PSA: Please do not host a Christian seder

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the matzo reminder! I’ll be buying Yahuda gluten free in bulk!

Here’s the kicker: I’m Presbyterian and non-celiac. A real imposter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will celebrate my religious traditions as I see fit.

+1. People are allowed to do whatever they want in their own homes. Get a life and stop worrying about what other people are doing. It's getting old

That article a PP posted explains why a Christian Seder is offensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In Catholic school, we had a Sedar because this was Jesus’ Last Supper, when He was celebrating the Jewish feast of Passover with His apostles. After that, He led Peter, James, and John to the Garden of Gethsemane and urged them to stay awake with Him to pray, but they were weak and fell asleep. He sweated drops of blood He was in such agony and asked His Father to let the cup pass (let Him avoid the excruciating death He knew was in front of Him) but acknowledged that He would of course do His Father’s will. Then Judas arrived with the high priests and guards to arrest Him.

As long as you realize that’s NOTHING like Passover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://religiondispatches.org/why-christians-should-not-host-their-own-passover-seders/

This is an excellent article. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

For Jews who are fine with Christians holding a Seder, is it still fine if they don't use the Haggadah, but rather a Christian version that tells the story of Jesus?

[Anonymous]

Jew here - who cares what Christians do? Most of the problems of the world are from them - just ignore them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will celebrate my religious traditions as I see fit.

+1. People are allowed to do whatever they want in their own homes. Get a life and stop worrying about what other people are doing. It's getting old

+1

If it is part of their religion, how they interpret it, then it should be none of our business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For Jews who are fine with Christians holding a Seder, is it still fine if they don't use the Haggadah, but rather a Christian version that tells the story of Jesus?

Orthodox PP. Sure. It's mostly irrelevant to me how Christians ritualize Christianity. It's not of interest at all. As long as it doesn't involve violence or fomenting violence, which this doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Are Jews offended by the children of interfaith couples (half Jewish) having a seder? My children have attended one all of their lives with the Jewish side of the family. They didn’t have bat mitzvahs, but this is an important holiday to them. Will it give offense to others is they host one as adults?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jews having a Christmas tree is not the same thing as Christians hosting a seder. But thanks for making it all about Christians.

actually it is. As a Christian I believe in the Passover story. A Jewish person does t actually believe Jesus was Gods son.

The Old Testament is part of Christianity. It’s part of the Christian religious tradition. Similarly, much of the Bible also overlaps with the Quran — it’s part of the Islamic religion. I don’t think many Christians realize that Jesus is a prophet in the Quran. Similarly, many Jews discount the relevance of Jewish prophets in Christianity. The three religions have so much overlap that we are called the people of the book.

NP. +1

-1000. Judaism is not a branch or primitive form of Christianity, as much as you would like to make it so.

By that definition do you think PP is saying that Christianity is a primitive form of Islam?

I have no idea what you’re getting at. The common historical routes doesn’t mean they are the same religions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The premise of Judaism and Christianity is really different to me. Jews believe that they have a special relationship to G-d and are the chosen people. It’s tribal and exclusionary. Christianity believes that Jesus died to save everyone. Anyone can be saved, if they believe. There’s not much overlain those two world views, no matter how many shared texts they have

Hmmm. Incorrect - and mildly racist. Jews do not believe that are the chosen people b/c we are somehow smarter, more morally pure, or better looking. We believe that despite all of our manifest flaws - we were lucky enough to be chosen to receive and spread the oral law. G-d could have chosen (and maybe should have chosen) some other tribe - but we won the lottery of receiving a monotheistic moral code for reasons unknown. To the extent that Judaism became insular and exclusionary - it is because we were murdered for allowing conversion/commingling (or merely existing). Christianity believes that Jews and Muslims, etc. are going to hell and that the conversion of Jews (even under pain of death/torture) is necessary for the "second coming." In practice, Christians, under instructions from clergy have raped, murdered, tortured, etc. Jews and Muslims for millennial as their form of tribalism/exclusion/for kicks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For Jews who are fine with Christians holding a Seder, is it still fine if they don't use the Haggadah, but rather a Christian version that tells the story of Jesus?

