Are "Jews for Jesus" deceptive?

Question

Earlier this year, this group (without permission) used a cartoon drawing of Jewish comedian Jackie Mason with a text saying, "Jackie Mason ... a Jew for Jesus?" and handed out thousands of pamphlets on New York subways (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060825/us_nm/life_religion_mason_dc)

Mason, understandably angry, said "First of all there's no such thing as a Jew for Jesus. If you believe in Jesus you're a Christian. That's the point of Christianity. You can't be a table and also a chair.”

The Anti Defamation League alleges the group uses “Subterfuge and Deception” in trying to convert Jews, and lists a number of questionable activities
(http://www.adl.org/special_reports/jews4jesus/jews4jesus.asp).

What do you think...is the "Jews for Jesus" group playing fair or crossing the line, and why?

Answer 1

There are some Jews who believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah but didn't rise from the dead. Therefore, they believe in Jesus but not on the foundation of Christianity.

Answer 2

Jews for Jesus has had a long history of being deceptive.

The funny thing is that even many other missionaries who would agree with their goal (that is, to convert Jews to Christianity) disagree strongly with it and go as far as to compare it to a cult.

As is the case, I consider all forms of the so labeled "Messianic Judaism" deceptive even if that may not be their actual intention to deceive as it is deceptive by mere definition. (Namely, Judaism is Judaism, Christianity is Christianity and 'ner do the twain meet.)

The following addresses other respondants:

Although it is true that in the interior of the pamphlet they did not explicitely claim that Jackie Mason became a "J for J" on the exterior it falsely implied that he was. That's why its called DECEPTION. Deception does not always include out and out lying. It includes falsely implying something even without saying it.

As to the analogy to a table and a chair being false, that is not true. The reason why is that although both a table and chair are both furniture, they have fundametaly different uses. Same here. Christianity and Judaism are both religions but are fundamentally different.

All I'll say is that even if Jackie doesn't win, he just got new material for his next routine. :)

Answer 3

It depends on how you define the term "jew." Is it something you are if your parents are jews, if you're born an israelite, or is it a religion you can chose to follow, like any other? A hindu cannot be a christian...an arabic can. If "jew" is soley a religion that doesn't believe in Jesus, then there is no such thing as Jews for Jesus, and this group is crossing the line...however, if you see being a "jew" as more of a nationality, then of course, converting jews to christianity is in no way trampling their identities.

Answer 4

The Talmud is considered an authoratative document in Judaism surpased by only the Torah and Mishna. The Talmud specifically forbade believing Jesus is the Messiah. So Now a person has free willand can choose not to follow the talmud if they want, but the Jews for Jesus cannot legitimatly claim to be a part of Judaism without lying unless they are completly ignorant of the Talmud. If they are completly ignorant of the Talmud, how can they even profess to have any amount of expertise in Judaism in the first place.

The jews for Jesus know that thier movement is complete BS, and are indeed being deceptive.

Also to answer somone above, ther are very few peopel out tere who call themselves messianic Jews, and most messianic Jews are not considered to be Jews by other denominations of Judaism.

So the short answer to your question is yes.

Answer 5

Three examples of deception from my own experience with them:
1 == Use of the "Star of David". They say they want to go back to the jewish roots of christianity and so they use the star. However, the star of david is a a contemporary symbol. It was not used earlier than the 1300s as a symbol of jews. So when they say they want to be "biblical", what they're actually doing is usurping jewish symbols.
2 == skull cap. same thing as above. If israelites wore anything 2000 years ago, it was a turban. Not a vevelt skullcap. Again, they're trying to look jewish. Not biblical -- but jewish.
3 == calling their preists rabbis. I've pointed out to them that the "NT" forbids calling anyone "rabbi". The only reply I've received is that its just to "make the jews feel comfortable". To me that sounds like deception.

cheerio

Answer 6

"Randy_Savage" is 100% correct. Jesus was a Jew, but he rebelled against his faith, his people, and his G-d. Who gave him the right to make changes to the Torah? The torah explicitly forbidds that. He was a heretic and a traitor to the Jewish people.

