http://rodneyalways.tumblr.com/post/696988532
Despite my love affair with literature, I hardly ever find myself on the scribbling end of one of these tools of self-expression that Facebook/Tumblr/Twitter/Blogger has equipped us with for more than the time it takes to post a link and think of an insightful yet ambiguous caption. Suddenly, however, I’ve been urged by some unseen force to denote along this format something, a work very close to me. A document I spent nearly the entire first semester working on, for the sole purpose of elucidating my beliefs that, to some, seem complicated. I am not a Christian. I don’t know why I feel the urge to apologize for this fact, maybe because the system in place here in America raises eyebrows at the puppets whose limbs aren’t juggled as easily as the other more flexible patrons of this Christian nation. Contrary to popular opinion, I am no Jewish (verbatim). I exercise and hold fast to many beliefs of the biblical Israelites. Some may figure, ‘well so do the Jews, no?’ You’ve answered your own question, inquisitors. No. Modern-day Judaism, yes, makes an attempt to pattern their belief system based on the faith and practices of the Hebrews, however they also rely heavily on the teachings of the Talmud, a post-babylonian captivity compilation of oral tradition, commentary and bastardized hybrid mythologies, the Midrash, a series of analysis that view the Word of the Most High as a merited piece of literature comparable to “similar” ancient works such as the Iliad or the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in many unfortunate cases, the Kabbalah, Babylonian-Khazarian-Jewis h mysticism that is contrary to the Hebrews’ aversion of the Dark Arts and unholy practices of questionable origin. I worship the Most High. Period. I in no way make shameless attempts, characterized by Christian, Jews and Muslins, to convert others whose opinions differ into my line of existence. I attempt to enlighten others, but for the most part, I’ve designated myself a shepherd to those who inquire, those who seek, and those whose beliefs are revealed to me. Nevertheless, in an attempt to shed light on what it is I understand, not believe for belief assumes unfaltering, unquestioning dedication, I have created this note. And if you have the time, which many of you may not, please, seek in what I have posted, your own ENHANCED understanding.
as always,
Peace, Love and Humanity
rodneyalways
It is important to understand why I don’t believe in Jesus. The purpose is not to disparage other religions, but rather to clarify my position. The more data that’s available, the better-informed choices people can make about their spiritual path. I do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: 1) Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies. 2) Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah. 3) Biblical verses “referring” to Jesus are mistranslations. 4) Jewish belief is based on national revelation. At the end of this article, we will examine these additional topics: 5) Christianity contradicts original theology6) Jews and Gentiles7) Bringing the Messiah
1) JESUS DID NOT FULFILL THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES: what is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? The Bible says that he will: A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28). B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6). C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: “God will be King over all the world — on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One” (Zechariah 14:9). The historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies. Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.
2) JESUS DID NOT EMBODY THE PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF MESSIAH:
A. MESSIAH AS A PROPHET: Jesus was not a prophet. Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry. During the time of Ezra (circa 300 BCE), when the majority of Jews refused to move from Babylon to Israel, prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets — Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended. B. DESCENDENT OF DAVID: the Messiah must be descended on his father’s side from King David (see Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1). According to the Christian claim that Jesus was the product of a virgin birth, he had no father — and thus could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father’s side from King David!
C. TORAH OBSERVANCE: the Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that all mitzvoth remain binding forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4)THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT, JESUS CONTRADICTS THE TORAH and states that its commandments are no longer applicable. (See John 1:45 and 9:16, Acts 3:22 and 7:37)
3) MISTRANSLATED VERSES “REFERRING” TO JESUS: biblical verses can only be understood by studying the original Hebrew text — which reveals many discrepancies in the Christian translation.
A. VIRGIN BIRTH: the Christian idea of a virgin birth is derived from the verse in Isaiah 7:14 describing an “alma” as giving birth. The word “alma” has always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and translated it as “virgin.” This accords Jesus’ birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods.
B. CRUCIFIXION: The verse in Psalms 22:17 reads: “Like a lion, they are at my hands and feet.” The Hebrew word ki-ari (like a lion) is grammatically similar to the word “gouged.” Thus Christianity reads the verse as a reference to crucifixion: “They pierced my hands and feet.”
