Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

[Armenian]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

How do all your studies spiritually enlighten your life? Does this bring you closer to God or further from Him?

I'm glad someone here, besides Axel, is taking me to task. Like I said previously, for the sake of convenience I would like to be proven wrong in my thesis.

Nevertheless, what if I told you that my 'revelation,' pardon the pun, has actually gotten me closer to God? What if I told you I actually understand Christ now more than I ever have in the past? God for me is now truly a universal God, a creator of all things good. Besides, are you saying that belief in traditional Christianity is supposed make one "feel" like they are getting closer to God? Is "feeling" the mere importance of it all? If so, then there are many billions of non-Christians on earth who also "feel" close to a god as well. I am not referring to mere feelings here, I am trying to reveal the obvious fact that the God in the Gospels is not the tribal god of the Torah/Tanakh/Talmud. Yes, I reject the bloodthirsty, jealous and contradictory tribal deity called Yahweh - a god who, according to his "chosen" people, is said to have full control over the "devil" and makes the devil exist only because it wants to see if it can fool mankind into sin and eventual death. The OT god is not our God, that realization to me is as clear as light.

I ask you all to wake up from your "Pauline" derived Nicaean sanctioned theological formula.

I understand that you don’t believe in the OT books and that you see Christianity in the Avesta, but the fact of the matter is that those books are there and they are not going anywhere.

Yes, I agree. We have to deal with what history has dealt us. Culturally, we must accept and nurture the Armenian Apostolic Church. There is no other option at this point. However, as souls with independent will we should also be expected to seek the truth, to seek God.

I have a slight concern regarding your statements regarding the Church Fathers and the Saints I hope you understand that their primary objective is the bring spiritual guidance, and when you are “challenging” them that you recognize your statements are as comparative historical assessments and not matters for spiritual guidance.

I have utmost reverence towards our church forefathers. Yes, they are the sources for spiritual guidance. But how does that change any of what I am stating?

For example there are parallels between Christ and Mher and Buddha, but no such example of a person or that stereotype existed in the OT, this is just an assessment not grounds for spiritual guidance.

Judging from your reply I gather you are not challenging my core thesis that Christ has no connections to the Old Testament. This realization has nothing to do with "spiritual guidance." I think Christ's Gospels by themselves are sufficient for spiritual guidance. I would also say Buddhism and Zoroastrianism are sufficient for spiritual guidance. Having said that, the Torah/Tanakh/Talmud actually get in the way of my spiritual guidance.

I see you have had an absence of several years from this board. What brought you here? How were you informed of this conversation?

[Armenian]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

ZEITGEIST, The Movie - Official Release - Full Film: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...95115331&hl=en

First time I am seeing this film. In my opinion, very well made, well researched and well delivered. However, I reject their atheistic premise regarding religions in Part I. The "solartheology myth" they claim is simply man's realization or understanding of the spirit world that exists. In a sense, this is where the line gets drawn between faith and non-faith. Some naturally come to the conclusion that divine beings or a spiritual world must exist, yet others will say no way - show me. Some human being are simply in tuned to seeing or feeling the spiritual world while others are simply not. Nevertheless, the section in the film regarding religion does have research value. But like I said, its only problem is its inherent atheistic perspective.

[Sip]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

[B][COLOR="Red"]Some human being are simply in tuned to seeing or feeling the spiritual world while others are simply not.

Some human beings are also retarded, while others are not.

[Illuminator]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

Some human beings are also retarded, while others are not.

Most board members would agree that you're skating on thin ice here

[Lucin]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

I reject the bloodthirsty, jealous and contradictory tribal deity called Yahweh - a god who, according to his "chosen" people, is said to have full control over the "devil" and makes the devil exist only because it wants to see if it can fool mankind into sin and eventual death.

And also racist. How can a god be racist?? How can a god be so subjective? How can people not question this?

I believe in testable theories that are able to predict things. A claim such as "don't xxxxxxxxxx or you'll go to hell" is not a "testable" statement so I have no reason to believe or disbelieve it. Such statements are entirely useless in my life.

