85% of Israelis are Atheists?

[ralphinal]

It is not Christian thought, but it is Jewish thought (in some circles, anyway), that it is more important that you follow the rituals and rules than what you actually beleive. A person born Jewish who keeps the Law is an observant Jew, even if he does not have faith in God. Likewise, a person with a deep faith who does not keep the Law is not an observant Jew.

It is very possible that the 44% secular and the 12% traditionally observent may represent a majority of Jews with limited Faith in God.

 

[Lev23]

From that survey,

trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol9No2/insert/secular%20jewish%20israeli%20identity.htm

I think Fr. Mitch Pacwa was maybe referring to “secular”, but the fact that 96.5 percent reject Jesus as the Messiah is proof that modern Isreal is NOT a fulfillment of prophecy because if it were such, there would be 100 percent Christians there.

Well isn’t that convenient? Is this all we have to do is throw our silly numbers around concerning Israel to deny that they are any signifigance to the prophecy?

This isn’t 34 AD anymore people. The Jews have been dispersed from their land for 1900 years. They have been chased around, accused of everything horrible, murdered by the world and religions more than any other people. Now that they are coming back, scoffers scoff at their rejection of Christ and their Athieism.

Why do you think many in Israel, who never picked up a NT, or the OT for that matter, reject Christ? Maybe its long history of persecution by Churches of various stripes throughout the years.

Why are many of them athiestic? Maybe it is because they are tired of religous leaders who keep the door of heaven shut on them. Maybe its also because when dispersed in the world, the only comfort they found was in worldy things.

Really, I would like to hear from anyone why these numbers are so high and why their thick shell, which they aquired from dispersion, is a reason to write them off as prophetically unimportant and totally incapable of coming to Jesus Christ.

 

[Allnamesused]

I’m thinking that it wouldn’t surprise me, given the difficult history of Jews as a culture and the extremely turbulent ancient and modern history of Israel as a nation, if a lot of Israelis no longer believed in God.

I’m not sure about the 85% figure though. Father Pacwa is more of an expert than I am, but I’d want to know his sources on that one.

I’ll admit I’m surprised by how high that number is; however not shocked. After all, Isrealis are amoung the best educated humans on the planet. Statistics have showed time and time again that the thing most atheist have in common are a good education and a high IQ.