Resources For Learning About The Jewish People and Judaism

[spidergoat]

There is plenty of Jewish history in the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles,

There is plenty of New York history in the Spiderman comics.

 

[SereneCalm]

One of the reasons why I am interested in learning about the Jewish people and Judaism is because I am a Christian who believes in God and Jesus and I may have some Jewish roots. I also want to learn about the history surrounding the old and new testament in the Christian bible. I understand that Christianity is not based in fact, if you consider the certainty of the truth behind the Big Bang and Evolution, but it feels good to pray, read the bible, go to church, and do good deeds, so I like it.

Try google and check for bibles online esp. KJV because all the history is written in there.

 

[timojin]

I agree to a point. The bible is more of a historical epic like the Iliad and Odyssey, a tiny bit of history but mostly myth.

Ha-ha, good one! The Noah myth is substantiated by the Gilgamesh myth.

Again there are bits of history mixed with mosthly myth.

Holy crap that is a funny statement.

Except christians are not monotheistic! You seem to have forgotten that God had a baby boy. And then there is that holy ghost thing whatever that is....
The only current mainstream monotheistic religion that I know of is Islam.

Let me start from your last paragraph. Do you know how was Christianity prior the Roman emperor Constantin, if you don't , then find out. You might learn how Catholicism come into the picture and how it
Constantin changed Christianity and it becomes polytheistic. There are many Christian branches Monotheistic.

History . You born here how much history do you know with regard to the native American ?
Myth , you don't have any base because you vere not there nor you read history.

First paragraph : what is so funny ? what is your point , sher with me your knowhowe

 

[origin]

Let me start from your last paragraph. Do you know how was Christianity prior the Roman emperor Constantin, if you don't , then find out. You might learn how Catholicism come into the picture and how it
Constantin changed Christianity and it becomes polytheistic. There are many Christian branches Monotheistic.

Many Christian Sects do not believe that Jesus is the son of God? Which ones?

History . You born here how much history do you know with regard to the native American ?

Not sure what this has to do with the OP, but yeah I have a fairly decent understanding of the Native Americans history. I am a big fan of the archeology and Native American history. I have many fond memories of tromping through miles of muddy fields with my father looking for Native American Artifacts.

Myth , you don't have any base because you vere not there nor you read history.

Ah yes, the old "you weren't there so you do not know" ploy. Luckily the rest of the world does not think that makes sense - if they did then murders would go free unless all of the jurors observed the the murder.

First paragraph : what is so funny ? what is your point , sher with me your knowhowe

I told you why that is so funny in the post, but I will reiterate.
You say the flood myth is real and one of your supporting evidences is there is another flood myth.
2 myths does not make it real!
In all likelyhood the Noah myth was based on the Gilgamesh myth, well that was the conclusion of the Professor that was teaching the Near History course that I took in college.

 

[mmatt9876]

Atheism is not the belief that god doesn't exist. If you don't think god exists but you just like the idea of it, you are an atheist.

I am having trouble deciding whether or not I am theist or atheist. I know the existence of god is not based in science but theism feels right to me.

 

[timojin]

Many Christian Sects do not believe that Jesus is the son of God? Which ones?

Not sure what this has to do with the OP, but yeah I have a fairly decent understanding of the Native Americans history. I am a big fan of the archeology and Native American history. I have many fond memories of tromping through miles of muddy fields with my father looking for Native American Artifacts.

Ah yes, the old "you weren't there so you do not know" ploy. Luckily the rest of the world does not think that makes sense - if they did then murders would go free unless all of the jurors observed the the murder.

I told you why that is so funny in the post, but I will reiterate.
You say the flood myth is real and one of your supporting evidences is there is another flood myth.
2 myths does not make it real!
In all likelyhood the Noah myth was based on the Gilgamesh myth, well that was the conclusion of the Professor that was teaching the Near History course that I took in college.

Yo no tengo problema between Gilgamesh and Noah who ever published first. reality we don't know who published first . Your professor does not have the information first hand.

About Christianity: Early Christian did not worship Mary nor any other saints . That was to acomodate the Roman believe , they worshiped a queen of heaven , so the formation of Catholicism is a mixture of several
religion to acomodate the one religion in Rome call it universal = Catholic .

Tell me how much in the American history is mentioned about Cherokee displacing them from the south to Oklahoma.

 

[mmatt9876]

I have decided that I am Roman Catholic.