In Christian sources I haven't seen yet 'advices' or obligations regarding this matter such as this maturbation thing and other carnal affaires ( in detailes) You must have been reading some J.ewish or Muslum texts ( sources); since they are crammed with do's and don't's regarding carnal affaires, and such things ( in detailes).

Now that you bring up Mohammad (pbuh), actually I have to say at least he never claimed to have super powers like Jesus. I appreciate a lot of things Jesus has said in how one should live, but this whole ordeal about spirits, and eternal afterlife, and coming back from the dead etc is just fictional rediculousness to me

Actually, this is what makes Him utterly different.

[Armenian]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

And also racist. How can a god be racist?? How can a god be so subjective? How can people not question this? In Christian sources I haven't seen yet 'advices' or obligations regarding this matter such as this maturbation thing and other carnal affaires (in detailes) You must have been reading some J.ewish or Muslum texts (sources); since they are crammed with do's and don't's regarding carnal affaires, and such things (in detailes).

Complaints about Christianity are primarily due to Semitic elements adopted within it.

The sacred scriptures of Islam and Judaism (and some aspects of Christianity, by the way of the so-called Judeo-Christian tradition) are essentially childish books comprised of dos and donts. These Semitic traditions are very dogmatic and narrow, as a result making the very notion of God narrow and inflexible as well. The deity of Islam and Judaism is confined to strict rules, a far cry from the nature of a universal creator God. The core belief system of Christianity, like its predecessors Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, is based primarily on philosophies, egalitarian ethics and theological mysteries - Աստվածաբանական խորհուրդներ. The Christian God is truly boundless in nature and incomprehensible to mankind, as it should be. By nature, Christianity happens to be a complex belief system where human spirituality plays a fundamental role. And the pure form of Christianity is not bound to rules and regulations, it is open to interpretation and is thus quite flexibility.

When according to the Gospels the apostles asked Christ which are the most important 'commandments' to uphold, Christ answered by more-or-less stating: the most important commandments are to love God and to love humanity. This comment is profound in its universality, simplicity and spirituality. When an individual truly loves God and truly loves humanity - all the written 'commandments' of Judaism or Islam would be considered unessential.

This aforementioned factor is the fundamental reason why throughout history Christian societies worldwide have generally been more advanced and more progressive than their primitive contemporary faiths.

[Yeznik]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

I'm glad someone here, besides Axel, is taking me to task. Like I said previously, for the sake of convenience I would like to be proven wrong in my thesis.

Ok, here is some information from my studies.

Part 1
First, we must look at the Armenian interaction with the city state of Palestine. The Armenians were well populated in that region before the birth of the Savior in which I would reference Tigran the Great ruling that region, the Armenians were present in Palestine during the time when Jesus and were actually a part of His following, in which I would reference to the 3 Magi and the story of King Abgar, and the Armenians were present at Pentecost, reference Tertullians comments on the book of Acts. When it comes down to the historic reality we would have to see what is more convincing if I was an illiterate pagan peasant, witnessing the Resurrection, Pentecost, and the Apostles working miracles such as raising the dead in the name of Christ, would be far more convincing to follow Christ and His Apostles rather than any xxxish, Zoroastrian or Buddhist literature.
So the first part of the error is that you are approaching your thesis from the view of a post-modern thinker, mainly thinking everyone is just as literate as yourself and that we should base our entire understanding of Christianity off of a book.
Part 2
This section is would state is the complexity of the issue. Why would Christians accept the books from of a religion that crucified the Savior and drove Christians to be destroyed as a part of their core belief? The entire concept sounds backwards, taking books that promote your own destruction as the core of your belief.
The biggest misconception of OT is that all the OT books are the exact canon and interpretation used by the xxxs. The xxxish canon of books was established around the year 70 AD, which is nearly 30 years after the Resurrection, which denotes a major change in their religion.
Secondly, in the Gospels we see two kinds of xxxs those who reject Christ and later crucify Him and those that follow Him and later become Christian. So how come the xxxs were split on Christ? I mean how come the same religion can have two exact and opposing sides in regards to Christ? The only conclusion that I have come up with is the interpretation of Scripture, some interpreted Scripture as Christ as the Savior, and others by their interpretation of Scripture saw Christ as a blasphemer, so this means there is was not a clear consensus of what the xxxs believed and what has remained today of Judaism are the people who rejected Christ.
I see that you are siding, to some degree, with those who reject Christ, but instead of you rejecting Christ, you are rejecting the books from the side you agree with.
Now you mention:
“I once heard a Rabbi state - “you [Christians] have stolen our watch and for two thousand years have been telling us what time it is.”
Big deal, if they knew how to tell time then we wouldn’t have “stolen” their watch. So I would say to the Rabbi quit wining. Second of all, this Rabbi is under the misconception that they invented time rather than God. And believe or not, by Gods Grace, someone, somewhere in sooner or later in history would have invented the watch.

