Cursed Missionaries Step Up Destruction of Judaism

[muman613]

This story is one which makes my spleen hurt {obvious Rabbi Tovia Singer reference}...

J4J is a cursed organization which seeks to destroy the Jewish soul. To seek Jews who are weak in their observance and faith, and attempt to inject non-Jewish beliefs into the religion, is a crime against Hashem. Our Torah says clearly what should happen to one like this, and I will not mention it here...



http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/137707

Aggressive Missionary Campaign in Central Israel
Sivan 13, 5770, 26 May 10 12:24
by Hillel Fendel

(Israelnationalnews.com) “Jews for Jesus” in Israel brags that it has launched a missionary campaign in “an area that has never had a significant evangelical activity since 1948” – namely, Tel Aviv’s satellite cities.

Residents of Ramat Gan, Petach Tikvah, Herzliya and elsewhere woke up one day this week to find groups of "Jews for Jesus" missionaries gathered on street corners, holding banners and giving out literature. Different groups spoke Hebrew, English, or Russian, providing their “services” for all sectors.

The Yad L’Achim anti-missionary group says this is a “critical and dramatic stage in the campaign announced by the missionaries three years ago and which is expected to continue for another three years.”

The missionaries' latest gimmick is the placing of thousands of “traffic tickets” on cars. Only when the worried driver turns over the "ticket" does he or she see its true message: “You can relax; someone has paid the fine in your place… He’s called Yeshua [Jesus].” The gimmick states that Yeshua was willing to pay with his life for everyone’s sins, but that after three days, God revived him from death.

The literature emphasizes that his name is Yeshua, which is close to the Hebrew world for salvation, “and not Jesus, as they always told you.” The Jews for Jesus group emphasizes the Jewish aspects of Christianity – though the recently-deceased Martin “Moshe” Rosen, who founded the organization in 1973, once said, “The fact is, we are not practicing any form of Judaism. We are practicing Christianity.”

Deceptive Tactics: "Don't Admit that We Believe Jesus is God"
Deceptive tactics of this nature have become the accepted protocol in the evangelical Christian movement, writes Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz, founder and executive director of Jews for Judaism International: “It is now second nature for church members to tell their Jewish friends that they can be Jewish and Christian at the same time. In Israel, Jews for Jesus missionaries, along with their 20,000 Israeli converts, promote Jesus exclusively as being the Jewish Messiah while intentionally avoiding mentioning their belief that he is God.” 

The internal Jews for Jesus announcement of the new campaign states: “The main cities in this region [the Sharon, which also includes Hod HaSharon, Rosh HaAyin, and other cities] has not had a significant evangelical witnessing since the State of Israel was established in 1948. This is a great privilege for us to be the pioneers to bring the word to our people in this region. The campaign headquarters is in a good location, and we will remain there throughout the duration.”

“Since not one of the large news papers in Israel, nor any billboard firm or any media channel that we checked, agrees to take our ads, we decided to run an internet campaign for the [next] four weeks, in which we will offer our books for free… Pray that no ads will be removed as a result of the hareidi organization Yad L’Achim.”

Yad L’Achim director Rabbi Shalom Lifshitz said, “Now is the time to demand a change to the missionary law, and to put a stop to this wild, criminal missionary activity that leads to tragic results.” The law currently bans only offering to pay someone to change religions and missionizing children.

[IsraeliGovtAreKapos]

I met one today

[syyuge]

I met one today

How is he now?

[muman613]

I met one today

How is he now?

 

[IsraeliGovtAreKapos]

Broke his cross and the rest should be kept in mystery

[Ari Ben-Canaan]

Yad L’Achim director Rabbi Shalom Lifshitz said, “Now is the time to demand a change to the missionary law, and to put a stop to this wild, criminal missionary activity that leads to tragic results.” The law currently bans only offering to pay someone to change religions and missionizing children.

Amen.  We are talking about Israel, not the rest of the world.  Whatever the penalty is it should be strong.

[JTFenthusiast2]

I agree with Muman's first post here.  I know being raised in secular Judaism, I never had any answers for these folks when they would accost me and everyone else in the train station at 42nd street.  I don't think there's anything wrong with being Christian.   I wish these Jews would accept that they are converts and admit that they have left the Jewish faith.  That would be honest.

[muman613]

I agree with Muman's first post here.  I know being raised in secular Judaism, I never had any answers for these folks when they would accost me and everyone else in the train station at 42nd street.  I don't think there's anything wrong with being Christian.   I wish these Jews would accept that they are converts and admit that they have left the Jewish faith.  That would be honest.

That they pretend that they are Jews is not the real problem. The Jewish people are such a small fraction of the world population that any Jews lost will include all generations after, they will all be lost to the Jewish mission. So a missionary may think he is 'saving' this person, he is actually killing him and all his generations.

