Posted on 11/08/2015 11:32:40 AM PST by SJackson
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Here's a good joke-
A rabbi once asked his old friend, a priest, "Could you ever be promoted within your Church?"
The priest says, thoughtfully, "Well, I could become a bishop."
The rabbi persists, "And after that?"
With a pause for consideration, the priest replies, "Maybe I could be a cardinal, even."
"And then?"
After thinking for some time, the priest responds, "Someday I may even rise to be the Pope."
But the rabbi is still not satisfied. "And then?"
With an air of incredulity, the priest cries, "What more could I become? God Himself?"
The rabbi says quietly, "One of our boys made it."
G-d to Abraham in Genesis 12:3:
"And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you."
You might wish to pay attention to His word - it is unchanging and it is the Truth.
So, Christianity is 2,000 years old - big deal. Judaism is 3,700 years old, and without a FULL belief in Judaism's Bible, Christianity simply cannot exist...and, yet, it is different, VERY different in many key aspects. How can that be? If different = better, than the original version must, therefore, be wrong...but if it is wrong, then Christianity itself cannot be right, because the foundation upon which it is built is just as solid as dry sand - or so you say. Quite the logical problem you have, eh?
Oh, and WHICH Christianity are you referring to, exactly? The one that existed just after Jesus died, when his disciples retained their belief in, and practice of, Judaism, except for their belief that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah (and that wasn't the first time that such a belief cropped up, btw)? Or the one that existed after the Temple was destroyed, when the Jewish basis of Christian beliefs was down-played to avoid the wrath of the Romans? Or the one that existed before Constantine massively changed it to cement his power as Emperor of Rome? Or the one just after Constantine's changes? Or Martin Luther's changes? Or after Henry VIII's changes? Or Joseph Smith's changes? WHICH one - EXACTLY? All I see are a bunch of changes to a foundational set of beliefs - changes made by MEN, men either seeking to save their skin or to increase their temporal power. Sorry, that's not good enough for me, not even CLOSE to good enough - only G-d can set forth the precepts of a true set of beliefs and a righteous set of behaviors - and since G-d is perfect, once set, He isn't going to change them. We may (and do) imperfectly keep His word, and be punished (sometimes severely) for doing so, but His word is the Truth, period.
As the old saying about Christianity goes: "That which is true is not new, and that which is new is not true."
A question of genuine curiosity: What is Ha Olem HaBa’?
The fate of Christianity is described in Obadiah and Ezekiel 35.
Ishmael eventually repents while Esau remains hard-hearted.
Well, guess what? They are wrong.
If they knew anything substantive about the faith of their Fathers, they would know that...but, then again, if they knew anything substantive about the faith of their Fathers, they wouldn't have entered a "Christian synagogue" and converted in the first place.
Re: your post #162:
Yasher koach! Yofi!
So many times I have wanted to make those points! Thank you for making them!
Hehehe
Says you ...
Guess what, Sparky?
We can have this disagreement without slashing each others' heads off.
Ain't it grand?
I think that we are seeing some of that hard-heartedness here - not that most people on this thread are being unkind, mind you (they most certainly aren't), but their steadfast defense of Christianity's historical crimes related to and originating with many attempts to convert Jews is a bit disturbing to me, as a Jew (and, frankly, to me as just a plain old human being).
Historically speaking, Christianity has made an incredible effort over the course of nearly 2 millenia to convert the Jews, to bring "the Good News" to the Jewish people. I'd say that this means that they have, as a group, obeyed the word of their scriptures to spread the word. But, since that effort has led to nothing but heartache, misery and massacres on a scale that dwarf anything historical that ever appeared in the Bible, maybe it is time for a change. After all, insanity is defined as doing the same thing, over and over again, and still expecting a different result. I believe that it is time for Christians as a whole to say:
"Hey, we had the very best of intentions, and gave it our very best shot for nearly 2,000 years to convert the Jews, but given the really horrible unintended consequences that resulted from that effort, maybe we should just let the Jews be themselves, practice the same religion that Jesus practiced and believed in, and let them live in peace for once. We owe them that much, at least."
BTW, this isn’t Bachmann’s first opinion on the topic:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3279496/posts
We can have this disagreement without slashing each others' heads off.
Ain't it grand?
Yes, it is grand - and it is VERY big progress, YUGE progress, over what your religious forebearers practiced, so thanks for being civilized while disagreeing (that's at least part of what G-d wants of us).
Meanwhile, I'll repeat what I said originally:
"You have your covenant, we Jews have ours. Leave us alone to practice our faith - we have no problem with you following yours. That is all that we Jews have ever asked."
Meanwhile, I'll repeat what I said originally: Salvation is still through faith in Jesus Christ.
That’s fine for you. My way is fine for me.
We are never going to agree on which way is THE way, and someone “getting in the last word” is pretty much meaningless.
So let’s just agree to disagree, and leave it at that. You don’t try to convince me, I don’t try to convince you. Things works out better that way.
Well, it’s obvious Michele Bachmann is the real threat. /sarc
"Silence. I keel you."
Actually, that's too bad. Without the knowledge of the real G-d, most people have embraced a false one. How better the world might have been if they only knew G-d and taught how to love and worship him.
Jews don’t believe in an afterlife similar to Christians.
“World to Come” = “Messianic Age” = Everyone is a Jew
HaShem gives you the gift of one life. Make the most of it.
So REALLY understanding is agreeing with you? And Christianity is the inescapable root of Nazism?
Sell it somewhere else, you socialist tool pretending to be a Jew.
The promises are hinged on you fulfilling the law, which Israel, obviously, has not. A Jew is one inwardly, not according to the flesh, but in the spirit, by the circumcision made without hands:
1Sa_16:7; 1Ch_29:17; Psa_45:13; Jer_4:14; Deu_10:16, Deu_30:6; Jer_4:4.
Christians have the better claim to the name of Israel. Christ fulfilled the law, you have not and cannot, and we are joined to the church through Him.
The “problem” is (well it’s not really a “problem” but to those who do not wish to be evangelized it might be perceived as such) Christians can’t “leave Jews alone” (or really anyone alone). This is because evangelization is (supposed) to be an act of love, sharing what was discovered, or really Who was encountered (Jesus Christ) with his (the Christian’s) fellow man. To ask “just leave us alone” is akin to asking someone to not say anything if they just discover nuclear fusion, or life on another planet, or, well really that God Himself is alive and with us now in this age, in a real, tangible way.
That’s how it’s supposed to be. Now of course there are many, including Nazi’s of course, who call themselves Christian and are nothing of the sort. And they are a scandal. Not much that can be done about that though, free will and all that.
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