I would say that I am confused about your position by your previous statements.

In all reality, as all mortals, I do not know who or what God is. I don't know where he lives, I don't know his true nature. And I do not know who or what Christ was. I don't know why he was born in Palestine, or what he wants from mankind. I don't know the true answers to any of these question other than what I am told by the J-ewish authors found within the Gospels.

And now state:

Nevertheless, what if I told you that my 'revelation,' pardon the pun, has actually gotten me closer to God?

Ok. I am not questioning that your “revelation” has brought you closer to God. I am asking how, spiritually.

What if I told you I actually understand Christ now more than I ever have in the past?

Ok. How?

God for me is now truly a universal God, a creator of all things good.

So God before wasn’t universal and limited? Ok, how can you believe that God wasn’t universal, do you mean He wasn’t for everyone? Also please clarify the second part of your statement; you didn’t believe God created all things good? Is it possible you didn’t have a solid understanding of the Faith?

Besides, are you saying that belief in traditional Christianity is supposed make one "feel" like they are getting closer to God? Is "feeling" the mere importance of it all?

Orthodox teaching would say a true servant of God is a completely dispassionate man.

If so, then there are many billions of non-Christians on earth who also "feel" close to a god as well. I am not referring to mere feelings here, I am trying to reveal the obvious fact that the God in the Gospels is not the tribal god of the Torah/Tanakh/Talmud.
Yes, I reject the bloodthirsty, jealous and contradictory tribal deity called Yahweh - a god who, according to his "chosen" people, is said to have full control over the "devil" and makes the devil exist only because it wants to see if it can fool mankind into sin and eventual death. The OT god is not our God, that realization to me is as clear as light.

In my opinion you have the wrong interpretation of Scripture if you accept the xxxish interpretation then become a xxx, if you accept the Christian interpretation then continue on your journey. There is an old saying, you can’t have your cake and eat it to. My suggestion, pick a side and stick with it, that’s all. Struggles like this may tend affect a persons spiritual life.

I also want to emphasize here that I am in no way suggesting that our national church has to be tampered with.

I ask you all to wake up from your "Pauline" derived Nicaean sanctioned theological formula.

Statements like this leaves me confused, one point you make is that we shouldn’t tamper with the Church, then you make a point that I should wake up from my “Pauline” theological formula. I am going to make a spiritual point regarding your statement. The Church is not limited to a building, a bunch of priests or bishops. The Church also includes the Saints, the Martyrs and us. As a Christians we believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, making each one of us a spiritual church. So I have to ask myself, if I “wake up” from what I have been taught, wouldn’t that also be tampering with the Church? At one point or another something will give.
Or maybe are we just chewing intellectual bubble gum?

Yes, I agree. We have to deal with what history has dealt us. Culturally, we must accept and nurture the Armenian Apostolic Church. There is no other option at this point. However, as souls with independent will we should also be expected to seek the truth, to seek God.