 

[mmatt9876]

I have decided I am Roman Catholic because that is how I was brought up.

 

[spidergoat]

I have decided I am Roman Catholic because that is how I was brought up.

That's a good reason.

 

[mmatt9876]

That's a good reason.

I tried typing out that I was atheist in post #65 but I got real anxious afterwards so I changed my response and I chose being Roman catholic which is the faith I am most comfortable and secure with. There is nothing wrong with being atheist, I think it is smart and brave, but right now it just is not working out for me.

 

[spidergoat]

There is a lot of cultural conditioning geared towards making atheists or potential atheists uncomfortable. Fear of losing family ties, fear of divine punishment, etc.

 

[mmatt9876]

There is a lot of cultural conditioning geared towards making atheists or potential atheists uncomfortable. Fear of losing family ties, fear of divine punishment, etc.

I worry most about not having the connection to God which I believe in if I become atheist. I think atheism is logical because people can use science to sometimes poke plausible holes in a religion or faith but it is the feeling of being spiritually connected and morally right when I believe in God that keeps me a theist, specifically Roman Catholic. What are you guys thoughts on theism or atheism, you may enlighten me and other people on what is most plausible between theism and atheism.

 

[mmatt9876]

You can blame the British for this catastrophe. Starting early in the 20th century (or perhaps even before that), the Brits wanted to carve up the Middle East to make it easy for them to treat the people who lived there, and their countries, as resources to exploit--economic and political.

This continued through WWI and WWII, at which point the Americans jumped in. However, our interests were in politics, rather than economics. We desperately did not want Iran (in particular) to become an ally of the USSR. Iran's democratic government was quite friendly to Moscow, so this would probably have taken place within ten years. So President Truman sent CIA agents to infiltrate the country, and they ultimately overthrew the democratic government--yes, boys and girls, the USA happily overthrew a democratic government and turned it into a theocracy!

Our goal was to completely destroy Iran's democracy and install the Shah, who was happy to have the help. He became a faithful ally of the USA and Western Europe, at a time when we were all worried about communism spreading all over the planet.

However, back to the original question, there's more to this. When WWII ended, there were still hundreds of thousands of Jews surviving in Europe, and all they wanted was to return to their homes, even though many of them were only bomb craters that would require considerable reconstruction before anyone could live there. However, the Europeans had not completely lost their fondness for anti-Semitism, and they made it clear that they'd much rather have the Jews go somewhere else--anywhere else!

At this point, the people in the British government pulled out their maps and found a little place named "Palestine," which, as far as they could tell, was not populated by anybody. So they announced to the Jews that they could all go to Palestine and build new homes--with enormous donations of money and material, courtesy of most of the European governments.

Of course, as we know now, Palestine was NOT a big empty desert just waiting for people with tractors to turn it into a grand garden. It was, in fact, the home of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinians are an Arab people, and when the Saudis, the Egyptians and all the other nearby Arabian populations learned about the British scheme, they strengthened their own militaries, and attacked Israel. I don't remember exactly how long this war lasted (I was too young to understand these kinds of things), but it went on for several years before the Arabs finally surrendered, in the face of all those European weapons that had been donated to the Israelis.

Fast-forward to the 21st century, and today most of the Arab countries have genuinely cordial relations with Israel.

Only one Arab community has still not made peace with Israel. Can you guess which one? The Palestinians!

I have often said that the reason that the Jews have been so hard on the Palestinians is that, after WWII was over, no one allowed them to bomb the holy shit out of Germany. The Palestinians were merely their second choice.

Wow! That is a lot of history! Thanks! What would Israel have to do in order to bring about peace between themselves and the Palestinians? Does Palestine technically belong to both peoples? Did Israel once own the land we call Palestine today before the state of Israel fell hundreds of years ago and the Palestinians occupied it? What a tough nut to crack!

 

[mmatt9876]

The Bible is not a history book. It's a book of fairytales. Even the portions of the Bible that pretend to be history are not.

The enslavement of the Jews in Egypt is a perfect example. It never happened!

When the Egyptians launched their massive building project, they needed an enormous number of workers to do the actual work. Fortunately, they knew something that a lot of today's governments (and other employers) have forgotten: You get the best work out of your staff if you PAY THEM decently.

The Jews had always held literacy in high regard, and many of those who came (voluntarily!) to Egypt to work for more-or-less fair wages often ended up as foremen, for the precise reason that they could read the plans and make sure the buildings were put together properly.

