i grew up in a christian church, was thought everything that there is to know about christian religion but about a year ago my parents decided that they were going to become Jewish now, they say they found alto of bad stuff and hidden stuff that Christians have....they now don't go to church at all, believe in the sabbath say..i cant have a boyfriend (i am a college student 21 years of age, but still living under my parents financial help and roof on the summer) they told me that i cannot have a boyfriend or get married if its not with a Jewish guy....i have had so many times to hide and lied to them just so i could go to church....that was during the summer. right now I'm over here nine hours away from them in college but ID, like now i cant even tell them how awesome church was...this whole religion thing is making me wanna just get out of the house but yet i cant cause i do not and will not abandon my mom or make her suffer, i know that if i go against my parents beliefs they are going to not hate me but stop treating me and loving me they way they would..specially because my parents r liKer SOooh.its not much of my mom, its all my dad...ID what to do. im confused, how do i know what religion is right? i dnt wanna distance from my paretns yet i want to go to chuch
i was in college and when i went back home for the summer my parents came out telling me that they no longer practice the chirstian religion but the jewish one. idk if they converted, i dont even know what that is..idk anything i just know that they have very very different thoughts about god, who he is and everything since they started with the jewish stuff.. they wont let me go to church or nothing. we dont celebrate christmas, get together with the family who will not convert into jewish religion...our family felt apart for this religion thing....i am old enough to do what i want but im still in college and they help me still financially so i cant just tell them i dont want to be jewish or convert into jewish because i know of how strict they are they will go against me...its hard yall dont understand how hard it is..i have talk to them aabout me not feeling in my heart that i want to be jewish but they dont understand
That's really an odd situation. In order to be Jewish you have to be born to a Jewish mother or you have to convert. Since your mother was not Jewish when you were born and since you have not converted (and apparently are not interested in converting) you are not Jewish. As far as you marrying a Jewish guy, no Jew who was truly observant would be interested.
You need to put some space between you and your parents and then decide for yourself which religion is right for you. I agree with them that there are many things about Christianity that don't add up but you need to decide for yourself. The situation they are putting you in will not work.
Edit: You did not say that they had actually converted to Judaism. I have seen parents that were extremely strict as Christians that actually became much less strict after they converted to Judaism. Are they in the process of converting? If so are they considering Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox?
Added: This isn't adding up. You are 21 years old ( a college student, no less), you go home for the summer and not once the entire summer do these extremely strict and religious parents take you to the synagogue with them nor do they take the time to explain exactly what it is they now believe or what it is they are involved in?
They won't get together with family that won't convert to Judaism yet you can't seem top sort out what it is they have converted to of if they actually converted? If you are serious its time to start asking them questions . I am skeptical that they have actually converted to Judaism. At the least they seem to have a view of Judaism that is not normal. Quiet possibly they are involved in something that somehow slightly resembles Judaism but is in fact something else.
Ex Christian
Tell them you want to go to church because you are Christian.
No one converting to Judaism would coerce anyone else to be Jewish.
Get a job and save money for a room during the summers (it's winter now, so presumably you are in a dorm room) if *you* would feel more comfortable in being honest about your convictions come summer, but they will not make demands of your beliefs.
The Xian man/god narrowed the field from just about everyone to a small number of people that will go to heaven. G*D, Noachidism and Judaism teach if you keep these 7 laws you will have an equal share in the world to come.
* To behave justly in all relationships, and to establish courts of justice.
* To refrain from blaspheming Gods name.
* To refrain from practicing idolatry.
* To avoid immoral practices, specifically incest and adultery.
* To avoid shedding the blood of ones fellow man.
* To refrain from robbing ones fellow man.
* To refrain from eating a limb torn from a live animal.
A British Chabadnik was on a train from one place to another and was very tired after lecturing all day, and just wanted to read a book and that's it, and somebody sat down next to him, looked at the book he was reading, and said, "It looks as if we're in the same business." The rabbi looked up and saw the man sitting next to him was a Christian priest. 'Oy, Gearalt!' thought the Jew, 'That's all I need! For the next two hours, I'll be embroiled in a theological discussion.' The priest asked questions about several topics, and the Jew asked one of his own.
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask you a question?" He was thinking, 'this will stop the conversation short.'
The priest replied, "Yes, my son, ask."
"I won't be offended by your answer, but please tell me. Will I have a portion in the world to come?"
So he said, "Oh, I certainly HOPE so!"
The Jews said, "I certainly hope so as well. But I'm asking you, in YOUR faith, do I, a Jew who do NOT believe in J.C., will I have a portion in the world to come?"
The priest said, "Well..."
The Jew said, "Look. Don't play games. I won't be offended. Just say, 'yes' or 'no.'"
He said, "Well, it DOES say that salvation is through him."
The Jew asked, "Does that mean, 'No'?"
He said, "Uh..."
The Jew said, "Listen, you're giving me a Jewish answer over here. Say, 'yes' or 'no.'"
He said, "Yes. Which means, 'No.'"
The Jew said, "That's fine. Good. I understand. You've given me a straightforward answer. Thank you very, very much. Now I'd like to ask you another question."
The priest asked, "What's the question?"
"J.C. was a Jew, right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know something? Maimonides in the 12Th century says that the pious gentiles DO have a place in the world to come, which means that Judaism believes that non-Jews who are pious have a place in the world to come. Did you know that?"
He said, "No."
The Chabadnik said, "Well, now let me ask you the question. J.C. came to bring redemption to the world. Right? If that's the case, then why did he move from a universal position where EVERYBODY has a chance to get into the world to come to a very narrow position that only a select few who believe in him will have a place in the world to come, if the whole point in his coming was to bring universal redemption?"
The priest said, "That's a bloody good question!"
G*D, Noachidism and Judaism teach if you keep these 7 laws you will have an equal share in the world to come.
* To behave justly in all relationships, and to establish courts of justice.
* To refrain from blaspheming Gods name.
* To refrain from practicing idolatry.
* To avoid immoral practices, specifically incest and adultery.
* To avoid shedding the blood of ones fellow man.
* To refrain from robbing ones fellow man.
* To refrain from eating a limb torn from a live animal.
If YOU haven't converted to Judaism (and you shouldn't if you don't feel it in your heart) then you shouldn't date specifically Jewish men...because you would be misleading THEM. You shouldn't do anything, religiously, that YOU don't feel!
The "RIGHT" religion is the one that YOU feel is right...there is nothing about Judaism that says YOU must be Jewish, just because your parents feel it's right for them. YOU are an adult, and you have to make your own decisions.
Your REAL problem is that your father is being very strict about this...HE should be made to understand that he can't force you to convert, that it wouldn't be right for you, that he can't dictate whom you date, because you aren't part of this whole thing...he is being too aggressive.
You say they are GOING to convert? Then they aren't Jewish, yet, either. They can't make these demands.
I suggest you talk to their rabbi. (and make sure (s)he is a REAL rabbi, and not a MESSIANIC rabbi, because they aren't even Jewish!) Discuss this with them. People converting to another religion often have this fire that makes them want to convince everyone around them of their enthusiasm, that it will help them, too. But they are doing exactly what many Christian converts do...trying to CONTROL people, and convince them that "this is the only way...you must come with me, or you will not be 'saved'!" (whatever that means. I only have this from the opposite point of view...if they are talking about you being 'saved', then they aren't Jewish at all...they are going Baptist.)
@Melkha: Why are you miss ionizing when this is not called for?! You're behaving just like a Christian :-(
@Alexa: Either your story is fake, or your parents are horrible. They effectively want to force you to convert to Judaism. Ask them how _they_ would have felt if somebody tried to force them to convert two years ago. They probably wouldn't have appreciated it. Besides, since you're not a Jew, by asking you to date a Jew they're going against Jewish law. Forced conversion too is against Jewish law. Which is why I tend to believe your story is fake: I don't think a Jewish convert, who no doubt spent a lot of time doing soul searching, would be _such_ insensitive to other human beings. What "branch" of Judaism did they convert into? There are some sects that masquerade as Judaism (e.g., "Jews" for Jesus).
I suggest you talk (discretely!) to their rabbi. Perhaps he (or she) can knock some sense into them. Unless we're dealing with some cult here.
Ok, you are in college, and presumably you were over 18 when your parents converted. My feeling about this is that something isn't making sense here, doesn't add up, but you are under absolutely no obligation to follow your parents' conversion. You don't mention whether your parents converted in a Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, or Reconstructionist synagogue, but it doesn't really matter, because in any of the traditions, it is just not kosher to try to coerce other adults into converting to Judaism.
If you were going to marry, a potential spouse or their family might want you to convert, but your parents really shouldn't be trying to drag their adult daughter into Judaism against her will. I will freely confess that I am a Jew, and Judaism is right for me, and I have been called a chauvinistic Jew by some. you write: I'm confused, how do i know what religion is right? i dent wanna distance from my parents yet i want to go to Chucho. My answer is that you need to continue in the spiritual path---or lack thereof---that attracts YOU, the path that YOU are comfortable with, and you can show this message to your parents and tell them that the harder they try to push you, the more you are likely to resist, and that we Jews never try to coerce or proselytize to Christians that they should be Jews. They raised you to be a Christian, and that is what you are comfortable with right now.
end of story---but e-me if you like, and your parents may e-me too.
Jesus said that because of Him families and peoples' relationships would be torn apart. It's sad but true. It happened to me for a brief amount of time until my dad accepted that I'm a Christian. I don't mean to judge but your family sounds a bit whack. Your religion is whichever you choose and I pray that you choose to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. They cannot make this decision for you or force you to choose Judaism.
what am i?? jewish vs cristianity?
