And there is compelling, intelligent reasons why the Jews do not believe that the Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus. I have been exploring Judaism for sometime, figuring that since Christianity proceeded from Judaism that perhaps a stable belief in G-d will be found there. Afterall, the Hebrew scriptures came first. It has not been an easy journey.
At times I wonder if I'm doing the wrong thing. I liked very much the idea of Jesus being my Savior, as it gave me comfort to know someone died for me so that I could go to heaven. But I am learning some fascinating things from Judaism that suggests that the Messiah could not have come yet.
Hey don't worry Dondi.
As Dauer says, "it's what you make of it." As Dauer has said about Judaism and Catholicism, I think I would say the same about Christianity. "Jesus being a Savior" has more to do with semantics than a definition. What is a Saviour? That statement is open to interpretation. It's just that we assume it means one thing and not something else. For much of Christianity's history, ambiguities are condemned. Certainties are applauded.
Jews may be seen as realists in this regard. When Dauer says, "Judaism is what you make of it," he's talking about an approach to Judaism, rather than defining doctrine in Judaism (that's at least how I see it), though you may argue that that in itself is a doctrine. A doctrine about how to approach doctrine. A meta-doctrine? It may be that Jews have spent more time thinking about how to approach their faith rather than just trying to define it. Christianity, at present, hasn't been through this stage of evolution.
I've been through quite a journey myself. My views about Christianity have changed a lot too. I wouldn't really be fussed if you went to the extreme and discarded and dumped Christianity, though I doubt if you'd do it completely (from my impression). Even if you did, you'd probably still want to get to the bottom of things and figure out why Christianity happened in the first place. But most importantly, from the thoughts I've had in the last year or so, strong adherence to the concepts in Christianity may not be important after all. The important thing are the goals of Christianity.
My thoughts would be that even if Christianity wasn't essential it isn't necessarily pointless, but merely a faith formed to provide us with valuable insights, insights that when known and understood, prove useful, but may otherwise be unknown without dire consequences. Christianity has its place, but it is only to be invoked in times and places that are appropriate.
. . . and who knows . . . Christianity could well have been a form of "Judaism" that, 2,000 years ago was validly and legitimately a kind of "Judaism," but simply went astray because people forgot its real purpose, resulting in the Christianity we know today. In a sense it may have lost its applicability due to the fact that the cultural conditions inspiring its conception have long gone, meaning that it is no longer valid for us today, or to please some, I would say the interpretations of the present teachers/preachers aren't accurate.
But I suppose that just means it's all the more important to get into studying Judaism . . . perhaps more so than Christianity.
I don't believe Jesus ever wanted to make us slaves to religious dogma, and I think if he were here today, he'd be against the way many of us have approached Christianity. Dismissing Christianity and getting into Judaism may even be a good thing . . . perhaps even fulfilling Christianity's original goals.
Christianity is puzzle that I believe few of us will ever figure out, so it's probably more important for you to get into Judaism and figure out what that faith all means, become a Noahide, and perhaps eventually, maybe when your hair is all grey you might have some time left to figure why Christianity really sprang into existence.
Dauer's advice that we are to "make of it what we will" is perhaps indicative that Jews are a lot more independent in figuring out what the Bible/Tanakh (hope I got that right) means and says, more at liberty and are perhaps a bit more intellectual too.
I suppose there's a downside to a "make of it what we will" attitude, as I recall either a thread or website talking about what it means to be a Jew. I think, if I remember correctly, the question was, is it heritage or "I just want to be a Jew?" (and one could ask, how could one come up with a more #@^$^$$@# response than that?
) But as I said, the good thing is that Jews are a lot more flexible in the way they use their minds. They are God's creation and they are exercising their minds' full potential, perhaps more so than followers of other Abrahamic faiths.
The other side of "make of it what we will" is that it's all about perception. Could Christianity just have been an "illusion"? By illusion I do not mean, "lie", "false concept" or "heresy" but something that we perceive. Think of Christianity as like a cloud that hides something. Suppose you walk through the cloud and on the other end you find . . . Judaism? In other words, could it be that Christianity never meant for us to seek after itself, but another? . . . and therefore safely discarded?
But anyway . . . as I said, if you can't understand it, don't worry about it. God is unlikely to be angry at someone for not understanding a section of Scripture if they have tried with all the heart and mind to comprehend but it doesn't make sense. I personally would say it's ok to pass Christianity off for someone else to understand, that we don't have to do it if we can't do it. Of course, someone will do the dirty work, and you may revisit it later on because of your "insider's perspective" or affiliation with the in-group. But for now . . . move on. Let it go.
Whether the Messiah (or Moshiach, correct me if I got that wrong) came before or after, I would say, doesn't matter anymore. We missed the point. We misunderstood what it all meant. Whether or not it is all true doesn't matter now. Forget the past. We screwed up. We made a mistake, missed the mark, and therefore "sinned" and so, even if he did come, we have to wait for him again. Let's look forward . . . into the future.
It may sound like I'm saying it didn't happen, which wouldn't be politically correct from a Christian perspective, but I think it's more important to recognise that Christianity has a legacy, in much the same way that Judaism has a legacy. We have to pursue the legacy that's more meaningful.
For now, dare I say it, Judaism is the truth . . .
