BALANCE

A feel a great need to make an official statement about Christianity.

I know what I want to say, but there is a “stuckedness” about this topic. Again, for me, it’s striking a balance.

In order to have a balance, we have to have two (at least) sides. There are some famous voices in the Jewish world who have taken great steps to befriend the Christian world. Michael Medved and Dennis Prager are the two with whom I am most familiar. Their stance is that America is largely a Christian country, and the incredible religious freedoms that we have today are due largely to this religion. Both of these men are highly intelligent and I don’t mean to overly simplify their approaches, but I think this is a fair summary. I like that their message has helped many Jews to realize that not every Christian has as his highest priority the conversion of the Jews. They have helped me and many others to remove the fangs that Jews have in the past associated with Christianity. For this, I think they should be applauded.

However, history isn’t so easily forgotten for many Jews whose approach is keep the Christian at a long arm’s length. Jewish blood has flowed very freely in the name of Jesus – both from the Catholic and the Protestant worlds. In addition to this, there are missionaries who have a passionate desire to bring the “good news” to the Jews. Many Jews resent this.

Before I get to my seemingly balanced position, I have to add an important piece. I believe that Christianity is wrong. Forget about the utilitarian aspect for a second – that it has brought much goodness to many people and that many people’s lives have been vastly improved by Christian living. Every observant Jew believes that it isn’t true. This leads me to my balance. I have now stated that I don’t believe it’s true. I might again state this idea, but I don’t want that to be my task. For that, I’ll direct you to Rabbi Tuvia Singer or Jews for Judaism. This is my way of honoring the appreciation that I have for the freedoms I have without being confrontational towards the group that has been, perhaps, the Divine Messenger to bring these freedoms to me, my family, and my nation. I do believe that every Jew should be familiar with why we don’t believe in Jesus, and I do believe that there will come a time where non-true religions will be revealed as such. I remain open that I’ll have a share in that task, but not here and not for now.