JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

03/25/08 05:09 PM

Good news,I assume like the Crusades, the Inquisition, pogroms, the expulsion of our ancestors from Spain, Portugal, England...why elaborate.  If Christians really want to convert me, try occasionally acting like good Jews...like Jesus, for example.  Otherwise, leave me alone to practice the same religion that Jesus did.  Remember the hymn “ Give Me That Old Time Religion” ?  It went on to tell us it was good enough for Pappy, it was good enough for Mammy..and let’s agree it was good enough for Jesus of Nazareth.  Any Christians ready to convert to the religion of Jesus?  What is it called?  Oh yes, Judaism.

03/25/08 05:33 PM

Christians ought to keep their religion to and for themselves. Get over it, not everyone needs or wants to be a Christian.

03/25/08 06:11 PM

As long as attempts to prosyletize aggressively are not backed up by coercion they do not, in my view, constitute an act of war. They do disqualify the prosyletizers from engaging in interreligious dialogue, in which all parties must accept the religious integrity of the others.

I wonder if many Jews react so explosively to attempts to evangelize us because of their own ambivalence to our tradition and its practices.

I think our response to Christian evangelization should be multi-faceted. We should actively expose and oppose any effort which is state-sponsored, coercive, manipulative or fraudulent. At the same time we must recognize that for the first time in two millenia we live in a society which is a free marketplace of ideas. As evangelizing Christians have the right to tout their wares so do we. I am convinced that or goods are better for us a nd for many others.

It is long overdue for our community to be pro-active in the area of informing the masses about Judaism and supporting community based basic Jewish studies programs which may lead to conversion.

I predict, that such an approach will not only yield the obvious benefits of increased numbers becoming aware of our tradition and possibly joining our ranks, but will also have a salutary of born Jews who are indifferent to Yiddishkei, once they see how interested others are in the birthright they spurn.

03/25/08 06:47 PM

“ I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50

03/25/08 06:53 PM

“As many were astonied at thee : His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men”.  Isaiah 52

03/25/08 07:16 PM

“ He hath no form or comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and aquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not......  and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all......  He was numbered with the transgressors: and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” ..... “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a LAMB to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53 “ ...It is the sacrafice of the LORD’S Passover.....” Exodus 12

03/26/08 07:48 AM

All Christians must read “Twenty-Six Reasons Why the Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus” by Asher Norman.  This book explains in very clear terms why Christianity is a false religion based on misconceptions, mistranslations, out-of-context quotes from the Torah, blendings of beliefs from pagan tradition, and outright lies.  In particular, it seems that the supernatural nature of Jesus was harvested from the stories of the pagan mystery religions of Isis, Mithras and Dionysus, who were all similar god-men born of virgins, all strongly believed by the pagans of the time.  This book demonstrates that Jesus was a false prophet.  All Christians, and all Jews, must read this book.  It shows that, if anyone should be converting, it should be Christians converting to Judaism, the only true religion, and the best guide to salvation.

03/26/08 08:09 AM

To Mr. Ralph Gaily, your posts are a prime example of out-of-context quotes that Christians mistakenly believe somehow support their claims.  You quote Psalm 22 as “they pierced my hands and my feet.” However, this is a classic mistranslation from the original Hebrew when the Torah was rewritten into Greek.  The original Hebrew word “ka’are” means “like a lion.” Christian scribes mistranslated that word into “they pierced...” The two words are similar, but obviously the meaning is totally different.  Similar mistranslations and misunderstandings affect every Christian claim of support.  Your quotes from Isaiah are not referring to Jesus but the Jewish people as a whole.  You are quoting isolated paragraphs without really understanding the context.  That’s emblematic of the entire foundation of Christianity.  Your best bet is to get the book I referenced above ("Twenty-Six Reasons Why Jews Don’t Believe in Jesus” by Asher Norman), and learn something about your own religion and beliefs.  You’re in for quite a shock, probably a life-changing one.

03/26/08 08:33 AM

Just as a couple of simple examples of the discordant nature of the foundations of Christianity:  1. Jesus taught “do not resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.” (Matthew 5:38-39).  But in John 18:22-23, Jesus is slapped across the face by a soldier, and Jesus then says to him: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if I spoke well, why do you strike me?” In other words, when actually put to the test, rather than meekly “turning the other cheek,” Jesus argues with the soldier.  Jesus himself does not follow his own teaching.  2. Jesus is said to have taught “forgiveness.” However, when confronted with the reality of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus said: “but woe to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born!” (Matthew 26:24).  In other words, rather than living up to his teaching of forgiveness, when put to the test, Jesus himself was vindictive and unforgiving.  What kind of foundation of a religion is that?  There are many similar examples.  Read the book.

03/26/08 04:40 PM

i dont understand