For weeks now, I have been bombarded with questions from friends and colleagues at work on why I chose to switch to Judaism after 30 years of practicing Christianity. To be honest, discarding a religion I had accepted as the truth for 3 decades was not easy but it is equally difficult to continue believing a lie when you discover the undeniable truth.
Christians world-wide admit the New Testament is a divine guide of their religion and is the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Tanakh (which Christians refer to as the Old Testament). It would interest you to know that few months ago, I found over 25 contradictions in the New Testament, which shook the very foundation of my Christian faith, hence my conversion.
The Christian Bible (New Testament) claims in Matthew and Luke that Jesus is the Messiah son of David that Israel had been waiting for to save them out of oppression. In Matthew 1:6 says Jesus is the son of David through Solomon but in Luke 3:31 Jesus is the son David from the line of Nathan. Secondly, how could Jesus be the descendant of David if the Christian Bible claims he is not Joseph’s biological son? Note that in Jewish tradition, adopted children cannot be included in the family tree.
Also, how come the writers of the New Testament are not sure of the identity of Joseph’s father? Matthew 1:16 says Jacob is Joseph’s father while Luke 3:23 claims Heli was the father of Joseph. How could I trust a book which cannot even agree on simple facts in one man’s genealogy and other historical references?
According to the Torah in Genesis 50:13, Jacob was buried in a cave in the field of Machpela in Hebron but the Christian Bible claims in Acts 7:15-16 that Jacob was buried in Shechem. Also in Genesis 46:27 the Patriarch Jacob came to Egypt with a total of 70 persons but the Christian Bible says in Acts 7:14 that they were 75. Another factual error by the New Testament! I was even more confused about the divinity of Jesus when the Christian Bible says he cursed a fig tree, which did not bear fruit because it wasn’t its season to bear fruit. If Jesus was God as John 1:1 and John 10:30 claims, and if he created the world then he should have known that the tree was not in the season of bearing fruit. Jesus had no justifiable basis to curse that tree.
The Christian Bible attempts to prove from Isaiah 53 that Jesus is the Messiah but the chapter, which is a continuation of Isaiah 52, talks about Israel’s afflictions by other nations and their enemies, not Jesus. I also found out that in Isaiah 7:14, the Hebrew word used (almah) was not virgin but young lady and the prophecy to King Ahaz regarding the birth of Immanuel referred to Hezekiah his son, who succeeded him and defeated his enemies (Assyria). The Hebrew word for virgin is Betulah. Isaiah 9, speaks of Prince of Peace Hezekiah’s conquest of Assyria, not Jesus and in Daniel 7, the Son of Man refers to God’s holy people Israel, not Jesus. You are free to check the interpretation from the same chapter in your Bible.
Asides the textual contradictions in the New Testament, I was even more worried when I read the words of Jesus in Mark 10:17 and Matthew 5:17-19. He said the Law of God in the Torah gives us eternal life and he who teaches anyone to break the least commandment will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. I find it weird that Christians today don’t even listen to Jesus by keeping the Commandments of God in the Torah. Why does Paul claim we are not under the Law and that the Law of God in the Torah cannot save us? Read Romans 10:4, 6:14. At that point, my conscience began to judge me since I was a Christian, who never kept the Sabbath Day (from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown), I ate pork and all the forbidden foods (in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14) and I even bowed to statues and picture of Jesus, which are graven images the 10 Commandments speaks against.
As a practicing Jew, I believe I am following the religion of Jesus. He practiced Judaism right from birth till his death. My conversion to Judaism only reflects my willingness to follow the advice of Jesus in Mark 10:17 and Matthew 5:17-19 to obey the Laws of God in the Torah for that is the key to eternal life.
Source: Denise Derek Mirpuri
