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31.7.17

The issue of Christianity comes up from time to time.  The basic approach I have towards this is based on Rav Avraham Abulafia--a mystic from the Middle Ages who said about Jesus some pretty positive things.[The idea of Rav Abulafia seems to be that he was the messiah son of Joseph that is mentioned in the Gemara Suka.]  Not that that makes the basic approaches of Christianity right, but it does show a different side to the whole issue.  

In other words--the problems are well known--Paul certainly opened the gates to an approach which was not the approach of Jesus at all. But on the other the general attitude that I have encountered is that one has to say and believe that Jesus was a bad guy, and that is the one and only thing that makes one kosher--that also seems wrong. It does not seem to reflect on a commitment to truth but rather to ideology.

From my point of view, Jesus never said he was God nor claimed any kind of worship. It is hard to see from where that belief comes from the in New Testament. He did claim to be a son of God. But that is not different from what God said to Moses to tell Pharaoh, "My son my first born is Israel". Nor does it seem all that different from the verse in Deuteronomy; "You are the children of the Lord your God, Do not make a tattoo on your bodies." 
Nor did Jesus nullify any commandments at all,  even of the words of the scribes. "The scribes sit on teh seat of Moses and so all that they teach and command that you must do."

However it also seems that the issue is more important than what could be swept under the carpet. Certain people are sent into this world to bring some kind of great good into the world. Like Moses. And from my perspective there are certain positive things associated with Jesus that can not be gotten through any other channel. 

[So in so far as Christians learn and emulate Jesus they are right. But in so far as they worship him, that  is wrong. One should worship God alone.]