Why don't we practice Judaism--the religion of Jesus and the apostles?

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I was born a Catholic, raised a Catholic, attended Catholic school in elementary and high school. My husband is Muslim. I am currently taking a Christian course in college with a historical approach. And now my faith is being questioned.

I have many questions on our Catholic or Christian religion, and my reasons have also a historical approach.
  1. Why do we not practice kosher? Why do we not pratice some aspects of Judaism that even our Jesus did?
In the scriptures, Jesus was a practicing Jew. In the scriptures, he practiced the three major Jewish holidays. He went to the Temple in one of the holidays which required men to go. If we right now do things that Jesus has done–why not practice kosher or the three major Jew holidays? Didn’t Jesus also accept the idea of The Temple, to perfect the Law, and take out corruption in the Temple? His teachings in the Scripture was mainly targeted against the Jewish tradition–and He came down to teach them. So aren’t Christians to perfect the Jewish religion, not stay away from their beliefs?
  1. The first apostles of Jesus practiced Judaism. Even after Jesus died and was preaching of the gospel, the first apostles practiced Judaism and tried to perfect it. How come we don’t?
We as Jesus and God’s people should practice what Jesus has preached while he was alive. He lived with his apostles and practiced the Jewish faith with perfection. How come we don’t? (Just to note: the very first BISHOP of CHRISTIANITY was James “the brother of the Lord”, who was the Bishop of Jerusalem and also one of the first apostles of Jesus----was in charge of the 2nd Temple of Judaism)

I understand that all we need is Christ in our faith—which this came from Paul (who increasingly spread the Christian faith to the Gentiles and throughout saying we don’t need to convert to Jew first, and was very hated by many Christians in early Christianity–this even in Scripture in Acts of the Apostles) But didn’t Jesus say that we must conform to God’s Law–talking about the first five books of the Jewish Book?

I understand that in the [BJerusalem Conference**, this asked the question of whether Christians should convert to Judaism first or not. The surviving apostles were in the conference to decide whether or not the Gentiles must convert. (After reading scripture, it seems to me as if it were the Gentiles who were having trouble trying to convert to Judaism because they could not understand the Law so they just wanted to be Christians right away and forget the Jewish Law-----doesn’t that sound like us Christians now?) But anyways, we are not quite sure exactly the decision of the Jerusalem Conference in history. Paul states that the apostles said he can convert Gentiles without being Jews first. But in Acts of the Apostles, the apostles gave him some rights to convert Gentiles without being Jews, but Gentiles still had to follow some Jewish tradition like kosher.

—So even after the Jerusalem Conference and the Apostles following the Jewish tradition of the Law, how come we don’t? I was seriously thinking of the Eastern Orthodox Church because they also claim to be following the apostles and ancient tradition–but after much research they themselves don’t even practice kosher and many Jewish tradition that Jesus practiced.

I understand that it is by tradition that we don’t. But didn’t Judaism fall because of its own tradition? I believe we truly don’t practice Judaism because of Paul, even though he is in some way against God’s Torah. Why don’t we trace back to our own history, even to our own Jesus and the first apostles who practiced these faiths? All we need is Jesus, as proclaimed by Jesus and Paul. But Jesus also said we must practice God’s Law (from the religion of Judaism that Jesus was raised and practiced).

Please answer my question. I have included the reasons of my thinking with a historical approach, and would like to know where I am wrong. I have many other questions conerning the validity of our faith, but those are other forums.
 
imed,

These links should explain why we are Catholic and not Jewish. If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered by these links, please contact Catholic Answers directly.
Search the online radio archive for shows by Rosalind Moss
Holy Shock: My Conversion from Judaism by Rosalind Moss
Heresy of the Month: Ebionism by James Akin
Salvation Is from the Jews by Rosalind Moss with Roy Schoeman
The Chief Rabbi’s Conversion by Arthur B. Klyber
 
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