An Open Response to Dalton Lifsey

Posted on February 6, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

An Open Response to Dalton Lifsey

 

http://thecontroversyofzion.com/2012/02/dr-michael-brown-and-the-anemic-polemic-of-the-jewish-anti-missionaries/

 

Dear Dalton.

You seem to have taken exception to my post entitled “Persuasion versus Education – a response to Dr. Brown”. After quoting my post where I assert that the missionary campaign is a campaign of “persuasion”, while the campaign of the Jewish community is one of “education”, you go on to write:

“I find it hard to believe that Blumenthal wrote this without a few dozen gut checks and a wrestling match with his conscience. The degree of intellectual dishonesty required to commit these words to print is astounding. Particularly the assertion that “the conflict between the missionary and the Jewish community is a conflict between the method of persuasion favored by the missionary and the method of education favored by the Jewish community.” This is coming from a man who offered 48 pages of extremely weak argumentation predicated on circular reasoning and shocking exegesis in response to a man who has devoted the majority of his adult life to writing prolifically, methodically, and faithfully to counter the theological, historical, and philosophical objections that his Jewish brothers have leveled against him. Brown is no light-weight when it comes to scholarship (You can browse Brown’s exceptional multi-volume series “Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus”[and other works] here).

The contrast between what Brown has contributed to the debate and what these biased and belligerent Rabbi’s have offered is quite telling.

If I were Mr. Blumenthal, I would delete the preface post about education and persuasion. It only serves to whittle the credibility of an already anemic polemic. And if I were any of these Rabbi’s or Jewish scholars, I would steer clear of a public debate with Brown. Not only does he have the upper hand on substantive argumentation, according to the Rabbi’s he is apparently quite capable of persuasively proclaiming them. But having said that, I pray that the debates continue so that these ultimate issues can be discussed in the public square. Whether these Rabbi’s ever recant and repent or not, their willingness to show up debate after debate only gives more opportunity for the Gospel to be proclaimed to more of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The Rabbi’s know this (which explains their affirmation of Brown’s effectiveness in the debate forum and their unwillingness to take him on).”

Dalton; I stand by my original statement with a clear and unburdened conscience. The missionary campaign is a campaign of “persuasion” while the campaign of the Jewish community is one of “education”. I say this not only DESPITE Dr. Brown’s five volume work, but primarily BECAUSE I have studied Dr. Brown’s work. I articulated many of my arguments in three separate articles; Contra Brown, The Elephant and the Suit, and Supplement to Contra Brown. This is in addition to many other articles that I have written in an attempt to articulate my position. If you are judging my work by the number of pages written, “48” is not quite the right number. (From your words I get the impression that you did not even read my follow up article: “Persuasion versus Education Part II”.) Perhaps you fail to see the weight of my arguments, and I understand. We approach these issues from two different world-views, so misunderstanding is to be expected. It may enlighten you to know that others view my work differently than you do –

https://yourphariseefriend.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/introducing-thomas/

One more thing before I sign off. I want to put Dr. Brown’s insistence on the venue of a public debate in its historical context.

If the entire disagreement between Judaism and Christianity could be resolved in the superficial arena of “public opinion” – then there is no point in a debate. Christianity has won a long time ago. In the arena of public opinion – the score stands at about 2 billion Christians versus about 15 million Jews.

For 2000 years Jews have insisted that the only way to resolve this issue is through a serious study of the truth – and NOT through a superficial appeal to public opinion. It is not for nothing that for 2000 years, the people that were most qualified to pass judgment on the claims of Christianity; namely the Jewish people, have categorically rejected the claims of Christianity. After all, Jesus did not claim to be the Messiah predicted by the prophets of Gaul, Rome or Greece. He claimed to be the Messiah foretold by the prophets of the Jews as well as an incarnation of their God. The Gauls, the Romans and the Greeks, who did not have the necessary tools to evaluate the truth of these claims in their original Jewish context, were the ones who accepted these claims, while the Jews, who were in possession of the relevant information, have by and large rejected them.

What does Dr. Brown hope to accomplish in a public debate? Is he planning to present new information that he did not already include in his massive 5 volume work? I do not think so.  If Dr. Brown would have come up with any new insight that would impact the Jewish-Christian polemic in favor of his faith, I think that he would have shared it with the world in writing, and not wait for the setting of a public debate. His commitment to his cause tells me that he would not withhold such information for a minute. The purpose of a debate is not to present new information. All of the information that Dr. Brown wants to present on the subject should be contained in his 5 volumes.

The Jewish community has already responded to the information contained in Dr. Brown’s 5 volumes. I have written three articles that systematically expose the fallacies inherent in Dr. Brown’s 5 volumes, but despite his assurances to respond, he has not done so (as of yet). It is Dr. Brown who is refusing the Jewish community’s invitation to respond to their challenge to his work.

