Thanks to Stuart for this article:
For thousands of people who convert to Judaism, Christmas is a difficult day of balancing what was once intimately theirs but now represents, in some ways, the essence of what they are giving up. The holiday brings up questions that often have less to do with theology than with culture and custom. Siblings wonder: Can we still give you gifts? Parents ask: Can I still fill your stocking? If the answers are no, does that signal something akin to betrayal?
Converts to Judaism Describe Their Feelings on Christmas – NYTimes.com.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
Connect
Interesting posts you have, though I think Christianity is dead and will be redeemed and brought to fruition and perfection through Thelema. Check out my blog at http://christianityisdead.wordpress.com/ if you will. Love is the law, love under will.
Yeah, that comment really belongs here.
Where does it belong exactly, Polycarp? I can think of no other place that is more important to spread this word.
First, I wouldn’t want to spread your word. Second, there is a conversation going on about atheism and religion on this very blog.
Interesting posts you have, though I think Christianity is dead and will be redeemed and brought to fruition and perfection through Thelema. Check out my blog at http://christianityisdead.wordpress.com/ if you will. Love is the law, love under will.
Yeah, that comment really belongs here.
Where does it belong exactly, Polycarp? I can think of no other place that is more important to spread this word.
First, I wouldn’t want to spread your word. Second, there is a conversation going on about atheism and religion on this very blog.
I am a former devoted Pentecostal whom all of my six years as a Christian (the last year as a Christian I was a “Messianic”) desired to serve the Creator. 2,5 years ago I found the website of http://www.netzarim.co.il .
In that website I found a logical analysis of the earliest manusscripts (including the logical implications of the research by Ben-Gurion Univ. Prof. of Linguistics Elisha Qimron of Dead Sea Scroll 4Q MMT)) of “the gospel of Matthew”, implies that Ribi Yehoshua was a Perushi (Pharisee). And also research that proves his followers Netzarim kept and lived Torah all of their lives.
That made me immediately to switch to the religion of Ribi Yehoshua – Judaism – and I have not regretted that a second! Since I found that website I have learned more and more about Torah and I do my sincerest to keep the mitzwot (commandments) in Torah.
This xmas was the third xmas that I didn’t celebrate. My mother thinks it is sad. She has said many times: “maybe you will change your mind in some years”. I won’t. My father respects my decision.
I follow the Torah that Ribi Yehoshua ha-Mashiakh (the Messiah) followed and I will never stop doing that! The Torah that Ribi Yehoshua followed clearly forbids celebration of religious holidays other than Jewish holidays.
Anders Branderud
‘Immediately’? That leads me to believe that your ‘faith’ was not so well founded, as your exegesis shows severe lacking in Christ and His Apostles.
I am a former devoted Pentecostal whom all of my six years as a Christian (the last year as a Christian I was a “Messianic”) desired to serve the Creator. 2,5 years ago I found the website of http://www.netzarim.co.il .
In that website I found a logical analysis of the earliest manusscripts (including the logical implications of the research by Ben-Gurion Univ. Prof. of Linguistics Elisha Qimron of Dead Sea Scroll 4Q MMT)) of “the gospel of Matthew”, implies that Ribi Yehoshua was a Perushi (Pharisee). And also research that proves his followers Netzarim kept and lived Torah all of their lives.
That made me immediately to switch to the religion of Ribi Yehoshua – Judaism – and I have not regretted that a second! Since I found that website I have learned more and more about Torah and I do my sincerest to keep the mitzwot (commandments) in Torah.
This xmas was the third xmas that I didn’t celebrate. My mother thinks it is sad. She has said many times: “maybe you will change your mind in some years”. I won’t. My father respects my decision.
I follow the Torah that Ribi Yehoshua ha-Mashiakh (the Messiah) followed and I will never stop doing that! The Torah that Ribi Yehoshua followed clearly forbids celebration of religious holidays other than Jewish holidays.
Anders Branderud
‘Immediately’? That leads me to believe that your ‘faith’ was not so well founded, as your exegesis shows severe lacking in Christ and His Apostles.