I have been witnessing to Jews for 27 years about my Christian faith. I was born & raised in the Jewish faith, Bar Mitzvah’d at age 13, learned Hebrew as a child, had a wonderful man for a rabbi I came to believe in and accept Christ as the Jewish Messiah in 1983 at the age of 35.
I have always said that the vast, vast majority of Jews identify themselves as Jews on the basis of four things: CULTURE, NATIONALISM, HISTORY & ETHNICITY. Judaism today is little more than a 5,000 year old religious social club.
But I have recently experienced another level of awakening with regard to my understanding of Jews. Please understand that I do not consider myself to be on the outside looking in just because I deviate in my belief system from most Jews only on the subject of Jesus Christ being the Jewish Messiah. I consider that the evidence from the Jewish Scriptures attesting to this fact is abundant, replete and compelling and that beyond question. Add to that the fact that I believe that all religions MUST be defined by their SCRIPTURES (not the peripheral texts, commentaries or the writings and opinions of it’s adherents) and you see why I often say that I can make a pretty good case for my being more Jewish than anyone in the local synagogue on a Friday night.)
Now here is my recent epiphany: in dealing with Jews, we must most often deal with them simply as practical atheists. One of my good Jewish friends often says to me that “man created God in his image.” Add to that the observable fact that Jewish morality is almost often purely subjective and fluid, and you will see why Judaism is becoming more and more synonymous with practical atheism.
I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have solidly and convincingly and irrefutably painted a Jewish person into a corner in making my case for Christ being the Messiah from Jewish Scripture, only to have them walk right across the wet paint and leave embarrassing footprints of stubbornness and denial that essentially say, “I don’t care what you say, I am not going to worship Jesus.” Their mind is made up and the foundational teachings of their religion have nothing to do with their beliefs. I am sorry, but this is the position of ignorance, not intelligence and reason.
This article is wrong. Atheists, while visibly present at all sects of Judaism, certainly do not comprise the majority of the followers. You have given no data to support your claim that most Jews are practical atheists. You merely state that the scripture of Judaism is not inconsistent with Messianic claims of the Christians.
-Atheist, born to Jewish parents
All I am saying is that Jews are often PRACTICAL atheists, i.e., that in my 60+ years around Jewish folks I rarely see where their practical, day-to-day life is impacted in a meaningful way by their religion. In fact, you yourself being an atheist make that point for me quite well: how much Judaism did your parents impart to you? The answer is “zero.” (Bagels or Matzoh Ball Soup don’t count . . . )
The Jewish Scriptures fit the person of Jesus Christ to perfection. Read Psalm 22 & Isaiah 53.
Have you seen my Youtube videos on atheism?
You have missed my point entirely, which is that 99% of the Jews that I have know are PRACTICAL atheists: there is no visible, PRACTICAL evidence of the true Jewish faith in their lives beyond religious ritual. It is an expression of religious and ethnic identity only.
As an atheist, you are in fact claiming, “I know what is NOT out there.” Without complete & universal knowledge, only a fool would say that, as the Paslmist expresses plainly.