Christians feel like they have a responsibility to convert non-believers and teach them about Jesus Christ. They establish missions around the world in an effort to reach the un-churched. I do not hear about Jews making the same effort and wondered if it is just something that is not talked about or if the Jewish people do not feel called in that way. Thanks for any information, I am just asking out of curiosity & the question is not meant as an insult to anyone.
2007-07-22 15:29:17 · 15 answers · asked by Jennifer 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Would prefer answers that are not rude or insulting to Christians or Jews, if that's too much to ask then please don't answer. Thanks.
2007-07-22 15:34:35 · update #1
Converting others to Judaism is actrually a massive responsibility for the person who is doing the conversion- and an activity which can lead them to erring and sinning themselves! Why? There is a commandment "Do not place as tumbling block before the blind" Its easy enough to understand at a literal level, but at a deeper level it also means to not do something that will cause another person to err and thus be worse off than they were before.
Where this comes into play is as follows: Everyone, regardless of religion, has a path to righteousness and a place in the world to come. For the non-Jews, if they behave in a manner that is in line with the 7 Noahide laws, then they will be righteous and merit a place in the world to come- for Jews, it is through the 613 commandments.
So, coming back to the first point- what is easier, to follow 7 laws or 613 laws? Its a no brainer- 7 laws are much easier to follow. So, when we convert somebody, we are giving them an additional 606 laws that previously did not apply to them previously. Its not just a stumbling block- its a concrete barrier across the road! The person doing the conversion has to educate the convertee well enough that they will know enough about the laws to undertake to follow them, and know how to do so at a practical level- if they don't, the person is going to err and thus the teacher is in violation of the commandment!
So making sure someone is serious about conversion is imperiative. If the person is not serious, and the teacher has not tested them, the teacher is in violation of the commandment and, additionally, has caused another person to sin. If the person is serious- then it is a massive mitzvah to bring them into Judaism.
So we do not evangelise- we have no desire to cause peopel to sin, or to sin ourselves. Since non-Jews can be righteous without being Jewish, we are happy to let them go their own way.
2007-07-23 20:17:33 · answer #1 · answered by allonyoav 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
ok, it's an interesting question. as many people have already posted, we jews DON'T evangelize, proselytize, or attempt to coerce conversion. it's incredibly difficult to convert, for good reason. any religion which compels anyone to accept it has real problems (imho). judaism really doesn't have to 'prove' anything, there isn't some sort of celestial scorecard which lists how many believers each group has, with benefits for quarterly growth.
as ladysuri posted, there are 7 mitzvot, commandments, which would apply to jews and non-jews alike. jews have an additional 606 mitzvot which are unique to the jewish experience. the reward for following the 7 noahide laws is the same as for the jews following the 613 mitzvot.
honestly, with a deal like that, why would we feel the need to proselytize?
2007-07-23 23:24:46 · answer #2 · answered by tuxey 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
You ask a good question with a simple answer--one that can't be provided by a Messianic "Jew", as earlier demonstrated.
We don't believe that anyone has to be Jewish to get to heaven. G-d loves all equally and gentiles only have 7 commandments in order to warrant a place in heaven same as Jews--and they are pretty hard to break. Jews have more rules to follow. Why in the world would anyone want more rules? (that's why we discourage converts at first). Xtians feel the need to convert people because they believe it is their duty, and that G-d will send people to hell for not believing what they believe. We do not believe that. So we have no need to evangelize.
Peace to you
2007-07-22 23:57:32 · answer #3 · answered by LadySuri 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Hello,
No, while the Jews will accept converts to their religion, they certainly do not or like to evangelize people. My niece and others who I know converted to this religion were actually discouraged at first and asked why the dickens do they want to change horses in mid stream.. After some persistance, they were given some appointments and books to study and encouraged to think pretty hard about what they were doing.
Regards,
Michael Kelly
2007-07-22 22:39:32 · answer #4 · answered by Michael Kelly 5 · 7⤊ 0⤋
No, Jews dont feel the need to evangelize.
The reason is we dont look down on people of other religions and believe that if they do not believe like us they will be condemned to hell.
as for establishing missions I am sure the native Americans "loved" when you did that. Gave you a good reason to drive them off their ancestral lands and destroy their way of life.
2007-07-22 22:34:51 · answer #5 · answered by Gamla Joe 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Jews know that everyone has access to God. In fact, the Torah outlines 7 universal laws for all mankind to follow (both Gentiles and Jews) based on the laws God commanded to Noah.
2007-07-23 02:30:53 · answer #6 · answered by mo mosh 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Judaism allows conversion but does not recommend it since non Jews only have to follow 7 laws while Jews have to follow 613. Of course if someone is sincere and serious about converting they are welcome. But they do not go and try to convert others
2007-07-23 20:59:50 · answer #7 · answered by ST 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Honestly never met an Evanelising Jew.
Always thought by some traditions only recognised someoen as Jewish if their mother had been one.
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2007-07-22 22:41:09 · answer #8 · answered by Rai A 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, the jews don't generally try to convert people. In fact when the jews are in a "good" position (meaning people en masse want to join) it is much harder to join them.
2007-07-22 22:36:43 · answer #9 · answered by Josh 3 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Jesus told His followers to do this.
Jews were not commanded to do this.
The Jewish people still have a mission to fulfill for God. Of course that is only my Christian belief. The Jewish people are still God's chosen people to fulfill certain mandates...that has not been removed. Regardless of what others say.
2007-07-22 22:36:26 · answer #10 · answered by pinkstealth 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