For instance, do you believe that a person can convert to Judaism from Christianity but still decorate a Christmas tree every year? I’m curious to know what you think! Some people believe that such traditions are harmless, while others believe that converting while grasping old traditions is hypocritical.
P.S. If you are supporting your answer with a source, definitely provide the link–I’d love to read more opinions about this topic! Thanks!
I think that they can hang on to some things. A christmas tree is pagan in nature, so therefore most everyone hangs onto it even though its not truly christian. Alot of our old customs come from some sort of pagan root (embalming…started by the polytheistic Egyptians). Now I think if a Jew hung on to praying to Jesus, then that would be hypocritical.
Alot of it I think has to do with justifying that its ok. If you can find a way to "make it ok" then it will be ok in your mind. Others may contest it, but really….it’s between you and your deity, right?
March 6th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
I think that they can hang on to some things. A christmas tree is pagan in nature, so therefore most everyone hangs onto it even though its not truly christian. Alot of our old customs come from some sort of pagan root (embalming…started by the polytheistic Egyptians). Now I think if a Jew hung on to praying to Jesus, then that would be hypocritical.
Alot of it I think has to do with justifying that its ok. If you can find a way to "make it ok" then it will be ok in your mind. Others may contest it, but really….it’s between you and your deity, right?
References :
March 6th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
As a former Christian who converted to Hinduism, I still enjoy the gift-giving aspect of Christmas, tho to be honest most traditions such as gifts, tree decorating, yule logs, etc are from Pagan religions, not Christianity.
References :