So I've been away this weekend and that's why you haven't heard from me. I don't have much to report. My mother saw me wearing a bindi and she simply asked what it signified and mentioned that she doesn't see Indian people wearing them in America. But she didn't get upset and she didn't ask me not to wear it, so that was good.
Anyway, this morning I was reading one of the blogs I've mentioned before, the Big, Bad, Blonde Bahu Blog and she is working on a magazine article about couples who are Interfaith between Hindu and Christian. If that description fits you, go ahead and send her a note!
I hope I'll have something new and exciting to tell you all soon.
Though I'm not in an interfaith marriage I have been in several long term interfaith relationships with Hindu women. I'm Jewish and there seems to be many cultural and even religious connections between Jews and Hindus. Oddly enough I find it easier to connect to women born in India than I do Christian women born here in the United States. I suspect we will be seeing more and more Hindu Jewish couplings in time.
ReplyDeleteThat is really interesting. I wonder why that is. I would love to hear more from you on what the similarities are in Judaism and Hinduism.
ReplyDelete@Andrew , That is because Hindu women are ignorant of their religion :). There can't be anything similar between Yehovah and Shiva/Vishnu. All that Bull shit Abrahamic religion started with Zudaism(O.T) Under stand the concept of GOD In Abrahamic BS and Hinduism - Please don't ever try to compare killer god with Hindu god( I am talking about the concept of GOD)
ReplyDeleteSimilarity between Yehovah/Alla and Shiva/Vishnu
ReplyDelete1. Yehovah/Alla if you worship any other god you will be killed / will be sent to eternal hell fire after death.
2. Shiva/Vishnu - You worship anything , you are worship me. There is no hell fire for not worshipping me .
That's pretty harsh, Anonymous. I've said before that I think there are different ways of approaching one's religion, whatever it is and not everyone who is Jewish sees God that way.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Judaism doesn't have a hell at all. That's a Christian concept alone.
I'm curious where your knowledge of Abrahamic religions comes from. Would you be willing to send me an email and tell me your story? It sounds like it would be very interesting!
My email is aambablog@gmail.com
I have spoken to some knowledgeable Jewish people about Hinduism, and generally their view is positive. They acknowledge that India is probably the only place where Jews have lived without persecution for centuries.
ReplyDeleteJudaism is not a proselytising religion, they see that their belief is for their people and not for everyone. They believe that non-Jew obeying the Noahide laws is righteous (Jews themselves have extra obligations). These are:
+ Prohibition of Idolatry: You shall not have any idols before God ([who the Jews see as] Yahweh).
+ Prohibition of Murder: You shall not murder. (Genesis 9:6)
+ Prohibition of Theft: You shall not steal.
+ Prohibition of Sexual immorality: You shall not commit any of a series of sexual prohibitions, which include adultery, incest, anal intercourse between men, and bestiality.
+ Prohibition of Blasphemy: You shall not blaspheme God's name.
+ Dietary Law: Do not eat flesh taken from an animal while it is still alive. (Genesis 9:4, as interpreted in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 59a))
+ Requirement to have just Laws: Set up a governing body of law (eg Courts)
There is no dispute that Hinduism traditionally meets laws two to six, though the first has been a point of debate. Some accept that Hidus use the murtis as a means of worshipping God and not as objects of worship themselves, others did not. Generally Jews are more inclided to accept that Hindus meet the first law since a 2007 pronouncement by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel:
For the past 1,500 years or more, what in English is called "idolatry " has clouded Jewish perceptions of Hinduism. Happily, this issue may have been resolved once and for all at a February 2007 dialogue in New Delhi between members of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, a body which speaks with authority in the Jewish world, and the Dharma Acharya Sabha, a similarly august Hindu group. Led respectively by Rabbi Yona Metzger and Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the rabbis and the swamis issued a nine-point statement of principles, the first of which removed the "idolatry " issue from the table: "Their respective Traditions teach that there is One Supreme Being who is the Ultimate Reality, who has created this world in its blessed diversity and who has communicated Divine ways of action for humanity, for different peoples in different times and places."
Of course there are still issues that would need to be resolved in a Jewish-Hindu marriage, but it could be done from a position of mutual respect for each other's religions.
Thank you, Tandava, for that well researched and insightful comment, you should write on this topic at your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Aamba,
ReplyDeleteI think I will!
Tandava
@Tandava , I don't hate Jews. Poor people , got persecuted by both Christians and Muslims. Most noble laureates are Jews. I don't have any idea about Judaism. I don't want to know also. Hinduism is good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteBut the good thing about Judaism is "They don't come and preach their Belief to others"
Bad thing is their Religious Intolerance(In Old days because of that they are still getting f. ).
Typo : nobel
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with not knowing about other religions if you don't want to. I think that you should know about them before criticising them though. What "religious intolerance" are you talking about?
Tandava
I agree with Tandava. Although, I think it can only enrich us to know at least the basics of all the religions in the world.
ReplyDeleteI am very devoted to Hinduism, but all people, whatever their faith, are my family and I want to know what they believe in order to show a basic respect to them.