Jesus

[Rebekah]

to explain.

I'm Jewish, and i've never really had any Christian influence in my life. Most of my friends are Jewish, i live in a mostly jewish community, etc.

I don't know much about your faith, but i'm interested in learning

i posted a thread like this in a Protestant Christian forum, and all that got me was a "you're jewish, you're going to hell" type of answer. From lots of people. Needless to say, that turned me off Christians and christian forums for about a year.

Now i decided to try here, and the welcome has been very warm and open. I look forward to your answers.

Basically, i know you believe someone Jesus died on a cross. you worsip him as god. that's all i know.

Please enlighten me

in simple terms. I've been looking around in some theologiocal debates on here, and they confuse me. simple terms, please!!!

Thanks you, May God grant you Peace,

Rebekah

[dUSt]

Hey Rebekah,

Welcome to phatmass! Glad you found us! As Catholics, we're all Jewish here! The difference is that you're still waiting on the Messiah to come, and we believe he came 2000 years ago, in the form of Jesus.

I look forward to you contributing to our ramblings. God bless.

[Good Friday]

Hi Rebekah. Welcome to Phatmass. I'll do my best to answer any questions you have. Right now, you've asked if we'll start simply, so I will start as simply as I can. This is the Apostles' Creed, it's the most basic summary of our core beliefs as Catholics:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell (or: He descended to the dead). On the third day He rose again. He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Our other basic creed, which is said in every Catholic Mass, is the Nicene Creed formed at one of the earliest councils of the Christian Church. It is similar to the Apostles' Creed, but contains a bit more:

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation He came down from Heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures. He ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son He is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed together are the basics of our beliefs as Christians. It's as basic as we can get. If you have any more specific questions, please feel free to ask them. I'm better at dealing with specific questions rather than explaining things in a general sense.

[ICTHUS]

Rebekah,

Just a quick question: when you sin against God, how do you deal with that sin in a way that God has decreed, since there has not been a place of sacrifice for sin since 70 A.D. when the Temple was destroyed.

[Lounge Daddy]

in simple terms. I've been looking around in some theologiocal debates on here, and they confuse me. simple terms, please!!!

Catholicism can be as simple as you like and, in my opinion, is very beautiful in its simplicity…

Or can easily be very, very deep… but you know this because you saw some of those theological debates.

Good Friday’s response is a good choice. :)

[foundsheep]

Rebekah,

If you have one or can view one at the library, the bibles first four books in the new testament have everything about jesus. Read that first comeback and we can discuss from there.

[jasJis]

You can eat a whale with patience and by putting in your mouth, no more than you can chew.

Rebekah, I'd reccommend hanging out here, posting about non religion stuff, getting to know us, and asking smaller questions as they seem appropriate. Most of us here will try to fill your plate at the get go! No matter what, start with the whale skin first (but don't start at the tail! )

You might want to go to the "Reading Room" link at the top of the page, and go to the Catholic Catechism link (at scborremo) and do a search for Jewish to see how Jews are supposed to be seen by Christians. Any automatic "You're jewsih, your going to hell" is wrong theology. For an example, here's and excerpt from the Catechism (and check out my Sig too). I hope you stay awhile, I've got questions for you too! :D

CATECHISM:

1096: Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy. A better knowledge of the Jewish people's faith and religious life as professed and lived even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of Christian liturgy. For both Jews and Christians Sacred Scripture is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation of the Word of God, the response to this word, prayer of praise and intercession for the living and the dead, invocation of God's mercy. In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the Word originates in Jewish prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical texts and formularies, as well as those of our most venerable prayers, including the Lord's Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers also draw their inspiration from the Jewish tradition. The relationship between Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy, but also their differences in content, are particularly evident in the great feasts of the liturgical year, such as Passover. Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover. For Jews, it is the Passover of history, tending toward the future; for Christians, it is the Passover fulfilled in the death and Resurrection of Christ, though always in expectation of its definitive consummation.

[jasJis]

We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth, born a Jew of a daughter of Israel at Bethlehem at the time of King Herod the Great and the emperor Caesar Augustus, a carpenter by trade, who died crucified in Jerusalem under the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, is the eternal Son of God made man. He 'came from God', 'descended from heaven', and 'came in the flesh'. For 'the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. . . And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace

[Anna]

Hi Rebekah!

Welcome. ((((hugs))))

You'll get none of that "you're going to hell" stuff here!

God decides where each of us will spend eternity, not some zealous internet poster! But of course, you know that.

Yes, you surely realize that Catholicism is rooted in the Jewish Faith. I myself am not all that familiar with Jewish beliefs and practices, and hopefully with you here, we'll learn much more about our roots!

We believe that God loved the world so much, that He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to serve as the Sacrificial Lamb in expiation for the sins of the world.

We believe that while on earth, Christ fulfilled the prophecies of the Scriptures, and that He founded a Church--that which is called today, the Catholic Church.