Dr. Brown may not appreciate the seriousness of the challenge and he may see no need to respond. He is entitled to his position. I quote the following facebook message so that you may see why I feel that my work is not the “poor joke” that it appears to be from behind your Christian glasses.

This message is thanking Rabbi Eli Cohen for posting my article: “The Elephant and the Suit”

“Rabbi Eli Cohen, I want to thank you SO MUCH for these .pdf files showing the flaws in Dr. Brown’s presentations. You have no idea how you are helping a group of us Jews-by-birth here in **** who, through no fault of our own, were adopted into non-Jewish families right after birth or at very young ages. We were brought up in Xian homes with J-sus taking a very strong place in our lives. Not to be disrespectful, but for us it has been like going through detox for several years, having to get the “noise” of the NT out of our heads to see the beauty and simplicity of TORAH. Our hats are off to you, Rabbi, and to all the great Jewish people on Facebook who have friended us and helped us in ways you will never know.”

Sincerely yours.

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Correspondence | 23 Comments

Two Conversations

Posted on February 6, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

Two Conversations

Conversation I

Jesus loves you!

God loved me first!

What do you mean?

I can see – that means I have retinas and corneas. I can breath – that means that I have lungs, a diaphragm and bronchial tubes. I could digest food – that means that I have a stomach and intestines. All of these are God’s gifts to me – I’ll bet you that Jesus couldn’t spell half of those words – and he certainly didn’t have a clue as to how these various body parts function – how can you expect me to worship him?

Conversation II

You need Jesus!

No I don’t, I’ve got a cold beer, I’m good.

But didn’t you ever sin?

I sure did, I’ve done plenty of stuff that was downright wrong, but there is one thing I’ve never done.

What’s that?

I never claimed to be God, I never claimed to be sinless, and I certainly didn’t tell anyone that they’ll go to hell for refusing to believe that I am sinless.

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Correspondence | Leave a comment

An Open Letter to Rabbi S. Boteach

Posted on February 3, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

An Open Letter to Rabbi S. Boteach

Dear Rabbi Boteach. You seem to be surprised by the firestorm that erupted around your new book Kosher Jesus”. Your book was not even released and it was already banned. You have found yourself attacked from all quarters and you have valiantly wielded your keyboard against your critics. The upshot of your self-defense is that you are the representative of a fearless and broad-minded Judaism, while all of your opponents belong to the medieval, closed-minded, fanatical Judaism which the authors of the New Testament so vividly portray.

May I humbly introduce a new concept into your vocabulary which may allow you to see this controversy in a new light. It is called: sensitivity.

Symbols come with a lot of baggage. Take a flag as an example. If I were to burn the stars and stripes in front of a crowd of veterans who risked their lives for this great country; that would be insensitive. If I am wearing a uniform of the United States Army as I burn the flag; then my act would be doubly insensitive. If I then get up and explain to the enraged crowd that the stars actually represent communist North Korea, the red stripes represent China, while the white stripes represent the robes of the Afghan Taliban; it would not make my act any more refined.

Whether you like it or not, the word “Jesus” has become a symbol. 2000 years of history have imbued that word with a lot of negative meaning for our people. Aside from the horrors of persecution that have become so inextricably bound up with this name, there is the issue of idolatry. 2000 years of history have infused the word “Jesus” with the connotation of worship of a man – a concept that is the very antithesis of what it means to be a Jew.

The word “Kosher” also comes along with a meaning. “Kosher” doesn’t just mean that something is fine and good; it means that something is fine and good for those Jews whose lives are dedicated to God and to His Torah.

The fact that you are an Orthodox Rabbi and a Chabad Chassid is also accompanied by symbolism. When you talk, you represent something that is larger than yourself. You represent Chassidus Chabad, you represent Orthodox Jews, and you represent all of the Jews throughout history who carried the name “Jew” through fire and water.

Putting the words “Kosher” and “Jesus” on the same line in a public setting, is insensitive. Doing so while wearing the uniform of an Orthodox Rabbi, is doubly insensitive. Your shock at the firestorm that erupted when you trampled on the deepest feelings of the people who your uniform represents, would indicate that the concept: “sensitivity”, is completely foreign to you.

When one of Judaism’s most respected scholars banned your book, you could have used that as an opportunity to share one of Judaism’s most precious teachings with the world, namely; respect for Torah scholars. You could have humbled yourself towards a Torah scholar, and respectfully asked for an explanation. You would have set an example of humility before those who have imbibed more of God’s Torah than ourselves. Instead, you chose the opposite path. You chose to teach the world how to trample on the honor of Torah knowledge.

