If a Jewish person changed faith, are they still a jew?

Question

Elaborate

Answer 1

If a WASP woman converts to Judaism and has a child, that child will be a born Jew. How on earth does that constitute a race? Exchange WASP for any other "race" you prefer and you still get a full-blooded, born Jew.

Jews consider themselves a community and a culture. We've let the Christian community determine our identity for far too many years.

If a Jew converts to any other religion, he is excommunicated from the community and is no longer considered to be a Jew.
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Answer 2

I asked a question about possibly attending some Unitarian services......and how that would impact my Judaism.

I was told essentially three things.....

1. Judaism is passed down through the blood line (the mother to be specific), and you are ALWAYS a jew.

Gavtol explained this FAR better then I did....I think his answer is superb.

2. You would stop being a functional Jew until you came back to the fold.

3. You can remain a Jew, but that doesn't mean you will be welcomed by the other portions of the community.

My personal, practical, view is that once you accept Jesus, or Mohammed, you stop being a Jew.

I am possibly a hypocrite, since I am agnostic, but I don't accept any other beliefs either.

Answer 3

Jewish refers to both an ethnicity and a religion. Anyone can convert to the Jewish faith although not a Jew. Jews can convert to whatever faith they choose. It just means that they are a Christian Jew or whatever other faith they convert to.

Jesus himself was a Jew. So were the first Christians.

Answer 4

It depends. A Jewish person is Jewish in two different senses. First a Jewish person can be Jewish by religion. Second, a Jewish person is Jewish by race. If racially you are Jewish then you can no more stop being Jewish than Michael Jackson can stop being black. If you are Jewish be religion but are not Jewish by race, then if you convert to some other religion, you are no longer Jewish. In this case, the race and the religion are two separate things, although, those of the Jewish race tend to be Jewish in religion. Those who profess the Jewish religion tend to be Jewish in race. But neither statement is always correct.

Answer 5

being Jewish is a nationality. Being an Ashkenaz (European Jew) or Sephardi (Middle Eastern Jew) is an ethnic group.


to elaborate the Jewish nation is like the Nation of Italy.

One can be born a citizen of both nations, one can also naturalize and get citizenship, and one can also lose citizenship.


When a Jew converts to another religion he commits the act of a traitor. As such he loses his citizenship in the "Jewish Nation."

Though he cannot lose his ethnic status regardless of what they do.

Answer 6

There are Jews who are Christians. There are Jews who are Pagan, and there are Jews who practice the Jewish faith. It is a religion and a race. One can be a non-Jew, and practice the Jewish faith as well.

Answer 7

Isn't that like saying if a person of any race changed faith, would they still be the same race. Why do we confuse race with religion...and force people to pick a particular faith based on their race? What about freedom of conscience when it comes to religion?

Let us also remember the many famous Jews who chose Christianity as their faith.....such as the apostle Paul, and first and foremost, Jesus Himself - the King of the Jews!

Answer 8

To be Jewish means different things to different people.

Certainly, they are still ethnically a Jew if they convert. Whether they should still hold to certain Jewish customs and religious rituals is debatable.

god bless

Answer 9

yes it is still being a jewish, even trough generations, as we seen the case of anusim, (like obligated) people who was converted to catolic during the inquisition and have known they were jewish. And they can come back to the sinagogues and everything. so, being jewish is like everything, you can be a christian jew, a catholic jew, and else, because tradition will be in the heart and in the soul forever.

Answer 10

Some people are Jewish by birth like some people are Black by birth. Being Jewish is both and Religion and a Culture.