to clariy - no Jewish legal authority allows the consumption of Hallah meat in place of kosher meat. Rather that is a practice evolving among some partially observant lay Jews.

Muslima wrote:Hello,
I have a few questions that maybe you guys can help me with. I have always been curious about Religion in general, but never really meet a lot of religious people that I can ask some questions that I have . So here it goes :

-If you're Christian: Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? For ex, Muslims pray 5 time a day.Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow? What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists? Can you guys go to each other's churches?

-Jews: Shalom. What do you guys consider "Kosher". Muslims eat "Halal" but If I don't see something halal at the store, I usually buy Kosher because I was told that is very similar to Halal, even though I really don't know what Kosher fully means, I think I understand the concept but never really asked a jewish person, so maybe you can help me out? Also, do you guys have a certain number of mandatory daily prayers like the Muslims do? Do you do ablutions before prayers?


That's all guys, thanks

Muslima

Welcome. I am a Conservative Jew. I am not completely observant myself (we usually only eat kosher meat in our home, but I will eat nonkosher meat out, and we do not keep two sets of dishes, etc).

My understanding is that the requirements for how an animal is slaughtered are similar as between kosher and hallal. The prayers said over the slaugher are of course different, and while SOME imams accept the consumption of kosher meat where hallal is not available, as far as I know NO jewish legal authority, either Orthodox or Conservative does so. Some Jews I know will eat Hallal in place of kosher meat - both because its often very difficult to find kosher meat (and they are unwilling to forego meat entirely) and for the sake of peace.

Salaam/shalom

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jew here

Jews are required to pray 3 times a day. For me, it is preferable to pray in a group of 10 or more men but women do not have that requirement.

Kosher entails a host of rules. As stated by a PP, for meat it means only certain animals are kosher (must have split hooves and view it's cud). The animal must also be free of wounds and blemishes and then slaughtered in a particular manner. Then only certain parts of the animal are kosher and the meat music be soaked and salted to remove all the blood.

Additionally, milk and meat may not be cooked or consumed together.
Vegetables are all kosher, except insects are not so vegetables have to be carefully Checked to ensure no bugs are consumed.

There are additional rules for fish (must have fins and scales) and birds (must not be predators).

You're talking about orthodox jews, right? These rules don't apply to all jews, do they?

This does apply to all Jews. Most of us just don't do it. Conservative and Reform movements emerged to make it "ok" for Jews not to keep kosher, etc.

This is incorrect. Conservative Judaism considers kashrut a binding part of halacha. There are some differences from Orthodoxy on certain details (some obvious ones are the treatment of rennet in cheesemaking, the use of wine made by non-jews "staam yayin", and the eating of swordfish) Now most conservative congregations include many people who are not observant (or not fully observant), but that used to be true of many orthodox congregations, and is of course still quite true of many chabad congregations. Note that many orthodox congregations where everyone is observant of kashrut, include some congregants who neglect other parts of halacha, like loshon hara (gossip) and mitzot relating to business ethics, etc. We are all struggling to be more observant in our own ways.

Reform does not consider halacha (other than ethical commandments) to be binding, but does encourage Jews to consider keeping the form of kashrut that they as individuals find meaningful. And the circumstances of its founding are much more complex than the above.

Anonymous wrote:
The Roman Catholics, were not "Roman" until they broke away from the Orthodox Eastern Catholics. There were many independent groups before during and after Nicea.

Roman Catholics do believe that they - along with their Orthodox brethern - are the original Christians. That Peter was the first head of the Church "the rock upon which the Church was built" and that the leadership of the Church has been a continuous since him. (It's also why Orthodox Catholics are generally the only ones other than Roman Catholics who are allowed to receive communion at a Catholic Mass.)
Of course, there were other people who also followed Christ, 2000 years ago and now, who are also Christians, but the faith of the Catholic Church is that it is an unbroken (if extraordinarily messy and human!) chain from Jesus to Peter to the Church today.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate all responses and have learned from you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jew here

Jews are required to pray 3 times a day. For me, it is preferable to pray in a group of 10 or more men but women do not have that requirement.