C. SUFFERING SERVANT: Christianity claims that Isaiah chapter 53 refers to Jesus, as the “suffering servant.” In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews (“Israel”) are regarded as one unit. The Torah is filled with examples of the Jewish nation referred to with a singular pronoun. Ironically, Isaiah’s prophecies of persecution refer in part to the 11th century when Jews were tortured and killed by Crusaders who acted in the name of Jesus. From where did these mistranslations stem? St. Gregory, 4th century Bishop of Nanianzus, wrote: “A little jargon is all that is necessary to impose on the people. The less they comprehend, the more they admire.”
4) JEWISH BELIEF IS BASED SOLELY ON NATIONAL REVELATION: of the 15,000 religions in human history; only Judaism bases its belief on national revelation — i.e. God speaking to the entire nation. If God is going to start a religion, it makes sense He’ll tell everyone, not just one person. Judaism, unique among all of the world’s major religions, does not rely on “claims of miracles” as the basis for its religion. In fact, the Bible says that God sometimes grants the power of “miracles” to charlatans, in order to test Jewish loyalty to the Torah (Deut. 13:4). Maimonides states (Foundations of Torah, ch. 8): The Jews did not believe in Moses, our teacher, because of the miracles he performed. Whenever anyone’s belief is based on seeing miracles, he has lingering doubts, because it is possible the miracles were performed through magic or sorcery. All of the miracles performed by Moses in the desert were because they were necessary, and not as proof of his prophesy. What then was the basis of [Jewish] belief? The Revelation at Mount Sinai, which we saw with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, not dependent on the testimony of others… as it says, “Face to face, God spoke with you…” The Torah also states: “God did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us — who are all here alive today.” (Deut. 5:3)Judaism is not miracles. It is the personal eyewitness experience of every man, woman and child, standing at Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago.
Despite my love affair with literature, I hardly ever find myself on the scribbling end of one of these tools of self-expression that Facebook/Tumblr/Twitter/Blogger has equipped us with for more than the time it takes to post a link and think of an insightful yet ambiguous caption. Suddenly, however, I’ve been urged by some unseen force to denote along this format something, a work very close to me. A document I spent nearly the entire first semester working on, for the sole purpose of elucidating my beliefs that, to some, seem complicated. I am not a Christian. I don’t know why I feel the urge to apologize for this fact, maybe because the system in place here in America raises eyebrows at the puppets whose limbs aren’t juggled as easily as the other more flexible patrons of this Christian nation. Contrary to popular opinion, I am no Jewish (verbatim). I exercise and hold fast to many beliefs of the biblical Israelites. Some may figure, ‘well so do the Jews, no?’ You’ve answered your own question, inquisitors. No. Modern-day Judaism, yes, makes an attempt to pattern their belief system based on the faith and practices of the Hebrews, however they also rely heavily on the teachings of the Talmud, a post-babylonian captivity compilation of oral tradition, commentary and bastardized hybrid mythologies, the Midrash, a series of analysis that view the Word of the Most High as a merited piece of literature comparable to “similar” ancient works such as the Iliad or the Epic of Gilgamesh, and in many unfortunate cases, the Kabbalah, Babylonian-Khazarian-Jewis h mysticism that is contrary to the Hebrews’ aversion of the Dark Arts and unholy practices of questionable origin. I worship the Most High. Period. I in no way make shameless attempts, characterized by Christian, Jews and Muslins, to convert others whose opinions differ into my line of existence. I attempt to enlighten others, but for the most part, I’ve designated myself a shepherd to those who inquire, those who seek, and those whose beliefs are revealed to me. Nevertheless, in an attempt to shed light on what it is I understand, not believe for belief assumes unfaltering, unquestioning dedication, I have created this note. And if you have the time, which many of you may not, please, seek in what I have posted, your own ENHANCED understanding.
as always,
Peace, Love and Humanity
rodneyalways
It is important to understand why I don’t believe in Jesus. The purpose is not to disparage other religions, but rather to clarify my position. The more data that’s available, the better-informed choices people can make about their spiritual path. I do not accept Jesus as the messiah because: 1) Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies. 2) Jesus did not embody the personal qualifications of the Messiah. 3) Biblical verses “referring” to Jesus are mistranslations. 4) Jewish belief is based on national revelation. At the end of this article, we will examine these additional topics: 5) Christianity contradicts original theology6) Jews and Gentiles7) Bringing the Messiah
1) JESUS DID NOT FULFILL THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES: what is the Messiah supposed to accomplish? The Bible says that he will: A. Build the Third Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28). B. Gather all Jews back to the Land of Israel (Isaiah 43:5-6). C. Usher in an era of world peace, and end all hatred, oppression, suffering and disease. As it says: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall man learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4)D. Spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel, which will unite humanity as one. As it says: “God will be King over all the world — on that day, God will be One and His Name will be One” (Zechariah 14:9). The historical fact is that Jesus fulfilled none of these messianic prophecies. Christians counter that Jesus will fulfill these in the Second Coming, but Jewish sources show that the Messiah will fulfill the prophecies outright, and no concept of a second coming exists.