You were recently criticized by Rabbi M. Skobac, a man who has dedicated his life to the education of our people, specifically in the realm of countering the persuasions of Christian missionaries. Rabbi Skobac echoed Rabbi Schochet’s sentiment by identifying your book as a stumbling block, a work that will cause confusion, rather than encouraging education. Instead of stepping back, and considering the words of people who are both wiser and more experienced than yourself, you went on the attack. You had the incredible arrogance to lecture down to one of the foremost educators of our nation, “advising” him to write more books to educate Jews!

Your article attributes motives to those who criticize your book. You contend that your critics denounce your book because they want us to “fear the Christians”.

Did it perhaps occur to you that men who tower over you in every virtue are not as petty, fanatical and closed-minded as you make them out to be? Is it so hard for you to understand that in your attempt to redefine “Jesus”, you have inadvertently made a statement that redefines Judaism? Is it so difficult for you to see that the two slogans: “Kosher Jesus” and “Jews for Jesus” are synonymous?

Your article goes on to “warn” Rabbi Schochet and Rabbi Skobac that if they don’t come around to seeing things your way that they run the risk of becoming “dinosaurs”.

You may be aware that this “warning” has been the theme-song of all of our spiritual enemies throughout the ages. The Jewish people have always been “warned” that if they don’t join in the society where chutzpah reigns supreme, and Torah knowledge means nothing, then they run the risk of becoming dinosaurs. But the Jewish people are still here. The Jewish values of sensitivity and respect for Torah knowledge are eternal. Those who live by these eternal values will live forever in the memories of our people and in the lives they impact. It is those who trample on these values who run the risk of becoming dinosaurs.

Rabbi Boteach, you could have avoided causing our people so much heartache, by consulting with the wise men of our nation before taking unilateral action. It is too late for that now. But it is still not too late for you to teach the world another Jewish value. You could set an example for repentance. Should you choose the path of repentance, your memory would shine forever as a rare example of courage in retracting a public mistake. However, should you chose to tie your reputation to the crude and confusing slogan: “Kosher Jesus”, then you would be better off being a dinosaur.

Yisroel Chaim Blumenthal

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Posted in Correspondence | 94 Comments

Persuasion versus Education – Part II

Posted on January 31, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

Persuasion versus Education

 

Part II

In my previous post I made the sweeping accusation that the Christian missionary campaign favors persuasion over education. At first glance my accusation may perhaps seem to render me guilty of the same charges that I bring against the missionaries. How can I use such a broad brush to paint a campaign that is 2000 years old, and that has engaged many world-class scholars? Take for example Dr. Brown’s 5 volume series; “Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus” – a work that takes up over 1500 pages. How can I label such a work a work of persuasion and not acknowledge its educational value?

In the following paragraphs I will present my case, and in the spirit of education, I will leave it to the readers to come to their own conclusions.

The purpose of the missionary campaign is to convince its target audience that the doctrines of Christianity are true while the doctrines of Judaism (inasmuch as they conflict with the doctrines of Christianity) are false. The primary tool of the missionary effort is the Jewish Bible (known to Christians by the term Old Testament). The basic structure of the 2000 year missionary campaign attempts to establish a basis for Christian theology on the words of the Jewish prophets.

The age-old method of the missionary is the presentation of a specific passage from the Jewish Scripture that seems to support a given Christian doctrine. The missionary’s argument to the Jew is then; your own Scriptures validate the theology of Christianity.

I contend that this method, standing on its own, is an act of persuasion and not one of education and this for several reasons, four of which I shall present here.

1)      The Totality of the Belief System

The missionary argument is not merely advancing one doctrine. The contention of the missionary is that the entire belief system known as Christianity is true. This being the case, in order to arrive at an educated decision, one would have to weigh the complete belief system of Christianity against the words of the Jewish prophets.

For many long centuries, the Church has preached a theology of replacement; i.e. that the Jewish people are no longer God’s elect. This teaching is openly refuted by Scripture. There are more verses in the Jewish Scripture that speak of Israel’s immutable election than all of the passages that can be quoted to support all of the Christian doctrines combined. For the purpose of education – I will provide the list:

