Why do some Christians believe it is OK for other Christians to lie about being Jewish?

If it is any consolation to you, there are many of us here who know, because of the education from you and others like you, that Messianic Jews are, in fact, Christians!

It really is painful to read all these answers - the ones that just don't understand the issue. After all the questions so many of us have answered on here, there are still people who believe (a) that all those calling themselves "Messianic Jews" are in fact born Jews; and (b) that being Jewish is a race.

I'll say again, as I've said before - I have no objection to people who really were Jewish before converting to Christianity pointing out their Jewish heritage. But if you call your religion "Messianic JUDAISM", you are claiming a RELIGIOUS term as yours. And it is, for obvious reasons, wrong.

John D asks us not to call them Christians and, as you have said, I'm happy to go along with that if someone can devise a sensible name for them. But what John D perhaps doesn't understand is that Judaism is not like Christianity, is not based on faith - it is based on covenant. Hence there is quite a clear 'legalistic' definition of who is a Jew. As far as I have understood Christianity, anyone who professes Jesus to be the messiah and saviour is automatically included as a Christian. Different Christian groups have different requirements on the exact wording of this and how and when individuals are baptised, but claiming belief is the Christian basis of definition. If I'm wrong on this, I'm happy to be corrected.

I find it surprising that Christians would defend people using fraud and deceit merely to gain converts. All of these sects posing as Jews tend to have a minoriuty of people in them that were ever Jewish (especially if you use Orthodox criteria). On top of that, even the few that were Jewish are no longer members if the Jewish cmmunity. Its a simple reality in Judaism- a Jew who becomes an apostate is no longer a member of the Jewish community, no ;onger counts as a Jew, no longer is treated as a Jew. They don't need to convert to come back to Judaism- but they do need to repent and drop the beliefs that led them into apostasy before they can be treated as a Jew again. Its terrible when they die before this happens and they are buried as a non-Jew, and are not mourned as a Jew

Happily, MANY mainstream Xian leaders DO condemn the Messianic Xians who go round posing as "messianic jews".

As far back as 1997, Xian leaders spoke out publicly against these Messianic evangelists:

In the summer of 1997 in Washington D.C. (USA), there was held an Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington. Partaking in the conference were representatives of various Protestant churches, Roman-Catholics, together with Moslems and representatives of Jewish organizations.

The Conference concluded with an official statement (published in "Interfaith Connector" Vol. 8, No. 2) which stated:

“We condemn proselytizing efforts which delegitimize the faith tradition of the person whose conversion is being sought. Such tactics go beyond the bounds of appropriate and ethically based religious outreach.

"Examples of such practices are those common among groups that have adopted the label of 'Hebrew Christianity', 'Messianic judaism', or 'jews for Jesus'. These groups specifically target Jews for conversion to their version of Christianity, making claim that in accepting Jesus as the savior/messiah, a Jews 'fulfills' his/her faith.

"Furthermore, by celebrating Jewish festivals, worshipping on the Jewish Shabbat, appropriating Jewish symbols, rituals and prayers in their churches, and, sometimes, even calling their leaders 'Rabbi', the seek to win over, often by deception, many Jews who are sincerely looking for a path back to their ancestral heritage.

"Deceptive proselytizing is practiced on the most vulnerable of populations - residents of hospitals and old aged homes, confused youth, college students away from home. These proselytizing techniques are tantamount to coerced conversions and should be condemned."

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To the people here who - bizarrely! - argue that Judaism 'has to' accept AS JEWS people who are XIANS:

What lunacy. Would Xians accept MUSLIMS or HINDUS or SCIENTOLOGISTS who were declaring themselves to be 'real xians'?

No?

No - they damn well would not.

90% of Messianics have never *been* Jewish at any point in time. They are ***LITERALLY*** not Jewish.

And any Jews who convert to Xianity are XIANS.

How can you bear to read all of these ignorant answers????

The Mrs. says: "I think people should be able to do whatever they wish as long as they are not harming anyone."

Obviously she sees no harm in the 21st Century method of annihilating the Jewish people. I wonder how she'd feel if we Jews started using those deceptive methods of proselyzation on Christians?

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The Jewish identity is both cultural and religious. There are a lot of pagans that identify as Jewish because they were born to a Jewish family but they practice homosexuality and occultism.

When a Jew recognizes that the long expected messiah actually came, they either embrace that or don't. If they do, they are in effect Christian because they are Christ's Ones, but they are still Jewish. I mean, they aren't suddenly Irish, or Arab. They are Jews that believe something that the rest of their Jewish bretheren deny.

Jesus was a Jew. All of the first Christians were Jews. Jews clammored for Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified in Jerusalem. So there were Jews that both believed and didn't even then. Why do you have the right to declare a man's Jewish identity based on your view that Jesus is not messiah. The whole world apart from Christians believe that, so how are you any different from them?

Nobody gets to God by being born anything. Unless you are Born-again, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. Most of us were pagan Gentiles when we discovered this Jewish messiah. You are Jewish and yet you still deny Him?

Why? Have you kept Torah perfectly? Have you broken any of the 10 commandments? Do you sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem according to Torah? No, you don't because the Temple is gone. Why? Because Israel rejected Jesus. Have you kept Torah, no. Because Moses said to be on the lookout for this one, and you ignore Him like the plague. You are not a Jew because you are not one in your heart, only one in name and social identity. That'll get you nothing but heartache, and as we can all see, you are trying to give it to everyone else.

You have failed God and you know it. Everyone knows this about themselves, and Jesus is the means to reconcile with God. He may no longer present His glory in a physical temple in a confused city in the middle east, but He does reside in the hearts of those that are His the world over, be they Jew or gentile that receive His ordained means of atonement.

NO! Of course not. A lie is a lie and has nothing to do with God.

pick up the New Testament and read the book of Acts. They were all Jewish Jesus John Paul every disciple and up until Paul started preaching to the Gentiles, they were all Jewish, and they remained Jewish. Them accepting the Messiah did not make them non Jews anymore. Why is it so hard for you to see? Jesus is the Christ, he fulfilled all the prophesies. Peace

B.T.W we worship the God of Abraham not a God of some other religion.

Perhaps Messianic Semite would be a better term? That way they can say that they are of the same blood yet of a different religion.

This is ironic, isn't it? We shouldn't call them Jewish because they aren't recognized by any Jewish organization, but you can call them Christians even though they aren't recognized by any Christian organization other than their own. I'll make a deal with you - I'll define Judaism according to your definition if you define Christianity according to my definition. First step: you can't call Messianic Jews "Christians" any more.