How can Jews not believe?

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Theologically, Catholicism, Islam, Druzism, Bahais, and I think Jews believe they worship the same god. This is theologically. The attitudes of adherents is a different matter, often conflicting with established teaching as when Catholics deny Muslims worship God when the Catechism clearly states that they do.
 
It is more complex. Let’s say there are three components to Jewish identity: cultural, religious, ethnic. These components often don’t overlap.
For example somebody from Japan can convert, become Jewish and share in the cultural and religious aspects of Judaism.
Somebody else can be atheist born from a Jewish family without recent mixed marriages or conversions in the family tree; s/he could still identify as Jewish culturally (celebrate in a secular way the holidays, read certain authors, value the concept of tikkun olam etc.) and ethnically.
An other one can be born in a Jewish family, embrace an other culture and religion (for example if adopted by an other family) but still carry genetic characteristic that will identify the person as ethnically Jewish (think about testing Ashkenazi in 23andme and/or being carrier for genetic mutations very high in Ashkenazi populations).
 
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To be fair, us Christians have been waiting 2,000 years for Jesus to return. I don’t think a lack of immediate coming necessitates falsehood. If so, we would have some questions to answer as well!

We must also remember that the Early Christians were Jewish. They viewed themselves as a sect of Jews. They went to Synagogue. They practiced Jewish customs. It wasn’t until they were cast out from their communities that Christianity became distinct from Judaism.

If we are being absolutely honest, Jesus as Messiah did not fit the Jewish conception as perceived. The Messiah was interpreted to be a military king who could not die but would overtake the world for Israel. Jesus was a poor carpenter who was crucified. His death would have disqualified Him to be a Messiah. That’s why it is incredible for Christianity to have even spread (not to mention the first witnesses to the Resurrection were female!).

If we apply the common conception of Messiah to Jesus, we would see the differences. Jesus was poor. Jesus died. Israel isn’t the world power. Because of these differences, it makes sense that some don’t follow Jesus. He didn’t match what the Messiah was thought to be. But for us, we see that He was and is the Messiah. Jesus was patient with His Apostles when they didn’t see this. We must be patient with our Jewish friends as well.
 
meltzerboy2 said:
about the absolute unity of G-d, I have no doubt.
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This is a major point of difference. Catholics believe in the Trinity. Jews believe that God is One and reject the idea of a Trinitarian God. There are other points of difference in how to interpret some of what Jesus said. Catholics interpret one way, Jews may interpret it differently and as such will not accept it.

Luke 14: 26 Jesus recommends to hate your father, mother, wife and children. Jewish teaching is to love them.
John 8: 44 The devil is the father of the Jews. Jews believe that they have been chosen by God to preserve monotheism. God is their Father, not the devil.
Matthew 27: 25 Let his blood be upon us and our children. Why should the Jews of today be responsible for what happened 2000 years ago? Are Catholics of today responsible for the concentration camps at Jasenovac where Serbian Orthodox were tortured and murdered under the eye of a Catholic clergyman Miroslav Filipovac, the commandant of the camp? Or are Catholics of today responsible for the looting and raping that took place against the Greek Orthodox in the Fourth Crusade?
Matthew 10: 34 Jesus did not come to bring peace, but to bring a sword. Jews may look for a Messiah who will bring peace to the world.
Matthew 27: 46 can be puzzling to a person who is trying to believe in the divinity of Jesus.
Matthew 18: 9 Matthew 5: 29. If your eye causes you to sin, then pluck it out.
Matthew 5: 30 If your hand causes you to sin, then cut it off.
Jewish teaching would oppose cutting off part of your body such as the hand or the eye.
Generally speaking, I think that the Messiah of the Jews was not supposed to be divine, but only a human.
 
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imo said:
I mean, after 2,000 years, in their view, no prophets, no messiah, no temple… I can’t imagine how they just can’t see! Aren’t they just a little bit concerned that maybe just maybe Jesus was the one and they made a gigantic mistake ignoring him? It must at least bugs a little bit some Jews…
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Lots of Jews convert to Christianity all the time. So does everybody else from all sorts of backgrounds.

As far as reasons for why people don’t decide to convert, we should always look within because our own deplorable qualities are obstacles for others. Christianity is fractured among Catholics and Orthodox and protestants, and this weakens its appeal and authority. We also regularly sin and do things that are not charitable or wise or compassionate, and this also weakens our appeal and authority.

