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9 comments:

  1. I have to agree I find it uncomfortable when a pray is ended in the name of Jesus Christ. We all believe in G-d and using that term in pray includes all the people in the audience. I wish more clergy were aware of it.

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  2. I think they are aware of it. Christians are taught to "go make disciples. or followers of Jesus" They want to get in that "jab" to make a point. I was raised around them all my life and that is what they are taught to do. Their way is the ONLY way just like most fanatics- and you will be damned to hell if you don't believe like them. When I became Jewish I felt like such a "load" was lifted off of me with all that condemnation crap. I feel sorry for those that cannot truly have compassion and acceptance that Hashem has given us a free will to choose. That is a wonderful gift that needs to be respected.

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  3. I feel the same as the above two respondants. My journey began as a Christian; devout through the first 38 years of my life. I was even an evangelist...in another lifetime. Without giving my whole story, the path to which I was eventually led was Islam. Years of condemnation and hipocracy fell away. I am however, living "in the closet" in my hometown because of the reprecussions my family would suffer in this small Southern Baptist town. I think the people here would rather believe I am atheist or agnostic then to accept the fact that I follow Islam.

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    1. My dear [failed southern] lady,
      First, I LOVE your handle. I also sympathize with your plight. It is difficult to live as an "other" in the predominantly Christian south, or, as I like to say, "on the buckle of the Bible Belt." Sometimes I feel that I must tone down my Jewishness. But other times I feel that I fill a role as an ambassador for Judaism (and often Islam) among my Christian neighbors. At the end of the day, God knows what is truly in our hearts. Keep on keepin' on your path. It is the journey itself that really matters. B'shalom, Tziporah

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  4. I can certainly understand the plight described here as I lived in the rural Midwest for about three years, plus later on in Nevada for almost six years & am now in Texas...lots of hard-core Christians in all three. (In flyover country I usually PFGd--Passed For Gentile.) Having said that, I have also learned that not every prayer with Jesus as a suffix is meant as exclusion or condemnation. Often as not, it's a heartfelt expression of faith & naming the person who gives meaning to the speaker's life. It really depends on who you're dealing with. While that is not the path I follow, I have learned that not every Christian declaration is evidence of inner ugliness. Just avoid the zealots & look for those who aren't threatened by difference, & you'll do fine.

    Moebius a.k.a. "That Guy"

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  5. I learned as a child to always end a prayer with the standard doxology ‘in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen’. My prayers were answered, that was all that was needed. Later in life I realized that people all over the world from every religion prayed and had prayers answered. As I grew spiritually, simply repeating words was no longer good enough, so I reexamined my choice of words as well as the content of my heart. It is my current understanding that this phrase is tacked onto the end of a prayer not because you need a good reference to be heard above but that phrase “the name”, HaShem, has special meaning in the context of the Bible. It is the inner quality that we hold within our own heart that is our true name. It is the inner quality demonstrated by Jesus that those of us who follow his teachings aspire to hold in our own hearts. To me that phase reflects that aspiration, it is private, used in personal prayers only.

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    1. I love this explanation & personal reflection on the doxology "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen." Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and practice of using it in private prayers, only. Grace had shared similar words with me when we discussed this matter (in person, not on the blog). I've found that those Christians who choose to pray in this manner publicly, in interfaith settings, are simply ignorant that it excludes and are appreciative when I have made them aware of this issue. For the sake of warm relations and inclusion, they often change their mode of praying publicly. Good will trumps ignorance every time!

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  6. I found your site when searching for others doing the work of building relationships and community between the 3 Abrahamic faiths.

    Ruth, Saira, and I have come together to host a virtual conversation for all Daughters of Eve. It is a free conference call.

    The three of us are weary of all the bad news in the world about religious people fighting with each other, especially the three Abrahamic faiths. Jews, Christians, and Muslims get a lot of bad press. We are told we hate each other. We are told we will always be enemies.

    We don’t believe this is true. We believe we are ordinary people wanting ordinary lives for our children and grandchildren, and beyond…and wanting the same for each other.

    We know from our own experiences and work that there are many of us doing the work of reconciliation and relationship building among our sisters. Because we are Daughters of Eve, we decided to host this call as a way for us to shine the light on all the women doing the good work of connecting and building relationships with their sisters of other Abrahamic faiths.

    http://alldaughtersofeve.wordpress.com/

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    1. Elaine, thank you for sharing your thoughts and information about your work! I am glad that you found our site. It is heartening to know that others are pursuing similar projects toward reconciliation and relationships. I agree that women are uniquely poised for accomplishing this task. Wishing you continued blessings of peace, Tziporah

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