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Dear Teen Logo,

Well, I think that the more conservative, whatever that can mean and it can mean more than one thing, the LESS likely observant Jews will be to become Christians.

The matter of conversion is always a personal one. I know a sister-in-law of a priest who not only married an observant Jew, but also became Jewish herself.

The priest couldn't believe it . . .

As the pair left his home, the priest quickly said, "Perhaps one day I'll see you both as members of our Church!"

The young fellow turned and quickly said, "And perhaps one day I'll see you as an Orthodox Rabbi, Father?"

Both were quite serious.

A Rabbi came to visit my Catholic school and said, during his presentation, to the priest there, "Father, we are both doing God's work, you know. You are doing it your way, and I'm doing it . . . His way!"

While being Christian is something that is so obvious to us, we cannot and must not assume it is so to others. As indeed, it is not.

Alex

That's true, Alex. Thank you.

I think, because of the Holy Spirit's work in each one of us that truly believes, the reality of the Trinity and Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah are so blindingly obvious to us that it's hard, for me at least, to imagine anything else.

Logos Teen

I have no strong opinion one way or the other on this subject but only a couple of observations that may be interesting.

First, we have been friends with some observant Jews for many years. We've been in their synagogue several times and they have been in my Churches many times. They even came to my United Methodist ordination as Elder. We openly discuss our faith with each other. He invites me to pray at his table and I invite him to pray at mine. We are still friends. What that all will mean in heaven I do not know. I'm trusting this to the goodness of God.

Second, St. Paul's words in Romans 11 give me both pause and instruction. "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew." He went onto write that Christians are the ones who are "grafted" onto the natural tree of Judaism. I don't know that we can say with any great confidence that the Judaism of today is different from the Judaism of that period in its essence. If we claim that Rabbinic or Talmudic Judaism is different in nature from "real" Judaism because the Temple is destroyed how does one account for the years that the Temple was destroyed during the Babylonian Captivity. The Scriptures do not declare that the covenant ceased to exist for Judaism because the Temple was destroyed then. Why should God now declare that major change?

I think what this tells me is that we don't know. What we do know is that God does not change His mind when He makes a covenant. He keeps His word. I'm not willing to say that somehow Judaism has fallen outside the grace of God, even today's Judaism.

Third, I find all of these modern events regarding the reestablishing the Temple to be very fascinating indeed. If the Temple is rebuilt what will the Muslims do with their two mosques that are there? If they are upset over a visit by Ariel Sharon, which I consider to be a pretext for violence, not a reason, what will they do if the people of Israel begin to rebuild the Temple? Fascinating.

Dan L

Dear Teen Logo,

Well, up here in multicultural Toronto, there are constant reminders that Christians aren't the only boys on the block!

I attended an environmental/religious conference once and everyone was asked their religious affiliation, if they wanted to share it.

There were some really exotic affiliations, let me tell you!

I said that I was a member of an excommunicated Jewish sect . . .

Half an hour later, some people interrupted the proceedings and publicly asked, "O.K., Alex, we give up - which excommunicated Jewish sect do you belong to?"

"Christianity," I said with a smirk on my beardless face . . .

Alex

Dear Professor Dan,

Certainly, the Muslim presence would have to be removed if the entire Temple is to be rebuilt.

However, I've heard the argument that one may rebuild the Temple without encroaching on the Muslims' territory.

But the government would have to agree to this and I don't see this happening any time soon.

The Orthodox Jews and the secular Jews there don't always see eye-to-eye!

Alex

Professor Alex,

I'm not clear how the full temple could be rebuilt without removing the Muslim presence. The temple mount completely encompasses both mosques. Perhaps the suggestion is that a considerably smaller version of the Temple could be rebuilt without disturbing the mosques though it might be quite a trick.

In any event all of this is about as fascinating as it gets this side of heaven.

BTW I'm beginning to make plans for another trip to Israel within the next year or two. Wouldn't it be fun to go together?

Dan L

Dear Professor Dan,

You are right, of course!

Even Alexander the Great couldn't get around the fact that he wasn't allowed to put his personal statue on the Temple Mount due to prohibitions against images.

So he told the Jews of his day that he was going to exempt them from that requirement.

And, in return, the Jewish leaders decreed that Jewish children may be called "Alexander, Alexandra" in the king's honour, for all time!

(The Muslims venerate him as a prophet-saint and call him "Dhu Al-Ganayn" or the Two-Horned One since he wore the two-horned cap of Amun in Egypt - in Darfur the tombs of three of his reported sons are venerated by Muslims - they pray to them for children!).

But the movement to return to Temple worship is building - I wonder if they will consider donning orange scarves any time soon?

I'd love to go to Jerusalem - but my wife is afraid of venturing out there. We were there for our honeymoon and walked the Way of the Cross and visited a number of shrines dedicated to our Lord and the Mother of God.

Alex

Professor Alex,

I know what your wife means about fear of Israel. However, there are areas of Chicago I fear more than anyplace in Israel. Why not bring her down here and we'll get toughened up together?

Educational Opportunities assures us that no tourist has lost his life during the Intafadah and that they have been taking tourists there throughout this latest trouble. I stopped going after 1998 but now it seems my fears were overblown. I've been eager to get back there for some time.

Dan L

Don't the Samaritans have a functioning ppriesthood that practices the ancient temple rites?

Dear Friend,

Yes, but only according to the Pentateuch as they only accept the five books of Moses, as you know, and for which they were excommunicated from the Temple.

Alex