Messianic Judaism: the best of both worlds?

[Rasputin]

Can a person be Christian and maintain their Jewish Identity.

 

[BMCR]

Not only is Messianic Judaism NOT the best of both worlds but it is an inherit contradiction.

That is because fundamentally speaking, Judaism and Christianity differ at the fundamental level.
For example, fundamentally speaking, Christianity requires belief in the trinity and belief that Jesus is the son of G-d in the literal sense.
Judaism says that fundamentally speaking, G-d cannot be a trinity and no one can be part of a godhead.
That being the case, it is impossible to reconcile those two opposing fundamentals.
Thus, if one examines Messianic Judaism they should realize that it is really a weird form of Protestant Christianity with Jewish trappings.
This is because it affirms the fundamentals of Christianity, not Judaism.

 

[BMCR]

Not only is Messianic Judaism NOT the best of both worlds but it is an inherit contradiction.

That is because fundamentally speaking, Judaism and Christianity differ at the fundamental level.
For example, fundamentally speaking, Christianity requires belief in the trinity and belief that Jesus is the son of G-d in the literal sense.
Judaism says that fundamentally speaking, G-d cannot be a trinity and no one can be part of a godhead.
That being the case, it is impossible to reconcile those two opposing fundamentals.
Thus, if one examines Messianic Judaism they should realize that it is really a weird form of Protestant Christianity with Jewish trappings.
This is because it affirms the fundamentals of Christianity, not Judaism.

 

[Prophet]

There were probably more Jews that were Christians during the 1st century than now.

 

[primoa1970]

Absolutely.

Being Jewish is simply like being Italian or French.
I know alot of Messianic Jews. They are Jewish-born Christians.

They are simply Jews by blood...........but are now blood-bought because of faith & trust in Christ

 

[L'Chaimt]

No...to worship a human being (Jesus) goes against the core beliefs of Judaism. It would be like me saying I am a xian but Jesus is not the son of G-d. Once a person excepts Jesus was their savior (which is against Judaism) they are no longer Jewish but a xian.

Messianic Judaism was started by a bunch of xians who were never Jewish anyway. Basically they are xians that don't eat pork or shellfish. There is so much more to being a Jew than just eating kosher.

 

[YourMomma]

A person who practices Judaism can convert to Christianity, but then they are no longer Jewish in a religious sense, but can still be Jewish in an ancestral sense.
Messianic Judaism is an oxymoron.

 

[EddieJ1]

Judaism believes the Jewish Messiah will be a mortal man, not to be worshipped. Worshipping Jesus is to worship another god. That's the worst thing in Judaism.

 

[highperactive]

Sure, if a person can be atheist and maintain their jewish identity, then yes, anything goes.

 

[plushy_bear]

No. They can be former Jews, Christians (or, since some folks do not refer to themselves as Christians - followers of Christ) with a Jewish upbringing, or Jewish family.
Judaism teaches that we cannot worship anyone or anything other than G-d and G-d alone. To do so would put us into apostasy. This is why, although some question the reasoning behind it, there can be atheist or agnostic Jews. These Jews do not worship G-d, but they also do not worship anyone/anything else.

To those who talk about 'blood'; being Jewish is not in the blood, just as being Christian is not in the blood. We are a tribe or a nation; a family if you will. The whole notion was perpetrated by Hitler (among others) to define who is and who isn't a Jew. Anyone can convert to Judaism, making it a religion.

 

[AsherRuth]

answer: Absolutely NOT.

A Jew that becomes a Christian is an apostate Jew, no longer considered part of the Jewish community or religion. They cannot be called up to read from the Torah in synagogue. They cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. They cannot marry an Orthodox Jew and they cannot immigrate to Israel as a Jew.

"Just as many people convert to Judaism, and thus become Jews, those Jews who convert to another faith are no longer Jews.

The Biblical basis for this is I Kings 18:21. Elijah the prophet asked Jews who were beginning to slip into the worship of the idol, Baal, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the God of the Jews is God, follow Him! but if Baal is God, then follow him!" Elijah told the Jews, one or the other, not both! You cannot believe in two opposite, mutually exclusive ideas simultaneously. Judaism and Christianity believe in opposite, mutually exclusive ideas, and you cannot be a Jew and a believer that Jesus was the Christ at the same time.

The very famous rabbi, Moses ben Maimon, called Maimonides, also wrote that if a Jew converted to Christianity, he or she was no longer a Jew. See Maimonides, Hilchot Mamrim Perek 3, Halacha 1-3, as well as in Maimonides's Mishnah Torah, Avodat Kochavim 2:5.

More recently, Israeli made the same decision concerning a so-called Messianic "Jewish" couple. The Beresfords from South Africa tried to become citizens of Israel under the Law of Return. They were denied on the same basis as Father Daniel. Remember that all of the parents involved, the parents of Daniel Rufeisen, and the parents of both of the Beresfords, were Jews. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the man leading the fight against the Beresfords for the Israeli Department of Immigration was an Orthodox rabbi and member of the Orthodox Israeli political party known as Shas. As an Orthodox rabbi, he would have known Jewish law on this subject.

"Jews for Jesus" are merely another Christian Missionary organization, which make converts to Christianity by dressing up the Christian theology in Jewish clothing."

 

[marcuss1]

No, it is more like an abomination. Imagine this--would you think it would be the best of both worlds if a practicing Hindu started claiming to be a Christian but never let go of his belief in Hindu gods and never started believing in Jesus? His "Christian church" would have crosses, perhaps have something similar to mass, etc., but there also would be open worship of Vishnu and other gods and never any mention or even so much as a thought of Jesus. Would his claim of being a Hinduic Christian have any validy? Of course not. Then why would you think there is any legitimacy when Christians proclaim themselves to be Jewish, dress and "act" the part but hold on to their belief in Christ and openly worship him in their "synagogue"? There is no difference. Both would be and one is ("messianic Judaism") an abomination.