Do I Kneel or Do I Bow? ─ What You Need to Know When Attending Religious Occasions

In today’s multicultural society we are increasingly likely to meet and become friends with people from different religious backgrounds, and to find ourselves attending an unfamiliar ceremony. When this happens, there can be few of us who know exactly what to expect, or are confident about how to behave.

This book will help you:
‧ to understand the backgrounds to the key festivals, ceremonies, and practices of the major world religions
‧ to participate in the main holidays and festivals of the different religious calendars
‧ to know what to expect and how to behave when invited to attend a Protestant, Catholic, Christian Orthodox, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, or Buddhist service
‧ to join in the family celebrations of friends from different backgrounds

Armed with this basic information, you will feel relaxed enough to enjoy the occasion–and perhaps inspired to discover more about the spiritual world view of another cultural tradition.

It is very easy to potentially give offence when you are unfamiliar with another’s faith tradition.? So here’s some quick Top Tips:
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1.? Don’t take alcohol to a Muslim celebration
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2.? Never point your feet at the Murti (sacred deity) in a Hindu Temple
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3.? Be prepared to stand for up to three hours at an Orthodox Christian wedding
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4.? Don’t take flowers to a Jewish funeral
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5.? Keep your head covered at all times inside a Sikh Gurdwara (Temple)
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6.? Flowers are welcome at a Catholic or Protestant funeral
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7.? Be prepared to be gender segregated at a Muslim wedding
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8.? Cover your arms, legs and chest, but not your head, at a Buddhist Temple

AKASHA LONSDALE is an Interfaith Minister. Her two-year seminary training in London included instruction in the major religions and sacred traditions of the world, and her vocation brings her into frequent contact with people of every faith and none.

She has practiced as a psychotherapist, both privately and within Britain’s National Health Service. Her corporate background was in senior human resource management. She is an effective and experienced executive coach, trainer, seminar speaker, and EAP counsellor, specializing in Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management. She has written for a variety of publications, and her book How to Do Life–Powerful Pointers for Powerful Living became one of the most popular self-help titles in the United Kingdom.

Akasha Lonsdale brings to Do I Kneel or Do I Bow an informed, sensitive, and enlightened approach born of wide knowledge, personal experience, and psychological insight.