Looking for fellow Jewish converts who are now Traditional Catholics

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Historically, “Messianic Jews” used to be known as Hebrew Christians, until they decided to remove the “Christian” part of their name bc they realized it was a turn off to most Jews. Hebrew Christians began as a project of Baptist and Presbyterian missions to the Jews.
 
Maybe, I don’t remember. I do remember the other convert also compared Conservative and Reform Judaism to a social club, and talked about the reinvention of the Masoretic Hebrew text. Anyhow, AnnetteJoan says she is not that person.
 
Many people see reform/conservative/reconstruction as being devoid of true spirituality, I’m certainly not the only person to do so, lol
 
exnihilo said:
Babies are supposed to be in Mass. Mass is for the whole family. The most traditional priest I know closed the cry room and welcomed babies. I’m not saying I like screaming babies or that sometimes stepping outside isn’t a good idea. But when I hear crying I try to think of how wonderful it is that a family is at Mass and that children are being raised in the Faith.
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I’m pretty sure it was historian Kenneth Clark who noted that Catholic churches are (in their artwork) “full of women and babies” unlike most protestant churches, Muslim mosques and Jewish synagogues that are, he said “extremely masculine, plain and severe”.

And if one pays attention, it’s true. But it’s true in the congregation as well. Men, women, babies, all are in the same pews. All participate in the same way (except the babies, of course).

I remember with fondness my grandfather who always carried a few candies in his coat pocket when he went to Mass, just in case there was an errant little kid lurking where he didn’t belong. My grandfather would give the kid a piece of candy and then return him/her to his/her parents. Of course, he was Italian, and they’re like that.
 
AnnetteJoan said:
Historically, “Messianic Jews” used to be known as Hebrew Christians, until they decided to remove the “Christian” part of their name bc they realized it was a turn off to most Jews. Hebrew Christians began as a project of Baptist and Presbyterian missions to the Jews.
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Do you mean the name “Hebrew Christians?” The term? Because the first Messianic Jews were the apostles.

Here’s something of their history.


I still identify as a Jewish person even though I was baptized in the Roman Catholic church. I am Jewish. Nothing can change that.

You are certainly entitled to your own opinion, as we all are, but I don’t think Judaism is “dead” spiritually. I find it’s very alive spiritually. Very deep. Catholicism seems more “dead” to me with rote responses from so many (not all) and people who attend mass simply because they feel they “have to” (again, not all).
 
“Hebrew Christian” was a term developed by protestant missions to the Jews in the early 1900s. It was the term used by Jewish converts to protestant sects (usually Baptist and Presbyterian) and then the term “messianic Jews” evolved because they recognized that the term “Christian” being there turned many Jews off from conversion.

The first believers in Jesus were called “Christians” as a term of derision. The term “messianic Jews” is a modern invention, although technically the first Jewish Christians could have been called that, Modern “messianic Jews” tend to be protestant (usually pentecostal) in theology, which to most people would mean they are protestants of Jewish heritage and possibly some practice.

I think you misunderstood what I meant about modern (post Second Temple) Judaism being a “dead” religion. I did not mean it is boring, etc though I did find it to be that. I meant it no longer has any theological purpose, since Christ is a fulfillment of the Law. Judaism was the true religion only until the Messiah came. Once He came, the Jewish religion ceased to be of any true spiritual meaning. Please study Galatians 3:24 as well as the rest of the NT to see what I mean. If Judaism is still a religion that can lead us to salvation, then Christ died in vain, God forbid.
 
I have an MA in Theology from a Roman Catholic college. I know the Bible and the history of various religions.

I accept that you feel the way you do. That’s your right. I find Judaism filled with spirituality, but even though I do, and even though I identify as a Jew, I do believe Christ was the Messiah and that the Trinity exists. I do agree that the theological purpose of Judaism has been diminished. However, it must be remembered that all humans are on a path back to God, whether they know it or not. We’re all at different places on that path, and we have to realize and respect that. People come to Christ, and salvation, in many ways. By your definition, no religion except Catholicism has ant theological meaning, and that’s not the case.
 