I agree, but when seeking the truth there cannot be two opposing views to be considered valid, if such is the case then, truth either becomes completely subjective and loses its objective and universal meaning, or truth really doesn’t exist.

I have utmost reverence towards our church forefathers. Yes, they are the sources for spiritual guidance. But how does that change any of what I am stating?

Well, the Church Fathers and Saints refer to the OT when teaching, but yet you reject the OT, so help me understand what you are trying to state, do you believe what in what they taught as well, using the OT to derive true Christian doctrine, if so then why reject the OT?

Judging from your reply I gather you are not challenging my core thesis that Christ has no connections to the Old Testament.

To some degree I am. From my studies I believe God is not a proprietary God for a specific. Meaning He is just for the xxx, the Armenian, or any other race or nation in the world that has “special status” about them. Christ died for everyone, so now, everyone is special and in that context, to an Armenian, Jesus is Armenian, to an Egyptian Jesus is Egyptian. I learned from a priest who once said, man is the only creature God dwells in, and man is the only creation that longs to be with God. From the beginning of time man longed to be with God, regardless of race or nationality, there are great commonalities in the ancient religions, again longing to be with God. From ancient cross worshipper from Armenia to Ireland, from ancient mother like Goddess, water purification ceremonies, fasting rituals, in the end they all point to Christ and it’s a matter of what we do with the Gospel now. I have mentioned to people on occasion that the Armenian Church contains some of the greatest treasures of Christianity, but that doesn’t mean we should change the Church into a museum.

This realization has nothing to do with "spiritual guidance."

I understand seeing Christian elements in other religions. But there is a difference stating that a certain religion had similar principles and concepts to Christianity, I would agree with that. But to state the OT be removed because it has absolutely no contributing value to Christianity and replace them with other books is wishful thinking at best.

I think Christ's Gospels by themselves are sufficient for spiritual guidance. I would also say Buddhism and Zoroastrianism are sufficient for spiritual guidance. Having said that, the Torah/Tanakh/Talmud actually get in the way of my spiritual guidance.

Please clarify, you state that your realization has nothing to do with spiritual guidance but yet you claim non-Christian texts are sufficient for Christian spiritual guidance?

I see you have had an absence of several years from this board. What brought you here? How were you informed of this conversation?

I visit this forum once in a while, I just don’t post. I saw an interesting topic and wanted to be a part of the discussion.

[Sip]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

Most board members would agree that you're skating on thin ice here

Why? By making an analogy between those who somehow have this amazing ability to see God in their thoughts to smart humans and the rest of us who aren't as gifted to retards?

Don't take offense to what I say. After all, I can 100% guarantee you that none of us knows anything for sure when it comes to matters revolving the existence of God. And those who think they know 100% for sure (one way or the other), are most definitely retards. Kind of ironic, isn't it.

[Armenian]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

Yeznik, none of the verbal and rhetorical gymnastics you wrote has any bearing on the topic - namely, the non-Hebraic/Judaic nature and origin of Christ.

Regarding spiritual guidance: I feel as close to God with my understanding of Christ as you do with your understanding of Christ. When all is said and done isn't that the most important thing? Asking how this or that has gotten me close to God is a silly question. I would like you to debate theology with me and not attempt to become my spiritual counselor.

Regarding what the Rabbi said: Look at it this way. An Islamic nation someday becomes a global-power and succeeds in subjugating the Christians of the world. Thereafter, Islam takes our Gospels and for centuries gives the Gospels a serious "makeover" to prove that Christ was not God, to prove that Christ was not crucified, to prove that Mohammad was the last prophet of Allah, etc. What would we Christians do as a result - whine like J-ews. The aforementioned is essentially what we have done to Judaism. We have taken their sacred traditions and have done a complete "Yevro-remont" on them for centuries. You saying that unlike us Christians J-ews don't know their sacred traditions is utterly silly, it's absurd. Muslims think they know our Christian traditions better than us. They have even had countless Islamic scholars write countless pages on how erroneous the Christian faith is. Hindus have another take on the matter, J-ews another. The reality is that all can and do play this game of - I know better than you who God is. This is just a silly premise to base your arguments on.