Missionaries, especially in Israel, are not good people.

What the Torah teaches us comes from Pirkie Avot..

http://www.torah.org/learning/pirkei-avos/chapter2-19.html

Pirkei Avos

Chapter 2, Mishna 19
Answering the Heretic
By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

"Rabbi Elazar said: Be diligent in the study of Torah. Know what to answer a heretic. Know before Whom you toil. And faithful is your Employer that He will pay you the reward for your labor."

We are continuing to study the teachings of the five primary students of R. Yochanan ben Zakkai (Mishna 10). This mishna presents the words of R. Elazar, R. Yochanan's fifth and final student.

R. Elazar advises us to be prepared to answer all challenges put forth by heretics. We must anticipate their arguments and be ready with proper and appropriate responses. We must know how the other side is translating (and usually mistranslating) verses and what those verses truly mean. (Don't allow them to turn "a son has been born to us" (written many hundreds of years before the Common Era) into "a son will be born." And certainly don't let them tell you "maiden" means "virgin". By the way, by this I don't mean by this that others are not entitled to their own beliefs. But telling us our own Scripture says it -- when anyone who speaks Hebrew knows it does not -- is going a bit too far.)

And this should not be a difficult task. We have the original Hebrew and all the ancient commentaries on our side. Truth really does speak for itself. Nevertheless, as we all know, getting others to buy truth is 10% content and 90% packaging. We must not only know what to answer. We must well know how to say it.

The term our mishna uses for heretic is "apikorus." This is the Hebrew equivalent of Epicurus, the Ancient Greek philosopher (3rd-2nd Centuries B.C.E.), founder of the Epicurean philosophy ("Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we may die" -- especially with eating habits like that). (The Epicureans were actually more "rational hedonists," but for our purposes, the folk-simplification is sufficient -- and also telling.) The term apikorus in Jewish literature has become synonymous with one who adheres to any doctrine contrary to the basic tenets of Judaism. Certainly Epicureanism is practically antithetical to all we believe in. Death is not an end to existence to be ignored and disregarded. To the contrary: this world is no more than an entranceway before the Banquet Hall (4:21). The eventuality of death should not drive us to indulge ourselves, but to spend our lives preparing for that future grand entrance. (See also earlier, 2:15 .)

In addition (as my father of blessed memory once pointed out to me), scholars have noted that the Talmud's frequent use of this term may have served as an anti-censorship device. When the Sages had occasion to refer to Christianity or other contemporary religions (usually in somewhat less than glowing terms), they would cloak their references by giving the impression they were referring to some obscure Greek philosophical sect. (See for example Talmud Chagiga 5b.) Likewise Gentiles in general were often referred to (both by the Talmud and the commentators) as Cutheans, Canaanites and the like.

R. Elazar's advice of knowing how to respond to the heretic is significant on many levels. Although our gut reaction might be to not dignify the scoffer with a response -- let him wallow in his own vomit -- we are told to take his arguments quite seriously. We must be ready with careful and even considerate responses. It is worthwhile to examine some of the reasons behind this.

First of all, we must stand up for the sake of G-d. Don't ignore them -- even if to our minds their positions really do not warrant a response. We must not give even the most fleeting impression that others' arguments have any validity -- or that they know how to translate our own Torah better than we. Even if we know their arguments are contrived, based upon mistranslations, or quoted out of context, don't let anyone entertain that we had no response. Make it clear that we know better.

The Talmud (as well as Jewish history) has some classic rabbinic comebacks to such confrontations. In Sanhedrin 39a, R. Avohu has a back and forth with a heretic who asked him clearly absurd questions. (He "proved" from a verse that G-d is a priest and therefore asked how could He have immersed Himself after burying Moses being that He is bigger than the world.) R. Avohu was just as quick to respond with verses quoted equally-ridiculously out of context. Clearly, both parties knew their entire debate was ludicrous. However, the rabbi felt it was important that he get the last word (he did) -- and the Talmud felt their "debate" was significant enough to record for future generations. Our superiority in all areas of Torah and theology should be demonstrated conclusively. It started with us -- and we are still the masters.

Second of all, we respond to heretics for their sakes. We are actually sincerely interested in showing others the true light of G-d's wisdom. Far from considering such people infidels to be slain or converted at gunpoint, we would like very much to reason with them. If (and only if) they doubt Judaism because they sincerely sought out truth -- and equally- sincerely reached their erroneous conclusions -- we would be more than happy to enlighten them with our version of truth. Judaism has high regard for individuals who ask questions in matters of faith -- even if their answers have led them along what we consider the incorrect path.

