# Are Jews going to hell? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 26, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361 "2001-04-26T01:11:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/41 "2001-04-28T03:18:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pepperlandgirl \* > \*\*What does “Eating the flesh of a live animal” mean? Is it as self-explanatory as it looks? > \*\* Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/42 "2001-04-28T04:47:47Z")
msc: Can I take it you’re not aware that Judaism does not require a belief in any afterlife? ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/43 "2001-04-28T07:13:13Z")
There’s a few details that I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread. First, the question of “are Jews going to heaven even if they don’t accept Jesus” is a question that can only be answered from a Christian point of view. And Jews do not accept that point of view. In Judaism, the worship of Jesus is tantamount to idolatry. Jews are not allowed to have ANY image of a human being in a synagogue so that there is no one who mistakenly thinks they are praying to a human and not to God. In addition, many scholars believe that the concept of a virgin birth is simply due to a mistranslation of the original Hebrew. In Judaism (where the concept of the Messiah that the Christian religion chooses to believe is Jesus), there is no mention of the messiah coming from a virgin. In fact, sex is considered to be a beautiful act between two married people, and there is no “sin” underlying the act like there is in Catholicism and other Christian faiths. Next, the messianic concept from the OT never claims the messiah will be a god, or even godlike. He will be a human, like Moses. A messenger, a teacher, sure. But not divine in any way. And were he here, Jews would not be allowed to worship him, the same way they are forbidden from worshipping Moses, Abraham, or any other historically significant Jew. Another point is that the messianic prophesies had very clear end results, and, well, not one of these results has occured yet. For example, the arrival of the Messiah will be met with world peace. And the dead coming back to life. And even in a country where some folks ACTUALLY VOTED for GW Bush, I don’t think that’s happened yet. So the strange dichotomy is that Chrisitans accept the messianic prophesies – that there will be a messiah, that the coming was foretold in the Old Testament – but then they conveniently ignore the rest of the prophesies that have clearly not come true, which to Jews is simply proof that the messiah hasn’t come yet. And not to offend anyone, but I’ll stay out here with the secular humanists (PC term for atheists), wondering what make someone believe one fary tale and not another one, and what makes them so sure they are going to heaven and the rest are following the wrong path? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/44 "2001-04-28T07:21:45Z")
> [@](#): > > In addition, many scholars believe that the concept of a virgin birth is simply due to a mistranslation of the original Hebrew. Interestingly, I read today that the Orthodox Church (and I presume other Christian groups as well) believes that when the Greek Pentateuch strays from the original Hebrew, it is because the translators were guided by the Holy Spirit to do so. I’m Jewish, so you can imagine what I personally believe, but I think that’s a perfectly valid - if you are a Christian, that is - explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/45 "2001-04-28T11:15:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\* I don’t know. I’m not God \*\* Oh, sure. Now he tells us. ;j Rabbi, and I use that term in it’s true meaning, you have got to have one of the most thoughtful Hebraically-bent minds here. I for one respect your opines immensely. Doesn’t make you god, just means you get to headline at Caesar’s 😛 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/46 "2001-04-28T16:58:15Z")
they are tyrants who do not like Jews. Why, because Jews will not bend to their will. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/47 "2001-04-28T18:01:38Z")
> [@](#): > > In fact, sex is considered to be a beautiful act between two married people, and there is no “sin” underlying the act like there is in Catholicism and other Christian faiths. While their have been a few Christian/Catholic writers who looked on sex as sinful, the actual teachings of the RCC are exactly as those you have identified as the Jewish belief. The RCC does _not_ believe or teach that there is sin underlying sexual activity. (You do have to reserve it for your souse, of course–gotta set _some_ rules.) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/48 "2001-04-28T18:03:25Z")
Or, preferrably, your _s **p** ouse_. Drinking and sex don’t mix well–although one can lead to the other. ---
**Author:** ![kiffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/49 "2001-04-28T22:08:50Z")
First Jews… then Christians… then Muslims… then Bahai… Now we have the answer to the 144,000 somebodies [that really means lots and lots of folks]. So there should be room for all those groups of folks who have sprung out of the Judeo-Christian experience. Will all these folks have the opportunity of to heaven or hell? Will those splinter groups such as the LDS or other sects also be eligible? How crowded is it going to get? ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/50 "2001-04-29T01:41:10Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* \*\* > [@](#): > > Rabbi, and I use that term in it’s true meaning, you have got to have one of the most thoughtful Hebraically-bent minds here. I for one respect your opines immensely. Doesn’t make you god, just means you get to headline at Caesar’s 😛 > > Cartooniverse \*\* Thank you **Cartooniverse** , for your kind words. I should point out, however, that I am not a rabbi. As for headlining at Caeser’s… catch me there every Feb. 30th. 🙂 Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/51 "2001-04-29T05:15:18Z")
Wow…can’t believe this one grew so fast and I hadn’t even seen it until now…not many questions left unanswered here. Oh, I see one! Vanilla: > [@](#): > > In all curiousness, where does it say that hell only can last 12 months at the most? The Talmud derives it from Isaiah 66:22-23. They take those verses to include a hidden meaning that ordinary sinners will be allowed to face G-d’s presence by the time the same month that they began their punishment in rolls around…i.e., 12 months long. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/52 "2001-04-29T19:58:53Z")
Thank you sir. But there IS a verse in the Bible that talks of the end of days (when jesus comes back and destorys the antichrist), and it states that all the nation will be saved in a day, after they blow the trumpet. Somebody? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/53 "2001-04-29T21:29:25Z")
There are a number of passages in the Bible that sound like what you are talking about, vanilla; see [Matthew 24:30-31](http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=MATT+24:30-31&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on) or [1 Thessalonians 4:16-17](http://bible.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bible?passage=1THES+4:16-17&language=english&version=NIV&showfn=on), for example. (There are also a number of trumpet calls in Revelation.) Note that all these are in the _New_ Testament, so Jews like cmkeller or zev\_steinhardt will give them about as much credence as a Southern Baptist would something from the Book of Mormon. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/54 "2001-04-30T01:36:55Z")
Um, there is no heaven or hell in Judaism. (At least in the Torah. Everything else is human conjecture). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/55 "2001-04-30T02:12:57Z")
DaveRaver: > [@](#): > > Um, there is no heaven or hell in Judaism. (At least in the Torah. Everything else is human conjecture). Well, at the very least, the existence of an afterlife is explicit in I Samuel 28, and the notion of reward and punishment is clear from many places in the Torah and Tanakh. So the concept that the two might co-exist, while one might consider it conjecture (although we consider this to be Oral tradition handed down since Sinai), is not completely fabricated out of thin air. Chaim Mattis Keller ---
**Author:** ![One\_Cell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e95f7d/32.png) [@One\_Cell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_Cell)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/56 "2001-04-30T04:35:52Z")
Sipping my wine, stroking the soft, long, thick, blond hair of my girlfriend while smoking my cigar and having the DVD in the background, and cruising SDMB on the side window of my large screen TV, I really don’t understand this thread and the ensuing debate. I only have one question: I know hell is hot. But is it humid? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361/57 "2001-04-30T05:10:33Z")
Well, I don’t know about Hell, but [Heck](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=65390&pagenumber=2#post1229276) is reportedly quite humid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-jews-going-to-hell/63361.md?page=2)