Judaism

[bullmoose88]

Judaism belives that everyone's soul will spend eternity with God, so no, there is no Heaven and Hell per se, because everyone spends eternity in a heaven like place.

I've heard this explanation before...i guess I don't understand it...why would He have a chosen people...and why wouldHe allow vile souls (i'm not talking about debatable ones, I'm talking about the most vile people in human history) to have the same outcome?

Sorry, but what exactly is the question?

Why would Hitler or Stalin spend eternity in heaven?

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I believe that as long as someone repents their sins before they die, then they spend eternity with God.  So, to clarify, Hitler and Stalin would not spend eternity with God unless they repented.  God has said that He will forgive anyone, so long as they repent.

So what happens to the unrepentant?

[bullmoose88]

I honestly don't know.

I mean that's what I don't get about Judaism...Christianity and Islam...say whatever else you'd like about them, you can kinda get why it pays to be a Christian (or in some circles, uphold the spirit of jesus taught even if you aren't one) or to be a Muslim (or as Xahar has pointed out, a reverant person of the book)...you get rewarded, and if you aren't, there are consequences...

as for Judaism, there doesn't seem, other than the cultural/nationalistic aspects, to be a reason why one should be jewish in faith as opposed to anything else...it seems everyone ends up in the same place, and even that God doesn't award perks to His people...

I might be totally off base, but thats what i've seen thus far from your explainations (and don't worry too much, I get similar explainations from my jewish friends.)

[bullmoose88]

Why don't you believe Jesus is the Messiah? He has all of the qualities of one.

That's a pretty loaded question.

How is it loaded? I just want to know why. I never seriously got that one.

If you look at the link I provided in my previous response, you'll notice that Jesus did not perform any of the requirements to be a Jewish Messiah.  That is why we do not believe he is the Messiah.

You could argue that in effect he fufilled some of those promises, but it doesn't matter. Just be oepn too Jesus a little. It isn't like he is bad.

We don't believe that Jesus was at all bad; just that he wasn't the Messiah.  And no, you cannot argue that he fulfilled some of the promises, since not one of them has come true.  Also, the Messiah is supposed to be a man, not the Son of God.

Well...i saw the post you wrote about the supposed requirements for the Hebrew messiah, and the only question I can raise is, how literally does one have to take those requirements...

[bullmoose88]

We take these requirements literally, word for word.

Which is interesting that you'd take such a strict standard with that, yet take many elements in the torah as allegory...

I mean its not a simple matter of, on one hand the book states a historical fact and on the other is allegory and thus you can take the facts word for word

you have prophecy on one side, facts on another, and allegory (genesis etc) on yet another...

Why must you take the prophecies word for word?

[bullmoose88]

So, as long as there isn't a third temple...there can't be an apocalypse right?  Thats an absolutely necessary condition?