Judaism: Uncompromising

Moshe Ben-Chaim

Gerard: I came across your website by chance. From reading it seems that there is little hope of peace for Israel and its neighbors based on the hard-line views expressed. I live in Ireland where the media always portrays the Israelis as the problem, and revered Arafat, so I decided to find out for myself. I would be pro Israel / pro Bush (a minority in Ireland) but the hard-line “Taliban” type views expressed on your site do not help your case at all. Maybe the deceitful French are right after all, I hope not, but you have to compromise too.

Regards,

Gerard

Mesora: Gerard, Not explaining to which articles you refer I cannot offer feedback. However, if you refer to our recent articles on Arafat, and the Bible’s command to obliterate the likes of him, this is not an area where we can compromise for one reason: God’s commands are absolute: God commands to kill the murderer, as he destroys society. God Himself created the Flood during Noah’s era for this reason, and destroyed all the inhabitants of Sodom. He alone knows what is best for mankind, as He alone defines “morality”. His laws must be upheld.

Gerard: I agree with you that the world is much better off without Arafat; he will now pay dearly for his crimes. My issue with your website is its views on Christianity. Neither Muslims nor Christians are going to disappear so it is as well to get along with each other and in the end, let God himself decide who is/was right. On the Palestinian / Israeli issue, it always surprises me how badly the legitimate views of the Israelis are ignored by Irish media, perhaps the Israeli Embassy in Ireland could make its views known more forcefully. RTE News for example would say “IDF shot X Palestinians today” without telling us that these Palestinians were armed, or up to no good. This type of bias is molding (ignorant) public opinion to Israel’s disadvantage. Sadly nowadays “perception is reality.”

Anyway, stand your ground and I wish you well and have a good week.

Gerard

Mesora: Regarding the anti-Semitic slant of Irish news, we are in agreement. But regarding Muslims, Christianity, and other religions...again, we follow God’s Bible, which defines what is idolatry, and what are correct and incorrect modes of worshipping Him. God created the Bible, so we must take care to adhere meticulously, and uncompromisingly. Just as one does not compromise his medication to secure his physical life, certainly, one must not compromise his attachment to truth: his spiritual life.

We will continue to address other religions and explain how they deviate from God’s one religion: His Biblical law. This must be done, if other religions are to learn how they falter, and if we are to teach Jews how Judaism differs from other religions and is God’s only will for mankind. Teaching what is true, demands that we also demonstrate how other possibilities are false. Truth, by definition, is ‘exclusive’ by nature, so when we wish to teach that Judaism is true on a given point, we must display arguments exposing the absolute fallacy of all opposing views.

Yes, people may perceive us as “attacking” other ‘religionists’, although what we value is not that, but rather to expose the fallacy of false ‘religions.’ There are two variables projected onto us here: “attacking”, and “religionists”. Our response: attacking is a false perception. Judaism’s goal is to educate, and not to attack. Additionally, we do not address “religionists”, but rather, a “religion”. Addressing an individual person serves no purpose, as he comes and goes, while it is the false religion that breeds fallacy and evil, and which unfortunately continues when unopposed. Unfortunately, the strength and conviction echoed in one’s words is often misinterpreted as religious fanaticism. But what the listener must do is consider the ideas uttered, not the passion in one’s voice. If they are sensible, follow them. If not, disregard them.

Judaism’s Goal: Uncompromising Truth.

I agree with you, Christianity and Islam are not “going away”…so long as they believe their religions are God’s will. This makes the work of Jewish educators and leaders all the more crucial for the world at large. It demands that we do not seek world approval in place of truth. We harm Jews and Gentiles alike, when we compromise the truth for other, selfish agendas. Unfortunately, many of today’s Jewish leaders fear man more than God, and seek handshakes and public venues with cardinals and popes, instead of deploring harmful, false religions which massacred Jews, exposing their idolatrous notions, and educating their followers back to God’s undiluted Bible, His Torah. Judaism and Jews do not exists for the goal of obtaining favor. Those seeking public adoration, destroy Judaism, certainly when they position themselves as Jewish leaders.

Although religions have apologized for the murders of Jews, their corrupt religions, which are the cause of these murders, have gone unchanged. It still puzzles me that we hear Christianity claiming its love for Jews; yet admitting that Jews will burn in hell for rejecting Jesus. What then does Christianity love about Judaism? This reveals the lie of this religion. And if Jewish leaders do not speak out against the harmful nature these religions protect, they commit a grave injustice to all members of mankind. Sadly, Jewish leaders fail at leading Jews. A true Jewish leader must accept that teaching truth will create friction. But if he educates properly, demonstrating his objective is for the good of all peoples, only then does he fulfill his God-given role. Only then will the other religions have the opportunity to learn God’s will. But as long as such leaders downplay their true obligation, concealing truth to retain popularity, mankind suffers.

