Ethnically Jewish?

[fschmidt]

I am trying to understand what Messianic Judaism is. Are most members ethnically Jewish? Can a non-Jew easily join Messianic Judaism?

 

[visionary]

Messianic Judaism are those who believe in the Messiah and believe in the obedience to His Law. Judaism is a practice of over 4000 years and the rabbis are wise in the details of how. Yes, a non-Jew can join Messianic Judaism. If you are comfortable and want to learn more about the way Yeshua [Jesus] lived and wants us to imitate Him, then this just might be the place for your spiritual journey to explore.

 

[fschmidt]

Thanks visionary, I am actually ethnically Jewish. The reason I asked about this is that I hate racism and Rabbinic Judaism is racist which is why I reject it. I want to know if Messianic Judaism is also racist, if it also categorizes people by who their mother is instead of by who they are as a person. Moses's wives weren't Jewish, so were his kids Jewish? The Old Testament is actually strongly anti-racist, and I can give many examples of this, but Rabbinic Judaism largely ignores or twists what the Old Testament says.

 

[visionary]

Thanks visionary, I am actually ethnically Jewish. The reason I asked about this is that I hate racism and Rabbinic Judaism is racist which is why I reject it. I want to know if Messianic Judaism is also racist, if it also categorizes people by who their mother is instead of by who they are as a person. Moses's wives weren't Jewish, so were his kids Jewish? The Old Testament is actually strongly anti-racist, and I can give many examples of this, but Rabbinic Judaism largely ignores or twists what the Old Testament says.

If Yeshua wouldn't do that, then we shouldn't either. We do have Jews who retain and want to continue in some traditions you mentioned. I don't believe that God was racist. God did favor those who hear and obey Him regardless of their nationality. Many examples exist throughout scripture.

 

[ChavaK]

The reason I asked about this is that I hate racism and Rabbinic Judaism is racist which is why I reject it.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Judaism has the right to determine who is considered Jewish and who is not. People convert to Judaism all the time and are fully accepted, even though their mothers were not Jewish.

Many groups, such as Native Americans, determine who they accept as members. Are they also racist, or does it make sense that groups set limits?

but Rabbinic Judaism largely ignores or twists what the Old Testament says.

How familiar are you with "Rabbinic" Judaism?

 

[fschmidt]

ChavaK, I had a long discussion on these topics on a Jewish forum. You can read it here:

Discuss Judaism

To briefly answer your questions: Judaism certainly has the right to determine who is considered Jewish and who is not, I agree with that, just as white nationalists have the right to organize all-white communities. People can convert to Judaism but it isn't easy (at least for Orthodox which is the only kind of Rabbinic Judaism I find at all interesting). The point is that Judaism does descriminate based on who one's mother is, with those with a Jewish mother getting a free pass even if they don't follow the Torah at all, and that is racist. A non-racist group doesn't decide on membership based on ancestry. Christians and Muslims aren't racist, and neither were the Israelites in the Tanakh. I am moderately familiar with Rabbinic Judaism having attended synagogue and/or Judaism classes there for about a year. I also had personal classes with the rabbi.

 

[Dave-W]

So fschmidt: how do you deal with the scritures that say the covenant (Abrahmic, Mosaic) was passed on from parent to child? "From one generation to another...."

 

[yonah_mishael]

So fschmidt: how do you deal with the scritures that say the covenant (Abrahmic, Mosaic) was passed on from parent to child? "From one generation to another...."

Genesis 17.7 says that the covenant was between God and Abraham and his seed "in their generations" and was to be an everlasting covenant.

 

[fschmidt]

So fschmidt: how do you deal with the scritures that say the covenant (Abrahmic, Mosaic) was passed on from parent to child? "From one generation to another...."

At the time of Abraham the Israelites were a clan, and at the time of Moses they were a nation. Belonging to the group meant living with the group and sharing their culture and religion. The covenants with God were part of that culture and were passed from one generation to the other through the culture, not through genetics. If someone born in the group rejected the culture and the covenants, then he was to be removed from the group. If an outsider joined the group and accepted the culture, as Ruth did, then they became a member and the covenants applied to them.

 

[yonah_mishael]

At the time of Abraham the Israelites were a clan, and at the time of Moses they were a nation. Belonging to the group meant living with the group and sharing their culture and religion. The covenants with God were part of that culture and were passed from one generation to the other through the culture, not through genetics. If someone born in the group rejected the culture and the covenants, then he was to be removed from the group. If an outsider joined the group and accepted the culture, as Ruth did, then they became a member and the covenants applied to them.

Sounds sensible to me.