Apparently, Christian "Bar Mitzvahs" are a thing now....

[Irishy]

Don't Anglicans and other infant baptising Protestants have confirmation also? I recall hearing Kate Middleton was confirmed around the time of their engagement.

Also, can I ask, what is UU?

[Drina Adams]

I've a few friends who are Anglican. One needed an emergency confirmation before she got married! Others had confirmations around 14, or when their parents decided it was time for it.

[DanishLiberal]

I had a confirmation aswell, and I'm Danish.

[SpeakNow]

Don't Anglicans and other infant baptising Protestants have confirmation also? I recall hearing Kate Middleton was confirmed around the time of their engagement.

Also, can I ask, what is UU?

[Buzzard]

Don't Anglicans and other infant baptising Protestants have confirmation also? I recall hearing Kate Middleton was confirmed around the time of their engagement.

Also, can I ask, what is UU?

[Drina Adams]

Do they enjoy a nice glass of grape juice at the after party?

[yewchapel]

Don't Anglicans and other infant baptising Protestants have confirmation also? I recall hearing Kate Middleton was confirmed around the time of their engagement.

Also, can I ask, what is UU?

[Hane]

Good info about Unitarian Universalism here: http://www.uua.org/

[Irishy]

Thanks all. Sorry to have even asked, google furnished me with my answer.

We have a Unitarian church in Dublin but from what I've read, it's a little different to UU. It's very similar but identifies as a christian congregation.

ETA we've attended lots of weddings there! People who want a church/spiritual wedding but have issues with the RCC.

[Hane]

Thanks all. Sorry to have even asked, google furnished me with my answer.

We have a Unitarian church in Dublin but from what I've read, it's a little different to UU. It's very similar but identifies as a christian congregation.

The American Unitarian Church is a kind of offshoot of the Congregational Church. The American UU resulted from a merger of the Universalist and Unitarian churches in 1961.

Although the UU respects all faith traditions, individual UU congregations can be more or less theistic, and tend to reflect the makeup of the individual congregation. Some have a more Christian orientation (saying the Our Father and even having communion), some a Jewish one (a large congregation near here has something like 70% Jewish-based members), and some humanist.

[ark]

Methodists baptise infants so I assume they have confirmation too?

Methodists do have confirmations and so do Presbyterians.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Time for a relaunch of the 'coming out' parties eligible young ladies had in ye olden days when every thing was better. Or is that too gay sounding?

Perhaps this sort of party would make a good comeback as a way to officially announce that your kid (girl, boy, whatever) is available to be courted? An official mixer, of sorts?

[mg78]

So true! Well, the original article did mention the quinceanera, the "sweet 15" party that celebrates a Latina girl's becoming a "young lady," and says that the Latino community has no equivalent for boys.

I was once invited to a "quince" (wasn't able to attend) that began with a Mass prior to the party, so there often can be a religious element.

The 1990 movie "Sweet 15", IIRC, mentions girls doing community service projects as part of their quinceanera preparation--not dissimilar to the kinds of projects other Catholic kids may do in anticipation of their confirmations.

Actually, in many Latin American countries, boys get there big party when they reach 18 years old.

[Hane]

Perhaps this sort of party would make a good comeback as a way to officially announce that your kid (girl, boy, whatever) is available to be courted? An official mixer, of sorts?

True--that was the whole point of debutante balls/coming out parties back in the day: to announce that your daughter was now in the marriage market. You'd think that the Dougie/Gothard contingent would be all over this: lots of money to be made in promoting Official Christian events where your marriageable younguns could meet carefully vetted and approved potential spouses--in a nice, clean, public, CHAPERONED setting.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

True--that was the whole point of debutante balls/coming out parties back in the day: to announce that your daughter was now in the marriage market. You'd think that the Dougie/Gothard contingent would be all over this: lots of money to be made in promoting Official Christian events where your marriageable younguns could meet carefully vetted and approved potential spouses--in a nice, clean, public, CHAPERONED setting.

I know, right? They could even turn the whole thing into depressingly-themed costume balls! That'd be right up Dougie's alley.

[Nothing2CHere]

Perhaps this sort of party would make a good comeback as a way to officially announce that your kid (girl, boy, whatever) is available to be courted? An official mixer, of sorts?

Debutante balls - an elegant way to introduce your daughter to society. They still exist, and around here (Northeastern Ohio) tend to be an ethnic thing. For example, the Italian American Club had their debutante ball last weekend, the American Polish Association will have their debutante ball next week (I'm just making those names up). My mother actually participated in a debutante ball back in the 60's, it was held by one of the area ethnic social groups that my grandparents belonged to.

ETA: I see Hane beat me to mentioning it :)

[Lady]

I posted that article in another thread! :) Glad to see people are discussing it because I was certainly baffled by the whole thing.

(Though, I gotta say, I got a kick out of the title "Oy Vey Christian Soldiers" when I saw it in the index. "OMG, Mr Burps, this is totally going to be about fake Jews!!! Did you know they're doing Passover now?")

I admit, I LOL'ed at the title.

Add me to the list of Christians who are confused. I was confirmed into the LCMS church, and though I have issues with them, my confirmation was not on that list. Actually, it is one of my fondest childhood memories. It was a beautiful service. I was confirmed with my friends, we all tasted the wine and made faces because it was so strong. I had Altoids in my purse and ended up passing them around to everyone and killing the whole box. I wore a white lace dress with floating sleeves, it was old fashioned looking but I loved it. My aunt and uncle bought a wrist corsage with my favorite, pink roses. I was allergic to something in the plant and broke out in hives but I wouldn't take it off because it was so beautiful. After the service, we went to Maggiano's, which for my middle class family was a fancy restaurant. I remember picking the menu, helping to plan the party and being very into it and very excited. I received my gold cross and my bible, which I read daily.

A family friend was also confirmed that day, my family went to his party after our lunch. I had a crush on the friend for years, and that day he shyly asked me out.

The only negative of the day was the church's decision to give the class one bible verse, John 3:16, instead of everyone getting their own which was tradition. About a decade later when I formally joined the ELCA church, I conned the pastor into giving me my own verse.

Traditions vary by church, my childhood church did First Communion and Confirmation at the same time. My Chicago ELCA church separated the two. First Communioners went to a pottery painting place and painted their own chalice, which they received communion out of. The Confirmands gave short speeches during which they talked about what it meant to join the church and did a bible reading.

I don't see the need to take other faith's traditions. Why do that when you have so many rich traditions of your own faith? If you want to do something different from the church's traditions, then do suggest a different way of celebrating that is in the same faith. We didn't borrow anything from anyone else and yet, as an adult I still think fondly of that day and remember it.

[MamaJunebug]

But but but, confirmation's for ebil Catholics!!! And yes, Lutheranism is far too Catholic-like and worst of all, liberal, for most evangelicals. Basically any denomination that uses vestments and a liturgical calendar = ungodly.

Also why am I not surprised to see no mention of bat mitzvahs? Of course girls aren't worth enough to steal someone else's tradition for.

Ooo, burn! Good catch, yewchapel!!! :clap:

[MamaJunebug]

Perhaps this sort of party would make a good comeback as a way to officially announce that your kid (girl, boy, whatever) is available to be courted? An official mixer, of sorts?

I know! An English Country Dance!!!!! :D

ETA: Oops, gardenvarietycitizen beat me to it. But honestly, ECDs can be fun, really they can! :dance:

[GeoBQn]

Ooo, burn! Good catch, yewchapel!!! :clap:

The girls have purity balls and ceremonies to look forward to, which are inappropriate for entirely different reasons.

[OnceModestTwiceShy]

On the subject of confirmation, all the teens who went to the Reform synagogue in my town growing up had a confirmation ceremony. I always thought it was a bit odd. Not sure if it's something that has become more popular in synagogues - I have been out of the fold for some time.

[sheltonLE]

But but but, confirmation's for ebil Catholics!!! And yes, Lutheranism is far too Catholic-like and worst of all, liberal, for most evangelicals. Basically any denomination that uses vestments and a liturgical calendar = ungodly.

Really? Here in Germany the Catholics have holy communion at around 9 years old and then "Firmung" at 13 years old. Well okay, that means confirmation when you translate it, but only the protestant/evangelical church has a "Konfirmation", which also means confirmation, but it's about a year later.

Well...what I wanted to say is: Those are two different things in German and it's not (specifically) a Catholic thing.

[louisa05]

Age of confirmation in the Catholic church varies by diocese. In the U.S., it is most common that First Communion is around age seven and confirmation around 13 or 14 (in eighth grade). I know of one diocese, however, that does confirmation in fourth grade.

My take on the evangelicals and fake bar mitzvahs is that it is typical of them. The many I have known (and I taught in a fundy-lite school for many years) despise religious ritual within Christianity but quickly embrace it if they can borrow it from Judaism or one of their own just made it up. They think Jewish holiday practices and rituals all originated in the O.T. and have no concept that rabbinical Judaism developed its rituals and practices after the time of Christ. That is not something they want to hear about, either.

[pookel]

The Lutherans where I grew up did confirmation at 15. Incidentally, all my Lutheran friends became atheists as a result of learning the details of their religion in confirmation class. :lol:

Someone should mention the debutante ball idea to the Botkin sisters. They'd be all over that.

[louisa05]

Someone should mention the debutante ball idea to the Botkin sisters. They'd be all over that.

But would they be able to dance with anyone but their daddy? :twisted: