Click on a topic below for the rules to religious etiquette:
Baby Rituals • Customs & Laws • Death & Dying
Food & Diet • Gifts • Holidays • Interfaith • Kids
Public Display of Religion • Rites of Passage • Social Issues
Travel • Weddings & Marriage • Worship Services
Baby Rituals

Baby-Naming
• Gift etiquette for Jewish baby-naming ceremonies
• Why do Jews name babies after deceased relatives?

Circumcision
• How can I suppress my maternal instincts at a Jewish circumcision?

Godparents
• Should the godfather tip the priest?
• Can I tell my godchild I disagree with her parents' values?
• How did the godparent tradition start?
• Can I godfather a child from a different denomination?
• Can Jewish relatives be godparents to my Catholic baby?
• Is being the sandak the Jewish equivalent to being a godparent?

Customs & Laws

Buddhist
• Does bowing to a Buddha statue mean that I worship him?
• Why do meditators remove their shoes?
• Why do Buddhists rub statues of the Buddha?
• Etiquette when interacting with a Lama

Catholic Christian
• How should I address Catholic religious leaders?

Christian
• Which day is the Christian Sabbath?
• Orthodox house blessings

Hindu
• Why are odd numbers lucky?

Jehovah's Witnesses
• Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate birthdays?

Judaism
• Why do Jews cover their heads?
• Why do Jews wear prayer shawls?
• Why don't some Jews touch members of the opposite sex?
• Why isn't there an 'O' in 'G-d'?

Death & Dying

Buddhist
• How should I offer condolences to Buddhist friends?

Christian
• Do I have to go up to the casket at a viewing?

Christian Science
• Are funeral services optional?

Hindu
• Meanings of rituals and items at a Hindu funeral
• How do Hindus commemorate a death?
• Why do Hindus wear white to funerals?
• Should I send a bereaved Hindu flowers?

Islam
• Does Islam allow cremation?

Jehovah's Witnesses
• Etiquette and gifts at a funeral

Judaism
• What food/gift item should I bring to a funeral?
• What should I send to a Jewish funeral?
• Do Jews always collect donations at funeral services?

Food & Diet

Catholic
• Are there dietary restrictions during Lent?

Jehovah's Witnesses
• Do Jehovah's Witnesses eat pork?

Jewish
• What are the Jewish dietary laws?
• What should I serve my Jewish coworkers?

Gifts

Baptism
• What should I give my baptism sponsor?
• What is the customary gift for godparents?

Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• What is the customary gift for a Bat Mitzvah?
• Can I bring a Bar Mitzvah gift to the synagogue?
• Cash gifts: How much is appropriate?

Birth
• Gift etiquette for Jewish baby-naming ceremony
• Gifts for Muslim newborns

First Communion
• Sacred and secular gifts for First Communion

Holidays
• What should I give for Christmas, Hanukkah, Rohatsu, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and Yule?
• What should I give for the Jewish New Year?

Holidays

Buddhist
• What should I give for Rohatsu presents?

Christian
• Do Jews celebrate Valentine's Day?
• What should I give for Christmas presents?
• Is it tacky to invite non-Christians to Christmas parties?
• If I'm not Christian, what should I do at a Christmas party?
• Are Easter eggs pagan?
• What does Good Friday mean to Hindus?

Hindu
• What's Diwali, and should I bring presents?

Jehovah's Witnesses
• Do Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate Thanksgiving?

Jewish
• Valentine's Day vs. 'Heart Day'?
• What is Hanukkah about?
• What should I give for Hanukkah presents?
• How do Jews greet each other on holidays?
• What is a sukkah?
• Can a non-Jew recite the Four Questions at a Passover seder?
• What should I give my friends for the Jewish New Year?
• What gift should I give to the hostess of a seder?

Muslim
• What should I give for Ramadan presents?

Other
• Ringing in the not-so-new year
• What should I give for Yule presents?
• What should I give for Kwanzaa presents?
• Do Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate holidays?

Interfaith

Babies
• Can I godfather a child from a different denomination?

Food
• What's the difference between kosher and halal?

Holidays
• Is January 1 the beginning of the new year for non-Christians?
• How should a Christian greet a Jew on Hanukkah?
• What's the difference between a Christian and a Hindu conception of Good Friday?
• Is it disrespectful to celebrate a birthday during Easter weekend?
• Can a non-Jewish child recite the Four Questions at a Passover seder?
• If I'm not Christian, what should I do at a Christmas party?

Intercommunion
• Can an Episcopalian receive Communion in a Catholic church?
• Should a Catholic take Communion in an Episcopalian church?

Music
• Can I listen to the sacred songs of religions that are not my own?

Other
• Do children take the religion of the mother or the father?

Prayer
• How do I pray at a multifaith public event?
• Can I pray to a Catholic saint on behalf of a Jewish person?

