{"id":1126,"date":"2014-07-06T21:50:26","date_gmt":"2014-07-07T01:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/?p=1126"},"modified":"2014-07-06T21:50:26","modified_gmt":"2014-07-07T01:50:26","slug":"do-christians-need-to-learn-more-about-judaism-a-rabbi-responds-to-the-pope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/truthsyoucanuse\/2014\/07\/do-christians-need-to-learn-more-about-judaism-a-rabbi-responds-to-the-pope.html","title":{"rendered":"Do Christians Need to Learn More About Judaism? A Rabbi Responds to the Pope"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>n the 1970s Alex Haley wrote the best-seller\u00a0Roots<\/i>. He sought to find the roots of his life as an African-American. Where did he come from?\u00a0What experiences shaped who he was?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"pope<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>
\nWe all ask these questions. We seek not only geographic roots and ethnic roots. We look for spiritual roots. Where do we come from? Why do we believe what we believe?\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nFor Christians much of the answer lies in Judaism. Pope Francis recently put it bluntly when he said, \u201c<\/span>I believe that inter-religious dialogue must investigate the Jewish roots of Christianity and the Christian flowering of Judaism\u2026 Inside every Christian is a Jew.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The Past is Never Past<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The Pope acknowledged this statement will upset many people. Some Jews will feel the statement does not acknowledge the tragic history of anti-semitism in the Church. Some might also say in referring to the Christian \u201cflowering\u201d of Judaism, his statement minimizes the legitimacy of Judaism on its own.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>The Pope is not denigrating any of us. His statement is an invitation to dig deeper into who we are<\/em>. Finding our roots does not delegitimize who we have become. It helps us understand ourselves better. We all know this in our personal lives.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs an example, I live in Chicago. I love this city to the depths of my soul. Yet, I also grew up in Houston, Texas. I love visiting there and and am grateful for the slight southern twang it gave me. I also attended high school in Milwaukee, and living there can me an appreciation for the lakefront.<\/span><\/p>\n

We Don\u2019t Have to Agree in order to Learn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Appreciating the beauties of Houston and Milwaukee does not diminish my love for Chicago. Similarly,\u00a0knowing more about Judaism need not diminish a Christian\u2019s love and appreciation of Christianity<\/em>. As a rabbi, I have seen the sparks ignited when some of the treasures of Judaism are opened up to people who have never experienced them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, we will disagree on practices and interpretations. Yet, disagreement does not imply illegitimacy. To live in a time when Christians can find meaning in Jewish practices, and Jews can work and learn with Christians as partners is a blessing we should celebrate.<\/p>\n

How We Grow Through\u00a0Each Other<\/strong><\/p>\n

This lesson really hit home when I\u00a0dialogued on Lent and Passover<\/a>\u00a0with my friend Reverend Lillian Daniel.\u00a0We were moved by the questions members of our congregations asked us and one another. Jews can learn more about major aspects of Christianity like the Resurrection, and Christians can learn more about Jewish texts like the Talmud.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of us discovered a new religious truth for the 21st<\/span>\u00a0century: Learning about and exploring other faiths does\u00a0threaten our uniqueness. It brings us closer to the God who created us all.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 1970s Alex Haley wrote the best-seller\u00a0Roots. He sought to find the roots of his life as an African-American. Where did he come from?\u00a0What experiences shaped who he was? \u00a0 We all ask these questions. We seek not only geographic roots and ethnic roots. We look for spiritual roots. Where do we come from?…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nDo Christians Need to Learn More About Judaism? 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