Genesis 9:27, 12:2,7, 13:14-17, 15:5,7,18, 17:7-14, 18:18, 22;17,18, 25:23, 26:3-5, 28:13,14, 35:12, 48:4,16,20, 49:10, 50:24, Exodus 2:24, 3:8,17, 4:22, 6:4,8, 8:19, 11:7, 15:16,17, 19:5,6 24:8, 25:8,22, 29:43-46, 31:12-17, 33:1,16, 34:10,27, Leviticus 11:45, 15:31, 19:2, 20:3,24,26, 22:33, 26:44, Numbers 15:41, 22:12, 23:21, 24:9, 33:53, 35:34, Deuteronomy 1:8, 4:7,20,31-39, 6:10,18, 7:6-8, 8:1, 9:5,26,29, 10:11,15, 11:12,31, 14:1,2, 21:8, 23:6, 26:15-19, 27:9, 29:11-14, 32:9-12, 33:28,29, Joshua 1:6, 5:6, 21:41, 1Samuel 12:22, 2Samuel 7:23,24, 1Kings 8:13,51-53, 9:3, 10:9, 11:36, Jeremiah 2:2,3, 10:16, 12:14, 14:9, 31:2,8,34-36, 33:19-26, 46:27,28, 50:33,34, 51:5, Ezekiel 11:16, 16:60, 37:28, Isaiah 41:8-16, 43:1-21, 44:1-8,21-23, 45:4,14-17, 46:3,4, 48:12, 49:14-16, 51:7,15,16,22-52:12, 54:10, 55:5, 59:21, 60:1-3,12,21, 61:6,9, 62:1-12, Hosea 2:1,21,22, Joel 4:17,20,21, Zephaniah 3:20, Zechariah 2:12, 8:20-23, Malachi 1:2, Psalm 28:9, 29:11, 38:12, 44:18, 47:4,5, 48:9,15, 50:7, 68:35,36, 74:2, 78:5,69, 79:13, 89:16, 94:14, 95:7, 98:1-3, 100:3, 105:8-45, 111:4-9, 125:2, 132:13-18, 133:3, 135:4, 144:15, 147:19,20, 148:14, 149:2,4, Nehemiah 1:10, 9:7,8, 1Chronicles 15:2, 16:15-22, 17:21,22,24, 23:13,25, 2Chronicles 6:6, 7:16, 9:8, 20:7

Today, many denominations of Christianity have come to realize the error of replacement theology. This means that for all those years that the acceptance of Jesus was bound up with a rejection of Israel’s calling before God – anyone who had been persuaded by the Christian missionary campaign to accept the total package of Christianity was not making an educated decision. This is not my verdict, but the verdict of those Churches who acknowledge the error of their teachers.

2)      The Totality of Scripture

If we are going to look to the Jewish Scriptures to find confirmation or repudiation for any given doctrine, and if we are interested in education as opposed to persuasion, we ought to set a Scriptural standard by which we can evaluate the doctrine in question. In my article entitled “Contra Brown” (http://jewsforjudaism.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=402&Itemid=354 ) I put forth a basic set of standards that we could use to measure the Scriptural validity of any given doctrine. If we apply those standards, it will become clear that the arguments of the missionary have no basis in the words of the Jewish prophets. It is only when we skip this basic step of setting a standard for the discussion that the missionary argument can get off the ground.

It is not that missionaries do not understand the concept of setting a Scriptural standard that could be used to measure the Scriptural viability of a given doctrine. In Dr. Brown’s comprehensive work he applies certain Scriptural standards in an attempt to disqualify the arguments of the Jewish community. On pages 182 of vol. 2 and 172 of vol. 3 Brown uses the amount of times a given concept is mentioned by the prophets as a standard by which to evaluate the overall significance of a given doctrine. But he only uses this standard to measure the doctrines of Judaism (when they would fail according to his application of this standard). Throughout his 5 volumes he NEVER uses this Scriptural standard as a yardstick to measure any Christian doctrine (all of which would fail by this yardstick).

I have yet to see a missionary work that sets a Scriptural standard that can be used to evaluate the opposing doctrines of Judaism and Christianity in light of the Jewish scriptures. As long as the missionary campaign skips the elementary step of setting a uniform standard by which to measure the Scriptural validity of a given doctrine and instead jumps right into the presentation of their own arguments – I will believe that their campaign is one of persuasion and not education.

3)      Faith Structure

By basing their arguments on the words of the Jewish prophets, Christian missionaries acknowledge that these words are truly imbued with Divine authority. By encouraging people to make life-changing decisions on the basis of the Jewish Bible, the Christian missionary admits that this book is authentic and true.

But where did this book come from? Who determined that the men and women whose words are recorded in the Jewish Bible were truly sent by God? What standard did God give His people so that they could verify the authenticity of a given prophecy? Who was authorized to apply the divinely ordained standards of evaluating any given claim to prophecy?

I will not answer these questions in the space of this brief article. I will however point out that for 2000 years the Jewish people have been claiming that the very same set of criteria that God gave them to establish the authenticity of the Jewish Bible compels them to reject the Christian Bible.

I don’t expect a Christian to take my word for it. What I do expect is that if the Christian missionary campaign was truly interested in education they would first address this question in a serious way. What method did God set in place so that we can be sure of the truth of the Bible? I am aware that these questions have been addressed by Christian scholars. But I have yet to see this question addressed in the context of the conflict between the Christian missionary and the Jew.

Again, so long as the Christian missionary campaign skips this elementary step of first establishing the parameters of the faith structure upon which the Bible stands and jumps right to the presentation of Scriptural arguments – I will believe that their campaign is one of persuasion and not of education.