2) JESUS DID NOT EMBODY THE PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF MESSIAH:
A. MESSIAH AS A PROPHET: Jesus was not a prophet. Prophecy can only exist in Israel when the land is inhabited by a majority of world Jewry. During the time of Ezra (circa 300 BCE), when the majority of Jews refused to move from Babylon to Israel, prophecy ended upon the death of the last prophets — Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Jesus appeared on the scene approximately 350 years after prophecy had ended. B. DESCENDENT OF DAVID: the Messiah must be descended on his father’s side from King David (see Genesis 49:10 and Isaiah 11:1). According to the Christian claim that Jesus was the product of a virgin birth, he had no father — and thus could not have possibly fulfilled the messianic requirement of being descended on his father’s side from King David!
C. TORAH OBSERVANCE: the Messiah will lead the Jewish people to full Torah observance. The Torah states that all mitzvoth remain binding forever, and anyone coming to change the Torah is immediately identified as a false prophet. (Deut. 13:1-4)THROUGHOUT THE NEW TESTAMENT, JESUS CONTRADICTS THE TORAH and states that its commandments are no longer applicable. (See John 1:45 and 9:16, Acts 3:22 and 7:37)
3) MISTRANSLATED VERSES “REFERRING” TO JESUS: biblical verses can only be understood by studying the original Hebrew text — which reveals many discrepancies in the Christian translation.
A. VIRGIN BIRTH: the Christian idea of a virgin birth is derived from the verse in Isaiah 7:14 describing an “alma” as giving birth. The word “alma” has always meant a young woman, but Christian theologians came centuries later and translated it as “virgin.” This accords Jesus’ birth with the first century pagan idea of mortals being impregnated by gods.
B. CRUCIFIXION: The verse in Psalms 22:17 reads: “Like a lion, they are at my hands and feet.” The Hebrew word ki-ari (like a lion) is grammatically similar to the word “gouged.” Thus Christianity reads the verse as a reference to crucifixion: “They pierced my hands and feet.”
C. SUFFERING SERVANT: Christianity claims that Isaiah chapter 53 refers to Jesus, as the “suffering servant.” In actuality, Isaiah 53 directly follows the theme of chapter 52, describing the exile and redemption of the Jewish people. The prophecies are written in the singular form because the Jews (“Israel”) are regarded as one unit. The Torah is filled with examples of the Jewish nation referred to with a singular pronoun. Ironically, Isaiah’s prophecies of persecution refer in part to the 11th century when Jews were tortured and killed by Crusaders who acted in the name of Jesus. From where did these mistranslations stem? St. Gregory, 4th century Bishop of Nanianzus, wrote: “A little jargon is all that is necessary to impose on the people. The less they comprehend, the more they admire.”
4) JEWISH BELIEF IS BASED SOLELY ON NATIONAL REVELATION: of the 15,000 religions in human history; only Judaism bases its belief on national revelation — i.e. God speaking to the entire nation. If God is going to start a religion, it makes sense He’ll tell everyone, not just one person. Judaism, unique among all of the world’s major religions, does not rely on “claims of miracles” as the basis for its religion. In fact, the Bible says that God sometimes grants the power of “miracles” to charlatans, in order to test Jewish loyalty to the Torah (Deut. 13:4). Maimonides states (Foundations of Torah, ch. 8): The Jews did not believe in Moses, our teacher, because of the miracles he performed. Whenever anyone’s belief is based on seeing miracles, he has lingering doubts, because it is possible the miracles were performed through magic or sorcery. All of the miracles performed by Moses in the desert were because they were necessary, and not as proof of his prophesy. What then was the basis of [Jewish] belief? The Revelation at Mount Sinai, which we saw with our own eyes and heard with our own ears, not dependent on the testimony of others… as it says, “Face to face, God spoke with you…” The Torah also states: “God did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us — who are all here alive today.” (Deut. 5:3)Judaism is not miracles. It is the personal eyewitness experience of every man, woman and child, standing at Mount Sinai 3,300 years ago.
Comment