Kosher entails a host of rules. As stated by a PP, for meat it means only certain animals are kosher (must have split hooves and view it's cud). The animal must also be free of wounds and blemishes and then slaughtered in a particular manner. Then only certain parts of the animal are kosher and the meat music be soaked and salted to remove all the blood.

Additionally, milk and meat may not be cooked or consumed together.
Vegetables are all kosher, except insects are not so vegetables have to be carefully Checked to ensure no bugs are consumed.

There are additional rules for fish (must have fins and scales) and birds (must not be predators).

You're talking about orthodox jews, right? These rules don't apply to all jews, do they?

This does apply to all Jews. Most of us just don't do it. Conservative and Reform movements emerged to make it "ok" for Jews not to keep kosher, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

Not really. Roman Catholicism was created out of a schism with the Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Eastern Orthodox Churches never recognized the Roman Cardinal (now called Pope) as the head of the Church.

The Unitarians were not included once the Nicene Creed was established (325)- but they died or were killed for being heretics, then from time to time another would pop up and be killed for being a heretic.... until the mid-1500's when a sect was started in the eastern Hungarian section of modern Romania and has been continuous since. Unitarians there consider themselves to be Christian, but not Trinitarian (which is what the Nicene Creed established).

There may have been christians who didn't buy into for the trinity in325, but was no Unitarian denomination until the 18th century.

You are incorrect. There have been continuous Unitarian pulpits in Romania since 1650's. My Congregation has had a partner church with one of those Congregations for the past 20 years.


http://www.unitarian.org.uk/pages/history

The earliest organised Unitarian movements were founded in the 16th century in Poland and Transylvania. In Britain, Unitarianism was damned as heresy and the death penalty imposed on anyone who denied the trinity. With Unitarianism seen as heresy and specifically forbidden by parliament’s Toleration Act of 1689, several early radical reformers who professed Unitarian beliefs in the 16th and 17th centuries, suffered imprisonment and martyrdom.

Ok, the 16th century, then, but not before Nicaea

There have always been unitarians- even before Nicaea- that was one of the debates that they had before and at (and for some after) Nicaea- Trinity or not. You are correct in that they were not organized as a denomination.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

Not really. Roman Catholicism was created out of a schism with the Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Eastern Orthodox Churches never recognized the Roman Cardinal (now called Pope) as the head of the Church.

The Unitarians were not included once the Nicene Creed was established (325)- but they died or were killed for being heretics, then from time to time another would pop up and be killed for being a heretic.... until the mid-1500's when a sect was started in the eastern Hungarian section of modern Romania and has been continuous since. Unitarians there consider themselves to be Christian, but not Trinitarian (which is what the Nicene Creed established).

There may have been christians who didn't buy into for the trinity in325, but was no Unitarian denomination until the 18th century.

You are incorrect. There have been continuous Unitarian pulpits in Romania since 1650's. My Congregation has had a partner church with one of those Congregations for the past 20 years.


http://www.unitarian.org.uk/pages/history

The earliest organised Unitarian movements were founded in the 16th century in Poland and Transylvania. In Britain, Unitarianism was damned as heresy and the death penalty imposed on anyone who denied the trinity. With Unitarianism seen as heresy and specifically forbidden by parliament’s Toleration Act of 1689, several early radical reformers who professed Unitarian beliefs in the 16th and 17th centuries, suffered imprisonment and martyrdom.

Ok, the 16th century, then, but not before Nicaea

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

Not really. Roman Catholicism was created out of a schism with the Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Eastern Orthodox Churches never recognized the Roman Cardinal (now called Pope) as the head of the Church.

The Unitarians were not included once the Nicene Creed was established (325)- but they died or were killed for being heretics, then from time to time another would pop up and be killed for being a heretic.... until the mid-1500's when a sect was started in the eastern Hungarian section of modern Romania and has been continuous since. Unitarians there consider themselves to be Christian, but not Trinitarian (which is what the Nicene Creed established).

There may have been christians who didn't buy into for the trinity in325, but was no Unitarian denomination until the 18th century.

You are incorrect. There have been continuous Unitarian pulpits in Romania since 1650's. My Congregation has had a partner church with one of those Congregations for the past 20 years.


http://www.unitarian.org.uk/pages/history

The earliest organised Unitarian movements were founded in the 16th century in Poland and Transylvania. In Britain, Unitarianism was damned as heresy and the death penalty imposed on anyone who denied the trinity. With Unitarianism seen as heresy and specifically forbidden by parliament’s Toleration Act of 1689, several early radical reformers who professed Unitarian beliefs in the 16th and 17th centuries, suffered imprisonment and martyrdom.

"The World's Religions" by Huston Smith is a well-written, readable book that explains the basics of major religions. This is a better way to learn than relying on the possibly uninformed opinions of us DCUM'ers!

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

Not really. Roman Catholicism was created out of a schism with the Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Eastern Orthodox Churches never recognized the Roman Cardinal (now called Pope) as the head of the Church.

The Unitarians were not included once the Nicene Creed was established (325)- but they died or were killed for being heretics, then from time to time another would pop up and be killed for being a heretic.... until the mid-1500's when a sect was started in the eastern Hungarian section of modern Romania and has been continuous since. Unitarians there consider themselves to be Christian, but not Trinitarian (which is what the Nicene Creed established).

There may have been christians who didn't buy into for the trinity in325, but was no Unitarian denomination until the 18th century.

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

The Roman Catholics were the original organized Christians, with a creed, a set of scriptures and set of rules that the leaders devised and agreed to at the council of Nicea in 325, but before that there were many independent groups, just as there are today.

The Roman Catholics, were not "Roman" until they broke away from the Orthodox Eastern Catholics. There were many independent groups before during and after Nicea.

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

The Roman Catholics were the original organized Christians, with a creed, a set of scriptures and set of rules that the leaders devised and agreed to at the council of Nicea in 325, but before that there were many independent groups, just as there are today.

Anonymous wrote:Jew here

Jews are required to pray 3 times a day. For me, it is preferable to pray in a group of 10 or more men but women do not have that requirement.

Kosher entails a host of rules. As stated by a PP, for meat it means only certain animals are kosher (must have split hooves and view it's cud). The animal must also be free of wounds and blemishes and then slaughtered in a particular manner. Then only certain parts of the animal are kosher and the meat music be soaked and salted to remove all the blood.

Additionally, milk and meat may not be cooked or consumed together.
Vegetables are all kosher, except insects are not so vegetables have to be carefully Checked to ensure no bugs are consumed.

There are additional rules for fish (must have fins and scales) and birds (must not be predators).

You're talking about orthodox jews, right? These rules don't apply to all jews, do they?

Muslima wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm Christian...

To answer your questions:

1. Do you guys have a certain number of mandatory prayers that you do every day? Does it depend on what branch of Christianity you follow?
No... I don't know about all the "branches" (denominations), but most of the Protestant ones do not. Not sure about Catholics.

2. What is the difference between Catholics, Protestants and Methodists?
Protestants grew out of the Reformation period from the Roman Catholic church. In a nutshell, some people felt the Catholic Church was a bit too corrupt so they split from them. Then different fractions started appearing... Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran... each started by different leaders. They all hold to the universal truths about Christianity, just vary slightly in certain aspects of the belief.

3. Can you guys go to each other's churches?
Yes, it is very open. I grew up in a Presbyterian church but now go to what is called non-denominational.

Thank you, I appreciate it. So Catholics were the "Original Christians" and all the other denominations branched out from them?

Not really. Roman Catholicism was created out of a schism with the Eastern Orthodox Christians, the Eastern Orthodox Churches never recognized the Roman Cardinal (now called Pope) as the head of the Church.

The Unitarians were not included once the Nicene Creed was established (325)- but they died or were killed for being heretics, then from time to time another would pop up and be killed for being a heretic.... until the mid-1500's when a sect was started in the eastern Hungarian section of modern Romania and has been continuous since. Unitarians there consider themselves to be Christian, but not Trinitarian (which is what the Nicene Creed established).