Assignment 4-Tag Howard

Religion is, and always will be, a contentious topic. With my parents divorced they already disagree on many issues, but with both of them being of different religions, discourse is especially intense on this issue. In the terms of the shared custody agreement regarding my brother and me, there was an agreement that we would be raised Jewish (my mother's religion). And while I did go to Sunday school and all that I have never been one for blind faith or automatic respect. I am not one to commit to something easily nor to easily embrace a set of beliefs that re not my own. For these reasons, I broke with my mother and her family and chose not to have a Bar Mitzvah. I decided that I did not want to totally embrace Judaism nor Christianity (my father's religion) and instead set out my own beliefs for myself. And while those beliefs may generally align with Judaism there are many cases where I starkly disagree. It is on this point that I have broken with my family. Especially my grandparents (on both sides) who would like nothing less than for me to either take a Bar Mitzvah or to attend church. But I am staunch in my decision, despite my parents' opinions on it.