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Help[Opinions] Re: Can someone tell me why this is offensive to Jewish people?
in reply to a message by SJayne
To Orthodox Jews, Cohen refers to a sacred bloodline said to descend from the biblical Aaron. Cohens have special privileges, but they also have restrictions (e.g. not marrying a widow, a divorcée, or a non-Jew). These restrictions, according to the Jewish faith, maintain the "pureness" of the bloodline.
Some Jews aren't offended by it. They feel naming your child Cohen, regardless of faith or faithlessness, is better than giving your child a name that is little more than a meaningless string of popular sounds. On the other hand, some Jews are extremely offended and find the use of the name by non-Jews to be ignorant and disrespectful. To them, the name is more than simply "priest", it is a religious statement. Cohen is a holy name that deserves to be venerated, in their opinion.
Some Jews aren't offended by it. They feel naming your child Cohen, regardless of faith or faithlessness, is better than giving your child a name that is little more than a meaningless string of popular sounds. On the other hand, some Jews are extremely offended and find the use of the name by non-Jews to be ignorant and disrespectful. To them, the name is more than simply "priest", it is a religious statement. Cohen is a holy name that deserves to be venerated, in their opinion.
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I read about that in a book on Judaism. My town has only a handful of Jewish families, though three of my dad's cousins who live elsewhere have married Jews. They also explained to me the rules of the Cohens. (Obviously, none of them are Cohens, since my family is not Jewish.)
A lot of religions have this kind of thing. Hinduism has a similar thing with the Brahmans, who are their priestly caste. They have their own privileges and restrictions (one rule they have is that they have to be vegetarian).
A lot of religions have this kind of thing. Hinduism has a similar thing with the Brahmans, who are their priestly caste. They have their own privileges and restrictions (one rule they have is that they have to be vegetarian).
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Oh I see thank you for that. I'm not sure I would ever come across people that would feel so strongly about it where I live, but it's certainly something to keep in mind
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This type of thing is less about hurting the feelings of individual people and more about your abstracter relationship with other cultures. I just think it's kind of gross to use a set of sounds that is cute and meaningless in your language, knowing it holds a sacred meaning that you don't understand in another (ancient, religious) culture. Encountering gentiles named Cohen always makes me want to roll my eyes totally out of my head. I guess people are free to do what they want or whatever, but it's harder to embody the idea of ignorance in a name than giving your child a name that literally is used as the title of a specific priestline in another culture.
But, like, Minerva is one of my favorite names, and there were people who worshiped Minerva, and I'll never be one of them, so! I'm probably just being uptight.
The word derives from a Semitic root common, at minimum, to the Central Semitic languages; the cognate Arabic word كاهن kāhin means "soothsayer, augur, or priest".
That's pretty neat.
But, like, Minerva is one of my favorite names, and there were people who worshiped Minerva, and I'll never be one of them, so! I'm probably just being uptight.
The word derives from a Semitic root common, at minimum, to the Central Semitic languages; the cognate Arabic word كاهن kāhin means "soothsayer, augur, or priest".
That's pretty neat.
This message was edited 10/31/2013, 11:01 PM
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There seems to be quite a bit more leeway with things from classical Greece and Rome. In terms of neo-poagan worship, those two cultures are considered "open" - anyone is free to explore them, and the same seems to go for names. Maybe because those cultures gradually faded out of use rather than being forcibly persecuted and destroyed the way others were (like Native American culture was)?
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