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To: wideawake
They actually vary significantly among themselves on the details of messiahship, as do other Jews - most Jews would argue that a dead man cannot be the current Messiah of Israel. But certain Chabadniks differ on that point.

No. They do not vary significantly at all. The specific definitions for who the Messiah are well known. That portion that the Messiah "could come from among the dead" is cited by only a tiny fraction of Chabadniks.

As are the Jewish followers of Jesus living in Israel.

It is debatable that a Jew who "accepts Jesus" is still a Jew. The very fact that a Jew would do this most probably separates them from the Jewish nation. Most opinions I have heard/read state that these Jews are apostates who no longer are Jews. I have known a number of "Messianic Jews" who had to jump in a mikvah to become Jews again (along with fulfilling other requirements).

The real reason why Jews who believe Jesus to be the Messiah are so hated is because so many Gentiles agree with them.

Uh, no. There are lots of reasons, most of which have more to do with Christian mass murder and hatred.

15 posted on 06/23/2008 8:56:58 AM PDT by Nachum
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To: Nachum
It is debatable that a Jew who "accepts Jesus" is still a Jew.

It doesn't seem like a topic many in Israel are willing to calmly debate.

There are lots of reasons, most of which have more to do with Christian mass murder and hatred.

We could have a nice, lengthy argument about this, of course. The story of Jewish and Christian relations begins historically with Jews who did not believe the claims of Jesus' Jewish followers expelling Jesus' Jewish followers from the synagogues and also hunting down and killing some of these Jewish followers of Jesus, leading to a cycle of violence between the communities that continued for centuries.

In their defense, the Jews who first decided to exile and kill other Jews for taking Jesus too seriously probably never anticipated that so many millions of Gentiles would be converted by that ragtag band of malcontents in years to come.

In 2008 one would hope that these methods for settling differences - mail bombs, book burnings, etc. - would be considered beneath any serious interlocutor.

16 posted on 06/23/2008 9:49:02 AM PDT by wideawake (Why is it that those who call themselves Constitutionalists know the least about the Constitution?)
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