RibbieRubarb Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 (edited) My Son, Mikey, came to us a few days ago and asked us about Chanukah and why don't we celebrate it. (To give you some background, my son just turned 7 in December and is in the first grade.) We explained that we are Catholic and we celebrate Christmas because it is Jesus' birthday. He understood that, he told us. Mikey went to Catholic school for pre-school, but now he is in Public school for first grade in Downers Grove. He attends CCD once a week. They were talking about the different holiday celebrations in class. Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza...etc. Something about Chanukah caught his imagination. He liked that it was called the "Fesitval of Lights", that a Menorah looked pretty. He asked us why we could celebrate both. He said a girl in his class is celebrating both. So we agreed. Why not? Mikey has always been very interested in different cultures and people. We felt no reason to stifle his natural curiosity. So, on a small scale, we will be observing Chanukah this year. We have a Menorah(courtesy of a Jewish friend) to light and a dreidel to give Mikey. He is rather excited. I see nothing wrong in trying this for one year. The story of Chanukah is quite uplifting. Any other advice from my Soxtalk friends on what we can do during this time? Again, we're keeping this on a small scale...Christmas is expensive enough. Edited December 16, 2005 by RibbieRubarb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Just another victory for the Jesus-haters in the war on Christmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 you're such a sellout jesus is probably PISSED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 What school in DG? I went to public school in DG, and we never even touched on any jewish hollidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 BTW, just celebrate Chrismikah Its the best holliday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 I think that's an awesome thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Awww.... I knew when I met him that kid was sharp as a tack!! Hi to both him and Mrs Ribbie.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 This is gonna be the best Chrismachanukwanzas ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 This won't be the most popular answer: OK, I can see why you'd encourage a child to be as educated an knowledgeable as possible about different people/cultures/religions/etc. But, by celebrating it, doesn't that cause some confusion in a young child? I mean, you raise him as a christian(if that's what you're doing) but then celebrate a holiday from a religion that does not endorse jesus' role as the son of god. If you're trying to keep him a christian, doesn't this weaken any teaching that being christian is the way to go? Not trying to be a jerk here, just curious as to where you're going with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 QUOTE(Wong & Owens @ Dec 16, 2005 -> 04:19 PM) This won't be the most popular answer: OK, I can see why you'd encourage a child to be as educated an knowledgeable as possible about different people/cultures/religions/etc. But, by celebrating it, doesn't that cause some confusion in a young child? I mean, you raise him as a christian(if that's what you're doing) but then celebrate a holiday from a religion that does not endorse jesus' role as the son of god. If you're trying to keep him a christian, doesn't this weaken any teaching that being christian is the way to go? Not trying to be a jerk here, just curious as to where you're going with this. Can't they show him the different ways of celebration without compromising their personal beliefs..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Have a very Happy Festivus!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_genius Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Dec 16, 2005 -> 04:29 PM) Have a very Happy Festivus!!! festivus for the rest of us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RibbieRubarb Posted December 16, 2005 Author Share Posted December 16, 2005 (edited) QUOTE(Steff @ Dec 16, 2005 -> 04:21 PM) Can't they show him the different ways of celebration without compromising their personal beliefs..? Exactly Steff. No where in the story of Chanukah does it compromise the role of Jesus. We are still celebrating his birth, then we are observing another gift from God that happened some 300-400 years before the birth of Jesus. That's how we are approaching it. Steff: Mrs. Ribbie says "Hi" right back at cha! Edited December 16, 2005 by RibbieRubarb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 QUOTE(Steff @ Dec 16, 2005 -> 05:21 PM) Can't they show him the different ways of celebration without compromising their personal beliefs..? Sure, and that's what I was trying to figure out. Was RR "celebrating" the holiday, and claiming to follow both faiths? Or was it more along the lines of "we do this, but other people have a different faith and holiday called this, and I'll show you how they celebrate it" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanOfCorn Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Chanukah is probably the least religious Jewish Holiday. It gets more play because it falls around Christmas. It's a very uplifting story, but isn't so much religious as it is a miracle. If they were celebrating Easter and Passover...then, there might be a problem. On a lighter note, I think it's great!!! We need more open-minded people out there to try new things. And as my grandfather used to say, if you don't like it, you don't have to ever do it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Dec 16, 2005 -> 05:35 PM) Exactly Steff. No where in the story of Chanukah does it compromise the role of Jesus. We are still celebrating his birth, then we are observing another gift from God that happened some 300-400 years before the birth of Jesus. That's how we are approaching it. Steff: Mrs. Ribbie says "Hi" right back at cha! Technically true, but then I still don't understand what the end result would be here. Are you saying that you believe that you can follow two different religions, by piecing them together and avoiding the parts where they would conflict? Again, I'm severely curious, that's all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 Jesus was a jew the last time I checked, so learning about the Jewish faith and their practices is a good thing. Learning about other religions shows how similiar they all really are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted December 16, 2005 Share Posted December 16, 2005 (edited) I think they're just doing it to get more presents. Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights. Edited December 16, 2005 by Iwritecode Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RibbieRubarb Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 QUOTE(Wong & Owens @ Dec 16, 2005 -> 04:43 PM) Technically true, but then I still don't understand what the end result would be here. Are you saying that you believe that you can follow two different religions, by piecing them together and avoiding the parts where they would conflict? Again, I'm severely curious, that's all. We're not approaching it religiously at all. He is just very curious about other cultures and we believe one good way to learn is to experience part of them. All we will be doing is lighting the Menorah each night and maybe get him a few tiny things. It's a nice story, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowand44 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 (edited) QUOTE(RibbieRubarb @ Dec 17, 2005 -> 12:48 AM) and maybe get him a few tiny things. Smart kid. On a sidenote I celebrate and get presents for both hanukah and christmas presents due to my parents being divorced and my dad being jewish. To be honest, I'm about the least religious person you'll ever meet so I have never even thought about what is being discussed in here. Edited December 17, 2005 by Rowand44 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3E8 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Maybe you could make some latkes (potato pancakes) to add to your celebration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Roses are reddish Violets are blueish If it wasn't for Jesus We'd all be Jewish What we did when our kids were younger was traced the roots of Christianity and "celebrated", to use that word, the similarities in the faiths. I remember the first time I was at the service for a Jewish friend who had passed away. As the readings began, I realized they were Old Testament. That more than anything woke me up to the common beliefs we share. Remember the major difference is that Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah, Jews are still waiting. We share the Old Testament. Or to put another way, for most mainstream Christians, looking at Bibles, one would say, The Jewish is tooooooo short, and the Mormon is tooooooooo long, mine is juuuuust right. Old Testament, Jews, Christians, Mormons New Testament, Christians, Mormons Book of Mormon, Mormons So celebrate the roots, explore the differences, and expand the knowledge of the world. It can only help. Maybe a Jewish friend could come over and discuss not being Christian during the biggest marketing push the planet has ever seen for Christians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RibbieRubarb Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 (edited) QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 17, 2005 -> 06:31 AM) Roses are reddish Violets are blueish If it wasn't for Jesus We'd all be Jewish What we did when our kids were younger was traced the roots of Christianity and "celebrated", to use that word, the similarities in the faiths. I remember the first time I was at the service for a Jewish friend who had passed away. As the readings began, I realized they were Old Testament. That more than anything woke me up to the common beliefs we share. Remember the major difference is that Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah, Jews are still waiting. We share the Old Testament. Or to put another way, for most mainstream Christians, looking at Bibles, one would say, The Jewish is tooooooo short, and the Mormon is tooooooooo long, mine is juuuuust right. Old Testament, Jews, Christians, Mormons New Testament, Christians, Mormons Book of Mormon, Mormons So celebrate the roots, explore the differences, and expand the knowledge of the world. It can only help. Maybe a Jewish friend could come over and discuss not being Christian during the biggest marketing push the planet has ever seen for Christians. To quote Homer: " Whoa whoa whoa. I'm just trying to get in, I'm not running for Jesus" Seriously though, well said Tex. There is no reason not explore and honor the similarities between the faiths than dwell on the differences. Edited December 17, 2005 by RibbieRubarb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanOfCorn Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 17, 2005 -> 07:31 AM) Roses are reddish Violets are blueish If it wasn't for Jesus We'd all be Jewish What we did when our kids were younger was traced the roots of Christianity and "celebrated", to use that word, the similarities in the faiths. I remember the first time I was at the service for a Jewish friend who had passed away. As the readings began, I realized they were Old Testament. That more than anything woke me up to the common beliefs we share. Remember the major difference is that Christians accept Jesus as the Messiah, Jews are still waiting. We share the Old Testament. Or to put another way, for most mainstream Christians, looking at Bibles, one would say, The Jewish is tooooooo short, and the Mormon is tooooooooo long, mine is juuuuust right. Old Testament, Jews, Christians, Mormons New Testament, Christians, Mormons Book of Mormon, Mormons So celebrate the roots, explore the differences, and expand the knowledge of the world. It can only help. Maybe a Jewish friend could come over and discuss not being Christian during the biggest marketing push the planet has ever seen for Christians. Oh, Tex...of COURSE Jews bible (or Torah) is the Old Testament. Jews have been around for 5766 years. I can't believe you were surprised. And c'mon, we all know the sequel is never as good as the original. Except for The Godfather II. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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