RE: how to respond to dad's "shabbat shalom"?
January 30, 2015 at 7:28 pm
(This post was last modified: January 30, 2015 at 7:53 pm by Simon Moon.)
I am in a similar situation. Raised Jewish, now atheist. Although I am quite a bit older than you.
Several people in my family wish me happy holidays, shabbat shalom, L'Shana Tova, etc and they know I am an atheist. Doesn't bother me a bit. I thank them, smile and go on with my life.
I have fondness for the various celebrations with my extended family, and that is the nature I take their religious greetings with. Not to mention the food!
I attend every holiday with my family and even participate in the ceremonies. The holidays mean nothing to me from a religious aspect.
Several people in my family wish me happy holidays, shabbat shalom, L'Shana Tova, etc and they know I am an atheist. Doesn't bother me a bit. I thank them, smile and go on with my life.
I have fondness for the various celebrations with my extended family, and that is the nature I take their religious greetings with. Not to mention the food!
I attend every holiday with my family and even participate in the ceremonies. The holidays mean nothing to me from a religious aspect.
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
