I grew up in the Christian (Disciples of Christ) church which is more predominantly known in the Midwest. In theory, it is a very liberal and open minded philosophy of beliefs but in reality it isn't. It's like most other places of worship where the congregation members define how liberal or conservative they are going to be.
I was baptized on December 25, 1977. We had been going to a church my parents still attend for about 7 or 8 months and the minister announced he was leaving at the end of the month. My parents decided they and I should join. My mom asked if I wanted to be baptized and I said okay and asked a friend of mine if they were going to join and she said yes and if she wanted to be baptized with me and she said yes. I went to Sunday school but that was about it and neither of us knew much. It was a formality and something done for our families.
One thing that has always stood out for me as I talk to people in the Jewish and Christian faith (especially rabbis and ministers) is how little they know about the other. I asked a friend of mine who is a Christian minister once if she was taught anything about the Jewish faith while in seminary and she said yes. She responded with they challenged you to think about why you believe what you do. I wonder if they do that for rabbis while they are in school... It seems that at least where I am from if you say you are Christian or from the Christian faith everyone assumes you are Baptist. There are many denominations of Christianity as there are several sects of Judaism. Maybe because I love studying theology it comes to my attention a lot more than it does others. I think if there was more education given about other faiths than one a person believes there would be ecumenical programs going on leading to more tolerance of someone else's beliefs. Just a thought.
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