As upsetting as it is, many aspects of our culture and society today are based on Christianity. Whether it be using "Before Christ" as a time period, basing school vacation around Christian holidays, or the influence of Christianity on how we speak (saying "Jesus Christ" as an exclamation for example), it's everywhere. While learning about Jesus and Christianity in class the past few days, I came to a striking realization: as an American, I know more about Christianity than about Judaism. Don't get me wrong, I know a lot about my own religion. But comparatively, I knew more of the things we learned about Christianity than I do about all the things we've learned about Judaism. I know it's not exactly a fair comparison (over a month compared to three days), but it's still pretty telling. As an American, I know a lot about Christianity. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Let's face it, Christianity is a much, much bigger religion than Judaism in terms of population, especially in America.
What bothers me, is that because I'm American, I'm supposed to know everything about Christianity. Sure, I know the basics. But when my friends at home are talking about a holiday or tradition I'm not familiar with, they're surprised that I don't know it. But how many times have I had to explain kashrut? I don't expect anyone to know every detail about Judaism, even my Jewish friends. But it's a double standard. If I don't know what Good Friday is, that's crazy. But if a Christian doesn't know what a Bar Mitzvah is, that's okay. And I know this won't change. There are so many more Christians than Jews, and Christianity is so deeply routed in American culture, that there won't be some big dramatic change. And that's okay. But as an educated Jew, and more specifically a Jew who knows a lot about Christianity, it seems wrong to me that such a double standard exists.
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