Can I practice Judaism while remaining largely Catholic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robert_Sock
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
If you practice Judaism as a Catholic you are rejecting the Church and would be in a state of mortal sin and committing heresy.
Therefore to answer your other question God would NOT approve.
How would I be rejecting the Church by applying aspects of Judaism? Did the Church ever say that dabbing in Judaism is sinful? If we agree that they are God’s chosen people, and that they will be saved, sounds worthwhile to emulate some of their practices such as eating kosher?
 
How would I be rejecting the Church by applying aspects of Judaism? Did the Church ever say that dabbing in Judaism is sinful? If we agree that they are God’s chosen people, and that they will be saved, sounds worthwhile to emulate some of their practices such as eating kosher?
You have gone through this topic in other threads you started when you were even specific about Church teachings you did not think were correct but you preferred what Judasim taught instead.
You cannot be both!!
 
How would I be rejecting the Church by applying aspects of Judaism? Did the Church ever say that dabbing in Judaism is sinful? If we agree that they are God’s chosen people, and that they will be saved, sounds worthwhile to emulate some of their practices such as eating kosher?
Again, no, that’s not a reasonable angle, if you’re doing it because you want to approach salvation through observances of the Mosaic law. Paul’s really clear on that point in his letters.

If you’re doing it because you respect the Jewish roots of Christianity, great. If you’re doing it out of respect of our Jewish brothers & sisters, great. If you’re doing it 'cause you really dig Jewish food, great. But not if you’re attempting to make a connection with salvation through the prescripts of the Mosaic law.
 
I’m aware of the contradictions that would result if I became a fully fledged Jew, for example, whether Christ was the Messiah, but I seem perfectly able to put these contradictions aside while fully worshiping God. I often feel 49% Jewish and 51% Catholic. Am I sinning, or would God approve such an endeavor?
You might be interested in these folks. jewsforjesus.org/about-jews-for-jesus/who-we-are/statementoffaith

I know some of these folks and they are good Christians but maintain their Jewish culture and identity too. You might find peace with them. And you can discuss those thorny issues you brought up with them.
 
Again, no, that’s not a reasonable angle, if you’re doing it because you want to approach salvation through observances of the Mosaic law. Paul’s really clear on that point in his letters.

If you’re doing it because you respect the Jewish roots of Christianity, great. If you’re doing it out of respect of our Jewish brothers & sisters, great. If you’re doing it 'cause you really dig Jewish food, great. But not if you’re attempting to make a connection with salvation through the prescripts of the Mosaic law.
I let the differences between Catholicism and Judaism slide… I make notes of the differences, and from the right angle, sometimes the differences disappear; Judaism can be 100% correct at the same time Catholicism is 100% correct. Different paths, yes, but the same destination.
 
I let the differences between Catholicism and Judaism slide
Hmm. Judaism says “we await the Messiah”, and Catholicism says “Jesus is the Messiah.” Judaism says “it is necessary to obey the prescriptions of the Mosaic covenant” and Catholicism says “Gentiles are not required to obey the prescriptions of the Mosaic covenant”. How can these differences slide by?
I make notes of the differences, and from the right angle, sometimes the differences disappear
from some angles? sure. That doesn’t mean that perception – from any arbitrary angle – is accurate and comprehensive. After all, from some angles, the Washington Monument looks like a flat rectangle or a flat square; does that mean that it isn’t an obelisk? Of course not: from some angles, we can mis-perceive the truth.
Judaism can be 100% correct at the same time Catholicism is 100% correct.
So, Judaism can be 100% correct when it says “the Messiah has not arrived”? It can be correct when it says “you must obey all the commands of the Mosaic law”?
Different paths, yes, but the same destination.
Hmm… this sounds more like ‘syncretism’.

There is one path to salvation: Jesus. Those who realize that this is true, the Church says, cannot choose any other path leads to salvation. For those who believe in Christ, they cannot place their hope in any other means of salvation. 🤷
 
I’m aware of the contradictions that would result if I became a fully fledged Jew, for example, whether Christ was the Messiah, but I seem perfectly able to put these contradictions aside while fully worshiping God. I often feel 49% Jewish and 51% Catholic. Am I sinning, or would God approve such an endeavor?
I have never practiced the Jewish religion and of mixed ethnic/racial background. That said, I have matrilineal Jewish heritage so very much consider myself a Jew. I do know the Bible pretty well, and from Genesis onwards, I can see the Eucharist foreshadowed. Being Catholic doesn’t mean being less Jewish, it means being Jewish in its fullest sense.
 
I let the differences between Catholicism and Judaism slide… I make notes of the differences, and from the right angle, sometimes the differences disappear; Judaism can be 100% correct at the same time Catholicism is 100% correct. Different paths, yes, but the same destination.
Absolutely WRONG!!
 