Proselytizing
• How do I deal with a proselytizing coworker?
• How do I keep someone from trying to convert me?
• How do I avoid people giving me tracts?

Weddings
• Can a Presbyterian minister officiate at a wedding in a Catholic church?
• What's an "unprogrammed" Quaker wedding?
• Can a Jew be a bridesmaid at a Christian wedding?
• Can a Presbyterian give a toast at a Unitarian wedding?
• Will a Presbyterian minister officiate at a wedding of two Catholics whose previous marriages weren't annulled?

Worship
• Can a Christian wear a Jewish prayer shawl?
• Can non-Muslims attend Friday prayer services at a mosque?
• Did my child offend worshipers by drawing pictures of Jesus in a mosque?


Kids

Christianity
• Should I tell my kids I think Easter eggs are pagan?
• How can my child reject going to Bible camp with her friend? 


Public Display of Religion

In schools
• What's wrong with invoking Allah in the classroom?

On airplanes
• Why do Jews pray on flights to Israel?

Rites of Passage

Baptism
• Do I need to be rebaptized if I join the United Methodist Church?
• Should I give my baptism sponsor a gift?

Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• Can I bring a gift to the synagogue?
• Why is the music always so loud?

Confirmation
• Steps to Communion and Confirmation
• What should I say to the presiding bishop?

 Social Issues

Hinduism
• Is it OK to express my feminism in India?

Islam
• What is the Muslim stance on homosexuality?
• Are DKNY jeans with the Qur'an written on them offensive?

School Prayer
• What's wrong with invoking Allah in the classroom?

Other
• What happened to A.D. and B.C.?
• Orthodox Jewish spelling: Why no 'O' in 'G-d'?
• How should I handle religious chain mail?
• Advice on visiting the sick
• When ethics and etiquette clash 

Travel

Africa
• What should I know about religions in Africa?

India
• What will my friend see on a pilgrimage to Hindu holy sites?
• Is it OK to express my feminism in India?

United States
• How can I get invited to Native American sacred ceremonies?
• Follow-up on Native American ceremonies
• How do I find an Amish church?

Weddings & Marriage

Anglican
• What should an atheist do at an Anglican wedding?

Bahai
• What should I give for a Baha'i wedding?

Catholic Christian
• Will a Presbyterian minister officiate at a wedding of two Catholics whose previous marriages weren't annulled?

Christian
• Can a Presbyterian minister officiate a wedding in a Catholic church?
• Is it OK for a Jew to be a bridesmaid at a Christian wedding?

Eastern Orthodox Christian
• Can I give Orthodox icons as wedding gifts to non-Orthodox Christians?

Hindu
• What happens at a Hindu wedding ceremony?
• Can I bring a gift to a Hindu wedding ceremony? 

Worship Services

African Methodist Episcopal
• What's an AME service like?

Amish
• Will the Amish mind if I attend their service?

Buddhist
• How do I meditate at a Buddhist temple?

Catholic Christian
• Do I have to genuflect in a Catholic church?
• Can an Episcopalian take communion in a Catholic church?
• Should a Catholic take communion in an Episcopalian church?
• Should the godfather tip the priest at a baby-naming ceremony?
• How to behave at a Roman Catholic Mass

Christian
• Do I have to contribute to the collection plate?
• What should I expect from a gay and lesbian church service?
• How can I stop cell phones from going off in church?

Eastern Orthodox Christian
• Why do Orthodox Christians cross themselves differently?
• How should I respond to the greeting 'Christ is in our midst'?
• Why do Orthodox Christians burn incense in church?

Ethical Culture
• What happens at an Ethical Culture platform?

Hindu
• What happens in a Hindu temple?
• Customs and manners in a Hindu temple

Greek Orthodox
• Do I have to follow rituals/prayers in church if I am of a different faith?

Jewish
• Is a Jewish house of worship called a temple or a synagogue?

Muslim
• Do I need to wash during a Sufi service?
• Can non-Muslims attend Friday prayer services at a mosque?
• What should I wear to a mosque?
• Can I wear shoes in a mosque?
• Can women wear slack/pants in a mosque?

Pentecostal
• Why do Pentecostal Christians speak in tongues?

Quaker
• What's an "unprogrammed" Quaker wedding?
• What happens at Quaker meetings?

Seventh-day Adventist
• Why do they observe the Sabbath on Saturday?

Shaker
• Can I ask for a discount on Shaker furniture?

Wiccan
• What happens in a Wiccan service?

Jewish
• Am I automatically invited to the wedding reception?

Methodist
• How long do Methodist weddings last?

Mormon
• Do Mormons believe in polygamy?

Unitarian
• Is it OK to mention God in the wedding toast?

Islam
• Did my child offend worshipers by drawing pictures of Jesus in a mosque?

Judaism
• Can a non-Jewish kid recite the Four Questions at a Passover seder?

Other
• Do children take the religion of the mother or father?