If you believe in someone who is a heretic and traitor what does that make you? You're right - also a traitor. These people have nothing to do with Judaism besides for using our name. The only way someone from the "Jews for Jesus" can claim to be a Jew is if their mother was a real Jew since Judaism is passed on through birth.

Answer 7

http://www.jesusforjews.org/files/pamphlets/Jackie_Mason_R.pdf

That's deceptive? Here's a link to the pamphlet for everyone to judge by.
They're not saying Jackie IS a "Jew for Jesus" if you actually read the thing.

Furthermore, Jackie Mason is correct, you cannot be a table, and also a chair.

But he used a bad analogy to the differences between the two religions. It would be better to say, You CAN be a Honda, and also an Accord.
You CAN be a Toyota, and also a Corolla.

The whole premise that accepting Jesus as a Messiah requires one to STOP being a jew is ridiculous.
If a Jew believs Schneerson is the Messiah, does he stop being jewish? Of course not.
If a Jew believed Bar Kochba was the Messiah, does he stop being Jewish? Of course not.
If a Jew believes Jesus was the Messiah, does he stop being Jewish? Of course not.

There is no logical reason for this! Christianity is a subset of Judaism (call Xianity "Messianic Judaism" if you'd like), just like Orthodoxy, Hassidism, Reformed, Karaites, Conservative, etc.
It might be heretical, but that is a different argument altogether.


Further, in 2nd Temple Period Judaism, most likely no one wore a kippa. But what reason do we have for denying a jew who believes yehoshua to be the messiah the right to wear a kippa? There's nothing WRONG with it, and if it helps them in their submission to the Father, then good for them!


EDIT:
A post following my own said:
The Talmud is considered an authoratative document in Judaism surpased by only the Torah and Mishna.
END QUOTE

1)That is true for most strains of modern Judaism, but certainly not all, especially the farther one goes back into history. For example, the Karaites deny the authority of the Talmud. Most sects of Judaism in the 2nd Temple Period did not accept the Oral Law.
Clearly, you can be a Jew (religiously)and reject the authority of the Talmud. Heck, 90% of Jews today reject the authority of the Torah, Mishnah AND Talmud and THEY don't cease to be Jews!
It is inconsistent.

2) As a side note, The Talmud also says that Isaiah 53 is about the Messiah. If read in this light, it is clearly about Jesus (wounded for our transgressions, pierced for our iniquities, the guilt of us all was laid upon Him, like a sheep led to the slaughter, etc.) and NOT about ANYTHING else (including Israel, which Jews for Judaism will tell you the passage concerns.).




-Stephen

Answer 8

i do not understand a lot about the specifics of the team. i understand this is a warm topic for an excellent type of jews even with the undeniable fact that who don't like the actual undeniable truth that they use the time period "jews" of their call. in my view i do not see what the region is. The communities are continuously very sparkling that they are messianic, which obviously, makes them diverse from them affirming they're only ordinary jews and then springing the Jesus element. To me, "messianic jew" means a christian who keeps most of the tenants and traditions of the torah, while familiar christians do not. So i imagine the jews who've the region with the time period "jews for jesus" or "messianic jew" are over reacting.

Answer 9

Jesus originally came for the Jews. He is the fullfilment of the Jewish prophecies. So if you want to get technical, a Jew who converts to Christianity is called a Messianic Jew.

Answer 10

No they are not. Once they accept Jesus as the Messiah they are Christians by religion but they are ethnicallyJews. You cannot take it away from them. Shows how stupid Jackie Mason is.

Answer 11

There are a couple 'denominations' of Judaism. There are Orthodox Jews who hold onto the old way of life (strictly Old Testament). Then there are Messianic Jews who believe in the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and hold onto the old ways of life (celebrations etc.) I am by no means an expert in the Jewish faith, so that's what I know.
By the very nature of Christianity, we Christians have our roots in Judaism because our savior was Jewish himself. So one cannot say I am a christian without also embracing Judaism (Old Testament). Why? Because Christ did not throw out the previous laws of God (himself), but added to and made it so that we are not bound by the laws (OT) alone- though the law is still valid.
I hope this helps to answer your question, and best wishes!