There are many cases of Priests/Ministers/Pastors etc.converting to Judaism. (In fact, I personally know three such people). But conversion by a Rabbi to Christianity is extremely rare.
A good number of the Christian converts to Judaism come from those most educated regarding their faith and most familiar with scripture. On the other hand, Jewish converts to Christianity come almost exclusively from the jews that are the least educated regarding their faith, and the least familiar with scripture.
How do you explain this phenomenon?
2007-06-20 00:44:24 · 8 answers · asked by supcch063 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
panda- your reference to Jews for Jesus is actually a very good support for my point. Thank you. The Jews For Jesus leadership (including Reverend Martin [aka Moishe] Reverend- who is an ordained baptist minister who has attended several christian theological seminaries but has had no prior education regarding religion at all) is entirely composed of christians (not jewish scholars, not even jews at all). Many of the missionaries for this organization are actually christian. Those that are jewish invariably had no or very little exposure to G0d or scripture before being introduced to it by Christian organizations, and were not priorly devout people at all- to any faith. They come from the least educated segments of the jewish population.
2007-06-20 02:33:52 · update #1
Regarding the foolish confounding the wise:Are you meaning to say that people have no ability to understand or discern anything, and that one with less knowledge is more reliable than one with more knowledge. I know you dont believe that practically- you would never allow a high school drop out to perform a medical procedure on you- you would seek a good dr, just for example. But why- didnt G0d confound the knowledge of the wise doctors via the lack of knowledge of the fools. That line of reasoning would completely destroy human society and advancement in any field.
Also, according to this line of reasoning anyway, what would be the point of scripture since the more scripture and knowledge of G0d that one understands the less reliable their knowledge becomes.
Further, the book of Proverbs is replete with too many verses to list here stating who the scripture makes people wise, the scripture brings understanding, and warning the fools to gain wisdom, and how wisdom leads to G0d.
2007-06-20 03:53:40 · update #2
There are other scriptures to this effect in addition to those in Proverbs, but Proverbs is replete with them.
2007-06-20 03:54:10 · update #3
One of the answers points out that the apostles were not wise men. But they were jewish. This is actually an example of the point of my question- it strengthens my question by demonstrating its correctness even from scripture- rather than resolving my question. Not only that, a few of those significant NT figures who were not even Jewish at all- certainly they were even further removed from the scriptures.
If someone needs advice or assistance regarding anything, they seek it of those who are expert in the field at hand- not those that are the least knowledgeable fo the field at hand. Wisdom and knowledge and experience is what these people have over others who are ignorant of the matter- and we consider them wise and heed them- we dont assume them to be confounded and follow the advice of the person who knows the least or even less about a matter. The same actually applies here with the apostles and pharisees in Jesus' day. Seeing that the apostles were not wise men and not learned
2007-06-20 06:06:08 · update #4
in the scriptures, how shall we reply upon their console and advice rather than rely on that of experts. And who were the experts in the scripture and the law (to which Jesus attests multiple times in the Gospels)- these were the Pharisees. Why would we seek the console of him who was ignorant- the apostle- over him who was expert- the pharisee- in understanding the scripture. That is completely backwards!
And again we see that the Rabbis (Pharisees) did not embrace Jesus, and those Jews that did did not have prior religious education or familiarity with scripture. That which is true today was true even in the times of the NT.
2007-06-20 06:06:16 · update #5
Its simple really- Chrsitian missionaries rely on proof texts- which are simple to deconstruct by anyone with an understanding of hebrew and the knowledge of how the Rabbis have interpreted them for thousands of years. For an Orthodox Rabbi to buy into Christianity it would require for them to deny knowledge which is obvious and blatant to them. Conversely- when Christian ministers start studying the texts in hebrew, and following the rabbinical explanations of those passages in hebrew- their proof texts dissolve and they are left with the reality of why Jews rejected Jesus- but they have nothing to fill in why they should accept him- the proof texts have dissappeared and they find what they believed in was built on a foundation of quicksand.
And as you say- messianic Judaism/Jews for Jesus- all rely on converting those divorced from Judaism, those who lack a Jewish education and knowledge. Jews who had a Jewish education and loose faith generally become atheists- it is rare for someone knowledgeable in Judaism to convert.
2007-06-20 01:02:38 · answer #1 · answered by allonyoav 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well what about others converting from one religion to another, like christians becoming atheists, or atheists becoming christian, or muslims/islamists becoming christian or the other way around.
Basically i think it has to do with what you said that they really didn't have much to do with the first religion, but were made excited about the one they changed to, the original was boring to them, they were ready for a change.
But people who are satisfied with what religion they are in, don't go looking for something to change to, nor are they interested when something different comes to them.
Also think about this, in Judaism only the Father God is worshipped, and worshipping anything more than HIM is very wrong to them.
So for a true Jew to turn to christianity means they are turning their backs on the one true God of their religion for centuries - ever since Abram became Abraham. That is a long time of their forefathers being in the same religion, it is hard to go against that much history.
hope that helps
2007-06-20 03:18:27 · answer #2 · answered by k 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the words of a Pharisee who was the son of a Pharisee, educated under Gamaliel, and whom history bears out as being a highly educated Jew converted to Christianity, I give you this: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in."
I realize that this only scratches the surface of the answer but it is all I have time for. Sorry.
2007-06-22 16:33:47 · answer #3 · answered by Legbiter 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Moses was a very important person in the plan of God. The Lord used him to deliver the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. The Levitical Law was set up through Moses as well
2016-05-20 06:24:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd be interested in the statistics. But Jesus' disciples weren't highly educated men. God uses the simple to confound the wise.
2007-06-20 00:51:51 · answer #5 · answered by RB 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
It doesn't take an educated person to know the truth about Christ.....worldly wisdom means nothing in God's kingdom.
He uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise.
And I am a fool for Christ...and I always will be!
Praise God!
2007-06-20 00:50:58 · answer #6 · answered by primoa1970 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
peoples education has nothing to do with it....
he just finally saw the light... plus haven't you ever heard of " Jews for Jesus " ?
2007-06-20 00:50:11 · answer #7 · answered by panda 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Maybe their better educated than you.
2007-06-20 00:48:54 · answer #8 · answered by allahdevil1 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