Just don’t say you’re having a Passover Seder. Call it something different.

It’s offensive to me—not saying all Jews, but me—to subvert a sacred ritual where we tell the story of our escape from slavery and impose Jesus on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The premise of Judaism and Christianity is really different to me. Jews believe that they have a special relationship to G-d and are the chosen people. It’s tribal and exclusionary. Christianity believes that Jesus died to save everyone. Anyone can be saved, if they believe. There’s not much overlain those two world views, no matter how many shared texts they have

Hmmm. Incorrect - and mildly racist. Jews do not believe that are the chosen people b/c we are somehow smarter, more morally pure, or better looking. We believe that despite all of our manifest flaws - we were lucky enough to be chosen to receive and spread the oral law. G-d could have chosen (and maybe should have chosen) some other tribe - but we won the lottery of receiving a monotheistic moral code for reasons unknown. To the extent that Judaism became insular and exclusionary - it is because we were murdered for allowing conversion/commingling (or merely existing). Christianity believes that Jews and Muslims, etc. are going to hell and that the conversion of Jews (even under pain of death/torture) is necessary for the "second coming." In practice, Christians, under instructions from clergy have raped, murdered, tortured, etc. Jews and Muslims for millennial as their form of tribalism/exclusion/for kicks.

exactly. and this explains why it raises my hackles when Christians claim “oh, we can celebrate any Jewish ritual we want because we incorporate it all! It’s not a separate religion, it is our Christian heritage.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Jews who are fine with Christians holding a Seder, is it still fine if they don't use the Haggadah, but rather a Christian version that tells the story of Jesus?

Just don’t say you’re having a Passover Seder. Call it something different.

It’s offensive to me—not saying all Jews, but me—to subvert a sacred ritual where we tell the story of our escape from slavery and impose Jesus on it.

this. I can respect the “who cares” position, but what people may not realize is that a “Christian seder” basically imposes Jesus into the ritual as the paschal sacrifice. This is basically Easter, but for some unknown reason, some Christians feel like there’s some reason to have a “Christian seder” in commemoration of the last supper instead of just calling it Easter.

Christians, if you are so curious about passover, there is likely an *interfaith* group in your town where you can attend a seder led by the Jewish community. or just make some Jewish friends and ask to be invited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For Jews who are fine with Christians holding a Seder, is it still fine if they don't use the Haggadah, but rather a Christian version that tells the story of Jesus?

Just don’t say you’re having a Passover Seder. Call it something different.

It’s offensive to me—not saying all Jews, but me—to subvert a sacred ritual where we tell the story of our escape from slavery and impose Jesus on it.

this. I can respect the “who cares” position, but what people may not realize is that a “Christian seder” basically imposes Jesus into the ritual as the paschal sacrifice. This is basically Easter, but for some unknown reason, some Christians feel like there’s some reason to have a “Christian seder” in commemoration of the last supper instead of just calling it Easter.

Christians, if you are so curious about passover, there is likely an *interfaith* group in your town where you can attend a seder led by the Jewish community. or just make some Jewish friends and ask to be invited.

Right! I would be more than happy to welcome any of my Christian friends to our Seder. You can learn about why we do what we do. The Seder is really an opportunity for us to talk about the suffering of the Jewish people, but more importantly our resilience and how we escaped.

It’s all wrapped up in our story and our history. I would be more than happy to share that with anyone who wanted to come to our Seder, but please recognize how sacred each part of our Passover Seder is. Each part of the Seder plate has a purpose and a symbolic meaning — and those meanings are really very specific to the story of the Jewish people.

A big part of what happens at our Seders is us telling our story to our children. The youngest child who knows Hebrew asks the Four Questions, which are meant to solicit answers that teach the child about the story of his/her people.

What I’m saying is that you might say, “well Jesus was a Jew and the last supper was a Seder,” but that’s seriously devaluing what Passover is. Passover is about the history of the Jewish people, as distinct from anyone else. It’s our story and our history.