So you need to be so separate from us.
How can you work the same places we do/
wouldn't you enjoy living in Israel, where we can't dirty or contanimate you?
And of course we pay for it...still, with taxpayer money. And fight whatever wars you want for you...with our blood and people.
And we could get along without you screaming how separate you wish to be. Very well.
And if anyone of us notes that you are separate, you scream discrimination and sue.
Are we sick of it, do you think?

So you need to be so separate from us.
How can you work the same places we do/
wouldn't you enjoy living in Israel, where we can't dirty or contanimate you?
And of course we pay for it...still, with taxpayer money. And fight whatever wars you want for you...with our blood and people.
And we could get along without you screaming how separate you wish to be. Very well.
And if anyone of us notes that you are separate, you scream discrimination and sue.
Sick of it.

So you need to be so separate from us.
How can you work the same places we do/
wouldn't you enjoy living in Israel, where we can't dirty or contanimate you?
And of course we pay for it...still, with taxpayer money. And fight whatever wars you want for you...with our blood and people.
And we could get along without you screaming how separate you wish to be. Very well.
And if anyone of us notes that you are separate, you scream discrimination and sue.
Sick of it.

Many years ago, when I was 9 years old, my parents went out of town for two days and left me in the care of my brother, who was 5 years older. They arranged with the local (non-kosher) deli to let us take our meals there and run up a tab.

For lunch the first day, I ordered a corn beef sandwich, my favorite. My older brother, to my horror, ordered a ham sandwich. Pork products were never to be found in our house. "Are you crazy?" I asked in astonishment. "God will strike you down for eating traif!"

To my great astonishment, my brother calmly and with great pleasure, ate the ham sandwich and ... nothing happened. No lightning bolts, not smiting of the firstborn ... nothing.

On that day, I lost my biblical virginity. And while I still consider myself a good Jew, I remain convinced god is but a fairy tale.

Shari:
Please do yourself a favor and study the following:
1. WHY was Jesus Jewish?
2. WHY was the Last Supper a Passover Sedar
3. Study the many Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament and how Jesus fulfilled all of them in the New Testament.
4. THEN ask yourself would you be afraid to believe in Jesus as the Messiah once the truth
became revealed to you?

A Biblical verse: And a child shall lead them...

Do not under-rate a message of wisdom that may come via the unexpected messenger (mind/mouth of a child).

A Biblical verse: And a child shall lead them...

Do not under-rate a message of wisdom that may come via the unexpected messenger (mind/mouth of a child).

im sorry but this is absolute nonsense

cant WAPO find adults to write here?

a girl goes to church one time and this is supposed to enlighten anyone anywhere?

is her half hour foray into the alien (to her) society of churchgoers supposed to mean something?

what is this, a way to get college credits?

who gives these kids these jobs anyway?

Fred and Kathleen:

I meant "what exactly the majority of the country was doing" in a less literal way to mean what the majority of the country (which is Christian) is familiar with and does with varying amounts of regularity (or irregularity) as their religious practice.

Ryan:

While I can't recommend any specific classes, I definitly would recommend taking the opportunity to take Jewish studies classes when you get to grad school (vi zeh tov she'ata lomed ivrit - mazal tov!)

You said, "I went to church to figure out what exactly the majority of the country was doing on Sunday mornings. "

Do you have survey statistics to support this? For some reason, I have been under the impression that most people in this country did not attend religious services of any kind. Am I wrong?

You said, "I went to church to figure out what exactly the majority of the country was doing on Sunday mornings. "

Do you have survey statistics to support this? For some reason, I have been under the impression that most people in this country did not attend religious services of any kind. Am I wrong?

You said, "I went to church to figure out what exactly the majority of the country was doing on Sunday mornings. "

Do you have survey statistics to support this? For some reason, I have been under the impression that most people in this country did not attend religious services of any kind. Am I wrong?

