Is it inauthentic to claim one is Jewish (or Christian...or of any religion) and not practice it in any manner

Question

...stated another way...is it hypocritical to call oneself a "secular jew" since Judaism is a religion and not a culture? (Because if it were then no conversion would be needed to call oneself Jewish...and there is also no "Christian Culture" per se....so it sounds like to me that many folks who call themselves Jewish are just doing so to be part of a group (which is actually just fine..it's their choice) but in practice they don't make any regular practice of pursuing judeo-Christian values.

(((BTW..."Being Jewish is a racial identity." ... absolutely not so. There is absolutely no such thing as the Jewish race and if you disagree I invite you to send me the details of any genetic test that test for "Jewishness".)))

Answer 1

I think so, I also think it is dumb when people eat kosher when they are not at their house but when they are at their house they break kosher rules

Answer 2

your right I cannot give you a genetic test to show if you are Jewish or not.

but I can give you a test that will show you have roots from the middle east, and if you are white with a Jewish tradition chances are you have Jewish roots.

That is why though I would rather use the term Hebrew or Israelite to describe someone that would be otherwise called a "secular Jew."

Answer 3

judaism does not work the way other religions work. you do not have to believe in judaism to be a jew, and you can believe everything in judaism and practice all the laws but not be a jew. a jew is a person who is under the mosaic covenant G-d made with israel. if your mother was a jew, the covenanthood passed to you, and you are a jew. if your mother was not a jew, the only way to get into the covenant is to convert. a secular jew is just as jewish as a rabbi, even though he may not be fulfilling his end of the covenant.

Answer 4

Judaism is a national identity. Therefore, one can be a Jew and do nothing with regard to the religion. To be a Jew, all one needs is to be born of a Jewish mother. Period. The rest is up to the individual.

Answer 5

There are several Jewish races, most notably Sephardic and Aschkenazy. The carry certain alleles (e.g. Tay-Sachs) at different frequencies than the Gentile populations of the same regions. Extermination attempts aside, they form distinct subpopulations and had distinct languages (Yiddish, Ladino). Those populations the emigrated formed distinct communities in distant lands.

Answer 6

Being Jewish is partly a religious thing, and partly a racial identity. Although it has happened, very few people convert to Judaism.

Answer 7

The Bible says that if your mother is Jewish, then you are Jewish.

That's all it takes.

Even if a Jew "converts" to a different religion, they are still a Jew.

There is nothing that they can do about it.

Answer 8

inauthentic??? Is that even a word? If you live in the great U.S.A. Then you can be anything you want to be. It's your free right. Please don't confuse yourself with Christians and Jewish believers.