Mar 18, 2012 -- 3:56AM, Dostojevsky wrote:

Quote:

'You don't want me to be rude to your faith. Here is the problem, and I mean this with absolute sincerity: Your faith is rude to all other faiths in its claim that all other faiths are false and that yours is the only path to God. How do you expect other faiths to react to that if not to criticize it?'

Heretic, all core faiths agree with each other on a higher level, because they all come from one Source. Just because its adherents misinterpret it, does not take away its value.

That's an interesting perspective. Let's say, for example, that there is a certain faith -- NOT talking about Christianity in particular or any other specific faith, but just some hypothetical religion -- whose core teachings are compatible with the major faiths in the world today, but whose adherents are overwhelmingly offensive in their tone, manner, rhetoric, and even action (short of outright criminality). In other words, the great majority of them are rotten examples of their own faith.

Is the faith known by its teachings or by the actions of its adherents? Which constitutes the fruit by which that faith is known?

Mar 18, 2012 -- 3:56AM, Dostojevsky wrote:

Quote:

'You don't want me to be rude to your faith. Here is the problem, and I mean this with absolute sincerity: Your faith is rude to all other faiths in its claim that all other faiths are false and that yours is the only path to God. How do you expect other faiths to react to that if not to criticize it?'

Heretic, all core faiths agree with each other on a higher level, because they all come from one Source. Just because its adherents misinterpret it, does not take away its value.

Since you have not defined whom you are talking with, I assume that it is to the poster of the open thread. You would not be the first one to be rude to my Faith. Judaism is victim of rude treatments by the majority of Gentiles. According to Isaiah 8:20, yes, all the other faiths are false. That's not matter of a private vendeta. It is all in the Scriptures. Do non-Jews  speak according to the Law and the Prophets? I don't think so. That's the test, according to Isaiah. I understand that we all can have our own private interpretation, but if it does not pass the test of Isaiah 8:20, I am sorry. I was not the one who established that test but Isaiah the Prophet.

Ben 

Mar 19, 2012 -- 3:34AM, Dostojevsky wrote:

Quote:

'Is the faith known by its teachings or by the actions of its adherents? Which constitutes the fruit by which that faith is known?'

I'd say you have to be wise in your judgment.

I would never want to be either a Christian or Muslim or of Judaic faith if I judged their religion by the way they live. We've been warned, many are wolves in sheep's clothing.

Really?  Where do you live?

All of the Christians and Jews and Muslims that I know are decent hard working people ready to lend a neighbor a hand.

Ben, the response was to Heretic as in my reply, but I think all posts are open to all to respond to or ignore.

Quote: "You would not be the first one to be rude to my Faith. Judaism is victim of rude treatments by the majority of Gentiles. According to Isaiah 8:20, yes, all the other faiths are false."

Ben, it is unfortunate that anyone is rude or disrespectful to ANY faith.

Isaiah 8:20 'To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.'

'This word' has one Source and has been coming to man for eons of time.

With advancement of man's intelligence and his abilities to perceive, the next Revelation would be in  a language different from all the past ones. Was it Elijah (?) who was taken up in a chariot? In 100 ys time people will have no idea what a chariot is but everybody will understand what a beam of light is.

By the way, I did say all (major) religions agree on a 'higher level'.

Mar 23, 2012 -- 6:44PM, Aussiesoul wrote:

Mar 12, 2012 -- 5:17PM, Ben Masada wrote:

Fences Around the Torah

According to Christianity, not only an evil action is a sin but also the premeditation. Even if the action does not materialize, a sin has been committed with the thought. Not so according to Judaism, which predicates that the sin resides in the action only.

Now, why would Jesus, a learned Rabbi, teach that if a man thinks or looks at a woman to lust after her have already committed adultery in his heart, balderdash? Not really, but a fence around the Torah. It is only obvious, though, that if we avoid the thought, the action becomes remote. (Mat. 5:28)

If a punishment were in order, in this case, it should be applied rather on the woman who, somehow, exhibited herself in a fashion as to provoke a lustful thought on the man.

A fence around the Torah is akin to a fence around an apple tree, for instance, at the margin of the road. It makes the tree less alluring to be violated by passersby.

The method of fences around the Torah, and throughout the Tanach, as well as in terms of traditional midrashim, is meant to safeguard the Torah from major transgressions.

The bottom line is that no one should get frustrated for having thought this or that way, even the most absurd of thoughts. There is no evil done if the thought is not carried out into action. We have been granted with the attribute of free will to think whatever we please, as long as we are aware that we have also been granted with the attribute of intellect to judge between good and evil.

Ben

I agree with you Ben. We all think about the wrong things but the carrying out of the action is when the wrongdoing is committed.

Although, you are aware that this position is not that of Christianity? If so, as I can see, you have a mind of your own.

Ben