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I don’t understand what a college degree in theology has to do with the discussion. I have studied world religions, with a special emphasis on Judaism and Catholicism, my entire life, but did not see a need to mention that fact until now.

I believe the Catholic Faith is the one true Faith, hence my stance. My experience as an Orthodox Jew also informs my sentiment.
 
AnnetteJoan said:
I don’t understand what a college degree in theology has to do with the discussion. I have studied world religions, with a special emphasis on Judaism and Catholicism, my entire life, but did not see a need to mention that fact until now.
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It has to do with the fact that you told me to study Galatians, and I spent six years in formal biblical studies, with some of the world’s best theologians as my teachers, plus studying the roots and history of all the world’s major religions. That’s the only reason I mentioned it.
 
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Well, truthfully, having a degree in theology doesn’t necessarily mean you
studied Galatians. I know liberal theologians who are not familiar with it,
even though they
have degrees.
 
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My great-grandparents were Jewish, and “converted” on the boat to better their chances at Ellis Island.* Somewhere in the next few decades, most of us ended up Lutheran.

I’ve inherited a few family heirlooms from our Jewish past, and part of me has always wanted learn more about that part of my history. Looking forward to finally taking some Hebrew classes this coming year. How special it will be to learn one of the languages used by our Savior!

*Not everyone who came over converted. I have some cousins who are still Jewish.
 
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AnnetteJoan said:
Well, truthfully, having a degree in theology doesn’t necessarily mean you studied Galatians.
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At the school I attended for six years, no one would get a BA let alone an MA, unless they studied the entire Bible. And, I’ve gone to weekly Bible study with a theologian-priest for about fifteen years.

When you don’t know someone’s background, it’s better to ask, e.g., “Have you studied Galatians thoroughly?” If the answer is “yes,” then state why you disagree.

I have never met a theologian who doesn’t know the Bible thoroughly, though of course, some are biblical scholars, whereas others have concentrations in church history, the historical Jesus, etc.
 
AnnetteJoan, your studying of the Hebrew Bible and Judaism is, permit me to say, a bit incomplete. In regard to the ORIGINAL Septuagint, yes, the early Jews did say it was divinely inspired, but why? The answer is that this Septuagint contained ONLY the Five Books of Moses, which are thought to be divinely inspired. Both Jewish and Christian scholars agree on this point. Later versions of the Septuagint, however, include additional books, such as the Prophets, which are those that contain the prophecies. These were added by the Church Fathers, such as Origen, but were NOT part of the initial Septuagint. So naturally these later versions written AFTER Jesus are more oriented toward the Christological aspects of Jesus as the Messiah, aspects which do not so readily appear in the original Septuagint, nor in the Masoretic Text. Further, the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the Masoretic Text in its (near) entirety (the Scrolls themselves are fragmentary) to a remarkable degree and detail, significantly more so than the Septuagint. So your focus on the reworking of the Masoretic Text in the form of deleting references to the Messiah are quite misinformed.
 
And many people regard religion and religious people in general as being devoid of true spirituality. You are no doubt aware of the distinction made today between those who are religious and those who are spiritual. So what truth do any of these claims really have? Also, how do you define spirituality?
 
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AnnetteJoan said:
I was drawn to the Catholic Faith (Traditional, not modern)
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I’m with you … the modern version of Catholicism - post Vat II - is a disaster in many ways, imo. For example, a Pope kissing a Koran and incessantly praising pagan religions? Whatever that is, it’s not Catholicism.

On my father’s side of the family, there is Jewish ancestry, but not much is known about it, unfortunately.
 
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I define true spirituality as having a personal relationship with God, no matter what religion you follow.
 
AnnetteJoan said:
If you are here, please let me know! I converted from Orthodox Judaism in 1978, when I was 18.

Thanks!
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I left my Reform synagogue two years ago, largely because of a logistics problem driving there, and I am currently active a my wife’s Catholic church and am enjoying it. I have no plans on converting, especially since my theology is extremely “liberal”, to say the least. There’s a rather long and crazy story that goes along with this, but I’ll spare ya that.
 
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