Religion Etiquette

Click on a topic below for the rules to religious etiquette:

Baby Rituals • Customs & Laws • Death & Dying
Food & Diet • Gifts • Holidays • Interfaith • Kids
Public Display of Religion • Rites of Passage • Social Issues
Travel • Weddings & Marriage • Worship Services

Baby Rituals

Baby-Naming

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Gift etiquette for Jewish baby-naming ceremonies

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Why do Jews name babies after deceased relatives?

Circumcision

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How can I suppress my maternal instincts at a Jewish circumcision?

Godparents

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Should the godfather tip the priest?

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Can I tell my godchild I disagree with her parents' values?

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How did the godparent tradition start?

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Can I godfather a child from a different denomination?

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Can Jewish relatives be godparents to my Catholic baby?

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Is being the sandak the Jewish equivalent to being a godparent?

Customs & Laws

Buddhist

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Does bowing to a Buddha statue mean that I worship him?

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Why do meditators remove their shoes?

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Why do Buddhists rub statues of the Buddha?

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Etiquette when interacting with a Lama

Catholic Christian

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How should I address Catholic religious leaders?

Christian

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Which day is the Christian Sabbath?

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Orthodox house blessings

Hindu

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Why are odd numbers lucky?

Jehovah's Witnesses

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Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate birthdays?

Judaism

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Why do Jews cover their heads?

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Why do Jews wear prayer shawls?

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Why don't some Jews touch members of the opposite sex?

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Why isn't there an 'O' in 'G-d'?

Death & Dying

Buddhist

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How should I offer condolences to Buddhist friends?

Christian

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Do I have to go up to the casket at a viewing?

Christian Science

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Are funeral services optional?

Hindu

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Meanings of rituals and items at a Hindu funeral

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How do Hindus commemorate a death?

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Why do Hindus wear white to funerals?

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Should I send a bereaved Hindu flowers?

Islam

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Does Islam allow cremation?

Jehovah's Witnesses

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Etiquette and gifts at a funeral

Judaism

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What food/gift item should I bring to a funeral?

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What should I send to a Jewish funeral?

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Do Jews always collect donations at funeral services?

Food & Diet

Catholic

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Are there dietary restrictions during Lent?

Jehovah's Witnesses

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Do Jehovah's Witnesses eat pork?

Jewish

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What are the Jewish dietary laws?

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What should I serve my Jewish coworkers?

Gifts

Baptism

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What should I give my baptism sponsor?

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What is the customary gift for godparents?

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

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What is the customary gift for a Bat Mitzvah?

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Can I bring a Bar Mitzvah gift to the synagogue?

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Cash gifts: How much is appropriate?

Birth

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Gift etiquette for Jewish baby-naming ceremony

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Gifts for Muslim newborns

First Communion

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Sacred and secular gifts for First Communion

Holidays

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What should I give for Christmas, Hanukkah, Rohatsu, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and Yule?

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What should I give for the Jewish New Year?

Holidays

Buddhist

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What should I give for Rohatsu presents?

Christian

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Do Jews celebrate Valentine's Day?

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What should I give for Christmas presents?

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Is it tacky to invite non-Christians to Christmas parties?

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If I'm not Christian, what should I do at a Christmas party?

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Are Easter eggs pagan?

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What does Good Friday mean to Hindus?

Hindu

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What's Diwali, and should I bring presents?

Jehovah's Witnesses

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Do Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate Thanksgiving?

Jewish

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Valentine's Day vs. 'Heart Day'?

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What is Hanukkah about?

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What should I give for Hanukkah presents?

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How do Jews greet each other on holidays?

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What is a sukkah?

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Can a non-Jew recite the Four Questions at a Passover seder?

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What should I give my friends for the Jewish New Year?

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What gift should I give to the hostess of a seder?

Muslim

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What should I give for Ramadan presents?

Other

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Ringing in the not-so-new year

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What should I give for Yule presents?

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What should I give for Kwanzaa presents?

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Do Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate holidays?

Interfaith

Babies

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Can I godfather a child from a different denomination?

Food

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What's the difference between kosher and halal?

Holidays

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Is January 1 the beginning of the new year for non-Christians?

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How should a Christian greet a Jew on Hanukkah?

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What's the difference between a Christian and a Hindu conception of Good Friday?

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Is it disrespectful to celebrate a birthday during Easter weekend?

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Can a non-Jewish child recite the Four Questions at a Passover seder?

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If I'm not Christian, what should I do at a Christmas party?

Intercommunion

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Can an Episcopalian receive Communion in a Catholic church?

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Should a Catholic take Communion in an Episcopalian church?

Music

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Can I listen to the sacred songs of religions that are not my own?

Other

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Do children take the religion of the mother or the father?

Prayer

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How do I pray at a multifaith public event?

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Can I pray to a Catholic saint on behalf of a Jewish person?

