Question about Faith

[thecomposer]

For the first 11 years of my life, I was a Catholic. Then, I converted to Judaism. I have not rejected Christ, as I still believe that he was one of G-d’s greatest prophets. I do not necessarily believe in Jesus the man as much as The Christ, the one who invites the sick to eat, the one who bridges the gap between all. I have not been given the gift of faith in order to believe that Christ is the messiah. I am wondering, however, if there is any hope for me in the world to come. I will not convert back to the Church, however, as I am a practicing Jew. I am wondering if there is any salvation for me.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

For the first 11 years of my life, I was a Catholic. Then, I converted to Judaism. I have not rejected Christ, as I still believe that he was one of G-d’s greatest prophets. I do not necessarily believe in Jesus the man as much as The Christ, the one who invites the sick to eat, the one who bridges the gap between all. I have not been given the gift of faith in order to believe that Christ is the messiah. I am wondering, however, if there is any hope for me in the world to come. I will not convert back to the Church, however, as I am a practicing Jew. I am wondering if there is any salvation for me.

Because we do not know the immensity of God’s mercy and grace, we cannot tell you whether you are condemned or not. I would be a fool to try to assume what God does. What I can say, however (and this is me personally speaking, I’m not representing anyone), is that Jesus said he is the only way to eternity. I believe Judaism to be in error, and not the way to salvation.

 

[Anthony_V]

For the first 11 years of my life, I was a Catholic. Then, I converted to Judaism. I have not rejected Christ, as I still believe that he was one of G-d’s greatest prophets. I do not necessarily believe in Jesus the man as much as The Christ, the one who invites the sick to eat, the one who bridges the gap between all. I have not been given the gift of faith in order to believe that Christ is the messiah. I am wondering, however, if there is any hope for me in the world to come. I will not convert back to the Church, however, as I am a practicing Jew. I am wondering if there is any salvation for me.

Having faith includes following where the Lord may lead you. Pray every day that the Lord may lead you closer to him. From a completely unbiased standpoint, If that includes bringing you into the Church, then so be it. Let his will be done, not mine, nor yours, nor anyone else’s. He is our Father, our hope, and our joy.

May the Lord be with you always!

 

[Sam_777]

For the first 11 years of my life, I was a Catholic. Then, I converted to Judaism.

Since you converted to Judaism, could you please tell me Who is that referring to in the red sentence:

(Zechariah 12:10-14)
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives.

 

[GeorgeTheWild]

For the first 11 years of my life, I was a Catholic. Then, I converted to Judaism. I have not rejected Christ, as I still believe that he was one of G-d’s greatest prophets.

How can you believe that Jesus was one of the greatest prophets if you do not believe what he said? He is either the messiah or the greatest liar there ever was. I don’t see how there can be a middle ground. You cannot be a great prophet if you claim to be the messiah and an essential part of God’s salvation if you are not really what you say you are.

 

[Ahimsa]

I am wondering if there is any salvation for me.

Salvation is always available.

 

[ESMDHokie77]

For the first 11 years of my life, I was a Catholic. Then, I converted to Judaism. I have not rejected Christ, as I still believe that he was one of G-d’s greatest prophets. I do not necessarily believe in Jesus the man as much as The Christ, the one who invites the sick to eat, the one who bridges the gap between all. I have not been given the gift of faith in order to believe that Christ is the messiah. I am wondering, however, if there is any hope for me in the world to come. I will not convert back to the Church, however, as I am a practicing Jew. I am wondering if there is any salvation for me.

You converted when you were 12 years old? Why? Was this family driven? Tell us more and we can give more insightful responses.

 

[thecomposer]

I converted when I was 12 years old out of my own judgement. I felt that it needed to be done. I do not believe that Christ was the messiah. I believe that he was one of the greatest prophets of all time (as I have already stated). I do not believe in Jesus the person as much as I believe in Christ as the greatest aspect of G-d, being the soul spokesman of the human race. If this is affirming him as the messiah, then so be it.

 

[thecomposer]

Thank you Anthony V. I believe that the Roman Catholic church and the Jewish religion are simply two different ways of telling the same story. Maybe, subconsciously I converted to Judaism in order to be closer to Christ, as he was Jewish. I believe that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I personally believe that anyone can accept Christ as an aspect of the Almighty, as shown through all religions.

