Catholics (and other Christians) converting to Judaism

[Salvatore123]

At the outset, I intend NO disrespect to Judaism. I pose this only because I have often wondered about it and (yes, I admit reading “gossip” on occasion) recently reading that Donald Trump’s daughter converted from Catholicism to Judaism prompted me to finally post this:

Assuming a non-Jew converts to Judaism (meaning: Jews who do NOT believe Jesus Christ was the Messiah), does a person, such as a Catholic, suddenly stop believe Jesus was the Messiah?

I can “follow” the conversion from Judaism to a branch of Christianity, whereby the person finally believes that Jesus was the Messiah.

What I cannot understand is how does a person suddenly stop believing Christ was the Messiah, yet believes the tenets of the religion Christ was born into - Judaism.

Again - just curious . . .

 

[GEddie]

I don’t personally know anyone who has done this, although I have known of persons who did it in order to marry someone who was Jewish.

However, I can envision someone becoming “disconvinced” of our LORD’s Messiahship relative to Judaism, based on modern Jewish interpretations of the Messiah. I can also imagine that, if someone became disconvinced of our LORD’s Divinity in the Trinity, they might accept the Jewish interpretation. Judaism does not hold that Messiah will be divine, but only a normal human being.

Ultimately, faith is a spiritual gift. If someone does not have it, they can be convinced of anything.

ICXC NIKA!

 

[stuart12]

You must remember that the Judaism of today is not the same religion as the one at the time of our Lord on earth. No priesthood, no temple, no sacrificies. Even that dispensation was a shadow, so what is the Judaism of today?

Coverting from Christianity to ‘Judaism’ would be more than a backward step. From salvation to a indefinite ‘hope’.

 

[The_Old_Medic]

If a person was to convert to any branch of Judaism, they would have to believe that the Messiah had not yet come.

I do know of two people (one Catholic, one Pentacostal) who did this. Both became Orthodox Jews, and they firmly believe that Jesus intended to reform Judaism, not to start a totally different religion, with some radically different beliefs. Both were males, who had to be ritually circumsized (they had already been though the surgery as infants, so a tiny ritual cut was made). They follow Kosher law, they wear talluses (prayer shawls), they keep their heads covered at all times (except when bathing), etc.

(And yes, Christians do have some radically different beliefs from Judaism. Number one is a Triune God, which the Jews totally and completely reject.)

The Jews do NOT encourage conversion by the way, and in the Orthodox and Conservative branches, they make the process very long and difficult to complete. If you want to convert, they want to be absolutely certain you know what you are getting into, and that you will stick to it. About 90% of their conversions are when a Gentile marries a Jew.