Proselytizing

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How do I deal with a proselytizing coworker?

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How do I keep someone from trying to convert me?

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How do I avoid people giving me tracts?

Weddings

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Can a Presbyterian minister officiate at a wedding in a Catholic church?

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What's an "unprogrammed" Quaker wedding?

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Can a Jew be a bridesmaid at a Christian wedding?

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Can a Presbyterian give a toast at a Unitarian wedding?

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Will a Presbyterian minister officiate at a wedding of two Catholics whose previous marriages weren't annulled?

Worship

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Can a Christian wear a Jewish prayer shawl?

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Can non-Muslims attend Friday prayer services at a mosque?

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Did my child offend worshipers by drawing pictures of Jesus in a mosque?

Kids

Christianity

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Should I tell my kids I think Easter eggs are pagan?

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How can my child reject going to Bible camp with her friend?

 

Public Display of Religion

In schools

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What's wrong with invoking Allah in the classroom?

On airplanes

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Why do Jews pray on flights to Israel?

Rites of Passage

Baptism

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Do I need to be rebaptized if I join the United Methodist Church?

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Should I give my baptism sponsor a gift?

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

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Can I bring a gift to the synagogue?

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Why is the music always so loud?

Confirmation

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Steps to Communion and Confirmation

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What should I say to the presiding bishop?

 

Social Issues

Hinduism

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Is it OK to express my feminism in India?

Islam

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What is the Muslim stance on homosexuality?

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Are DKNY jeans with the Qur'an written on them offensive?

School Prayer

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What's wrong with invoking Allah in the classroom?

Other

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What happened to A.D. and B.C.?

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Orthodox Jewish spelling: Why no 'O' in 'G-d'?

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How should I handle religious chain mail?

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Advice on visiting the sick

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When ethics and etiquette clash

 

Travel

Africa

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What should I know about religions in Africa?

India

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What will my friend see on a pilgrimage to Hindu holy sites?

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Is it OK to express my feminism in India?

United States

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How can I get invited to Native American sacred ceremonies?

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Follow-up on Native American ceremonies

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How do I find an Amish church?

Weddings & Marriage

Anglican

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What should an atheist do at an Anglican wedding?

Bahai

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What should I give for a Baha'i wedding?

Catholic Christian

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Will a Presbyterian minister officiate at a wedding of two Catholics whose previous marriages weren't annulled?

Christian

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Can a Presbyterian minister officiate a wedding in a Catholic church?

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Is it OK for a Jew to be a bridesmaid at a Christian wedding?

Eastern Orthodox Christian

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Can I give Orthodox icons as wedding gifts to non-Orthodox Christians?

Hindu

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What happens at a Hindu wedding ceremony?

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Can I bring a gift to a Hindu wedding ceremony?

 

Worship Services

African Methodist Episcopal

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What's an AME service like?

Amish

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Will the Amish mind if I attend their service?

Buddhist

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How do I meditate at a Buddhist temple?

Catholic Christian

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Do I have to genuflect in a Catholic church?

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Can an Episcopalian take communion in a Catholic church?

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Should a Catholic take communion in an Episcopalian church?

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Should the godfather tip the priest at a baby-naming ceremony?

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How to behave at a Roman Catholic Mass

Christian

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Do I have to contribute to the collection plate?

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What should I expect from a gay and lesbian church service?

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How can I stop cell phones from going off in church?

Eastern Orthodox Christian

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Why do Orthodox Christians cross themselves differently?

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How should I respond to the greeting 'Christ is in our midst'?

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Why do Orthodox Christians burn incense in church?

Ethical Culture

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What happens at an Ethical Culture platform?

Hindu

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What happens in a Hindu temple?

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Customs and manners in a Hindu temple

Greek Orthodox

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Do I have to follow rituals/prayers in church if I am of a different faith?

Jewish

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Is a Jewish house of worship called a temple or a synagogue?

Muslim

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Do I need to wash during a Sufi service?

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Can non-Muslims attend Friday prayer services at a mosque?

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What should I wear to a mosque?

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Can I wear shoes in a mosque?

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Can women wear slack/pants in a mosque?

Pentecostal

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Why do Pentecostal Christians speak in tongues?

Quaker

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What's an "unprogrammed" Quaker wedding?

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What happens at Quaker meetings?

Seventh-day Adventist

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Why do they observe the Sabbath on Saturday?

Shaker

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Can I ask for a discount on Shaker furniture?

Wiccan

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What happens in a Wiccan service?

Jewish

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Am I automatically invited to the wedding reception?

Methodist

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How long do Methodist weddings last?

Mormon

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Do Mormons believe in polygamy?

Unitarian

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Is it OK to mention God in the wedding toast?

Islam

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Did my child offend worshipers by drawing pictures of Jesus in a mosque?

Judaism

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Can a non-Jewish kid recite the Four Questions at a Passover seder?

Other

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Do children take the religion of the mother or father?