4)      Do Not Unto Others What You Would Hate Done Unto Yourself

Before Jesus was born no-one had heard of him and before Jesus was born no-one had entered into a relationship with him. The Jewish people did know of God and the Jewish people were called into a covenant relationship with God long before Jesus was born. When the Christian missionary approaches a committed Jew with the suggestion that the Jew pledge his or her heart to Jesus, the missionary is intruding upon an existing relationship. That heart is already pledged to God.

I understand that the missionary contends that Jesus is in some mysterious way “one and the same” with the God of Israel. I will not dispute that contention in the space of this article. Instead, I will put the missionary argument into a Christian context.

Before approaching the Jew in an attempt to get him or her to put their faith in Jesus, I suggest that the missionaries turn to ask themselves the following set of questions:

“What would it take? – What it would it take to convince you to put your faith in a person aside from Jesus? How much evidence would you demand before accepting the claim that someone, who lives today, is a reincarnation of Jesus? What would be the quality of proof that you will want to see before believing that someone is the fourth person in the god-head? What would it take to convince you that your faith in Jesus is dead without faith in another person? What it would take to get you to believe that you are going to hell if you don’t believe in this new incarnation of Jesus? What is the standard of Biblical evidence that you will want to see before accepting this new doctrine?”

Until the missionary comes to grips with this set of questions and provides a fair and balanced standard of evidence that would convince him or her to bring a new entity into their own heart, then I will believe that their efforts to bring Jesus into the heart of the Jew is a work of persuasion and not education.

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in General, Response to Dr. Brown Line of Fire | 4 Comments

Persuasion versus Education – Response to Dr. Brown

Posted on January 30, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

Persuasion versus Education

–  Response to Dr. Brown

The winds of controversy that swirl around Rabbi S. Boteach’s new book; “Kosher Jesus” have managed to bring Dr. M. Brown into the Jewish melee. In a Huffington Post response to Boteach, Rabbi Y. Schochet intimated that Brown had been defeated in a public debate. Brown was quick to respond with two articles; one in the Townhall online magazine (http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2012/01/27/the_huffington_post_three_rabbis_and_me) and one on his Line of Fire blog (http://lineoffireblog.blogspot.com/). In these articles Brown takes issue with Schocet’s description of the debate. Brown then goes on to offer some of his own opinions about the intra-Jewish dispute over Boteach’s book.

In the process of correcting a false impression that someone may have picked up from Shochet’s article, Brown engages in his own dissemination of misinformation – unintentional to be sure, but misinformation nonetheless.

Brown presents the controversy surrounding Boteach’s book as if the rabbis who oppose the dissemination of the book are attempting to withhold information from their respective flocks. Brown writes: “I fully understand religious believers wanting to preserve the integrity of their own communities, and they certainly have no obligation to give exposure to dissenting views. On the other hand, it is healthiest when our beliefs can withstand scrutiny and criticism and challenge”.

The fact is that those who oppose Boteach’s book are not motivated by a desire to prevent “exposure to dissenting views”. Those who oppose the book do so on different grounds entirely, and it goes to the very soul of the ongoing conflict between Christian missionaries (such as Brown) and those in the Jewish community who oppose their efforts.

The core issue is: persuasion versus education. Both of these methods can be used to affect a change in the world-view of a target audience. But these are two different methods of going about the work of affecting this change.

Education puts facts on the table, facts and logical arguments. Education encourages the target audience to think for themselves, to sift through the relevant information and to arrive at their own conclusions.

Persuasion relies on the sad fact that most people will probably not go through the tedious process of sifting through all of the relevant information. Persuasion encourages people to bypass the process of education. By highlighting a piece of information, be it truth or fiction, or by emphasizing a specific argument, the persuader attempts to bring the target audience to a decision that is not based on all of the relevant information.

The venue of a public debate is a venue for persuasion. There is no way that the two participants in a debate can present all of the relevant information to their audience in the venue of a public debate. Furthermore, the style and demeanor of the contestants plays a role that often overshadows the logical arguments and the facts that were presented in the course of the debate. It is for this reason that counter-missionary organizations discourage public debates with missionaries. And for this same reason that it comes as no surprise that Christian missionaries favor the venue of the public debate.

The Jewish counter-missionary effort focuses on education. We encourage people to look beyond the superficial persuasions of the missionary and to consider the relevant facts so that they can arrive at their own educated decision.

In short, the conflict between the missionary and the Jewish community is a conflict between the method of persuasion favored by the missionary and the method of education favored by the Jewish community.

Boteach’s book plays right into the missionary strategy of using persuasion to obstruct education.

Allow me to explain.