You are not dealing with the main issue here - theology and how Christian theology is fundamentally different from that of Judaic theology. I am afraid you are stuck in a mode to prove your formula correct and you will refuse to consider any other theological formula/approach. I was also once like you. But gradually I began to see differently. I fought it at first. I was uncomfortable by it. Then I gradually learned to accept it. Now, the realization is an integral part of me. I will never look at the "Old Testament" and "Yahweh" in the same way. And, as I said earlier, I understand Christ better now than I ever have in the past.

I advise you to be open minded and start asking yourself serious questions. I know its difficult, it's like being told the father you thought you knew all your life is not really your father... Anyway, before you continue your debate I would like you to first seriously reconcile the following core elements within Christianity with Judaism and compare them to Zoroastrianism or other pagan traditions. Perhaps we can take it one at a time:

The Holy Trinity (had similar counterparts only within the pagan world)

The Holy Spirit (appears exclusively within the Christian Gospel and the only other place that such a being is mentioned is within the Zoroastrian Avesta)

God being all good, not capable of evil (exclusively Zoroastrian in nature)

The Son of God (a non-J-ewish concept that was ubiquitous within the pagan world)

The nature and order of the angelic world (exclusively Zoroastrian in nature)

Proselytizing (exclusivly pagan in nature)

Nature of the spirit world (exclusivly pagan in nature)

Sainthood (exclusively pagan in nature)

Clergy celibacy (exclusively pagan in nature)

The performance of healing miracles (exclusively pagan in nature)

The virgin giving birth to God (exclusivly pagan in nature)

God descending to earth to dwell with mankind (exclusivly pagan in nature)

God being all-good, compassionate and loving (exclusivly Zoroastrian in nature)

Last judgment at the end-days (exclusivly pagan in nature)

Savior of mankind (exclusivly pagan in nature)

Cleansing and purification rites through water (exclusivly pagan in nature)

Partaking in a communal meal ritual (pagan/Mithraic in nature)

The nature of the demonic world, Satan and heaven/hell (exclusivly Zoroastrian in nature)

Divine numerology, symbolic numbers such as forty, seven, three, twelve, etc (exclusively pagan in nature)

[Armenian]

Re: Non-Judaic Nature of Christ

WHY JUDAISM REJECTS CHRIST

What exactly is the Messiah?

The word "Messiah" is an English rendering of the Hebrew word "Mashiach", which means "Anointed." It usually refers to a person initiated into God's service by being anointed with oil. (Exodus 29:7, I Kings 1:39, II Kings 9:3)

Since every King and High Priest was anointed with oil, each may be referred to as "an anointed one" (a Mashiach or a Messiah). For example: "God forbid that I [David] should stretch out my hand against the Lord's Messiah [Saul]..." (I Samuel 26:11. Cf. II Samuel 23:1, Isaiah 45:1, Psalms 20:6)

Where does the xxxish concept of Messiah come from? One of the central themes of Biblical prophecy is the promise of a future age of perfection characterized by universal peace and recognition of God. (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zephaniah 3:9; Hosea 2:20-22; Amos 9:13-15; Isaiah 32:15-18, 60:15-18; Micah 4:1-4; Zechariah 8:23, 14:9; Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Many of these prophetic passages speak of a descendant of King David who will rule Israel during the age of perfection. (Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6, 30:7-10, 33:14-16; Ezekiel 34:11-31, 37:21-28; Hosea 3:4-5)

Since every King is a Messiah, by convention, we refer to this future anointed king as The Messiah. The above is the only description in the Bible of a Davidic descendant who is to come in the future. We will recognize the Messiah by seeing who the King of Israel is at the time of complete universal perfection.

1) JESUS DID NOT FULFILL THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES

What is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? The Bible says that he will:

A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28).

B. Gather all xxxs back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6).

C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)

D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: "God will be King over all the world -- on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One" (Zechariah 14:9).

The historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies.

Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but xxxish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.

2) JESUS DID NOT EMBODY THE PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF MESSIAH

A. MESSIAH AS PROPHET

Jesus was not a prophet. Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world xxxry. During the time of Ezra (circa 300 BCE), when the majority of xxxs refused to move from Babylon to Israel, prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets -- Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended.

B. DESCENDENT OF DAVID

According to xxxish sources, the Messiah will be born of human parents and possess normal physical attributes like other people. He will not be a demi-god, (1) nor will he possess supernatural qualities.

The Messiah must be descended on his father's side from King David (see Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1). According to the Christian claim that Jesus was the product of a virgin birth, he had no father -- and thus could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father's side from King David! (2)

C. TORAH OBSERVANCE

The Messiah will lead the xxxish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that all mitzvot (commandments) remain binding forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4)

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus contradicts the Torah and states that its commandments are no longer applicable. (see John 1:45 and 9:16, Acts 3:22 and 7:37) For example, John 9:14 records that Jesus made a paste in violation of Shabbat, which caused the Pharisees to say (verse 16), "He does not observe Shabbat!"

3) MISTRANSLATED VERSES "REFERRING" TO JESUS

Biblical verses can only be understood by studying the original Hebrew text -- which reveals many discrepancies in the Christian translation.

A. VIRGIN BIRTH

The Christian idea of a virgin birth is derived from the verse in Isaiah 7:14 describing an "alma" as giving birth. The word "alma" has always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and translated it as "virgin." This accords Jesus' birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods.

B. CRUCIFIXION

The verse in Psalms 22:17 reads: "Like a lion, they are at my hands and feet." The Hebrew word ki-ari (like a lion) is grammatically similar to the word "gouged." Thus Christianity reads the verse as a reference to crucifixion: "They pierced my hands and feet."

C. SUFFERING SERVANT

Christianity claims that Isaiah chapter 53 refers to Jesus, as the "suffering servant."

In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the xxxish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the xxxs ("Israel") are regarded as one unit. The Torah is filled with examples of the xxxish nation referred to with a singular pronoun.

Ironically, Isaiah's prophecies of persecution refer in part to the 11th century when xxxs were tortured and killed by Crusaders who acted in the name of Jesus.

From where did these mistranslations stem? St. Gregory, 4th century Bishop of Nazianzus, wrote: "A little jargon is all that is necessary to impose on the people. The less they comprehend, the more they admire."

4) J-EWISH BELIEF IS BASED SOLELY ON NATIONAL REVELATION

Of the 15,000 religions in human history, only Judaism bases its belief on national revelation -- i.e. God speaking to the entire nation. If God is going to start a religion, it makes sense He'll tell everyone, not just one person. Throughout history, thousands of religions have been started by individuals, attempting to convince people that he or she is God's true prophet. But personal revelation is an extremely weak basis for a religion because one can never know if it is indeed true. Since others did not hear God speak to this person, they have to take his word for it. Even if the individual claiming personal revelation performs miracles, there is still no verification that he is a genuine prophet. Miracles do not prove anything. All they show -- assuming they are genuine -- is that he has certain powers. It has nothing to do with his claim of prophecy. Judaism, unique among all of the world's major religions, does not rely on "claims of miracles" as the basis for its religion. In fact, the Bible says that God sometimes grants the power of "miracles" to charlatans, in order to test xxxish loyalty to the Torah (Deut. 13:4).

Maimonides states (Foundations of Torah, ch. 8):

The xxxs did not believe in Moses, our teacher, because of the miracles he performed. Whenever anyone's belief is based on seeing miracles, he has lingering doubts, because it is possible the miracles were performed through magic or sorcery. All of the miracles performed by Moses in the desert were because they were necessary, and not as proof of his prophecy. What then was the basis of [xxxish] belief? The Revelation at Mount Sinai, which we saw with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, not dependent on the testimony of others... as it says, "Face to face, God spoke with you..." The Torah also states: "God did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us -- who are all here alive today." (Deut. 5:3) Judaism is not miracles. It is the personal eyewitness experience of every man, woman and child, standing at Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago.