Judaism can be 100% correct at the same time Catholicism is 100% correct.
This is obviously not correct, from a purely logical point of view. If this were the case, Judaism and Christianity, Catholicism to be specific, wouldn’t be different religions. 🤷
Different paths, yes, but the same destination.
That Jews can be saved (and in my humble opinion, which is not to be understood as a teaching of the Church, most people of any religion or even without a faith system stand a good chance of obtaining eternal salvation), I do not doubt for a second; but it needs to be understood that any person, Catholic or not, will obtain salvation, if they do, through Jesus Christ, whether they understood Him as the Son of God, a prophet, simply a mere man with virtuous teachings, or even if they didn’t believe He existed. 🤷
 
In the eyes of God, and in their destination, they are both equal. Christianity is an extension of Judaism to the Gentiles.
That every person that has walked the face of the planet is equally valuable to God, that they’re a creature of God made in His image and likeness and that God wants to be with everyone for all of eternity, regardless of religion, no-one denies. That’s true.

But what I’d ask is the way a person of any religion would end up achieving eternal salvation, again, regardless of what faith they professed during their earthy life. Jesus makes this very clear. John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”
 
That every person that has walked the face of the planet is equally valuable to God, that they’re a creature of God made in His image and likeness and that God wants to be with everyone for all of eternity, regardless of religion, no-one denies. That’s true.

But what I’d ask is the way a person of any religion would end up achieving eternal salvation, again, regardless of what faith they professed during their earthy life. Jesus makes this very clear. John 14:6, "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me."
If a Jew carries their cross, and they all do, then why would Christ not be there with him/her?
 
If a Jew carries their cross, and they all do, then why would Christ not be there with him/her?
He most definitely would, even if the person doesn’t realize it – that’s the point. Obviously as a Jew, they may not believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Lord. What a person believes and that Jesus walks with them, even if they don’t realize it, are two different things. What I was discussing before was that the truths taught by Judaism and by Catholicism, that are obviously not in agreement. That doesn’t mean the Jew won’t get saved; and by that same token, by the way, it doesn’t mean that the Catholic will. 🙂
 
If a Jew carries their cross, and they all do, then why would Christ not be there with him/her?
Because they do not believe in the one who has been sent by the Father. I challenge you to find a single verse in the New Testament suggesting that a Jew can be saved without accepting Christ. Yes, implicit belief yada yada, it’s a VERY THIN SLICE of hope, generally speaking. There is plenty out there, even on this site, discussing this. Making a sweeping statement about the Jews going to Heaven just because they’re Jewish has absolutely no foundation in our soteriological tradition.

It seems that you simply have been swayed by religious novelty. This is a vanity.
 
In the eyes of God, and in their destination, they are both equal.
Absolutely! Without a doubt, this is not only true, but also is affirmed by the teachings of the Catholic Church!

However, you’re not talking about destination, you’re talking about path.

The Catholic Church would say, I think, that destination matters, if you know that Christ is the only means by which we attain to heaven.
Christianity is an extension of Judaism to the Gentiles.
No, it isn’t. Christianity is an expression of the truth – a truth that was first expressed (if imperfectly or, at least, not in its fullness) to the Jews and then later to both Jews and Gentiles in its fullness…
 
However, you’re not talking about destination, you’re talking about path.
I guess my question would be at this point: What is so wrong with the Jewish “path”?

If a Jew is serious about his faith, he will be praying intensely 3 times a day for many hours, observing the Sabbath, keeping the feast days as commanded in the Torah.

And more - daily reading of the Tehillim (Book of Psalms), study of the Oral Law (Mishnah) and Talmud (commentary on the Mishnah), not to mention learning Hebrew and Aramaic, wrapping tefillin daily, carefully following the laws of kashrut (kosher), and so on. Laws about family purity, laws about specific prayers for certain times of the day and throughout the year, etc.

The life of a devout religious Jew involves intricate daily details about every facet of life, including work, marriage, family, etc. It’s not an easy path. In fact, if taken seriously, it is a very demanding, all-consuming, complicated, and even arduous path requiring a full lifetime of devotion and study.

A devout Catholic will engage in a similarly religious path, albeit different. Daily Mass, rosary, reading the Divine Office, weekly confession, etc.

Is it really our place to point fingers at another faith and say that their “path” isn’t worthy? Is that really being charitable?

Do we really think Christ would point the finger at a devout religious Jew observing the Torah to the best of their ability and refuse salvation? Is it really our place to call out a devout, prayerful, spiritual Jew as a “lost sheep” needing salvation?

My point is that I think we do ourselves a real disservice when we point fingers and make blanket statements about who deserves salvation. I am all for promoting Catholicism - don’t get me wrong. The issue I have is when we start to become decision-makers about others, when those decisions are not ours. Should we pray for others? Yes. Should we guide others to the faith? Absolutely. But condemnation and pointing fingers at others doesn’t win others to our cause.
 
My point is that I think we do ourselves a real disservice when we point fingers and make blanket statements about who deserves salvation. I am all for promoting Catholicism - don’t get me wrong. The issue I have is when we start to become decision-makers about others, when those decisions are not ours. Should we pray for others? Yes. Should we guide others to the faith? Absolutely. But condemnation and pointing fingers at others doesn’t win others to our cause.
Right. You’ll notice this is precisely what I was addressing; that Catholicism contains the fullness of the Truth doesn’t automatically mean everyone else isn’t saved, or deserves not to be. 🤷
 
In the eyes of God, and in their destination, they are both equal. Christianity is an extension of Judaism to the Gentiles.
How do you think the book, Imitation of Christ, would address this issue? I don’t think it even brings it up. If it would help Christian prayer and practice, don’t you think it would have mentioned it? At least a little?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top