Yisro (Jethro), father-in-law of Moses, is praised by the Rabbis for having tried out every idolatry in the world before realizing the truth of Judaism (see Mechilta to Exodus 18:11). Yisro really meant it. He was obsessed with his search for truth -- for he knew that if there is a G-d, He must have provided man with some form of religious expression with which to serve Him. Eventually -- after an exceedingly long and circuitous route -- he followed in the footsteps of Abraham, and discovered the true G-d. For if a person -- even a heretic -- is interested in truth, we have much to say to him. If, however, he is impervious to open and sincere discussion and can think only in terms of proving he's "right" and rescuing our doomed Hebrew souls, then there is little to be gained from such dialogue.

(I don't mean to be misunderstood. Judaism does not believe in proselytizing. We have more than enough trouble keeping our own in line that we are hardly ready (at this point in history) to take on the world. However, a sincere question always deserves an equally sincere and patient response.)

Lastly, we must respond to scoffers for our own sakes. We must now and then fortify ourselves, let ourselves know that agnostics and scoffers have no real substance to their arguments. A part of us would love to forget about death. It actually doesn't sound so bad to eat, drink and be merry for our few remaining miserable years. But we cannot allow ourselves to fall into the same trap as the agnostic. Don't let ourselves imagine that the scoffers have something on us -- that although their arguments might be less cogent they're at least enjoying themselves down here. Don't feel that we might have won the World to Come, but in the process we've sacrificed this world.

For this reason, it is possible to suggest that our mishna concludes as it does: "And faithful is your Employer that He will pay you the reward for your labor." The commentator R. Yonah asks, did we not learn above "...do not be as servants who serve the Master to receive reward" (1:3)? We are generally told not to focus on heavenly rewards, yet here R. Elazar makes a point of informing us that we will be rewarded?

I believe the explanation is that at times we must be reminded. And one such time is when heretics are challenging our faith. Are we tempted to give their arguments credence? They do have far more relaxed religious requirements. Hey, Passover is coming! No other religion demands Passover cleaning! So maybe -- just maybe -- there is something to be said for other viewpoints and other ways of life.

And so, R. Elazar concluded as he did. G-d does reward us -- and with true pleasure both in this world and in the next. We will be rewarded in full, measure for measure. Generally we do not serve G-d in order to receive reward. But when heretics challenge us, we need that reminder. If we would think that intellectually Judaism is superior, but that let's face it: self-serving, Epicureanism is far more pleasurable, then we have not really gotten the message of Torah. Judaism beats Epicureanism hands down -- spiritually, rationally and physically.

For we should never feel we are sacrificing this world for the next. Hedonists have no idea what pleasure is. They indulge their bodies, performing acts of selfishness and taking, until they burn out physically and either get bored with such pleasures or feel a need to move on to bigger thrills to wring some more excitement out of a pathetic existence. But they are not giving, they are not growing, and they are not sensing true satisfaction. They are merely whetting voracious and insatiable appetites, attempting to placate a gaping, dismal spiritual void with empty calories and endless frustration. They are living for nothing -- and deep down they know it. Only we who understand our purpose in life, who sense our immortality and recognize we are striving towards it, can sense true happiness and fulfillment both in this world and in the next. 

[ItalianZionist]

Broke his cross and the rest should be kept in mystery

Great way to make friends on a forum that is mostly christian.

[muman613]

Broke his cross and the rest should be kept in mystery

Great way to make friends on a forum that is mostly christian.

He was not talking about an ordinary Christian... This was a missionary in the Holy Land, the Jewish Holy Land of Israel... Missionaries are illegal there... Because Judaism doesn't proselytize, it is not fair that Christians are trying to destroy our faith... One which has withstood 2000 years of persecution at the hands of loving Christians everywhere.

BTW: Christians are allowed to worship freely in Israel at this time. Israeli government is fair with every faith allowing Christians and Muslims to worship at their respective sites. I dont think that it is much to ask for the Christians, while in the Jewish state, to respect our religion and not attempt to convert the secular israeli jews.

[angryChineseKahanist]

I don't like your accursed Subject [line].
These are not Christians destroying Jews; these are Jews destroying Jews.

I know you have better sense than that. A little liberal, but sensible when you want to.

[muman613]

I don't like your accursed Subject [line].
These are not Christians destroying Jews; these are Jews destroying Jews.

I know you have better sense than that. A little liberal, but sensible when you want to.

I think you missed the point... J4J is considered a Christian organization. And there are other Christian organizations which are missionizing in the Holy Land. I believe it is wrong, and I will not change my opinion. I think Chaim has also voiced an opinion on missionizing in Israel...

I do not have a problem with real Christians who do not attempt to convert the Jews. Unfortunately it seems that has become a focus of some missionary groups.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J4j#Affiliations_and_support
Affiliations and support

Jews for Jesus defends its actions against these charges[clarification needed], stating:

    "If a person believes the Bible and believes that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 10:9,10) and then that person declines to tell a Jewish friend about Christ, it indicates one of two things. Either that person has decided that the Jews are not worthy of the gospel, in which case he would be a racist, an anti-Semite and a hater of people instead of the lover of people that God wants him to be. Or perhaps he has judged the gospel as being unworthy of the Jews in which case he has trivialized the passion of Calvary and the awesome significance of Christ's resurrection."[34]

On the Christian counter-cult site Apologetics Index, Jews for Jesus is listed as an orthodox member of the Christianity family.[35]

Jews for Jesus is a member of numerous evangelical Christian groups, including The World Evangelical Alliance,[36][37] the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability,[29][36] the World Evangelical Fellowship, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada,[38] the Canadian Council for Christian Charities, the Evangelical Alliance of Great Britain, the Evangelical Alliance of South Africa, the Fédération Evangélique de France (Evangelical Federation of France), the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism.[39]

[IsraeliGovtAreKapos]

Broke his cross and the rest should be kept in mystery

Great way to make friends on a forum that is mostly christian.

So its bothers you when I wreck enemies of the Jewish people?

[angryChineseKahanist]

These aren't goys who are doing this, they're Jews.
...confused Jews.
When we see "missionaries" we think goy Christians.
See?

[angryChineseKahanist]

Broke his cross and the rest should be kept in mystery

Great way to make friends on a forum that is mostly christian.

So its bothers you when I wreck enemies of the Jewish people?

Looks like I'm the only one who does not look for the Jews out of the crowd and does not pick out the goy.

[✡ Hindu Zionist ॐ]

Jews should become more strong and fight these evil creatures..

Take a few lessons from these incidents:
(the source claims it provides right wing views, but it supports missionaries)
http://www.rightsidenews.com/200904304596/global-terrorism/terrorizing-christians-in-india-april-2009.html

Chhattisgarh, April 30 (Compass Direct News) - On April 20 a group of Sikhs in Dalli Rajhara, Durg district attacked Christian pastors who had converted from the Sikh religion. The Sikh community leaders were offended that the visiting converts, who still followed their cultural norm of wearing turbans and sporting beards, were preaching in the area; the Sikh leaders termed them traitors and demanded their arrests, later submitting memorandums of complaint to the state governor, chief minister and home minister. Police arrived and sent the pastors back to New Delhi. The state chief minister assured the Sikh community that the government would investigate, reported the Evangelical Fellowship of India, but host pastor Edison Sagar said no action has been taken against the converts and calm has returned to the area.

Hindu extremists from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other groups on April 15 falsely accused a pastor of keeping cartons of liquor on Church of Christ premises in Tarbahar, Bilaspur. A source told Compass that someone planted about 10 cartons of alcohol at his home onthe church premises in order to falsely accuse the pastor, as it is illegal to store such large amounts of alcohol at home.

April 15 arrested a Christian on charges of forceful conversion in the Chakarbhata area, near Bilaspur. A source told Compass that the hard-line Hindus falsely accused Gyan Singh of illegally "luring" four people to Christianity by inviting them to a church service at the chapel of Mission Hospital in Bilaspur.

more in the link..
-----------------------------------

Note how these Christian missionary organisations are only pin pointing the blame on Hindus and SIkhs of India, and there is no complaint about Muslims. So to them Muslims are to be allied with to destroy the native culture of the land.

[IsraelForever]

I DESPISE any "Jew for Jesus" person.  They're sick in the head. 

[Zelhar]

I don't like your accursed Subject [line].
These are not Christians destroying Jews; these are Jews destroying Jews.

I know you have better sense than that. A little liberal, but sensible when you want to.

You have a semi valid point.

 I suppose most of the J4J folk are indeed Jews by birth, including their late, accursed founder. However they are a Christian organisation. Hopefully some Christians don't recognize their evil church as a legitimate Christian church.

[syyuge]

Thanx for making me to go in to 50 years old reminiscence and recollecting the Tarbahar area where the girls's mission school was perhaps remote controlled by:

http://www.disciples.org/

and nearby my boy's mission school was perhaps remote controlled by:

http://www.lexcentral.com/

Since it was growing as a literate town, so it was very difficult to make conversions within the city. But the densely forested distant isolated villages had other story. However by the grace of G_d there also ultimately the conversion could not go beyond a limit.

I remember that after the Indo-China war, one of my Christian class friends told me that China was victorious because Chou En Lie was a Christian. Fortunately I was reading enough news papers by then, but now I understand that missionary institutions were converting in to Christians and/or in to Eurocommunists.