 

[brianwalden]

I converted when I was 12 years old out of my own judgement. I felt that it needed to be done. I do not believe that Christ was the messiah. I believe that he was one of the greatest prophets of all time (as I have already stated). I do not believe in Jesus the person as much as I believe in Christ as the greatest aspect of G-d, being the soul spokesman of the human race. If this is affirming him as the messiah, then so be it.

Why do you say that Jesus was a great prophet? He claimed that he was God. He said that he was the way, the truth and the life. He constantly pointed to himself. Does that sound like a great prophet to you?

If you’re going to claim that Jesus was a great prophet, I recommend you read the Gospels and find out what he actually taught. If he isn’t God, there is no way he’s a great prophet.

 

[ESMDHokie77]

Maybe, subconsciously I converted to Judaism in order to be closer to Christ, as he was Jewish. I believe that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I personally believe that anyone can accept Christ as an aspect of the Almighty, as shown through all religions.

Except the true passover is with the Lamb of God, Jesus himself the sacrificial Lamb. If you’re Jewish and observe Passover why don’t you read up on the Jewish roots of the Eucharist. You can’t get much closer to Him than by eating His Body. Also, Judaism has been tainted by the past 2000 years by Jews who didn’t want to be close to Christ. The Jews who followed Christ became some of the first Christians. And to this day Jews who convert to Catholicism feel like they didn’t convert, they simply became fulfilled Jews!

Not all religions accept Christ as the Almighty.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

I converted when I was 12 years old out of my own judgement. I felt that it needed to be done.** I do not believe that Christ was the messiah. I believe that he was one of the greatest prophets of all time (as I have already stated). **I do not believe in Jesus the person as much as I believe in Christ as the greatest aspect of G-d, being the soul spokesman of the human race. If this is affirming him as the messiah, then so be it.

I thought Jewish tradition taught that Jesus was a sorcerer who is boiling in his own excrement?

 

[Anthony_V]

Thank you Anthony V. I believe that the Roman Catholic church and the Jewish religion are simply two different ways of telling the same story. Maybe, subconsciously I converted to Judaism in order to be closer to Christ, as he was Jewish. I believe that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. I personally believe that anyone can accept Christ as an aspect of the Almighty, as shown through all religions.

Religions are most certainly not equal. While Judaism and Christianity do tell the same story, one is an incomplete story.
The Torah is a wonderful book written by early Jewish scholars. It tells of God’s plan for us, how we began, and how we should live. But it begs a question: what happens after that? After the Torah, there are the prophetic books, the wisdom books, etc. One of them is the book of Job, and the story depicts the mystery of God’s plans. Around the time the book of Job was written, there was no belief in the afterlife. Job is seriously troubled because despite being an upright and righteous man, he is stricken down by ailments and sudden loss. He has a lengthy arguement with three of his friends. They two choices: do we side with Job, who is innocent, or do we side with God, who has inflicted his wrath upon this man? The great paradox of the story is that the theme (although still debated to the day, mind you) does not revolve around the question of Job’s righteousness, but of God’s judgement. This is called theodicy. If Job did no wrong, then why did God unleash wrath upon him? When Job calls out God to have his case in court, then God replies extremely indirectly with not an account of his accusations against Job, but of rhetorical questions.

Then the LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who is this that obscures divine plans with words of ignorance? Gird up your loins now, like a man; I will question you, and you tell me the answers! Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its size; do you know? Who stretched out the measuring line for it?

Job 38:1-5

Although the question of theodicy is never answered, it does beg another question:
Where does the justice of God happen? Christ is the answer, and a perfect one. Because our God is one of justice, he must justify his actions. He submits to no one but himself. This submission is out of love, and because that love is eternal like he is, he expresses it in a matter of eternity. Like Job’s questions, God’s love always consuming, but never encompassing. God created us out of love. He loves you as if you are the only one to love. God gives himself out of love, the Christ. Christ is the completion of his love to us, and the completion of our being. Christ is the completion of the covenant of Abraham, the completion of the passover, and the completion of our need for God. He is the worthy, unblemished, male lamb that was slain. If Jesus was just a prophet, then God has yet to send a messiah, save his people, and complete his eternal expression of his love for us.

