Jews who became Catholics: some commonalities

[Bible_Reader]

Don’t be ridiculous. Posting on this forum is now an indication of one’s contendeness with their religion???

Valke2 – you can only manage an average of 9 posts a day. I am struggling to get up to an average of 2 and a half posts.

Certainly you must agree that for someone who claims to be uninterested in the message of Christ, posting an average of 31 times a day on a Catholic forum is a sign that she needs something in her life. If you look at the pattern of her posts, she gets on early in the morning and stays here until the evening. We are her community now. I welcome this development and pray she goes all the way.

 

[Valke2]

Valke2 – you can only manage an average of 9 posts a day. I am struggling to get up to an average of 2 and a half posts.

Certainly you must agree that for someone who claims to be uninterested in the message of Christ, posting an average of 31 times a day on a Catholic forum is a sign that she needs something in her life. If you look at the pattern of her posts, she gets on early in the morning and stays here until the evening. We are her community now. I welcome this development and pray she goes all the way.

I’ve yet to meet a poster on this or any other forum that doesn’t need something in their life, imo.

 

[Valke2]

an that’s an average based on two days.

 

[Sepharad]

Did you ever read about Corrie ten Boom?
She was a Dutch Christian who was hiding Jews and ended up in the camps also, no escape for her!

I saw the film, “The Hiding Place” years ago, and in fact, I still own a copy (on VHS tape, its ancient!)

 

[Sepharad]

One could hardly compare the NT to these other ‘false’ books…
If you see something in my post that is screaming to Jews to convert, be sure you let me know…that is not my intention by asking you that question…
Furthermore, the same old tired argument about Catholics leaving the church simply is not true, but if it makes you feel better with that, so be it.

I can, because I don’t believe in any of them. To me, they’re ALL “false”.

 

[Sepharad]

Don’t be ridiculous. Posting on this forum is now an indication of one’s contendeness with their religion??? I agree that you should respond with love and openess as much as possible to all posts. I look forward to seeing it.

I had to put that poster on ignore, because he seemed to be stalking me on this forum. I’m only seeing what he writes if someone quotes him.

What that poster does not know (or forgets) is that I have been a countermissionary in the Jewish community for almost 30 years, and do work in exit counseling as well. Religious polemics is old hat for me; I usually debate with evangelicals, not Catholics, and one reason I stuck around here is because I want to gain more experience debating with Catholics since the last time I did it (before finding this forum) was about 20 years ago.

I have to say that Catholics are a lot easier to debate with than evangelicals…maybe because they are less experienced at it?

 

[Sepharad]

Actually, in addition to this forum reminding me of my time on other religious forums as a debater, being on this forum has really helped me take my mind off the death of my mother a few months ago. I think maybe that’s also why I stuck around…as long as I’m debating issues, I can’t be thinking about the loss of my mother. Its been therapeutic, believe it or not! And for the most part I have enjoyed it.

 

[dessert]

I saw the film, “The Hiding Place” years ago, and in fact, I still own a copy (on VHS tape, its ancient!)

I’m sorry I did not mean to be debating or rude about this. Upon reading about this myself and not wanting to sound like I am confronting you. She is actually honored by the State of Israel.
something I did not know about her myself. Thanks

 

[Sepharad]

I’m sorry I did not mean to be debating or rude about this. Upon reading about this myself and not wanting to sound like I am confronting you. She is actually honored by the State of Israel.
something I did not know about her myself. Thanks

No, I did not take it that way. I really liked that film, and have watched it a number of times. I especially like the way Corrie’s father told off the self-hating Jew in the film, do you remember that part?

 

[dessert]

No, I did not take it that way. I really liked that film, and have watched it a number of times. I especially like the way Corrie’s father told off the self-hating Jew in the film, do you remember that part?

No but now I want to watch it again. I just remember I could not think how anyone could be so cruel.

 

[Sepharad]

I have to post about something that I’ve thought about all weekend.
On Friday, someone here hinted that maybe the reason I hung out here on this forum was because I found a lacking in my own faith. I explained that I am interested in this site due to my 30 years work as a countermissionary and exit counselor, but that also, debating on this site has helped take my mind off the very recent death of my mother.

After I posted that, I received a PM from a Catholic participant in this thread; a Catholic poster whom some have blasted on other threads for supposedly being “not orthodox enough as a Catholic”, “espousing watered-down Catholicism”, and the like…because he believes that good people can go to Heaven whether they are Catholic or not (I hope I stated his exact views correctly!)

Yet…he was the only poster in this thread to send me condolences, and he did it privately, so he was obviously not doing to impress any of you.

I could not help but be reminded of two things Jesus taught. I’m sure you’re familiar with the parable of the Good Samaritan, how the highly-esteemed (and highly religious, doctrinally correct) Kohain (priest) and Levite (also very religious and doctrinally correct) walked right past the man injured in the road, but the lowly Samaritan, the one all religious Jews looked down on as not believing “correctly” from a religious point of view, was the only one to show compassion, and helped the man.

