James posed this question at his blog:
"Who is the Christian and the Messianic Jew when they each stand apart and who are we when we stand side-by-side? How are we to understand one another and in the light of scripture, how are we to understand ourselves?" (from:http://mymorningmeditations.com/2013/01/24/struggling-to-touch-the-essence/)
No doubt the concept of "mechitzah" was fresh on his mind because he cited a link to Jordan Levy (FFOZ) article about mechitzot. You can see it HERE.
So back to James' question:
His question presupposes that Believers fall into two categories: (1) Christian and (2) Jewish. Thus, if you believe there are two separate religions for Gentiles and Jews (Christianity and Judaism), then you believe there's a reason for them to stand apart. In reality, however, the New Testament is not schizophrenic, offering two completely different religions for Jews and Gentiles; rather, there is only one religion in the New Testament and it is Orthodox Messianic Judaism.
Now, I understand why men and women should stand apart during prayer service. The reason is so that men won't be distracted (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch HaRav).
But why would Jews and Gentiles ever stand separately?
Where is James getting this stuff?
It saddens me that so many have been brainwashed into Exclusionism, the faulty premise that Jews and Gentiles need to be separated with some sort of Theological mechitzah.
Well, you said it yourself, there is a lot of presumptuous claims being thrown around, which clearly lack any factual or credible sources... yet they are being taught as status quo. To this extant the only way they defend these non factual presumptions, is to claim the Bible cannot in itself be relied upon for understanding what is written. One must rely on sources who did not write the Bible in order to understand it and sources that exist at much later times, (boy, that makes a lot of sense... right! :P). While there are at times, outside sources or secondary sources that can actually help to understand something inside of a primary source, it cannot be the standard or it cannot offer more than the primary source, this should be common sense. With that said, I am not trying to bash Catholicism or Rabbinic Judaism, being that both of these groups make these same claims, I am simply saying, that since those claims are being made, there is no factuality to them and it hurts ones argument.
ReplyDeleteI can make an argument on any source and say that it is simply not good enough because it lacks to explain something in clear detail, then turn around and grab some source that has no immediate relationship to the main source and simply say, this explains it, this in itself has less credibility than simply believing the primary source in itself can be understood. Its bad scholarship and its absurd.
Summation:
DeleteIn my opinion, anyone who devalues a primary source to lift the value on a secondary source, should be considered not trustworthy and lacking credibility.
Can you think of any teachers today who do this, I could name quite a few.
Watch them tell you that the Oral Torah is from Sinai.....
DeleteDan,
DeleteYou're back! How is your recovery going?
Zion,
DeleteAbsolutely correct. We should place value on Rabbinic writings but always keep in mind that they, like all of us today, looked "through a glass darkly."
" if you believe there are two separate religions for Gentiles and Jews"
ReplyDeleteHow can there be when there is only one G-d?
Messianic Judaism and Christianity: Two Religions With The Same Messiah.
DeleteI worked on a farm raising sheep and goats, (as well as all the other farm animals).
ReplyDeleteOne thing is for sure, when you put 2 flocks in the same field, they quickly become one.
You won't look out into the field and see 2 flocks. The sheep will join one another, some little infighting but soon things are worked out after the leadership butt heads.
They all know the shep! They only follow him. Have I made myself a fool among educated men? Sorry so simple minded. Shalom
G-d bless you, Anonymous! I love it! There is so much wisdom in this image of the single flock of sheep!
Delete