Posted on 07/27/2011 4:49:39 PM PDT by SJackson
Gwyneth Paltrow has, at one time or another, announced that she does not believe in religion, is simply spiritual, and is raising her kids Jewish. Perhaps she is a little confused about what she wants to do, or practice, but at the end of the day, does it even matter? I say yes it does.
The Jewish population is getting smaller. With inter-faith marriage, people opting to not have children at all, or simply stepping away from religion entirely, there are less and less Jews every year, so I figure if a woman wants to raise her kids Jewish, who am I to judge?
We need more Jews! Our faith dictates that our religion is passed on from mother to child, so by that criteria, Gwyneth Paltrow is not Jewish, so neither are her kids, so she cannot possibly raise them to be Jews. That is simply a ridiculous argument in any scenario.
Lance Armstrongs mother was not a champion cyclist, but she raised one. Neil Armstrongs parents never went to space, but they raised a son to walk on the moon. I have never won an Oscar, but I am raising a child who will be an award-winning actor and director one day.
I am Jewish by birth. My family has been Jewish, on both sides, for as far back as we have been able to trace, so does that qualify me to raise my son Jewish more than Gwyneth is to raise her children Jewish? Are Jews so elitist that we would tell her she cant do it?
My son spent ten years in a private Jewish Day School and I had to Google half of the holidays they closed for because not only did I not know what the holidays were, but had never heard of them. I eat lobster and make my son cheeseburgers, so am I qualified to raise a Jew?
Paltrow is a big star, people listen to what she says, so if she can make it cool to be Jewish, I say rock on sister. Jews are cool baby. On behalf of my Jewish self, and my Jewish son, I say welcome. Do whatever you want. Its an important thing to give your children faith.
To clarify, Apple will need to convert if she wants to marry my son, but no worries, you will have done all the legwork so it will just be a formality. In a world where Jews continue to struggle to be accepted, I welcome those who wants to take it on and say to you all, keep the faith.
No significance to the numbers, obviously.
all those who convert to Judaism according to the strictures of the sect they convert through are Jewish.
If your father is Jewish and your mother is a gentile, des that mean your kids are gentiles?
Gene Simmons from Kiss is a Jew, the mother of his kids is a non-jew, I believe she says (Shannon Tweed) she does not believe in religion, although I don’t think she is an Atheist, so the kids are gentiles???
Does not make much sense IMHO....
No one is born a Christian, and you cannot be a Christian if your parents are...
You have to make a decision all on your own to believe that Christ is the SON of GOD and died for your sins....
If you do, wether you are born a Jew or Gentile then you can identify as being a *Christian*
I agree with you on that!
No, just saying that the faith they follow is the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jacob’s 12 sons. Anyone can follow that faith as did the Samaritans of the time of Jesus (who were looked down upon by the Jews). But to be a Jew, you must be from the line of Judah. Others are followers of the Jewish faith.
Just like I could move to China and learn the language and culture but I would never be Chinese.
What would you consider a child born to a Jewish mother and father, but when the child was born the parents had converted to the Christian faith? Is the child born a Jew or a gentile? because you cannot be born a Christian no one can..That is why they call becoming a Christian *Born Again*
Not of the flesh but of the spirit....
Is this the Jewish religion she's talking about, or is it some twitter twang I'm not in on?
Maybe Gwyneth can convert and her kids can convert. That is what Dr. Laura did. And she also did it for her warrior son, Derek.
So is Gwyneth Paltrow a Quaker or a Gentile?
Maybe Gwyneth can convert and her kids can convert. That is what Dr. Laura did. And she also did it for her warrior son, Derek.
A real narrow rule is the Law of Moses ~ he who is born of a Jew is a Jew.
If it ain't then I don't know what is....Let's see, there's G-d, Jahweh (and the various languages of that term), Lord. That's a whole bunch. I guess it is not monolithic after all.
Yes
Gene Simmons from Kiss is a Jew, the mother of his kids is a non-jew, I believe she says (Shannon Tweed) she does not believe in religion, although I dont think she is an Atheist, so the kids are gentiles???
Yes, as a matter of law they are gentiles. As a practical matter, the more exposure one has to Judaism the easier it would be to convert if that were ever desired. In the case of Gene Simmons, he was born in Israel and speaks Hebrew. If he had taught his kids Hebrew and raised them to know how to practice the religion and celebrate the holidays then it would not be very difficult for them to convert.
Yep. And they were repeatedly warned not to intermarry with those who did not descend from the 12 tribes, not because of lineage but because they would be led astray from the true faith to the heathen gods of the region.
Unless she has converted, she is a gentile. Islam is passed down patrilineally (such as The Messiah who had a Muslim father), but Judaism is determined by the mother, matrilineally.
It was out of curiosity, I looked up Gwyneth's parents in Wikipedia. It is the matrilineal descent that determines the religion in Judaism.
You missed my point. I didn't say "not monotheistic." I said, "not monolithic"-- as in the idea that you have diffrent forms of Judaism. Christians are not monolithic either-- you have different flavors. Amongst Jews, you have Reform Jews, Conservatives, and Orthodox to name three main branches. I about fell out of my chair a few months ago when I watched a video with a female rabbi-- clearly she was not of the Orthodox branch.
Sammy converted.
Both parents and the child are Jewish as a matter of law and would remain so until death. As a practical matter, if they stopped practicing, the transmission of Judaism would die with them.
An agnostic trying to raise her kids Jewish is like a donkey trying to give birth to chickens. Like so many super rich Hollywood script memorizers, she had her last real thought in high school.
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