Wednesday, February 6, 2013

TLC show features Christian Bar Mitzvah

Over at the ReformJudaism.org blog, guest blogger Anna Marx surveys reactions to a recent episode of TLC's "The Sisterhood," where an intermarried family plans a "Christian bar mitzvah." (the father, who is of Jewish descent became a Christian and is a pastor) plans a "Christian bar mitzvah."

Some of what gets mentioned (Torah cake with Jesus in the center?) makes our Messianic bnai mitzvah ceremonies look quite, well, normal!

While some of the respondents from the Jewish world were uncomfortable with the kind of borrowing going on here, others felt that everyone has a right to define their own religious rituals.  InterfaithFamily's blogger registers mostly befuddlement, but plenty of the comments seem outraged.



1 comment:

Netzer Chosid said...

Somewhat related, the B'nei Noach movement had the same discussion -whether to have B'nei Mitzva or no.

An interesting question came out: At what point in a non-Jew's life is a person "obligated" to observe the 7 mitzvos?

This discussion, of course, is less personal and more halakic in it's rational.