The word “Jesus” represents the deification of a man – a concept that stands as the very antithesis of the covenant that the Jewish people share with God. For 2000 years Jews have insisted that the Christian exaltation of a man who walked God’s earth and breathed God’s air represents the very opposite of what it means to be a Jew. Jews were so convinced that this belief is wrong that they were proud to accept the position as the outcasts of society in order to maintain this belief – no matter the cost.

The Jewish understanding that acceptance of Jesus violates the essence of what it means to be a Jew has always been a serious impediment in the age-old missionary effort to convert the Jew. During the last century Christian missionaries developed a program of persuasion to overcome this impediment. They began redefining what it means to be a Jew. These missionaries began a propaganda campaign that attempts to persuade people that being a Jew and accepting Jesus is not the inherent contradiction that it actually is. Brown’s words in his Townhall article serve as a perfect example of this method of persuasion: “If Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, believing in him does not constitute converting to another religion”.

Brown is attempting to redefine Judaism – not through education but through persuasion. Instead of looking to the Bible where God defines His unbreakable bond with the Jewish people with the words: “Unto you it was shown so that you know that the Lord is God – there is no other beside Him” (Deuteronomy 4:35 – a verse that Brown did not find space for in his 1500 page missionary work) – Brown provides his own, unscriptural definition to Judaism. According to Brown, Judaism means following the “Jewish Messiah”. According to the Bible, Judaism is a marriage-bond to the God who took our ancestors out of Egypt. Deifying the man who Brown refers to as the “Jewish Messiah” is the deepest violation of that marriage-bond imaginable.

A book written by an Orthodox rabbi, with the title; “Kosher Jesus”, plays right into the hands of the missionary effort to redefine Judaism. Although the contents of the book make a pathetic attempt to redefine “Jesus”, the name of the book, the cover of the book and the hoopla surrounding the book all serve to redefine Judaism.

Those who read the book will find that Boteach actually does dispense his duty as a member of God’s witness nation.  In the 25th chapter of his book Boteach writes: “Jews, including Jesus, have always found the deification of human beings to be utterly anathema to Judaism”. If Boteach would have put that sentence on the cover of his book and the words: “kosher Jesus” in chapter 25, he would have spared the Jewish community much heart-ache and at the same time would have spared the missionary community some undeserved joy. However, since Boteach chose to entitle the book with the words: “Kosher Jesus” the masters of persuasion will thank Boteach for doing their work for them.

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Thank You

Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Response to Dr. Brown Line of Fire | 21 Comments

“Kosher Jesus” – A Book Review by Rabbi Eli Cohen

Posted on January 27, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

“Kosher Jesus” – A Book Review

In his new, highly controversial book, Kosher Jesus, Shmuley Boteach sets the stage by describing the strong overtures of Christian love towards Israel and the Jewish people.  Boteach views this development as a positive step in the Jewish – Christian relationship; however, Boteach points out, there is still a sticking point between Jews and Christians, and that is Jesus. [1]

Boteach’s book presents a solution [2] that he believes will allow both Jews and Christians to overcome the barrier that stands between them. [3]  Boteach proposes that instead of Jesus being the issue that divides us[4], we should allow him to serve as a bridge that unites us in the common interest of promoting Judeo – Christian values.[5]
Setting the bar in his introduction, Boteach boldly claims to know the “authentic story” of Jesus of Nazareth[6].  Virtually all historians and scholars agree that when trying to reconstruct the life of the “Historical Jesus” one is crippled by the lack of surviving evidence outside of the Gospels (records which Boteach himself disqualifies.)[7] This leads the reader to wonder how Boteach is going to make his case convincing. Continue reading →

Posted in Critique, General | 17 Comments

Written Debate with Dr Brown

Posted on January 23, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

In anticipation of Dr. Brown’s upcoming response to my last comment in this lengthy thread – I took the liberty of cutting and pasting the relevant posts. I attempt to keep the original numbering and even the original typos. This way, when Dr. Brown’s response does come – the readers can more fully appreciate it. In the meantime, please feel free to analyze and comment on this thread.

  1. Yisroel Blumenthal
    November      3rd, 2011 @ 10:44 pm

Dr. Brown challenges his caller to provide one reference in his 5 volumes where he misquotes Scripture – well Page 75 of volume 2 shows a serious misquote of Scripture Continue reading →

Posted in Response to Dr. Brown Line of Fire | 14 Comments

Motivations – Jeremiah 2:11

Posted on January 15, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

Motivations – Jeremiah 2:11

 

From the very inception of Christianity, Christians found it necessary to engage in the psychoanalysis of those who reject their claims. John’s Jesus gets the ball rolling in chapter 3 verses 19 thru 21 “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone that does evil hates the light and does not come to the light lest his works be reproved. But he that does truth comes to the light so that his works may be made manifest that they have been wrought by God.”

 

John’s Jesus outdoes himself a few chapters later (8:44) where he explains that the Jews are children of the devil and it is this inherited evil nature that prevents them from loving the child of God (i.e. himself).

