Limited not minutes (spell check!)

Anonymous wrote:By the way, the Catholic woman's responses were thoughtful and interesting. Thank you, and you alone, for a good and thoughtful thread.

OP, your participation in this thread seems to be minutes to taking (hostile) pot shots like this one. You've received several very thoughtful posts, not just one, yet you continue to call everyone else hostile. It's difficult to believe that you're looking to engage thoughtfully.

If you want to ask a thoughtful question, I'm sure several of us would be very happy to answer.

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't Jesus Jewish?

+1

To us, he is the messiah.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish and I can't understand why this would bother you, OP. Honestly.

Why do I care? Someone put it recently in a New Yorker article about Bar Mitzvahs for Evangelical Christian teenagers like this (paraphrasing) -- there's a difference between building bridges between religions to improve cultural understanding, and building bridges so you can run across to the other side and grab goodies and run back. If it's to increase cultural understanding, great.

Are you the OP? The irony of this post is that there are so many atheists and Jews who fire back at Christians around Christmas claiming that the secularization of CHRISTmas gives them a right to celebrate it and exchange gifts. This is an interesting reversal - feeling offended that others do not respect the sanctity of your religious traditions.

That being said, Jesus was a Jew and celebrated his Last Supper with his disciples. We recreate this during Palm Sunday masses every year. I'm' not familiar with churches using the term Seder, but assuming it's done in a respectful manner designed to increase understanding of other faiths and of the experience of Jesus leading up to his crucifixion, I see no issues.

p.s. And I do agree that using terms like icky in your original post don't lead to a constructive dialogue. "I'm uncomfortable with this" might have been a better choice of phrase.

Wasn't Jesus Jewish?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, where are you? You've received some thoughtful responses and it's disheartening to have someone begin a thread like this and then refuse to engage. Were you looking to vent or honestly asking a question?

Actually, I think I've received some incredibly hostile responses and I don't want to continue in that tradition. I was hoping to start a thoughtful dialogue but "You are icky" isn't what I'm looking for. Sorry.

No one ever said you were icky. You just "seem icky." Much in the same way you opined that other's religious practices "seem icky" to you. You then defended yourself by saying there's a difference between calling something icky and saying it "seems" icky. Bottomline is that were called out on your immature use of language around a pretty serious topic. Call it hostile, call it whatever you want. Just show some better judgment with your words.

I agree with this. We all need to be careful about language.

I think the most telling thing is how offended you are by the "you seem icky" poster (I can't tell if that poster is a troll or trying to make a point about language) even as you're saying your own "it seems icky" is innocent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, where are you? You've received some thoughtful responses and it's disheartening to have someone begin a thread like this and then refuse to engage. Were you looking to vent or honestly asking a question?

Actually, I think I've received some incredibly hostile responses and I don't want to continue in that tradition. I was hoping to start a thoughtful dialogue but "You are icky" isn't what I'm looking for. Sorry.

No one ever said you were icky. You just "seem icky." Much in the same way you opined that other's religious practices "seem icky" to you. You then defended yourself by saying there's a difference between calling something icky and saying it "seems" icky. Bottomline is that were called out on your immature use of language around a pretty serious topic. Call it hostile, call it whatever you want. Just show some better judgment with your words.

OP, as a practicing Christian I have been invited to and attended many Seders at the homes of Jewish friends. The more cross-cultural outreach, understanding and acceptance we can get among religions the better -- not to mention that Judaism is the foundation of Christianity so more knowledge can help deepen our own faith.

We do our best to be completely respectful and learn from the traditions of our Jewish friends and appreciate the opportunity to share in those traditions. No one was trying to convert anyone!

I do think it is a bit odd to do this without the involvement of anyone Jewish. It is my understanding that outreach Seders should be interfaith (i.e. churches holding them should seek the assistance of a rabbi). Moreover, it's hard to appreciate the meaning of the meal/order/etc. fully without guidance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, where are you? You've received some thoughtful responses and it's disheartening to have someone begin a thread like this and then refuse to engage. Were you looking to vent or honestly asking a question?

Actually, I think I've received some incredibly hostile responses and I don't want to continue in that tradition. I was hoping to start a thoughtful dialogue but "You are icky" isn't what I'm looking for. Sorry.

I am the Catholic who posted and at no time did I call you icky. I have asked you some serious and thoughtful questions - disappointing that you won't answer them.

By the way, the Catholic woman's responses were thoughtful and interesting. Thank you, and you alone, for a good and thoughtful thread.

Anonymous wrote:OP, where are you? You've received some thoughtful responses and it's disheartening to have someone begin a thread like this and then refuse to engage. Were you looking to vent or honestly asking a question?

Actually, I think I've received some incredibly hostile responses and I don't want to continue in that tradition. I was hoping to start a thoughtful dialogue but "You are icky" isn't what I'm looking for. Sorry.

OP, where are you? You've received some thoughtful responses and it's disheartening to have someone begin a thread like this and then refuse to engage. Were you looking to vent or honestly asking a question?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish and I can't understand why this would bother you, OP. Honestly.

Why do I care? Someone put it recently in a New Yorker article about Bar Mitzvahs for Evangelical Christian teenagers like this (paraphrasing) -- there's a difference between building bridges between religions to improve cultural understanding, and building bridges so you can run across to the other side and grab goodies and run back. If it's to increase cultural understanding, great.

I don't follow the goodies-grabbing analogy. It's not like there is a limited number of seders that can be held in the world on any given night, and if the Christians take them, there won't be any left for the Jews.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Jewish and I can't understand why this would bother you, OP. Honestly.

Why do I care? Someone put it recently in a New Yorker article about Bar Mitzvahs for Evangelical Christian teenagers like this (paraphrasing) -- there's a difference between building bridges between religions to improve cultural understanding, and building bridges so you can run across to the other side and grab goodies and run back. If it's to increase cultural understanding, great.

OP, it's not just to increase cultural understanding. As a PP explained, communion as given every week is a re-creation of the Last Supper, and a commandment given to the disciples directly from Jesus - one that has been carried out faithfully and regularly for over 2000 years. So this is not new. The re-creation of a full Seder on Good Friday is not totally new either, though it is of course not a commandment and a fairly modern practice. Here is some info on the practice from the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations:

http://www.ccjr.us/dialogika-resources/educational-and-liturgical-materials/liturgical-resources/passover/784-interfaith-seders

FWIW, I tend to agree that the most meaningful ones are the ones done in consultation with a rabbi, and where the rabbi is present to explain the scripture/liturgy that is read and the meaning behind it. Perhaps you should participate in one - you'd see that it's actually a very respectful and beautiful practice when executed with thought and reverence.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You really called someone else's faith practices "icky"?

I said it seems icky to me. Can you not see the difference. Or are you really that hostile?

OP, you seem icky to me.