Jews Beat Christians
Posted: January 10th, 2015, 9:28 pm
Today I went to an ultra orthodox Jewish synagogue. Since I am not Jewish I was anxious about going there. I had the impression that everyone would be racist and immediately throw me out. This was not the case. I received a much better welcoming here than I ever did at a Christian church. I have a lot of respect for how these ultra orthodox conduct their service.
First of all I was immediately greeted when I entered. I was not treated as a bulk convert. Every male in attendance shook my hand and said "Shabbos". Compare this with the last orthodox Christian church I went to where not a single person out of a congregation of 100 greeted me for two whole months. When I identified myself as a Noahide (non-Jew), I was not criticized. These people made a genuine effort to get to know me and make me feel more comfortable.
Since I don't speak Hebrew I did not understand anything said during the service. But even as a non-Hebrew speaker I sense that the readings were much more involved. In Christianity you typically have one official reading and the audience sits back and falls asleep. In my synagogue experience the audience actively participated. There was a portion of singing also where only the men sang in a uniform rhythm. The end result was a very brotherly melody. I should also mention that the women were separated by a wall.
Half way through the five hour reading we had a meal break. This is different than in Christianity where if you're lucky you'll eat some chips and crackers at the end in a break room. It's good to have a break in the middle because people need to stick around for the rest of the reading. Since they need to stick around this forces them to socialize. Also unlike Christianity the meal did involve drinking some liquor. They offered a variety of wine and vodka. They also made a home made soup called Cholent. The Rabbi told me that I was skinny so I need to eat. He said "it's a sin not to eat on Shabbat". My kind of guy.
I don't see how Christianity can offer a better community experience than Judaism. These people were very energized, highly disciplined and made a genuine effort to greet every new person. They also clearly separate themselves from the masses using uniforms.
My experience going to a Mosque several years ago was similar. Both ultra orthodox Judaism and Islam have the energy to fight modern culture and welcome new converts. Christianity in comparison is lethargic, cold, unwelcoming and lacks the discipline required to build a real brotherhood.
I encourage anyone who wants a strong alternative to modern culture to contact Chabbad Synagogues and ask if a Noahide can attend. I consider Judaism a better alternative than Islam because you can attend a Synagogue while not being a Jew. You cannot attend a Mosque long term without being a Muslim. I also felt that Arabic Muslims could be agitated much more easily, where as if you disagree with Jews it's seen as a friendly argument.
I contacted 16 Synagogues in my local area. Out of those 16, 8 said yes, 2 said no, 6 did not respond.
First of all I was immediately greeted when I entered. I was not treated as a bulk convert. Every male in attendance shook my hand and said "Shabbos". Compare this with the last orthodox Christian church I went to where not a single person out of a congregation of 100 greeted me for two whole months. When I identified myself as a Noahide (non-Jew), I was not criticized. These people made a genuine effort to get to know me and make me feel more comfortable.
Since I don't speak Hebrew I did not understand anything said during the service. But even as a non-Hebrew speaker I sense that the readings were much more involved. In Christianity you typically have one official reading and the audience sits back and falls asleep. In my synagogue experience the audience actively participated. There was a portion of singing also where only the men sang in a uniform rhythm. The end result was a very brotherly melody. I should also mention that the women were separated by a wall.
Half way through the five hour reading we had a meal break. This is different than in Christianity where if you're lucky you'll eat some chips and crackers at the end in a break room. It's good to have a break in the middle because people need to stick around for the rest of the reading. Since they need to stick around this forces them to socialize. Also unlike Christianity the meal did involve drinking some liquor. They offered a variety of wine and vodka. They also made a home made soup called Cholent. The Rabbi told me that I was skinny so I need to eat. He said "it's a sin not to eat on Shabbat". My kind of guy.
I don't see how Christianity can offer a better community experience than Judaism. These people were very energized, highly disciplined and made a genuine effort to greet every new person. They also clearly separate themselves from the masses using uniforms.
My experience going to a Mosque several years ago was similar. Both ultra orthodox Judaism and Islam have the energy to fight modern culture and welcome new converts. Christianity in comparison is lethargic, cold, unwelcoming and lacks the discipline required to build a real brotherhood.
I encourage anyone who wants a strong alternative to modern culture to contact Chabbad Synagogues and ask if a Noahide can attend. I consider Judaism a better alternative than Islam because you can attend a Synagogue while not being a Jew. You cannot attend a Mosque long term without being a Muslim. I also felt that Arabic Muslims could be agitated much more easily, where as if you disagree with Jews it's seen as a friendly argument.
I contacted 16 Synagogues in my local area. Out of those 16, 8 said yes, 2 said no, 6 did not respond.