 

Throughout history, Christians have kept up the “study” of the Jewish “motivation” to reject Jesus. Even in today’s age of open communication, Christian theologians, apologists and clergymen offer their opinions into the Jewish motivation for their rejection of Jesus. These include the argument that it is the persecution of the Church that prevents Jews from “seeing the light”. The argument that postulates that the Jews are stricken with a special “spiritual blindness” is also quite popular. Others Christians move closer to John’s Jesus with theories that vilify the Jews, with a specific focus on the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people. These apologists argue that the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people rejected Jesus because their power-base as leaders would be threatened with the acceptance of Jesus. They take this accusation one step further with the slander that the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people consciously changed the synagogue liturgy and their commentaries of the Bible in order to sustain their rejection of Jesus.

 

Needless to say, the past 2000 years of history do not reflect positively on this Christians study of Jewish “motivation”. The upshot of this study was death and suffering for millions of people.

 

Let us step back and ask some basic questions. If you are going to pass judgment on someone’s motivations for taking a specific decision, most people would acknowledge that you must consider the following factors before rendering your verdict.

 

  1. You must be aware of the meaning and implications of the decision from the standpoint of the person you are judging.
  2. You must understand all of the arguments presented to justify the decision from the perspective of the person you are judging.
  3. In light of the injunction; “do unto others as you would have done unto yourself” – you should ask yourself; – How do I feel when people psychoanalyze my motivations?

 

If you are a Christian and you have already delivered your verdict as to why the Jewish people reject the man you consider to be divine – I will ask you the following questions.

 

  1. Do you realize the implications of the decision from the standpoint of a Jew? Do you realize that if Jesus was not who you believe he was, then the veneration that he demands is idolatrous? Do you realize that the heart of the Jew’s covenant with God demands that the Jew reject any worship that is not validated by the Sinai revelation? Do you realize that the relationship that the Jew shares with God does not allow for the veneration that Christianity demands for Jesus?
  2. Can you articulate the Jewish arguments that justify the decision to reject Jesus? Do you realize that there are several hundred passages in the Scriptures that you acknowledge to be God’s word that demand that the Jew reject the claims made about Jesus? Do you realize that the very same system that was used to validate the prophets of the Jewish Scripture clearly and unequivocally INVALIDATE the claims for Jesus?
  3. Did you ever ask yourself how it feels to be psychoanalyzed? Did you ever stop and consider the historical record of the psychoanalysis that you are engaging in?

 

In the book of Jeremiah (2:11), God pays a backhanded compliment to idol-worshipers who maintain loyalty to their idol. The prophet makes it clear that it is the quality of loyalty that keeps the respective idolatrous nations in line with their own deities. Is it so difficult for the Church to acknowledge that Israel’s rejection of Jesus is rooted in the same quality of loyalty? Is it so difficult to fathom that a nation that was called into a special relationship with the Creator of heaven and earth will not give her heart to an inhabitant of God’s earth?

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in History | 98 Comments

Forms of Communication

Posted on January 12, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

Forms of Communication

There are different methods that can be used to communicate ideas from person to another. Some of these modes of communication are more effective than others. Some forms of communication are more prone to error and failure than are other forms.

Speech is one mode of communication. The written word is another, similar, form of communication. A living demonstration of the concept that is being conveyed is yet another form of communication.

These forms of communication can be further subdivided and categorized in varying measures of efficiency. A direct statement is a more effective way of communicating than is a subtle hint. A statement worded in the format of a command packs a more powerful punch than does a narrative.

One who communicates through the written word has several tools at his or her disposal to empower the communication and to make it more effective and less error-prone. Repetition of the same concept several times and with different words is one method that an author can use to accentuate and to clarify a communication. Another literary technique that an author may use to highlight a particular concept is by having the storyline build up towards the intended message.

We can imagine that a wise communicator will carefully consider his or her options as to which form of communication to use and which level of effectiveness to choose for the intended delivery of a message.

Now, both Jews and Trinitarian Christians see themselves as recipients of conflicting messages from the same God. According to the Jewish people, directing veneration towards one who walked God’s earth and breathed His air is the deepest violation of our relationship with God. Trinitarian Christians counter with the claim that a relationship with God demands veneration of one who lived and breathed as we do.

It is obvious that these claims are mutually exclusive. Only one of these belief systems can be right. In other words – at least one of these two groups of people have misunderstood God’s message. There HAD to be some failure in communication between God and one of these two groups.

Let us examine each group’s respective claim that they are the intended recipients of an accurate message from God.

I will begin with the Christian. The Christian points to the Jewish Bible and contends that it is through this book that God communicates to mankind that when one comes along and claims to be an incarnation of the divine; that he is to be heeded and to be worshiped. No, not exactly anyone, but one who fulfills certain ambiguous prophecies.