Jesus then said, Which one do you think was neighbor to that man?

Anyone see the dramatic similarity here?

Or what Jesus said about doing your good deeds so that one hand does not know what the other is doing…doing them in secret, and your Father in Heaven, who sees in secret, will reward you (ditto for praying in secret, in your room.)

So if you were to ask me, a Jew, who in this thread has shown the truest example of Christian faith, it would have to be this poster (I don’t want to embarass him so I won’t name him, but you all know who he is!) But certain others, who claim to be devout Catholics, not only have attacked me sometimes without cause, but have tried to single me out for public embarassment due to a situation they do not understand. I don’t see this as fitting with the most basic Christian teaching at all, do you?

I am also reminded of 1 Corinthians 13 (I took this from the NAB, a Catholic Bible, btw):

1 Corinthians
Chapter 13
1
1 If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.
2
And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
3
If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4
3 Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,
5
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
6
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.
7
It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8
4 Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.
9
For we know partially and we prophesy partially,
10
but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
11
When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
12
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
13
5 So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

 

[Cathdefender]

Sepharard, you need to remember that this is a Catholic forum and there will be people as myself defending the Catholic church and Jesus Christ whom you reject as your Messiah. I do not feel people are “attacking” you as you say. They are defending our Catholic faith. It is hard to debate with the believers of Christ with a non-believer. peace.

 

[Sepharad]

Sepharard, you need to remember that this is a Catholic forum and there will be people as myself defending the Catholic church and Jesus Christ whom you reject as your Messiah. I do not feel people are “attacking” you as you say. They are defending our Catholic faith. It is hard to debate with the believers of Christ with a non-believer. peace.

If you truly “knew Jesus”, and truly adhered to everything he taught, you’d be able to debate with anyone and still maintain a peaceful spirit and heart. Because if he truly was God, he would be able to give you a peaceful spirit even in the midst of the hottest debates.

 

[Cathdefender]

If you truly “knew Jesus”, and truly adhered to everything he taught, you’d be able to debate with anyone and still maintain a peaceful spirit and heart. Because if he truly was God, he would be able to give you a peaceful spirit even in the midst of the hottest debates.

He did give me peace, even in the hottest debates. Fact is I am a DEFENDER of the faith, therefore, no matter what I say, you will always take it the wrong way…and yes I truly know Jesus Christ in a way you could never imagine…it is you who must know him…not I.

 

[Sepharad]

He did give me peace, even in the hottest debates. Fact is I am a DEFENDER of the faith, therefore, no matter what I say, you will always take it the wrong way…and yes I truly know Jesus Christ in a way you could never imagine…it is you who must know him…not I.

I think I have a better grasp on what Jesus really taught than many of the people who have attacked me and my faith. But then, much of what he taught he learned from Judaism, so perhaps that’s one reason why.

BTW, why does your faith need “defending” if it is the truth? Does truth need defending?

 

[Cathdefender]

I think I have a better grasp on what Jesus really taught than many of the people who have attacked me and my faith. But then, much of what he taught he learned from Judaism, so perhaps that’s one reason why.

BTW, why does your faith need “defending” if it is the truth? Does truth need defending?

Of course it does because people as yourself, doubt the NT. There are people, and I know you have to be aware of this unless you’ve been living under a rock, who do attack my Catholic church. I cannot and will not let this happen. They have misinterpreted the bible, they have grossly tried to say we are not Christian, that the pope is the anti-Christ, etc. etc…you bet I will defend my faith. It is the same as if I were defending Christ himself.

 

[Bible_Reader]

debating on this site has helped take my mind off the very recent death of my mother.

It is tragic that you cannot find shalom or reach closure in your own faith, but instead must debate Catholics as your mourning ceremony.

 

[Sepharad]

Of course it does because people as yourself, doubt the NT. There are people, and I know you have to be aware of this unless you’ve been living under a rock, who do attack my Catholic church. I cannot and will not let this happen. They have misinterpreted the bible, they have grossly tried to say we are not Christian, that the pope is the anti-Christ, etc. etc…you bet I will defend my faith. It is the same as if I were defending Christ himself.

Defend it all you want, I’m just telling you how it looks to those of us who are not Catholic.

Genuine truth does not need defending.

 

[wanner47]

Defend it all you want, I’m just telling you how it looks to those of us who are not Catholic.

Genuine truth does not need defending.

So Judaism doesn’t need defending?

By that logic, Jews have *never *been persecuted. Is that what you’re saying?

 

[Sepharad]

So Judaism doesn’t need defending?

By that logic, Jews have *never *been persecuted. Is that what you’re saying?

You are confusing Jews (a people) and Judaism (the religion of a people).

Normally I would not care what nonJews thought of Judaism (the religion)…but because so often, some of their erroneous beliefs about Judaism (the religion) has led to violence against Jews (the people), I will speak out to correct mistaken ideas.