Does anyone born of a jewish man and non-jewish mother, are they considered jewish?

No although apparently in Reform Judaism they are seen as Jewish according to the URJ website.

"The Reform position on this question, referred to as Patrilineal Descent, is often misunderstood. What we say is that child born of one Jewish parent, whether it is the mother or the father, is under the PRESUMPTION of being Jewish, but that his/her Jewishness must be activated by "appropriate and timely" Jewish acts. It is not enough to simply be born to a Jewish parent. For a boy, one such act would certainly be brit milah. Without that, one might question this child's Jewishness. If, on the other hand, the family celebrated Jewish holidays, educated the boy, had him become a Bar Mitzvah, etc., in other words, if the child is being raised exclusively as a Jew and was not baptized and is not being given a formal or informal Christian education, then we would consider him Jewish - just as an orthodox Jew would consider a boy born of a Jewish mother to be Jewish even if he had not been circumcised.

Another way to put it is like this: we consider a person who acts and identifies as a Jew to be a Jew, a definition we find happier than a sort of blood-line/racial definition (especially after the Holocaust)"

I am Orthodox and Orthodox and Conservative do not use patrilineal descent. Halacha is quite clear it is matrilineal descent only.

Why are Christians obsessed with this issue of internal Jewish understanding about Jews?

the answer is that strictly orthodox Jews would say the kid has to convert; but that there are reform Jewish communities who say that such is not required under the hypothetical you give. It is a matter of what we call "hallacha" law, which are legal decisions made over the centuries by rabbis given that task.

But why would anyone who is not Jewish give a hoot about this?

Example -- i see quite a bit coming from Christian groups arguing that this or that Christian is or is not a "true" Christian. They often give this or that reason as to what is required to be a "true" Christian and many Christians disagree among themselves on these reasons. Like Sarah's post above contending that it is wrong for a Christian to celebrate Christmas. Because I am not Christian -- I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THESE INTER-CHRISTIAN ISSUES that don't effect non-Christians.

So what is it that is behind this rather ongoing question from Christians about how Jews define themselves? I suspect that it is part of their quest to argue that there is something exclusionary about Judaism -- which is a false contention. But I don't know that to be the underlying reason. I just can't otherwise figure out what is driving this to be so repeated so often.

Maybe you the questioner can answer that for me?

Jewish descent is matrilineal -- through the mother -- so under classic Jewish law, if your mother is not Jewish, you are not Jewish.

This didn't matter to Hitler and the Nazis, of course. A half-Jewish person with a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother was Jewish as far as they were concerned.

Today, many (if possibly not all) Reform congregations (the most liberal, progressive branch, to which most practicing American Jews belong) accepts people with Jewish fathers but non-Jewish mothers as Jewish.

on condition that maximum rules pertaining judaism in israel are nonetheless in line with orthodox judaism, if a guy or woman is born in israel to a jewish father and a non jewish mom, they do no longer seem to be seen jews until they undergo conversion. in many circumstances the mummy should be switched over too so as to ensure that the youngster grows up in a jewish ecosystem and the nutrition is cooked via a jew and so on... in accordance to reform judaism those youngsters ARE seen jews. they are additionally eligible for aliyah in accordance to the regulation of return yet no longer as some distance because of the fact the rabbinical courts are in touch. as somebody suggested, there is not any "a million/2 jewish" that's the two or. the regulation in all probability got here from the byzantine era and on the place jewish women human beings have been raped and had youngsters from a non jewish father and it grew to become into desperate that the mummy determines the jewishness of the youngster. the mummy additionally teaches the youngster at an early age and instills the jewish roots in him/her. as to the regulation making sense or no longer... many religious rules dont make sense, yet they only are there which you would be able to obey or transgress in accordance on your decision.

As noted Halacha only recognizes matrilineal descent (or conversion)

In a situation like the one you described, an orthodox jew would only marry this person if they converted, since they aren't jewish.

Calling yourself jewish and considering yourself jewish doesn't make you jewish.

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Children of a Jewish father and a non-jewish mother may convert

to be of the Jewish religion but are not of the Jewish RACE.

To be Jewish (by race) one must have a matriarchal line -

. . .

biblically speaking, the father is supposed to be the one which determines such things, but judasim departed from the bible many years ago so now days, no a person born of a non-jewish mother is not considered to be jewish and would have to convert.

Nope. The mother has to be Jewish in order for you to be considered Jewish. My mother is Jewish and my father is Moroccan, and I am considered 100% Jewish.

Well I think it depends on if the mother is now willing to commit to the religion.

Legally, no, but you can always convert.