5) CHRISTIANITY CONTRADICTS J-EWISH THEOLOGY

The following theological points apply primarily to the Roman Catholic Church, the largest Christian denomination.

A. GOD AS THREE?

The Catholic idea of Trinity breaks God into three separate beings: The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19). Contrast this to the Shema, the basis of xxxish belief: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is ONE" (Deut. 6:4). xxxs declare the Shema every day, while writing it on doorposts (Mezuzah), and binding it to the hand and head (Tefillin). This statement of God's One-ness is the first words a xxxish child is taught to say, and the last words uttered before a xxx dies.

In xxxish law, worship of a three-part god is considered idolatry -- one of the three cardinal sins that a xxx should rather give up his life than transgress. This explains why during the Inquisitions and throughout history, xxxs gave up their lives rather than convert.

B. MAN AS GOD?

Roman Catholics believe that God came down to earth in human form, as Jesus said: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Maimonides devotes most of the "Guide for the Perplexed" to the fundamental idea that God is incorporeal, meaning that He assumes no physical form. God is Eternal, above time. He is Infinite, beyond space. He cannot be born, and cannot die. Saying that God assumes human form makes God small, diminishing both His unity and His divinity. As the Torah says: "God is not a mortal" (Numbers 23:19).

Judaism says that the Messiah will be born of human parents, and possess normal physical attributes like other people. He will not be a demi-god, and will not possess supernatural qualities. In fact, an individual is alive in every generation with the capacity to step into the role of the Messiah. (see Maimonides - Laws of Kings 11:3)

C. INTERMEDIARY FOR PRAYER?

The Catholic belief is that prayer must be directed through an intermediary -- i.e. confessing one's sins to a priest. Jesus himself is an intermediary, as Jesus said: "No man cometh unto the Father but by me." In Judaism, prayer is a totally private matter, between each individual and God. As the Bible says: "God is near to all who call unto Him" (Psalms 145:18). Further, the Ten Commandments state: "You shall have no other gods BEFORE ME," meaning that it is forbidden to set up a mediator between God and man. (see Maimonides - Laws of Idolatry ch. 1)

D. INVOLVEMENT IN THE PHYSICAL WORLD

Catholic doctrine often treats the physical world as an evil to be avoided. Mary, the holiest woman, is portrayed as a virgin. Priests and nuns are celibate. And monasteries are in remote, secluded locations. By contrast, Judaism believes that God created the physical world not to frustrate us, but for our pleasure. xxxish spirituality comes through grappling with the mundane world in a way that uplifts and elevates. Sex in the proper context is one of the holiest acts we can perform. The Talmud says if a person has the opportunity to taste a new fruit and refuses to do so, he will have to account for that in the World to Come. xxxish rabbinical schools teach how to live amidst the bustle of commercial activity. xxxs don't retreat from life, we elevate it.

6) J-EWS AND GENTILES

Judaism does not demand that everyone convert to the religion. The Torah of Moses is a truth for all humanity, whether xxxish or not. King Solomon asked God to heed the prayers of non-xxxs who come to the Holy Temple (Kings I 8:41-43). The prophet Isaiah refers to the Temple as a "House for all nations." The Temple service during Sukkot featured 70 bull offerings, corresponding to the 70 nations of the world. The Talmud says that if the Romans would have realized how much benefit they were getting from the Temple, they'd never have destroyed it. xxxs have never actively sought converts to Judaism because the Torah prescribes a righteous path for gentiles to follow, known as the "Seven Laws of Noah." Maimonides explains that any human being who faithfully observes these basic moral laws earns a proper place in heaven.

Source: http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/xxxsandjesus.htm