 

[Telstar]

I converted when I was 12 years old out of my own judgement. I felt that it needed to be done. I do not believe that Christ was the messiah. I believe that he was one of the greatest prophets of all time (as I have already stated). I do not believe in Jesus the person as much as I believe in Christ as the greatest aspect of G-d, being the soul spokesman of the human race. If this is affirming him as the messiah, then so be it.

I’m sorry, but, this whole story begs several questions for me to be able to understand it better. First of all, is this something that you just did, recently? If so, what did your parents have to say about it? Are they both OK with it? Do they even know that you’ve made this decision, yet? Are your parents a combination of one Jewish and one Catholic?

You claim that you have not “rejected Christ”, but if you’ve converted to Judaism, then you have rejected the belief that Jesus is the Christ, so, you can’t really claim that you haven’t rejected Him to some degree. The name of the ‘prophet’ that you’re referring to, is ‘Jesus’. His name is not ‘Christ’. That’s just another word for messiah. We only refer to Him as ‘Jesus Christ’ when we believe that Jesus is the Messiah. One faith (Catholicism) is based upon Jesus being the Christ, and the other is still waiting for the Christ (messiah) to come. They are definitely not compatible belief systems when it comes to the subject of Jesus.

I have to admit that this story is very confusing to me without understanding what really lead you to make this decision. I hope that you are sure that this is the right choice for you. By your comments so far, I’m not really sure that you understand the theological differences between those two faiths. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[thecomposer]

I personally follow the old testament. By being Jewish, I am not taught that Christ was a sorcerer, as some of you have suggested. Let us simply say that I am agnostic (I simply do not know) about Jesus being the Christ (messiah). I personally, as most modern Jews do when discussing Judeo-Christian relationships, try to look at the New Testament as a continuation of the Torah (5 Books of Moses), Ketu’ivim (Prophets), and Nevi’im (Writings) Which together make up the Old Testament and related Apochrypha. I find trouble holding faith when debating between passages such as:

Matthew 1:23 - ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’

Not once in the New Testament was Jesus called Emmanuel.

Romans 1:3 - ‘The gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh’

Jesus would be descended from David on Joseph’s side, not Mary’s. And since Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, how can he be descended from David?

And Finally:

John 3:13 - ‘No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man’

Christ was not the only one who ascended into heaven from the Earth. Elijah did: ‘As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven’ (II Kings 2:11). Enoch also ascended directly to heaven: ‘Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away’ (Genesis 5:24).

I cannot bring it upon myself yet to accept Jesus as the Christ. I have no idea where my years that I have left to dwell upon this Earth will take me (as I am only 15). I do know however, that I wish to become a Professor of Comparative Religions, so that I may better enhance these relationships. Please comment if you have anything to say, as I am glad I am finally releasing this.

 

[thecomposer]

I completely understand all theological differences between the Roman Catholic Church, and the Jewish religion, if that is not already clear.

 

[ESMDHokie77]

I completely understand all theological differences between the Roman Catholic Church, and the Jewish religion, if that is not already clear.

While you may claim to know the differences it’s clear you don’t know Catholicism fully, as I’ll show below from your previous post. Also, you’d do well to refrain from saying the Roman CC, for that is just one rite in the Catholic Church.

Matthew 1:23 - ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’

Not once in the New Testament was Jesus called Emmanuel.

I can’t verify this, but why does something have to be in the N.T. for it to be true? You’re supposing that everything important about Christianity was included in the Bible, which is false. We have a little beautiful thing called Sacred Tradition, and a study of the Early Church Fathers will show that this term has always been applied to Jesus.

Romans 1:3 - ‘The gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh’

Jesus would be descended from David on Joseph’s side, not Mary’s. And since Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, how can he be descended from David?

newadvent.org/cathen/06410a.htm
Catholic Encyclopedia:

Third difficulty

How can Jesus Christ be called “son of David”, if the Blessed Virgin is not a daughter of David?

(a) If by virtue of Joseph’s marriage with Mary, Jesus could be called the son of Joseph, he can for the same reason be called “son of David” (St. Augustine, On the Harmony of the Gospels, II, i, 2).