Judaism is based on man’s search for truth, and Torah knowledge. Our goal is to learn and teach, so that Jew and Gentile benefit from the wisdom God has permeated throughout His world. This is where man derives true happiness and fulfillment. Therefore, all that a Jew does must reflect this position as a “chosen people”: the one’s who are to proliferate truth, by God’s will. This demands that we do not seek objectives that compromise truth. Therefore, we must denounce ideologies and religions that are corrupt and continually mislead others, forfeiting generations of human minds and souls in their wake.

Any act of recognizing another religion directly opposes God’s will. God created but one Bible, one law, and one religion. So the popular notion of “just get along” with other religions must be defined. Yes, we must be peaceful in our actions with all men. But we must not let this peace derail our obligation to educate Jews and these other religions of their fallacy. Abraham demonstrated such perfection. For this reason, God appointed him as the founder of His religion. Had Abraham simply kept peace with others, to the point of not seeking to educate them, he would not be Abraham – he would not be the prized soul worthy of such appointment. “Peace” to the point of disregarding another human being’s soul is not “productive peace” and must not be sought out. This is another error of both Jews and Gentiles: they feel “peace” is the ultimate goal of mankind. This is absolutely false. Peace is merely a backdrop for man’s search for truth. To simply live in peace, while disengaged from truth, is a useless peace. Man misses his mark – his existence is worthless.

We would gravely distort Judaism if we were to be more concerned with public approval, than with truth. We understand this will cause animosity, and this will be, so long as others remain attached to emotional beliefs, instead of being attached to intelligent truths. We cannot allow any other concern to obscure the tenets of God’s one religion. He knows the future, and nonetheless, gave but on system to mankind, and that should be followed by all. He did not need to ‘update’ his system based on unforeseen events, as Christianity claims, or alter any of His laws or His intended descendant of Abraham, as claimed by Islam. All other religions are false, as their claim to prophecy (God’s selection of their religion) does not stand the test of proof, as does Judaism. Judaism alone is based on a mass revelation at Sinai – “incontrovertible history” – as is any history witnessed by millions. Conversely, all other religions are based on the words of one, or a few individuals: you either believe he received God’s word or you don’t. However, blind faith is a terrible reason to select how to live.

What we hope occurs, is that readers of all religions will judge Judaism’s arguments, determining with reason alone what makes sense to their minds...without feeling Judaism is “out to get them.” We are not. The Jew’s mission is to make Bible study and Biblical truths available to all religions, so in the future, all will have access to God’s one system, selecting their lifestyle using free will and intelligence, not faith. Missionaries do not care why one changes their religion. The Mormons’ post mortem conversions prove this. We are not missionaries, wishing to coerce. Coerced religious practice is of no value: the person is not practicing as a result of his thinking, but out of some fear or emotional need for acceptance. Such religious practice displays no merit by the adherent. Such a life is of no value. This applies to one who follows Judaism as well, if his mind is disengaged, and does not understand Judaism’s distinction over all other religions.

The bottom line is that all religions cannot be correct, as they oppose each other. The question: which one is truly God’s law? This question is what we hope to elucidate, with honesty, no politics, and with no animosity towards any other human being. The true Bible teacher teaches out of a concern for others, and nothing else.

I have many friends from many religions, and I do not withhold my opinions, as I feel they will respect that my words are spoken out of my concern for them. I discuss Kosher laws with my Islamic grocery store owner, red bendels with Jews, and why I reject Jesus with Christians. But many Jews remain silent, fearing friction in their relationships with other Jews and Gentiles. Their silence allows those ignorant of truth to remain this way. They are truly selfish and inconsiderate Jews.

When a human sees another as possessing equal rights to existence and knowledge, as he too is created by God’s hands, this should engender a sense of concern for him, equal to one’s self. This is what Hillel taught as man’s primary goal: loving your neighbor as yourself. His concern must then extend to the most primary of areas: this person’s attachment to truth. Teaching should be a natural desire of one who cares for others. And to teach, one must be concerned with truth alone, although he understands that he will ruffle the feathers of some individuals. But this passes, and eventually, the teacher should be viewed as possessing genuine concern for others, and the students will then appreciate his words, no longer emotionally defending their views, but transferring this initial defensive mindset, to a desire to simply know what is true, and what is false.

If someone has arguments against what we write, we always invite such dialogue. Unfortunately, what we usually experience are members of other religions, or extremists within Judaism, as simply sounding off against us, with no rational argument supporting their views. So far, on every occasion where readers wrote in claiming we attacked other religions or sects of Judaism, our subsequent request for their supporting argument against our view went either; without any response, or a demand we be more ‘accepting’, or we received arguments bereft of reason. We have posted these responses online so others too may realize how these positions are baseless, corrupt, or simply ignorant. This exposes their lack of reason, and hopefully, they and others will recognize this.

Abraham went from culture to culture, using reason to expose false religions, and teaching truth. I hope you appreciate our goal: the only path God approves is an uncompromising, dedication to truth.

Thank you,

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim