How do you decide what religion a person is without asking?

Question

Some background...I'm a 5ft nothing Scottish-American, don't wear religious jewelry and probably DO sound like I grew up in a Jewish neighbourhood.
I get told I am Jewish *all the time.* Like, asked what I'm doing for holidays and if I'd like the Kosher meal at work functions.
Other times, I have people tell me I'm Christian, but I think they are just playing statistical roulette.
How do you decide a person's religion without asking? I don't, but I'm wondering what the code is...

Yup. The pink lace hanky means I'm Wiccan. lol.

Answer 1

Well, my friend, you are suffering from categoritus, a disease of American culture that won't allow us to talk meaningfully with others until we have fully categorized and pigeon-holed them into little buckets we have set up for them.

There is no way to tell unless you are looking at perhaps an orthodox Jew, or perhaps a Catholic priest...you get my meaning, though. Sometimes things are very obvious...but anyone making assumptions like that is taking a risk. That's like asking a gal who's plump when the baby is due...better to keep your mouth shut.

Sorry you have to put up with that. I am married to a short Scottish-American....she's a hoot, and she's not Jewish, either.

Answer 2

Lol, can't u decide what religion to follow??

Well, Jewish men wear skullcaps , they have tefelims on their heads while praying, they wash their hands when they get up in the morning , saying that that would cleanse them from devils which were at night. They don't drive cars or use lefts or turn on TVs or radioes on Saturdays. They dont travel for a distance more than 200 meters on Saturdays. They use some one they call" Shaboth guy" to do all these things for them on Saturdays and that person is not Jewish , of course. They circomsise their males.They dont eat some kind of food like pork, rabbits , etc. They swear . They r honest workers, even more that Muslims and Christians. It is said they r misers .

Christians , we like to wear crosses in or neclasses, we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. We don't drink wine. We eat any kind of meat . We don't swear. Our clothes should b decent

Muslims : women get veiled ( cover all the body except face and palms) , men dont wear gold jewelery, even the marriage ring, they wear silver instead. Women wear gold jewelery. They swear .

Good Luck!!

Answer 3

Curious... why do you sound like you grew up in a Jewish neighborhood?

In West Michigan, there seems to be an "Unless You're Brown" rule; the assumption seems to run like this:
1.) White people are Christian. (More specifically: Mainline Protestant or Catholic, Christian Reformed)
2.) Black people are Christian. (AME, Baptist, etc.)
3.) Brown people are something crazy like Muslim or Hindu or something (before 9/11, Muslim and Hindu were fairly much merged in public consciousness, I suspect.)

Of course, this is the homeland of the Christian Reformed Church, so we have our own particular brand of weirdness, but it seems like the religious calculus for determining an unknown person's faith is based on a us/them/them rubric.

Answer 4

If someone's wearing a birka, do you assume they're Quaker? Or if someone is dressed in 19th century clothes and driving a horse and buggy, do you assume they're kabbalah? I can usually tell what religion someone is by how they're dressed and how quickly they get to the salad bar on a Sunday noon.

Answer 5

I know, it's sad, but people do try to categorize everyone they meet, for some reason.
The only thing about this that I can tell you for sure is that you will know Christ's disciples by the love that they have for others.
The reason I know this is because Christ told us so.
(Yes, that would mean that people who are consistently hateful are not "true Christians".)
Other than that, I don't have a clue.

Answer 6

the actions, the way they talk , their choice of words, the way they treat other people.

no offense to other religions, but most Christians show more humility the way they treat others particularly the poor ones.

but just like they said, don't assume.

Answer 7

People make assumptions...they are often wrong...they probably went by where you live...If it is prominently Jewish the just assumed you would be.

Answer 8

I never try to guess people religion.. if I want to know someones religion I will ask them..

Answer 9

by jugging. like if i had to guess i would say that your Wicca or something of that nature but if i really waned to know i would ask i don't like to make judgments.

see that's why i don't make judgments lol !!!

Answer 10

Why would anyone really care what religion someone is.?

I don't care.....I interact with people because I like who they are.