PREFACE
We are here because…choose your own reason. I believe there is a power, presence, province – a god – that has created the universe and that we, humans on planet earth, are merely an infinitesimally small part thereof and we are here for only an equally tiny span of time.
The opinions and observations tendered in this treatise are based on my reading of the Bible’s Old Testament, The Torah, and as a 6th generation American Jew.
Chuck Klein, 2026
JEWS and CHRISTIANS
Their Similarities, Differences & History:
- A) : Jews and Christians are one in the same inasmuch as we all share and believe:
1) There is only one G_d, the G_d of Abraham, and he is all-knowing and all-powerful.
2) The Old Testament of the Bible and all that it contains:
3) The Ten Commandments. These Judeo-Christian Values are the basis for our common moral and ethical aspirations;
- a) The concept of reward and punishment both on earth and in the hereafter;
- b) We both have Holy symbols and words – words we live/pray by; CHRISTIANS Symbol: The Cross. Words: “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit/Ghost.”
JEWS Symbol: Star of David. Words: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our G_d, The Lord is one” (Hebrew: Schema Yisraeil: Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad).
- B) DIFFERENCES:
Christians believe the Messiah (Jesus Christ) has already come to earth. Whereas the Jews do not believe He was a messiah. Jews don’t deny there was such a person as Jesus – a Jewish man, a prophet. In the Bible, there is no direct promise from G-d of a messiah. This difference may be insignificant because the Christians believe Jesus will return and, when he does, he may then be accepted as the Messiah by all (since no one knows what he looks like).
Jews only accept the Old Testament, Genesis thru Deuteronomy, called The Torah. Christians, in addition to the Old Testament, believe the New Testament is part of the Bible.
- C) WHAT/WHO WE ARE
1) A Jew is anyone who is born of the seed of a Jewish father or one who has professed/acknowledged/claimed they are a Jew. Contrarily, if your enemy believes you are a Jew – regardless of whether or not you are Jewish – you’re a Jew. Though Jews accept the existence of Jesus, the prophet, they see themselves as the direct heirs of the covenant God made with Abraham. Jews/Hebrews believe this bond is eternal and binding; it is not superseded or replaced. From a Jewish perspective, Christianity is a separate religion that emerged and diverged with the arrival of Jesus. A Jew is one who believes in the historical teachings of the Jewish people, i.e., they descended from Abraham through Issac and Jacob… and the State of Israel is their homeland as promised by G d to Abraham. Jews are keepers of the Covenant.
2) A Christian is a person who accepts the teaching of Jesus. Though the Old Testament does not contain any promise from G-d to deliver a Messiah, they believe Jesus is The Messiah and Jesus is the Son of G-d. All Christians have one central belief in common… the Gospel… the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as atonement for sins. They are Hebrews inasmuch as they also trace their lineage to Abraham and his wife, Sarah, through Jacob and Issac and continue to accept the G_d of Abraham as their G_d.
- D) DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF JEWISH PRACTICES:
There are basically four slightly different branches of the Jewish faith; Jews do not have a single leader, one who speaks for all:
ULTRA ORTHODOX: They live the Old Testament, literally. They practice separation of men and women in the synagogue, wear only black clothes, fully comply with the Sabbath and strictly observe the dietary laws including the slaughter of animals for sacrifices.
ORTHODOX: Very religious. They closely follow the Old Testament, excluding animal sacrifices.
CONSERVATIVE: Not a well-defined contingent. Some congregations read most of their prayers in Hebrew, some comply with not working on the Sabbath or other rules. Their religious practices are a compromise between the extremes of the Orthodox and Reform.
REFORM: The Reform movement was developed less than 200 years ago. The reason for this breakaway from a stricter life was mostly to allow the American Jews to assimilate – to get along better with their Christian neighbors – without giving up their faith.
- E) THERE ARE MANY SECTS OF CHRISTIANITY, INCLUDING:
ROMAN CATHOLICS: One of the oldest Christian faiths dating to about 200 c.e. The head of the church is called the Pope and their headquarters are in Rome;
EPISCOPAL: The U.S. Protestant church historically related to the Church of England;
BAPTISTS: A Christian denomination that baptism should be given only to believers after confession of faith and by immersion rather than sprinkling of water. Followers of John the Baptist;
PRESBYTERIANS: Followers of 16th Century Protestant Reformation leader John Calvin;
MORMON, AMISH, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, JEHOVAH’S WITNESS, METHODIST and others (some Christians don’t acknowledge these faiths as true Christians believing them to be cults).
- F) GUARDIAN ANGELS:
1) Not a religious matter, per se, many Jews and Christians firmly believe spirits/angels not only exist but are active in our lives. This guardian angel might be our conscience – that inner voice that tells us right from wrong.
2)The devil may be inborn due to Eve’s eating the apple in the Garden of Eden and thus guardian angels are in a constant battle to keep the soul righteous.
Chuck Klein, Columnist: American Free News Network
https://chuckklein.com
Next week: Part V, Conflicting Issues
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