27 says he’d “have a problem” with his kid if s/he didn’t cave to his parental pressure and left Judaism. Does this meet your definition of “mature parenting”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This isn’t Hunger Games, believe or be banished. People should be allowed to keep their own identities without pressure. You keep insisting there’s no pressure—I and apparently others here think that’s laughable.

People should be allowed to marry whom they wish, and to set any conditions they prefer. If I were dating a gentile, and we were considering marriage, I would have the right to condition that on conversion. I would presume she would then make whatever decision she feels is right for her. I do not have an obligation to marry a gentile who has not converted to Judaism. You are saying I would not have that right.

Sure, you have the right to put pressure on someone (because we need to call it what it is), but that doesn’t make your behavior a good thing.

Tell us that you wouldn’t be outraged if your kid’s fiancé demanded that your kid convert to Christianity or Islam. In those circumstances, you wouldn’t respect your kid’s decision to leave Judaism. Instead all you’d see is pressure.

I would suggest that my kid decide to not marry that person. Since my (grown) kid is a committed, active Jew, I suspect she would follow that advice. If she did not I would have a problem with her. NOT with a Christian or Muslim who refused to marry outside their faith.


Its not my job to tell Muslims or Christians what to believe, or what their requirements for marriage should be.

What does this mean? What would you do if your kid left Judaism for atheism or another faith?

Obviously as adult she would have the right to do that. I would be sad and disappointed though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She would probably feel the shame and guilt you apparently feel that you need to spend your lunch hour lashing out at strangers: ;P

More like anger. DD was pressured to convert to Judaism and refused, so the relationship ended. The pressure wasn’t pretty.

People break up because of difference about whether to have kids, about politics, about differences regarding sex, about all kinds of things. Mature adults move on. Mature parents help them move on.

But according to 13:27, he would pressure his kid to break up over religious differences; this parental pressure doesn’t usually exist in the case of politics or sex. Further, 13:27 says he’d “have a problem” with his kid if s/he didn’t cave to his parental pressure and left Judaism. Does this meet your definition of “mature parenting”?

Does it matter to the DD in question whether the ultimate was 100% from the fiancee, or was in part influenced by fiancee's parents?

Some cultures parents and children have relationships somewhat different from Western individualism. Islam is certainly one AFAICT. Traditionally Jewish culture was another.

In Protestantism the the choice to "believe" is an individual one - theologically at least, not a family or community one. But in Judaism we pray to the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and constantly invoke the merits of our ancestors.

But because my culture is not western Protestant, its not legitimate.

[Anonymous]

For I have come to turn 'A man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Matthew 10:35

The Midrash (Yalkut Shim’oni to Proverbs 23:22) simply states that a child should do all a parent asks. When the act is purposeful and to the benefit of the parent, most later authorities agree that a child should do it, even though it is not part of the specific required acts mentioned in the talmudic passage cited earlier. However, when the act is foolish, there is great disagreement as to whether the request need be followed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For I have come to turn 'A man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Matthew 10:35

The Midrash (Yalkut Shim’oni to Proverbs 23:22) simply states that a child should do all a parent asks. When the act is purposeful and to the benefit of the parent, most later authorities agree that a child should do it, even though it is not part of the specific required acts mentioned in the talmudic passage cited earlier. However, when the act is foolish, there is great disagreement as to whether the request need be followed.

The passage from Matthew wasn’t specifically about intermarriage.

And as 13:57 pointed out, Protestants think it’s a matter of individual choice.

In any case, in practice it’s not anything like the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jewish person here, answering the OP's original question.

My view on Christianity, by sect, in no particular order ...

Ethiopian Christianity: No opinion.
Coptic Christianity: Cred for being the oldest surviving form of Christianity. Other than that, I guess it's sorta like Ethiopian Christianity?
Eastern Orthodox: Gonna go out on a limb and lump Greek, Russian, Ukranian, Armenian, and other Balkan state flavors into this group. I like the antiquity of these guys, plus avoiding the whole Mary thing streamlines the religious doctrine. I'm a fan of long services in foreign languages so bonus points there. Excellent uniforms for clergy and there's the incense, which is nice.
Catholicism: I'll be adding Episcopals into this category because setting aside the Pope thing, I can't tell the difference between them. I LOVE Catholicism. You got the antiquity (although a lot younger than the Coptics), you got incense and chanting in foreign tongues, and the uniforms. Solid hierarchy keeps things good and structured for both the religious services and doctrine. The Mary thing throws me for a loop. Why can't you just stay focused on Jesus, people?! I do like the Papacy since it serves as a nice homage to our long-defunct Head Priest of the Temple. Demerits for the Holy Trinity though. You're either a monotheistic religion or polytheistic. Pick a side!
Non-Evangelical Protestantism: Inoffensive.
Evangelical Protestantism: Magic words, wishful thinking, the "Gospel of Prosperity", and snake-handling. Blech. Embarrassing. A blight on Christianity as a whole.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: You might think that based on from my views of Evangelical Christianity I would HATE Mormonism. In fact, I do not. Yeah, it is lacking in the antiquity department and holds Rochester New York in high esteem, but there's something very PROFESSIONAL about LDS. When a Mormon shows up at my door it is readily apparent that this is a Christian sect that cares about the nuts and bolts of converting souls. No skimping on training. And the post-mortem conversion of souls is pure GENIUS. All other religions are mad that Mormons do this because it's a fabulous idea that they didn't come up with. Oh, one last thing ... it pisses me off that I have to keep non-caffeinated beverages around in case Mormons drop by. That is sub-optimal.
Messianic Judaism: The worst.

I LOL'd. This is hilarious and fairly on-point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And to the PP who is the daughter in law of Holocaust survivors, are they alive and able to speak to you about this? Their perspective would be interesting.

I am Jewish so I do not have the experience of being ostracized by my religion. But, if it were me, and it was important to me, I would push and shove my way on to every synagogue committee and light Shabbat candles every evening and show my family and community my full commitment to Judaism. How can you blame us for being wary? If you know our history you should understand this.

push and shove where I am not wanted? no thank you. if you want my son, you'll have to reach out.