Let us step back and gauge the method of communication that was used and its relative effectiveness together with its tendency for error.

Here we have a book that contains about 30,000 verses. Not one of the passages that the Christian points to as a support for this doctrine is presented as a direct teaching on the correct method of worship. Not one of the passages that the Christian points to as a support for this doctrine is presented as a command. Even according to the Christian interpretation, the doctrine of the trinity is not spelled out anywhere in the Scriptures in a clear and comprehensive manner. It must be pieced together from bits and pieces from all over the Scriptures.

How much room is there for error? Is this the way God communicates something that is important to Him?

Let us now turn to the Jewish claim. According to the Jewish people, God utilized several forms of communication in order to impart the foundational truth of Judaism – that there is but One God and that all worship should be directed to Him and that no worship be directed to any inhabitant of the earth.

God spoke directly to the nation. He introduced Himself to them and warned them against worshiping any other entity. This teaching was presented directly and in the form of a command. This commandment was accompanied by a live demonstration as described in Deuteronomy 4:36. God also utilized the written word to communicate this message. Throughout the Bible God repeats and emphasizes that we are not to worship anyone aside from the God that we know from the exodus experience. God used every literary tool to highlight this teaching. These passages are direct. They are comprehensive. They are presented as the climax of the exodus story (Exodus 20:2) and as the core of our covenant with God (Deuteronomy 4:31-35). This concept is presented as the climax of all history (Isaiah 40:5-8, Zechariah 14:9) and the preservation of this truth is presented as Israel’s calling before God (Isaiah 43:10).

How do these two claims compare? The Jewish claim relies on the most direct and effective methods of communication while the Christian claim leans on the decoding of a complicated, indirect message from a lengthy series of books. Is there a comparison?

But, the Christian responds, there is no contradiction between these two claims. The Christian contends that Jesus is “one and the same” with the God of Israel.

My question to the Christian is: How did you come into possession of this earth-shattering knowledge? How do you know that a man who lived and died is “one and the same” with the God of Israel?

The Christian’s response? – “I got this information from the Bible”. How did the Author of the Bible communicate this information to you? Was it direct? Was it comprehensive? Is it highlighted in anyway? What is the room for error in this method of communication?

To illustrate the absurdity of the Christian claim I present the following parable.

You are brought into a room. Not just any room, but the room from which the nuclear ICBM missiles are launched in case of war. You are told – See the buttons on that wall? DON’T PRESS ANY BUTTON!!!! You are presented a book of instructions. Throughout the book you find the words; “DON’T PRESS ANY BUTTON” repeated again and again. The general in charge of the facility takes you on a tour of the wiring panels behind the buttons and you are given to understand the serious consequences that will result with the pressing of any one of the buttons.

Then one of your fellow soldiers takes the instruction booklet and tries to demonstrate to you that the general in charge of the facility actually wants you to press one of the buttons and that if you don’t, you will be dishonorably discharged from the army. The basis of his claim is that he has found some inferences throughout the instruction book which seem to indicate that one of the buttons is wired differently than the rest of them.

Would you consider this claim with any level of seriousness? If the general wanted you to press a button, he could have made it so much clearer. Why would he so strongly emphasize the seriousness of NOT pressing any buttons? The whole story doesn’t begin to make sense.

In case you didn’t get the meaning of the parable – here it is. God told Israel – DON’T WORSHIP ANY ENTITY ASIDE FROM ME. He repeated this message and emphasized it in so many ways. Now the Christian theologian comes along and wants you to believe that God really does want you to worship an entity that you see as separate from God on the basis of the theologian’s inferences from the very book which emphasizes the prohibition against idolatry.

The claim doesn’t make sense. The communication of the one message is loud, clear and commanding while the communication of the other is so vague, disjointed and prone to error.

If you were the soldier in that room filled with buttons – what would you do?

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Faith Structure, The Ultimate Truth | 47 Comments

Continuation of L. O. F. Conversation

Posted on January 11, 2012 by yourphariseefriend

On the November 3rd 2011 edition of Dr. Brown’s Line of Fire radio show blog http://www.lineoffireradio.com/2011/11/03/dr-brown-answers-the-rabbis-including-a-recent-video-by-rabbi-asher-meza/ – an interesting conversation developed. Dr. Brown had challenged a caller on his show to produce one misquotation of Scripture in his five volume series. I responded with what I felt were serious misquotations of Scripture in his books – and Dr. Brown defended his writings. The conversation moved on to a debate about the trinity and some other subjects. Dr. Brown felt that the conversation had moved too far from its original thread – so he asked that the conversation be taken elsewhere.

You have just arrived at “elsewhere” – Welcome! Feel free to comment!

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Yisroel C. Blumenthal

Posted in Debate Forum | 288 Comments