Can a Jew be a Christian and still be a Jew?

[Ned]

I ask this question because I was listening to a talk show where the guest is a Jew who had become to believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. He still considered himself a Jew. But what really got me was his telling of a tale from his youth. He said that he once asked his Rabbi whether Jesus was a Jew. The Rabbi said yes. He also said that Jesus was considered to be a reformer and perhaps even a Prophet. But that the Rabbi never wanted to talk about Jesus again.

Now I understand why Jews do not want to talk about Jesus Christ. It is widely assumed that the basis of Western anti-Semitism is Christianity.

But this still begs the question: If Jews who believe in Jesus Christ as a Prophet continue to be Jews, do they become non Jews if they go one step farther and believe that Jesus was the Messiah? Or do they become non Jews if they believe he was the Son of God?

Again, I thought that the meaning of being a Jew primarily was the same as being Irish or German or French. Doesn't the concept of being a Jew mean that one is a descendant of Jews - tracing all the way back to ancient Israel? Accepting such a definition, it seems irrelevant to being Jewish whether a Jew believes in Jesus Christ.

[Sava]

The basis of Western anti-semitism is ignorance.

Being Jewish has little to do with your ancestry. Sure, the vast majority of Jews can probably trace back to long lines of Jewish heritage, but there are large numbers of Jews in Africa that did not come (originally) from Israel. It's about faith. I'm not Jewish, so I can't speak from experience, but AFAIK, "Jewish" isn't exactly a race.

But to answer the question... no... Jews don't believe Jesus was the Messiah. The polar opposite of your scenario would be a Christian that doesn't believe in Jesus... or a Muslim who doesn't believe Mohammed was a prophet

Where's panag when you need him.

[Mordoch]

At best you could argue he is a Jewish by ethnicity, but he is either a Christian or some other non-Jewish group religiously. The key division between Christianity and Judaism is whether you believe Jesus was the Messiah or not, and if you cross that line you are no longer a Jew regardless of the other aspects of your religious beliefs.

[Elok]

He's up at the Sleague giving me crap for insufficient research, that's where he is. Go up and drag him down.
Anyway, since I am the first person to respond to this thread who does not classify religions as different forms of mental illness, the reason for Messianic Jews, as they typically call themselves, is a respect for Christ combined with an unwillingness to give up Jewish tradition in the form of switching sabbaths, celebrating easter instead of passover, abandoning circumcision, etc., which the Christian churches insisted on from the early years. They want to believe, but at the same time they don't want to abandon their identities. Know what I mean?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Funny I always thought a Jew was someone who followed Judaism, regardless of nationality, ancestry, or heritage.

In that sense, I would assume a person following Judaism and now converting to Christianity would no longer be a Jew.

[Jon Miller]

a number of different christians keep the Sabbath

Jon Miller

[GePap]

Well, at first glance, if you can have aethist Jews, whjy not Christian Jews? 9though this assumes Jews to be purely a national group that can be distinguished to some extent from religion). Of course, you do have "Jews for Jesus", which may be along the lines of this question: maybe you should look up their website.

Personally, I don;t know how it would work.One question is, do you still have to follow the Law, which Christians no longer do. The other thing is that the Messiah is a man, perhaps with devine backing but NOT devine. I doubt you can believe in the Trinity and still consider yourself a Jew following the law, including no God other than the true God.

[Jon Miller]

I beleive to be a jew your mother has to be jewish

Jon Miller

[Berzerker]

Apparently all it takes to be a Jew is a bloodline through the mother, so it's not a religious thing. Jews can be of any religion or none at all...

[Elok]

Well, are we talking about the Jewish religion or the Jewish faith? They're related but different things.

[Lancer]

Sure, why not? Jews for Jesus, a religion in Israel. Anyway, if Jews accept Jesus as the Son, they're just accepting another Jew. If they all do it, I'll become a Gentile for Jesus, just for fun.

[Mordoch]

Originally posted by Lancer
Sure, why not? Jews for Jesus, a religion in Israel. Anyway, if Jews accept Jesus as the Son, they're just accepting another Jew. If they all do it, I'll become a Gentile for Jesus, just for fun.

NO!!! Whether Jesus can be considered a Jew for the duration of his life is a question, but if you view him as the Messiah or an object of worship, you are no longer a Jew. Christians for Mohammed would be equally as stupid. Note, while Jews for Jesus is not banned in Israel due to the religious freedoms the country does grant, it certainly is viewed extremely poorly by the general population.

[JCG]

They're in some sort of grey area, I think...Not fully accepted by/in touch with most Christians (preachers/evangelists are another matter), and distrusted by other Jews...

[Ned]

Originally posted by Elok
He's up at the Sleague giving me crap for insufficient research, that's where he is. Go up and drag him down.
Anyway, since I am the first person to respond to this thread who does not classify religions as different forms of mental illness, the reason for Messianic Jews, as they typically call themselves, is a respect for Christ combined with an unwillingness to give up Jewish tradition in the form of switching sabbaths, celebrating easter instead of passover, abandoning circumcision, etc., which the Christian churches insisted on from the early years. They want to believe, but at the same time they don't want to abandon their identities. Know what I mean?

I had no idea that Christianity said that one should not celebrate Passover. Catholics do not celebrate Passover, but to I was not aware of a prohibition on its celebration by Christians.

As to circumcision, what do you mean, "abandoning" circumcision? I am circumcized and I am Catholic.

[TheStinger]

Yes but the catholic faith doesn't insist on circumcsion.

Christanity specificaly ignores all of the Moses laws. Stuff about stonning evil goats for adultery and things like that