I thought I’d put this here so when it spirals out of control beyond what I meant to discuss, we’re all safe from the mods.
However, I have just a general IMHO-type question.
In a Jewish family (and I realize that covers a LOT of ground), how would the conversion of Johnny or Julia to Christianity be received? I guess it would range from “mild interest” to “struck from the will”, but I’d like to know the breakout of these reactions.
Well, if the family is Orthodox, they’ll most likely tear clothes and sit shiva as if he had died. No doubt this will come tons of unrelenting attempts to have him change his mind fail.
I’ll leave it to non-Orthodox Jews to describe how their families would handle such a thing.
We’re a reform family, and not particularly religious on top of it. When my brother converted (he and his Catholic wife both went Lutheran for some unknown reason), it was a bit upsetting, but we dealt with it. It’s still a source of friction, but it rarely becomes a topic of discussion or contention. He also lives in Florida now (we’re New Yorkers), and isn’t the closest or most communicative of family members.
We still don’t quite know why he made the switch. It’s not like he “found Jesus” and is living the righteous goyische life. He’s the same non-religious person he ever was, he just wears a cross now. Of course, he’s always been a self-styled rebel (middle son), and has been known to do things just to get a reaction. He was never comfortable being different from his peers, so he may well have converted just to join the herd.
A few related questions:
What happens if Johnny or Julia decides to come back into the fold? Does he or she have to go through the whole conversion process into Judaism? Will Johnny or Julia be considered as being in their original family?
Monty:
No formal re-conversion is needed, because in the eyes of Judaism, the conversion out was never valid. Their families have the same religious status toward them as they always had.
The family will probably very much celebrate their (forgive the expression, but I just can’t help myself) prodigal son’s return.
Chaim Mattis Keller
Chaim, I do believe you have the most sublime and subtle sense of humor of anyone on the board. Thanks for that.
Well, they’d have to be especially careful if they had kids; the Jewish family members ritually kill Christian babies, you know. Apparently, it helps them to secretly run the US/world[sup]*[/sup]government. I’m not quite sure how it does that, though.
Ouch! Ouch! Stop throwing things!
My bet is on the low-payout “it depends” zone.
[sup]*The two always seem to blur together in whatever specific bits of the skein of brain lesions that cause people to take ZOG theory seriously. Curious, that.[/sup]
Well, though I’ve been told my great-aunt would roll over in her grave if my sister or I ever maried (or went out seriously) with non-jews, I think that after the initial upset, people would come to accept it.
Okay, if the “reconvertee” is welcomed back into the same family, why the sitting Shiva in the first place?
If the answer to that is “tradition,” no problem. I understand tradition is, well, tradition.
Minor side note:
While this is true, very often the returnee will be encouraged to immerse in a mikveh (as an actual convert would be required to do.) However, this is purely symbolic. If not done, the returnee is still a full-fledged Jew.
Zev Steinhardt
It’s not tradition, it’s TRADITION… TRADITION!! Dum dum-dum-dum dum-dum-dum TRADITION!!
[/Fiddler on the Roof]
Seriously, though, it’s not always a matter of religion. Most Jews alive today have at least one ancestor who chose to die rather than convert to Christianity, and to do so yorself would be a form of betrayal.
Besides, when you leave, our OoB drops by one.
You know, I just recently learned that “prodigal” means wasteful, not run-away, or abandoning. Just a note.
Right. That’s why the story speaks of him wasting his inheritence, and why Chaim’s use of the term brought a smile.
Monty:
Because the family needs to be consoled over this “loss” of their child. The customs of Shiva are to help the survivors come to grips with their loss…“closure” in the modern parlance…and even though the apostate child is capable of return, his apostasy is still quite a blow to the family and to the Jewish community.
Chaim Mattis Keller
Thanks, Chaim. I was thinking that it was more along the lines of saying to the convertee “you are now dead to us” and thus no longer able to tap into the family support structure. But I can see it the way you explained it. Appreciate it.
OoB?
Whazzat?