Imagine Jesus, walking up the hill to Golgotha, the "skull place," with the heavy wood of the cross on His back...We believe that Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, climbing up the hill with the wood bundled on his back, is a prefiguration of the Messiah Who would offer Himself to the Heavenly Father, with the Father's approval.

There should always be great harmony between our Faiths.

Pax Christi. <><

[Azriel]

You can think of it like this.....if God never sent Jesus...all of here would most likely be Jewish. :)

[geetarplayer]

I hate it when people say, "Oh, Jews missed the boat by rejecting Jesus. They're all going to hell." This is an ignorant statement to make, because God made a covenant with the Hebrews saying that they are His chosen people. And God doesn't break His promises. Why would He send his chosen people to hell?

The truth is, the Jewish faith is our older, wiser brother in the faith.

That being said, look at this. It reminds us that Jesus himself was a Jew:

Anywho, we as Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah. We believe that God made it possible for the Virgin Mary to become pregnant with Jesus, God's only Son. Through God's sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus, on the cross, we believe that the gates of Heaven were opened to all people everywhere. This is one of the mysteries of life. Why did Jesus have to be crucified in order for the gates to open? Why were the gates of Heaven closed prior to Jesus' death? Nobody really knows for sure.

Here's my light-hearted explanation (not to be taken literally or seriously):

God and Satan are playing poker one night. Satan is cheating, but alas, to no avail, because Good always conquers Evil. In any event, God is winning fair and square, when Satan suddenly slaps his cards against the table and says, "This is lame. What do you say to a real competition?" God says, "What do you mean by that?" Satan replies, "I bet You can't go down to earth in the form of a man and live for atleast thirty years without sin." God smiles and says, "Alright, you've got yourself a deal." As God extends His arm, Satan notices His confidence and quickly adds, "Oh--and you have to die an extruciatingly painful death. If you win, the gates of heaven can be opened and you can save all the sinners you want and yada yada all that good stuff. But if I win, everybody goes to hell." God ponders a bit, then says a little more firmly, "Deal." They shake hands, and the archangel Gabriel appears to Mary.

-Mark

[Katholikos]

Rebekah,

To keep it simple, no theology, no complicated explanations:

The Jewish God and the Christian God are one and the same. There is only one God. His name is Yahweh: I AM. (He has other names as well.) This is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God's Nature is triune: There is one God in Three Persons, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. We call God "The Trinity." This revelation of the Nature of God was not made to the Jews under the "Old Covenant," but to the Apostles and through them to the Church under the "New Covenant."

The Holy Trinity is one of the great mysteries of our Faith. God the Father is the First Person of the Blessed Trinity. God the Son (Jesus) is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, and God the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. So, yes, we believe that Jesus is God. "He was in the beginning with God, All things came to be through him" (John 1:1-14.

God made a new Covenant with mankind when His Son came to earth and was born of a Jewish woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Jesus is a Jew. The Holy Spirit caused Mary to conceive Jesus; his Mother was a Jewess, a mere mortal like us, but she is the most extraordinary human being who ever lived.

The Catholic Church is the New Israel. God did not abrogate his Covenant with the Jewish people; the "Old" Covenant is still valid. But he made a New Covenant with the New Israel, the Church: Romans 11:26, Galatians 6:16, James 1:1.

The "Old Testament" (Hebrew Scripture) is the literary expression of the religious life of ancient Israel, written over a period of about 1,000 years. The New Testament is the literary expression of the religious life of the newborn Catholic Church, written over a period of about 100 years.

God's revelation of Himself and His laws was made known to the Jews primarily through our common Father Abraham, through Moses, and through history. God's revelation of Himself and His laws was made known to the Church through His Son Jesus, and through those the Son chose to bear his message, the Apostles, who were the leaders of the Church. The bishops of the Catholic Church are the successors to the Apostles.

Good Friday did well to present our basic creeds in answer to your question.

Any more Qs? We're here to be of service. And we don't think you're going to hell! That's Protestant bull-oney.

JMJ Likos

[Anna]

Rebekkah,

Also, there are different kinds of "Christians," Catholics (the originals) and Protestants (spin offs). Protestants splinter groups number in the tens of thousands. But there is only One True Church founded by Jesus Himself: that is the Catholic Church.

Pax Christi. <><

Edited November 9, 2003 by Anna

[Lil Red]

i posted a thread like this in a Protestant Christian forum, and all that got me was a "you're jewish, you're going to hell" type of answer. From lots of people. Needless to say, that turned me off Christians and christian forums for about a year.

Rebekah, anyone who says this to you is just an idiot!!! How can we hate Jews when our Lord and Savior was raised as a devout Jew! I pray that you find the answers you seek.

[cmotherofpirl]

Welcome Rebekeh!

Your people were the first to hear the Word of God, no other nation was ever so blessed.

I am glad you are here.