If you only believed in the Old Testament and not the New Testament, but are not a Jew, would you still be Jewish? Or some other religion?
Well, you can self-declare anything you want, but if you want other Jews to recognize you as one of them, you’d have to have a Jewish mother or undergo a conversion ceremony.
You could, of course, just lie to them and they’ll likely be too polite to doubt your word, but then it becomes a matter of how seriously you take your beliefs in the Old Testament in the first place.
If you want to be an observant Jew, you’d have to convert, and do the usual Judaism things.
The standards for conversion vary, from super-hard (Orthodox) to less-hard (Reform).
As for being an ethnic Jew, for that you need a Jewish mother.
You’d probably have to change your username.
I guess what I meant to ask was, is there a religion other than Judaism that only believes in the Old Testament?
I suppose you could start one.
Westboro Baptist?
While it is technically a form of Judaism, you should check out the information on the Karaites. The Karaites are Jews that believe ONLY in the Old Testament. Modern Judaism is based on both the Old Testament and the Rabbinic teachings. Karaites reject the teachings of the Rabbis (i.e., the rabbis in Palestine and Babylonia during the first several centuries of the common era). While some of the Karaitic customs are the same as the practices of observant modern Jews, much of Karaitic practice is vastly different.
I believe what you are describing is called “Noahide.” Jewish tradition states that there are seven commandmentshe (or categories of commandments) that the Torah expects non-Jews are to do. There have recently arisen organized groups calling themselves “Noahide” of non-Jews who believe the Torah is true and the Torah-non-Jewish way of life is for them.
Jews would not consider Karaites a form of Judaism. In fact, they’ve made some trouble for Jews in the past.
I’m not sure if this is what you mean, but you may be describing the Noahite Jews, also known as the Bnei Noach, meaning “sons of Noah.” The Old Testament (as interpreted by Jewish tradition) lays out a fairly complex code of conduct for Jews, but explains that non-Jews have only 7 commandments, the 7 commandments for the Sons of Noah. A “Noahite Jew” isn’t actually a Jew at all; he’s just a non-Jew who believes in the Old Testament and follows the commandments it codifies for non-Jewish conduct. To be Jewish, you have to be born Jewish or convert. But to be considered righteous under the Old Testament, you don’t have to be Jewish; you just have to do what’s required of you. For a Jew, that’s following all the commandments, but for a non-Jew, it’s following those 7. Personally, I think you get off pretty easy.
The 7 are:
Live in a society with laws.
Don’t eat the flesh of an animal while it’s alive.
Don’t curse G-d.
Don’t steal.
Don’t commit adultery or other forbidden relationships, like incest.
Don’t kill.
Don’t worship other gods.
Whoops. Chaim beat me to it. I should pay more attention when I preview. :smack:
You could be a Samaritan – yes, there are still a few Samaritans around.
There is a name for it- spelled variously as Noachite, Noahite, Noachide, Noahide-
a Gentile follower of the One God of Israel, keeping the Seven Laws against
Idolatry, Blasphemy, Murder, Sexual Immorality, Theft, Blood-Eating/Cruelty-to-Animals, and for Enforcing Justice, supposedly given to Noah in the Genesis 9 re-affirmation of the Covenant.
There is a somewhat growing movement of former C’tians, and unitarian C’tians who adhere to this, often under the direction of a Rabbi.
Of course, there are many people who follow those seven rules, and don’t call themselves anything in particular. Most people would agree that those rules, or something closely resembling them, are part of morally-required behaviour. A literalist would explain this by pointing out that all people are descendants of Noah, so we learned those rules from our ancestors who ultimately learned them from Noah.
This is how a rabbi explained this to me.
Judaism, is the religion of the peoples the Jews. Other religions have different peoples. Jews are somewhat different than other faiths because they do not seek to convert. To a Jew you don’t have to be Jewish to go to heaven.
To a Jew the line runs the mother only.
If you’re mother is a Jew, you are a Jew
If you father is a Jew and your mother a Christian, you are NOT a Jew
If you convert to Judaism, you are considered a “Jew by conversion.” If a woman is a “Jew by conversion,” all her children will be considered a “Jew by birth.”
If you are born an Jew and do NOT practice Judaism, you are STILL a Jew.
If you are born a Jew and convert to another religion or declare yourself to be an agnostic or athiest, at that point you cease to be a Jew.
At least that is how the Jews look at it.
YES
You can be a Jew, Observe Jewish Laws & Customs and be a Jew in every way except by blood, i.e. a proselyte.
OTOH There is not so much as one Jew living today that can PROVE his lineage as a Jew. All of the geneological records were destroyed circa AD 70 when the Temple was destroyed in Jerusalem.
What about the children of a mother who converted to Judaism? His Jewish lineage would only go back to his mother. There would only need be proof of birth and proof of conversion.
Ditto grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. You can get a lot of generations before you hit 70 BC.
Me, to attractive woman: Do you have any Jew in you?
Her: No.
Me: Would you like some?
Perhaps, but Jews don’t believe in an afterlife in the same way that some other religions do.
This part is incorrect; you would be an apostate Jew, and probably socially snubbed, especially if you came from an Orthodox community, but if you (or your female-line descendants) wanted to return to Jewish practice, you would not need to convert. The same principle applies if you convert to Judaism and then change your mind.