Ok, now this has got me thinking. If you're a guy who's an Orthodox Jew, when you date someone, you can't touch them......at all?

 

no

 

I like to think that I'm a pretty open-minded person and encourage people to exercise their own rights whether they be religious or not.

But Jersey girl went out of her confort zone to make the generous welcome so I feel that a further explanation would have been warranted in order to settle any misconstrued feelings on her part. As she stated it would have been rather forward of her to demand an explanation but he was the one refusing the offer so in my eyes it would have been more understanding of her culture to offer a brief explanation.

I guess that some may argue that one shouldn't have to explain but a little consideration is required from the other side of the coin, keeping in mind that to some people culture is their religion.

 

JerseyGirl clearly related to us the guy's brief explanation.

 

Granted just a little briefer than was warranted IMO

 

I bet he has to tell people every single day it's against his religion unless if he doesn't like meeting people... He may just be a little anti-social.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JerseyGirl
Ok - this is a bit strange.

We have new neighbors moving in across the street.

 

I shake hands with just about everyone I meet, but if this guy's religious belief forbids it, then I don't see why it's such a big deal. There are far stranger religious practices and beliefs out there.

 

As I said in a later post, I didn't want to ask him and make him feel as though he was "on the spot", especially since he's new to the neighborhood. My whole point in going over there was to make him feel welcome.

If I was kissed on the cheek first, I would do it back. If someone bowed when meeting me, I would do the same back. As for being insulted, I was not "insulted", just curious as to which religion forbids shaking hands - hence the reason for my original post.

 

I've heard of a religion that doesn't shake hands, I think it was called RUDE, or was it the Howard Hughes religion.