Shari, in a small MS town my two best friends in my high school class were both Jewish; I was grateful for a surprising example of mutual respect and sharing that we experienced together; some years later a good friend, a Rabbi in a nearby City, invited me to a Passover meal and along with his friendship my insights into the sacred experiences of both of us expanded. More years later in a larger southern city, I developed friendships with many Jewish neighbors, and frequently participated in events at their Temple. It was in this context that I also experienced the divisions among Jewish congregations, and found something of the exclusiveness that had so often been associated with my Christian background. I have likewise been confronted with a reverse exclusiveness among some of my African American Christian friends. The diversity within and without our faiths is at times a challenge, but there is also a positive side in the ways we share and discover the largeness and mystery of the Creator of us all.

Shari,

Your article is excellent and thought provoking. I especially like the image of you taking your parents around the art museum to teach them about Christianity. (I wish that more Christians frequented art museums--and understood what they were seeing!).

However, there is one error you make: Going to church is not what the majority of Americans are doing on Sunday morning. It is an old myth that "Americans are Christians" and that to be one is to be the other. I am a Christian and I wish that Church attendance was a "majority" activitiy. Statistics indicate that only one in five Americans is in church on an average Sunday. Chrisitanity is a minority religion in America, something I have to remind fellow Christians about when I hear them fume about secularism ruining "our country." (It is their country--we are the minority!)

Consider also, that in a nation where billions is spent each year on pornography, gambling is rife, most Americans believe it is Okay to lie, and individualism and selfishness is exalted over love and cooperation, we cannot say that Christianity is the religion of the majority.

I don't mean to sound cynical--just realistic. I am sad to say that, if you want to find out what the majority of Americans is doing on Sunday Morning, you might best visit a golf course, or the lake, or check out the living rooms of neighborhoods all over the country. Most folks are not in church--and seriously believe they should not be. I pray that this situation changes in America, but until the we must be realistic about the spiritual condition of the nation. (And we must be careful NOT to blame Christians for the ills of this country caused mostly by Gentiles who have no faith in Jesus Christ whatever.)

Blessings to you.

Shari,

I enjoyed your article greatly because I am very much in the reverse situation. My father converted to Christianity when I was a small child, and so I have never really celebrated in any Jewish practices, other than attending a couple bar mitzvahs. His mother and I were close, always on the basis of loving God together. For a year or so before she passed away, and now for the last year or so since she has passed away, I have had a growing interest in learning more about Judaism.

As a committed Catholic with (some) theological training and (some) Jewish ancestry, I increasingly find myself intrigued by the religious continuity that exists between the two faiths. The "Introduction to Judaism" classes that believer mentioned sound great. Lately I have also begun to study Hebrew in preparation for a graduate school program, and to try to get more into the mind of the religion, so to speak. Is there anything else you might recommend?

The Jewish people are divided on this issue. There are several organizations that have combined the Christian and Jewish religions simply because those Jewish people believe and know that Christ is the Messiah and that he will return again. Those organizations don't want to eliminated the Jewish tradition they just simply added another one on and that is according to the message that Jesus left before being crucified.

It might just so happend that while she is visiting these places that she will get an idea that Christianity isn't what she thought it was. And just maybe she might become born again. What's so wrong with that? If she did, it wouldn't stop her from being Jewish. The bible doesn't say become a Christian or you will go to hell It says accept Jesus as Lord and you will become the sons and daughters of God. You can very much so be Jewish and believe that Christ is the Messiah and that he will return to the earth.

If it's ok with God then why wouldn't be ok for you?

On this:

"I sat in the back watching, half expecting the priest to come up to me and say “You look like you’re Jewish. Why don’t I convert you right this minute?” It never happened."

I can certainly relate to this!
As someone who has grown up in choirs, I have had to attend church regularly for performances, and once got asked to leave after mishearing a prayer and asking my friend if God's name was Harold. (Harold be thy name)..

we used to have a game called 'stump the Jew' where we would see how long it would take for the Jew in church (me) to get that unmistakable deer in headlights look on her face. It never took long... and the same feelings have happened when I've been asked to do last minute Christmas shopping. :)

On this:
"It is the religion of the vast majority of the people around us, but we are afraid to learn about it or even to encounter it outside of secular environments because of a collective memory of forced conversion and persecution."

As a Pagan today, I can safely say "welcome to the club!" :)

The thing I've also noticed studying Paganism is that by default we have no choice but to learn about the history of Christianity. It's part of our history, and actually has increased my understanding of my Jewish roots along the way.

Dennis, you should go to a synogogue - it will help you to better understand Judaism and Christianity, which has deep Jewish roots.

Shari has set a great example for all of us. My experience has been that people appreciate a respectful interest that takes their religion seriously. We don't have to become a convert to understand the religion of our neighbors. There are profound differences between the world's great religions - and we don't have to whitewash those differences to discuss religion thoughtfully and respectfully. If anything, it's less respectful to minimize and ignore the unique beliefs of a religion ("so, Judaism is basically just like Buddhism where you get to eat meat as long as it isn't pork?")

I was fortunate, many years ago, to live in a city where the local Conservative synagogue offered an "Introduction to Judaism" class that targeted non-Jews. It was absolutely wonderful. It was held in the evenings (it ran eight weeks, I believe), and was structured for adults. The rabbi teaching it made no attempt at convert anyone, but neither did he apologize for his traditions and practices. He did a great job of saying "here's what we do, and here's why we do it."

I'd strongly incourage any church, mosque or synagogue to seriously consider doing the same thing. Promoting understanding is very important these days. (And besides, if you can explain what you believe, and why you believe it, clearly and calmly, you may find that it's a more effective way of attracting people than some more traditional approaches to "conversion.")

Shari,

I enjoyed your article and admire your interest in finding out first-hand about other religions.

I was reminded of my youngest son's confirmation (Catholic) which was attended by one of his Jewish friends. The young man was very interested in exploring the church a bit, so I took him on a tour, showing him statues, explaining the font of holy water, etc.

As we headed back to our seats I explained to him that people would sometimes kneel during the service, but that I was sure that his parents would not want him to do so. He told me, "Don't worry, my mom already warned me about that!"

I really enjoyed having him as our guest, and I think that he enjoyed the experience of watching a real live Catholic mass. I attended his Bar Mitzvha and quite enjoyed that as well.

I'm glad you've enjoyed learning about what Christians are doing in their churches. Your openness is rare and commendable. As a Christian, I'd love the chance to attend a synagogue, but unless I was invited by a friend I feel like the members there would suspect me of having a hidden agenda to convert them. (In my case, I have an additional problem that I'd have to skip my own church's services to attend synagogue, since we are among the minority of Christians who still honor the Biblical seventh-day Sabbath, ie, Saturday.)
Your article was fun to read, but dealt mostly with attitudes of your Jewish friends and family toward you. I'd love to read your perceptions of the Christians and their church services.

Legitimate questions, Carly, and ones that I have answers for. I totally get why a lot of Jews refuse to enter churches, but I think that when doing so purely for educational, non-devotional purposes, it's okay. I certainly wouldn't say that every single Jew needs to go to church right now, but I do think that it can be a good opportunity to better understand those around us, and Jews who feel compelled to observe a Christian service for that reason shouldn't feel like they are bad Jews. I agree that churchification of synagogues is a bit creepy and can go too far, but I also think that in certain ways the megachurch approach to programming, particularly for youth, is something that Jews could learn from and adapt to improve synagogues. Also, it's worth noting that my Rabbi was at the same service (the sermon was about Jews and he came to see what it was about).

What though, Jewess, would you say to Jews that believe that entering churches is a form of ma'arat ayin, that is, a halachik (Jewish law) decree against doing things that They (i.e. - gentiles) do for fear (wrong word? you tell me?) of other Jews seeing you (a fine upstanding young Jewish lady) and taking your example? I'm assuming that this would not necessarily be a negative for you. So, I pose the question should observant (that is, more than twice-per-year) Jews be attending mass, if not regularly, on occasion? I have another friend who, with her interest in interfaith dialog, decided to attend church at St. John the Divine last Sunday. In her excitement, she raved about the clergy-man's sermon and asked why Rabbi's couldn't speak in such a way. It reeks of pre- 1940's sentiment to say it, but maybe Judaism could take a little hint from churches (that's not to say that the churchification of the synagogue can't be taken too far.)

Sorry for the long comment. Happy to see you blogging, and of course I'll be a frequent commentator...

L'shanah tova from Manhattan!