I think that is what you should explain to your child then, if you haven't done so yet. I think its important to tell him just exactly why you think "God is bullshit" and do so in the passionate way that you are relaying to me.
I don't want to tell him WHY I think that I think God is BS although I will let him now I don't believe in god, I just want him to know that his views are accepted by me and his grandfather. I just want to tell him that he can still be proud of his heritage and participate in cultural aspects including some religious ceremonies without believing in God. Much of it is a way for our family to interact more than anything else. My reasons for WHY would come later, after his views are very well thought out. I would like him to ruminate on those ideas for a few years on his own, as my interference in WHY seems selfish.
I never mentioned Africa, so not sure how someone thought I said you can't be African and Jewish. Of course a person can be both. Being Jewish is BOTH culture and religion. So a person can embrace the culture as both GOD and I do while not following the religion. The basic definition of a Jew is one born of a Jewish mother (or more rarely converted) who has not accepted any other faith. So yes, an atheist can be a Jew but a Christian cannot. I have known Orthodox Jews who consider me Jewish but not "an observer of the Commandments" as they put it. However, there is no such thing as a "Jew for Jesus".
I'll add that being born to a Jewish mother is definitively ethnicity, and you cannot undo it. That is, conversion doesn't undo the circumstances of one's birth.
Honestly, no, Messianic Jews are not Jews. At least as judged by almost every Jew you might ask. I understand and have spoke much about the paradoxical facts and opinions on this, but regardless of the fine points of the arguments, Jews not only view Messianic Jews as not Jews, but they see them as traitors and ridicule them. If Jews don't consider you Jewish, then you are not Jewish. Also, the conversion is viewed to supersede ethnicity. Hence, my brother married a non-Jew who went to synagogue and took classes and became a convert. Her children are now in a Jewish line and are Jewish even though her bloodline was not Jewish. Upon conversion her bloodline became Jewish. Likewise, if one converts to a different religion, they are USUALLY VIEWED as no longer Jewish.
These issues have all been debated extensively rabbi's in Isreal. Their views do differ. I am giving more the view of the average American Jew.
What's the second word in Messianic Jew?" I think they are fools, but in religious terms are sinners or blasphemers. Why wouldn't "messianic" apply to "Jew" as "orthodox" does? A different flavor. The ethnicity part is very real. There are even two classes of ethnic Jew: Sephardic and Ashkenazi. A Jew is one of these regardless of being Messianic.
They would still be considered genetically related and in the bloodline, and would most likely find fewer hurdles to converting back, but they believe specifically in something that Jews view anti-jewish. Is this a case of the shell game, the definition changing as soon as you choose which words you subscribe too, yes. But regardless of this multi-faceted word that has moving definitions, Jews generally agree, you believe in Jesus and that's a huge NoNo.
Non sequitur. Maybe the most orthodox jews would have the very same reaction to you being agnostic/atheist. You're a sinner/blasphemer in the same sense: you disobey the law (and 10 commandments). I think you do have a flaw in your reasoning that mags stumbled onto. What I said isn't a flaw (born a jew, always a jew).
I'm not sure this is a good analogy but here you go. Think about someone who is 25% black and 75% white. They may look like Tom Petty, in which case most of society would refer to them as white. If they look like Jimi Hendrix most people who refer to them as black. You are talking about someone who looks like Adam Carolla (might have a touch of black) but always wears uniforms from the south during the civil war, hates rap, loves barry manilow. You say fuck the curly hair, that guy is as white as white can be.
I am talking about how we are viewed. Actually, most orthodox would still consider me a Jew, just a non-observant one. So I feel pretty good about that. But you could be right that THEY might see a messianic Jew as still a Jew. But average Jewish American culture most certainly does not.
Born of a Jewish mother, you're black no matter what. (Jewish). Do you think the Nazis would have rounded up the Messianic Jews along with the others? I have zero doubt.
I'm sure they would. And if something like that came about I would consider all gays, blacks, messianic Jews and every other outsider as Jewish and try with my life to protect them. Honestly though, using the views of Nazi's to make your point may be a little off.
Being an atheist requires faith. Simple as that. If there is no absolute, then it's a matter of what you believe without proof. If you call yourself an atheist, that that belief is without proof. Hence it is by faith.
That's exactly what I'm talking about. If you can be an atheist Jew, then you can definitely be a Buddhist Jew, a catholic Jew, a Christian Jew, even a satanic Jew.
