The Antimissionaries Get More Vile Every Day

This probably won't be posted, but I told Skylar Curtis, the antimissionary blogger whose work I take serious issue with, the following: "Were you even born Jewish? If not, knock off the Antimissionarism and let Jews read "A Set Apart Life" and come to their own conclusion about Jesus. As a Jew, I can tell you that you have no place in trying to prevent other Jews from considering the Jewish Jesus of Nazareth if you're not Jewish yourself."

Here's Skylar's vile and hutzpah-laced entry: "Do Not Read the Blog 'A Set Apart Life'"

Here are some of the insidious excerpts, filled with the very things which she labels "A Set Apart Life"'s entries and condemns, with my commentary:

There is a blog out there that you should not read if you are pursuing Jewish conversion or believe in Judaism. It's called A Set Apart Life.

That blog is about messianic Judaism, NOT Judaism. Even though it may have Judaism in the name, messianic Judaism rejects Judaism and uses its rituals and traditions to further their proselytizing at Jews to accept Jesus as savior.

 

Messianic Jews (Jewish Christians) do not reject Judaism. In fact, we simply believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Beginning and End of Judaism and Jewishness (which is a long discussion, and probably one which you may have had before).

 

I purposely posted that "hot-button" post so that it would show on her blog's page and bring this idea to her reader's attentions. I am offended by this blog, and I am even more offended that my blog is being used to bolster her own credibility among Jewish conversion candidates.

 

Maybe I'm reading Nehemia Gordon (a Non-Messianic Karaite) wrong, but I believe that even he's implied that P'rushim ("rabbi"nates)-- at least like Skylar Curtis-- don't want people thinking for themselves. Instead of Skylar being so offended, perhaps she ought to (so to speak and as would be the case in her eyes) encourage people to know what the "enemy" (the dreaded Missionary) is saying.

 

In other words, this blogger is a wolf in sheep's clothing. If you come from an evangelical background, you can catch the otherwise innocuous (if strange to Jewish ears) phrases she uses that refer to very specific Christian ideas, such as "stay at home daughter."

 

There are many stay-at-home daughters, wives, and mothers-- in fact, many who aren't allowed to leave home-- in Judaism, especially in the shtetlach such as Crown Heights and Northwest Baltimore.

 

Messianic Jews...if we want to talk to you about your faith, we will find you. Stop tricking us into listening to you by acting like you are imparting Jewish ideas so that you can spring your agenda on us at a later time. That is just plain insidious, unethical, and creepy. And it certainly violates the way Hashem wants us to live our lives.

 

We're following the Great Commission and the Light to the Nations. What about you, Ms. Curtis? Also, we're not forcing ourselves on you (We allow you to "choose this day who you will serve."). Also, we use TaNaKh to support our ideas. And what about you? Is your faith so weak that you have to rely on fallible "rabbis" and not TaNaKh itself? And to Nehemia Gordon's and other Non-Messianic Karaites' credits, they do rely on TaNaKh to believe in what they believe in and why they believe in it.