It is an uncomfortable conversation among fellow Jews because there are so many differing opinions on Jesus and his view(s) on the world so I’m just giving you my perspective. I believe that Jesus was a Jewish man who lived and died with that faith in tact but questioned many of the practices of the faith as many others do even today. His philosophical view on theology has brought over a billion followers from the path of paganism and idolatry to a path that consists of strong moral values and truths that we in the Jewish faith hold true as true. We can not deny that some who have practiced this faith in the past and even today have used it to forcefully proselytize other (even to the point of death) and justified it for Anti- Semitic attacks but I believe that those who have done such hideous acts aren’t following Jesus’s teaching. Today most Christians believe that you must volunteering submit yourself to the faith to be a true believer.
I believe if Jesus didn’t exist then those values and practices would not be observed by many and the world as a whole would suffer. Those that follow Christianity have put their lives on the line to fight for/defend freedom for many including the abolition of slavery, civil rights, pro-life issues, Israel security and the basic foundations of freedom that we in the Western World truly enjoy. There acts of non-violence when violence was around them has enabled the world to witness true sacrifice and become more free
One of the key values that I find especially appealing of those who follow Jesus teaching is the view of forgiveness and charity. This view has enabled many people to change paths in their lives and accept many who in the past wronged them. It has taken those least among us and given them hope for a better day. It has produced some of the greatest charities that the world has known such as the Salvation Army. To conclude although I do not accept Jesus Christ as my savior I do accept that his beliefs have made the world a better place today for the world as a whole. Merry X-Mas to all my Christian brothers and sisters.
You raise a number of valid points, Bud but you also ignore some very relevant historical facts: Plato predates the Jesus of whom you speak and the historicity of the latter’s existence remains an open question. Christianity is essentially neo-Platonism. The Jewish cultural conflict with the Greek is well documented historically. The whole of Christian “history” is not only open to question but actively debated by scholars of the period. If you really want to get at the roots of the conflict between Judaism and the contemporary, mostly secular world calling itself Christian, the place to go is Jewish philosophy vs. Plato, not Judaism vs. Christianity.
Thank you for your comments. I believe that Christianity filled in a void because the Jewish faith didn’t actively proselytize and many people wanted a simpler faith without all the rituals requirements that the Jewish faith has.