(b) Tradition tells us that Mary too was a descendant of David. According to Numbers 36:6-12, an only daughter had to marry within her own family so as to secure the right of inheritance. After St. Justin (Adv. Tryph. 100) and St. Ignatius (Letter to the Ephesians 18), the Fathers generally agree in maintaining Mary’s Davidic descent, whether they knew this from an oral tradition or inferred it from Scripture, e.g. Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8. St. John Damascene (De fid. Orth., IV, 14) states that Mary’s great-grandfather, Panther, was a brother of Mathat; her grandfather, Barpanther, was Heli’s cousin; and her father, Joachim, was a cousin of Joseph, Heli’s levirate son. Here Mathat has been substituted for Melchi, since the text used by St. John Damascene, Julius Africanus, St. Irenæus, St. Ambrose, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus omitted the two generations separating Heli from Melchi. At any rate, tradition presents the Blessed Virgin as descending from David through Nathan.

John 3:13 - ‘No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man’

Christ was not the only one who ascended into heaven from the Earth. Elijah did: ‘As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven’ (II Kings 2:11). Enoch also ascended directly to heaven: ‘Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away’ (Genesis 5:24).

Did Elijah ascend to heaven under his own power? Did Enoch? No, of course not. They were assumed into heaven. Mere humans are assumed by the power of God, and Jesus ascended by His own power, for He is God.

I cannot bring it upon myself yet to accept Jesus as the Christ. I have no idea where my years that I have left to dwell upon this Earth will take me (as I am only 15). I do know however, that I wish to become a Professor of Comparative Religions, so that I may better enhance these relationships. Please comment if you have anything to say, as I am glad I am finally releasing this.

That’s okay, we’ll be praying for you. It’s not always a straight and quick path to the Truth. Many of us are interested in more details about your situation and family, as Telstar mentioned.

 

[byeveryword]

I personally follow the old testament. By being Jewish, I am not taught that Christ was a sorcerer, as some of you have suggested. Let us simply say that I am agnostic (I simply do not know) about Jesus being the Christ (messiah). I personally, as most modern Jews do when discussing Judeo-Christian relationships, try to look at the New Testament as a continuation of the Torah (5 Books of Moses), Ketu’ivim (Prophets), and Nevi’im (Writings) Which together make up the Old Testament and related Apochrypha. I find trouble holding faith when debating between passages such as:

Matthew 1:23 - ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel’

Not once in the New Testament was Jesus called Emmanuel.

Romans 1:3 - ‘The gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh’

Jesus would be descended from David on Joseph’s side, not Mary’s. And since Joseph is not the biological father of Jesus, how can he be descended from David?

And Finally:

John 3:13 - ‘No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man’

Christ was not the only one who ascended into heaven from the Earth. Elijah did: ‘As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven’ (II Kings 2:11). Enoch also ascended directly to heaven: ‘Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away’ (Genesis 5:24).

I cannot bring it upon myself yet to accept Jesus as the Christ. I have no idea where my years that I have left to dwell upon this Earth will take me (as I am only 15). I do know however, that I wish to become a Professor of Comparative Religions, so that I may better enhance these relationships. Please comment if you have anything to say, as I am glad I am finally releasing this.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

I personally follow the old testament. By being Jewish, I am not taught that Christ was a sorcerer, as some of you have suggested. Let us simply say that I am agnostic (I simply do not know) about Jesus being the Christ (messiah). I personally, as most modern Jews do when discussing Judeo-Christian relationships, try to look at the New Testament as a continuation of the Torah (5 Books of Moses), Ketu’ivim (Prophets), and Nevi’im (Writings) Which together make up the Old Testament and related Apochrypha. I find trouble holding faith when debating between passages such as:.

Yes but isn’t Oral Tradition just as important for Jews?

 

[thecomposer]

I was born a Catholic. My mothers side of the family is completely Catholic. My Grandfather, when vacationing, finds the nearest Church and Mass time before he books his hotel. He was born into a large family of eight, the sons of extremely poor German-Catholic immigrants. My father’s side of the family is completely Jewish, although my father is not a practicing Jew. I was adopted at birth into this family (I am a first generation American, my birth parents were both Scots) and instantly was raised as a Catholic. My mom began to ask questions about her faith, and I never recieved a first communion. I had gone to a Jewish preschool when I was young, because of the wonderful tolerance I would grow towards people of all religions and spiritualities. When I was eleven, I began to attend a synagogue near our house in order to comprehend this ‘foreign’ religion. I found that I felt connected to Judaism more than I had ever felt connected to Catholicism, and thus recieved a Bar Mitzvah, and converted from there. If any of you are wondering I was circumcised at birth.