All Comments on 'The God of Jesus, The God of Israel'

either love god because you fear him and he will send you to burn forever....

In 1954 I got thanks to Trumann's 4 points one semester of graduate school in an excellent university in a small town in Ohio.

I had a complaint to one of my Professors. He called me into his office and told me in a low voice: I can tell you that I myself am Jewish but nobody in this town knows this, except the assistant about whom you are complaining. If I act on your complaint he may well get nasty.

I myself are from Lithuania, he said, but on my way to the U.S. I stayed some years in Canada. So when asked where I am from, I can say Canada without lying.

The problem is that my children, growing up, now ask why we don't go to church ( and of course not to synagogue either). I cannot see any reason why I should admit being Jewish.

I invited him to visit me in my (our) homeland and I would show him why.

Of course I did not press with my minor complaint.

I admire your ability to live in a mixed religion family

Mixed faith families can't survive with one parent proselytizing, even to the point of disputing something the other parent says.

He's SORT of right, it doesn't matter to who or how we pray of even if we don't, but if my wife did what she did there would be some major arguments!

They should have had SERIOUS discussions on the kids religious up-bringing before ever having children.

Fortunately my wife wasn't a true believer and didn't go to church, and my beliefs pretty much like Stanley except that I didn't even go to temple.

We ended up joining a Unitarian Universalist Church, which although its roots are in Christianity is not a Christian church. In fact, many call themselves Fellowships or Congregations rather than churches. We've been going over 33 years now and couldn't be happier.

I find the character Stanley interesting: Does not seem to be a devout Jewish person; questioning elements of his own faith & religious history. The character Jill has a good take on the holidays - to bring friends & family together but, she doesn't question the miracles of either religion; easily done in this case, as those two religions have a shared history (one came from the other).

- Sometimes the miracles (both large & small) are right before our eyes but, we are too blind (choose not) to see them.

And look forward to read more of them.

Thanks to all who read this and commented. Jews and Christians do have a shared history per the Old Testament. They diverge, of course, when it comes to Jesus and the messiah as foretold in Isaiah. The expectations of the two religions differ. Judaism is more of a here and now religion (although devout Jews do believe in an afterlife), where Christianity, like Judaism, emphasizes good deeds but also salvation, everlasting life through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Devout Jews don't expect their messiah to come to be Devine. The good values the two religions preach, however, are the same.

He sits silently while she pushes Christianity and, while in a kind manner, dismisses Judaism as well-meaning but mis-guided.

You can bet that she wouldn't sit there and take it if he pointed out the unbelievable superstitions that Christianity is based on!

He should resign himself right now to having Christian children, and stop confusing them by going to temple, confine their exposure to the family celebrations of the holidays.

How do I know they will be Christian (at least until they are old enough to form their own beliefs)? Because only their mother is actively pushing her religion on them, while he is being passive. That's assuming that despite how this story ends that he doesn't stand up. Given her attitude she will never give in, and if they separate she will get the kids and raise them Christian.

Not the place for fairy tales and religious drivel. 1*

Tri - Isaiah doesn't "foretell" the coming of the messiah. The book is talking about someone to save them from the Assyrians around 722 BCE (in chapters 1-39) or the Babylonians around 586 BCE (chapter 40-66). Six or 700 years before Yoshke, the biblical prophets are not fortune tellers, but more like news correspondents.

the kids' religion is determined by which parent is the most devout. A girl in my extended family thinks of herself as Christian because her Catholic dad took her to church, while her Jewish mom didn't go to temple and couldn't care less. In fact, this girl, now grown, had her own daughter baptized (oy vey!).

Stan does go to temple but his cynicism prevents him from being the passionate believer that his wife is.

I guess that wasn't my final comment, LOL!

I basically agree with you, that's why I said that Stan should resign himself to his kids being Christian.

I guess my problem is that I think that your ending is unrealistic. I'm less devout than Stan, yet there is no way that I would have allowed my children to be raised Christian, and make no mistake about it, IMHO that is EXACTLY what Stan is doing.

COULD it end the way you say? Of course, anything is possible! Again, IMHO, Stan would come to resent Jill's pushing Christianity on the kids.

If he's okay with having Christian kids, fine. But if he wants an equal chance for the kids to be Jewish he has to push back, otherwise stop confusing the kids by taking them to temple.

What's going to happen at Confirmation/Bar Mitzvah age? Surely Jill's going to want the kids Confirmed. Won't he want the Bar/Bat Mitzvahed. I don't remember when I started Hebrew school, but at nine Crystal is definitely close to the age where she is going to have to start if she is going to be Bat Mitzvahed!

They're your characters, so I guess I have to trust that you know what goes on in their heads, but YOU'RE the one that had Stan wince at the gift opening and seeming frustrated at Jill's vehemence in essentially marginalizing Judaism.

His turn-around at the end just felt false to me.

I guess you should be congratulated on creating a character that I cared about!

Again, I appreciate your comments, all valid. Stan is near resigned to his wife having her way because she's the strongest believer. His top priority is keeping his family together; therefore, he resists pushing back for fear that the religious issue could cause the kind of acrimony that often destroys matrimony. He does insist that the kids know about their Jewish heritage, hence his taking them to temple and celebrating the Jewish holidays, which his wife has no problem with. He also realizes that his children will one day chose their own theology, be it Judaism, Christianity or something else.

But the problem is by not pushing back he is practically ENSURING that they will grow up Christian!

And what gives Jill the right to have "no problem" with him exposing them to Judaism. She has no right to have a problem!

And she HAS to stop arguing with him about the two religions, especially in front of the kids, and her passive-aggressive treatment of Judaism as some sort of well-meaning but mis-informed religion needs to stop as well!

Her "gentle reminder" that Jesus was Jewish was uncalled for.

In the real world, when she refuses to send them to Hebrew school to prepare for their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs (which she will!) is Stan just going to sit there and suck it up?

Or will they "compromise" have Crystal be confirmed and Michael Bar Mitzvahed?

"The Aloha is Long Gone" was much more realistic.

This story shows what would have happened if Penelope and Zach didn't break up!

The kids at this point are conflicted. Grudgingly, Stan accepts the way things are but might not in the future, especially if he wants his kids to be bar/bat mitzvahed (which, as you note, would require Hebrew school). How Jill will feel about that is anyone's guess. Right now, she and Stan are in a state of peaceful co-existence so far as their religious beliefs go. A sequel would include additional conflict (no story is very compelling without it). I'll think about that one.

I don't come here to read about people'

religion or superstitions. This topic is of

no interest to me and IMHO does NOT

belong on this site.

The children are not Jewish unless they have an official conversion. Their mother isn't Jewish. Also Jews do not believe there's a hell, clearly a Christian concept.

As regards going to heaven, Chistians do not believe one goes to heaven unless they've accepted Jesus as their savior. Judaism, on the other hand, is the only Western religion that believes that righteous people, regardless of religion can enter heaven.

I enjoy your writing. Keep up the good work.

1 some thing .

In a Jewish household even with Christian spouse.

You would not find Ham.

Jesus was a Jew as we're his disciples.

It was quite the revelation to include non Jews.

Probably one of the major/minor differences is the way Jews don't use the name of God aloud.

And Christians major in the name Jesus.

God the Father God the Son and God the Holy spirit. 3 and 1 at the same time.

For a time it's Christianity.

But soon the Jews will be back in the fold so to speak.

Cheers

*****Great two way story. Very entertaining read. Thanks for sharing.

A very good, thought provoking story. Great Job!

The comments are very interesting (except for the whiners complaining about reading a "religious" story in the non-erotic category on an erotica site; Why would anyone read the story if they are offended by a religious story?) Sbrooks seems offended by Jill's perspective but it all rolls off my back as I don't really see that much conflict between the religions. Christianity just seems to be an extension of Judaism in many ways. An interesting comment was that Jill "does not have a right to have a problem with her kids being exposed to Judaism" - HUH?! As a parent she has every right to be concerned about her kids upbringing. That doesn't mean she need to declare nuclear war about her husbands beliefs but certainly means that Jill and Stan can have some discussions and resolve their differences as they see fit. Unfortunately, in today's society, other "outside" forces often intrude in issues that should be contained within a family.

Lastly, while I must agree that in a "proper" Jewish household, there would not be ham on the table, I can't help recalling a Jewish friend of my mother, who always asked my mom if she had any ham whenever he visited our house. Mom's Jewish friend was not raised in a strict Jewish family and had ham as a child growing up; he and his Jewish wife wanted to raise their kids in a proper Jewish home and did not have ham in their house. And his Jewish wife even drove me to my religious education classes when my mom could not get off work. There really is no need for deadly animosity between Judaism and Christianity.

All-in-all a good story. Thanks!