When the project was over, nobody was left "in bondage." They were sent home, with the money they had earned jangling in their purses. The entire fairytale about Moses is just that: a fairytale--like much of the Bible. The Egyptians had increased the prosperity of Israel rather nicely, by pumping all that Egyptian money into the Israeli economy. (The Israelis were not the only people who benefited from working in Egypt. The Egyptians increased the prosperity of the entire region!)

As for the evolution of the Jewish religion: that had begun long before the Egyptians launched their building project. The Jews had been monotheists for centuries. Since Judaism is not an evangelical religion, even today, they don't really care much for converts. The conversion rituals are enough to make most people back away--especially men, who have to undergo circumcision!

It is interesting that the bible does not match up with history on this. I guess the bible may be a book of part fairy tales if the Egyptian enslavement of Jews and Book of Exodus stories are actually false. It is nice to hear the Jews were not enslaved by the Egyptians but paid well for their work in Egypt. It is also good that the Jews brought back the money to Israel that they earned in Egypt which benefited their economy.

 

[timojin]

I worry most about not having the connection to God which I believe in if I become atheist. I think atheism is logical because people can use science to sometimes poke plausible holes in a religion or faith but it is the feeling of being spiritually connected and morally right when I believe in God that keeps me a theist, specifically Roman Catholic. What are you guys thoughts on theism or atheism, you may enlighten me and other people on what is most plausible between theism and atheism.

There is no problem for a believer and follow science . You have to keep in mind, not everything you read in science is the truth , many of the so called truth in science are based on some assumption and the assumption might not based on facts, So you read then examine them then reach your own conclusion and keep on examining for more information and if necessary change tour conclusion.

 

[timojin]

It is interesting that the bible does not match up with history on this. I guess the bible may be a book of part fairy tales if the Egyptian enslavement of Jews and Book of Exodus stories are actually false. It is nice to hear the Jews were not enslaved by the Egyptians but paid well for their work in Egypt. It is also good that the Jews brought back the money to Israel that they earned in Egypt which benefited their economy.

I definitely would challenge the poster where he got you his story, I would ask him for reference otherwise he is a story teller because he was not a live 3500 year ago.

 

[mmatt9876]

The Bible is not a history book. It's a book of fairytales. Even the portions of the Bible that pretend to be history are not.

The enslavement of the Jews in Egypt is a perfect example. It never happened!

When the Egyptians launched their massive building project, they needed an enormous number of workers to do the actual work. Fortunately, they knew something that a lot of today's governments (and other employers) have forgotten: You get the best work out of your staff if you PAY THEM decently.

The Jews had always held literacy in high regard, and many of those who came (voluntarily!) to Egypt to work for more-or-less fair wages often ended up as foremen, for the precise reason that they could read the plans and make sure the buildings were put together properly.

When the project was over, nobody was left "in bondage." They were sent home, with the money they had earned jangling in their purses. The entire fairytale about Moses is just that: a fairytale--like much of the Bible. The Egyptians had increased the prosperity of Israel rather nicely, by pumping all that Egyptian money into the Israeli economy. (The Israelis were not the only people who benefited from working in Egypt. The Egyptians increased the prosperity of the entire region!)

As for the evolution of the Jewish religion: that had begun long before the Egyptians launched their building project. The Jews had been monotheists for centuries. Since Judaism is not an evangelical religion, even today, they don't really care much for converts. The conversion rituals are enough to make most people back away--especially men, who have to undergo circumcision!

I would appreciate it if you could provide a reference online or written for us about how the enslavement of Jews in Egypt and the story about Moses, and the story of the Book of Exodus, if I can include it, is false and never happened. Just curious.

 

[mmatt9876]

There is no problem for a believer and follow science . You have to keep in mind, not everything you read in science is the truth , many of the so called truth in science are based on some assumption and the assumption might not based on facts, So you read then examine them then reach your own conclusion and keep on examining for more information and if necessary change tour conclusion.

Science is good because it helps prove or disprove ideas we humans get. Religion gives us a lot of ideas that do not line up with science which is where I get confused.

 

[mmatt9876]

Is the Roman Catholic faith considered Christian? Does the Roman Catholic faith have any Jewish roots?

 

[spidergoat]

Is the Roman Catholic faith considered Christian? Does the Roman Catholic faith have any Jewish roots?

Jesus was a Jew. Why don't you become Jewish?