The most immediate things we can do to help ourselves and other people are:
  • Regular prayer for virtue and deeper conversion
  • Participation in the sacraments
  • Prayers for dead
  • Corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, visiting prisoners and the weary, instruction, nourishment, encouragement, and listening.
  • Self-mortification, such as fasting, is also good because denial of lawful pleasures increases our self-control and keeps us from taking good things for granted.
Peace.
 
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Ok so I guess the prophets were wrong about the reasons for the exiles. It was just a reason they gave to a large event. You’re not thinking with a divine mindset, you’re thinking with a secular one. In the history of our religions the destruction of the Temple has major apocalyptic (I mean revelatory in the Greek sense) implications. Jesus prophesied about it in the Olivet Discourse. For the early Church Fathers this was a sign that God punished the Jews for rejecting their own Messiah. It marked the end of the Law and the reign of the Gospel, the ushering in of Messianic hopes which continue and have continued. I don’t believe this means an end to the Jewish people because in the end you will be ushered back into Israel, that is, the remnant of Jacob.
 
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imo said:
I mean, after 2,000 years, in their view, no prophets, no messiah, no temple… I can’t imagine how they just can’t see! Aren’t they just a little bit concerned that maybe just maybe Jesus was the one and they made a gigantic mistake ignoring him? It must at least bugs a little bit some Jews…
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Well, Christians have been waiting for 2000 years as well without much of a peep from their God.

How do you deal with it? Therein would likely lay the answer to your question.
 
AlNg said:
Luke 14: 26 Jesus recommends to hate your father, mother, wife and children. Jewish teaching is to love them.
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Jesus didn’t mean to literally “Hate” your family. If he did we would not also have a commandment about “honor your father and mother” and other Bible sections about caring for children and becoming like children, much less the whole model of the Holy Family. I notice the priest always spends homily time explaining this verse whenever it comes up in the readings because I suppose some people take it literally like you just did.

Also with respect to “God is one”, Catholics also believe in ONE God. Three persons but ONE God.

I have no problem praying the Shema prayer.
 
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imo said:
If you look at the link, there were 2 designers and one of them revealed the religious symbolism. Isn’t it enough?

Also: Arsène Heitz (27 March 1908 – 1989) was a German-French draughtsman, born in Strasbourg, who worked at the Council of Europe. He is the co-author of the Flag of Europe (in collaboration with Paul M. G. Lévy).
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This ranks up there with saying that if a non-Christian uses American money which has “In God We Trust” on it then that person in their heart believes in the Christian god.
 
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imo said:
I can’t imagine how they just can’t see!
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LOL - don’t you think every religion can say the same? How can non-Muslims not see the truth of Mohammed? How can non-Buddhists not see the Three Universal Truths? And so on, and so on?
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Jesus didn’t mean to literally “Hate” your family.
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I would add that in that Bible passage the idiomatic expression does not mean ‘hate’ but ‘love less’. The same expression occurs elsewhere in the Bible, like when Leah was ‘hated’ by Jacob and God made Rachel barren for a time.
 
Blimp said:
Ascension =/= Resurrection. The conversion of Paul took place after Resurrection of Our Lord and before His Ascension.
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Paul’s conversion was long after the Ascension. How long is not clear, but probably years.
 
I’ve always had a fascination with Judaism. I also know that Jews are our older brothers and sisters in the Faith; so they deserve respect.

I’m thinking that the Jews rejected Jesus because He didn’t fit their concept of a Messiah. If I’m not mistaken, they expected a king that would restore the Davidic kingdom and kick out the Romans.

I don’t know if the other expectations were there: That he’d know the correct pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton and he’d usher in the the World To Come; for instance.
 
There is a Jewish sect that accepts Jesus as their savior.

Messianic Judaism is a modern religious movement that combines Christianity—most importantly, the belief that Jesus is the Jewish messiah—with elements of Judaism and Jewish tradition. It emerged in the 1960s and 1970s
 
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imo said:
I mean, after 2,000 years, in their view, no prophets, no messiah, no temple… I can’t imagine how they just can’t see! Aren’t they just a little bit concerned that maybe just maybe Jesus was the one and they made a gigantic mistake ignoring him? It must at least bugs a little bit some Jews…
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Bar Kochba was declared the Messiah by some, after the rebellion.
St Paul no doubt asked the same question, why don’t all Jewish people believe.
The Temple was destroyed twice, and viewed as punishment by God. It is said it will be rebuilt again one day.
There was a very early jewish martyr who was flayed alive, in the second or third century AD. He died with the Shema on his lips.
 
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