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The Church is one and the Church is necessary for salvation.

That is not quite what Boniface said. "must be subject to the Roman Pontiff" has a somewhat different connotation than the claim that the Church is necessary for salvation.

I know you have said that you know of some Rabbi's who believe that Christianity is "an acceptable form of monotheism for Gentiles." But in honesty, this is not an orthodox Jewish position.

Dave, give me credit for knowing what the 'orthodox Jewish position' is, okay? Maimonides and the orthodox Jews I know and have read disagree with you.

Jesus either was the Son of God or a madman.

The old "Son of God, liar or lunatic" canard. It is a false dichotomy. There are a number of other possibilities which do not fit into these tidy categories. As it happens, I posted something about this on another thread last night. Let me put it up here:

(The thread is Jesus the Jew, a 1995 article from Catholic Digest. You may wish to read the article. It pretty much sums up what I think about Jesus and his teachings.)

So many words that still don't make God a Jew. "One and the same" is just a way to explain how God could exist in so many forms. Ethnicity of Jesus has no bearing on God or his essense. By the way, do Jews believe that God is a Jew?

I didn't say that God is a Jew; Jews do not believe that. Such a statement could only be made by someone who believes that God became man in the person of the Jew Jesus. The logic is clear if you accept the premise:

1. Jesus is God.
2. Jesus is a Jew.
3. Therefore, God is a Jew.

Now, Jews do not accept premise #1, so we of course do not reach the conclusion #3. A Jew is someone who is born of a Jewish mother, or who converts to Judaism. God is obviously not a descendent of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so no, we do not believe that God is a Jew.

"Charismatic preacher" I suspect is not the whole truth. It's like saying that Zhirinovsky is a "charismatic politician" when one really means "mad clown".

I use the term 'charismatic preacher' because it fits what he did. I could have said 'itinerant preacher', and that would have suited him as well. He went from place to place, preaching in the different towns he visited. I said 'charismatic' because he developed a following. I in no way meant it to be derogatory.

Do Jews regard Christianity as heresy and Jesus' teachings as false?

Let me take these one at a time.

1. Are Jesus's teachings false?

Since we don't have any writings by his hand, but only what was recorded by his followers, we can only know what they preserved. IMO, much of what Jesus taught was true and well within the framework of traditional Jewish doctrine. (I agree with what the article that began this thread had to say about his teachings.) I have much greater problems with the teachings of Paul than I do with the teachings of Jesus. I believe that what is taught about Jesus is false.

2. Do Jews regard Christianity as heresy?

Not for gentiles. Judaism does not teach an exclusionary salvation; we do not believe that you need to convert to Judaism in order to be 'saved'. Converts are welcome, but you do not need to convert in order to escape eternal damnation. We believe that the righteous of all nations will have a place in the World to Come. Jews are bound by the Covenant and the Law; gentiles are not. A Jew who converts to Christianity is considered an apostate, not a heretic. It is wrong for a Jew to do so, because belief in a triune God and a God made man are incompatible with the Torah. Furthermore, Jews who convert generally cease to follow the Law, which is also wrong according to our scriptures.

However, gentiles, who are not under the Law, have more latitude in their beliefs. We do think your understanding of the nature of God is incorrect. But Christianity is generally considered an acceptable form of monotheism for gentiles. The Jewish philosopher and theologian Maimonides preferred Christianity to Islam because Christians accept the inspired nature of the Hebrew scriptures (Muslims think they have been corrupted). And of course the Christian moral code is essentially equivalent to that of Judaism, another point in your favor, from our perspective.

Freeper 'Lurking Libertarian', who was raised an orthodox Jew, replied to me:

Thanks for posting your #131, an excellent summary of Jewish doctrines not well understood by non-Jews (or, for that matter, by many Jews).

I apologize for telling you what Orthodox Jewish opinion is. My conception of it is apparently false. I thought you were more of an exceptional thinker, than a standard model.

Your theory here is that what is ascribed to Jesus as His teaching is kosher, but what has been made of Him since has been confused. Is that fair?

I may not get back till later this afternoon, but suffice it to say that you have me thinking. It would be so much easier if you just picked a few "scandalous" quotes out and ranted and raved and threw in a few "doctrine of demons" and railed about how the whole thing is built on a lie-filled foundation of sand. :-)