Judaism Is More Likely to be True Than False

I. What I advocate. "Mr. Infidel must in his first round state what he believes the core tenets of Judaism are, the tenets he must adhere to during this round. " The core of Judaism rests in the 13 principles of the Jewish faith. [1] Those 13 principles are found in source 1. Remember that I must prove that the Tanakh is true and that the basis for believing those 13 principles are sound and valid. II. Origin of Judaism This is the fundamental key to my argument. I will argue that the origin of Judaism proves that there is a rational basis to believing that Judaism is most likely true than false. A. The Anti-conspiracy principle. [Moses told the Israelites]: ‘Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld. Do not remove this memory from your heart all the days of your life. Teach your children and your children’s children about the day that you stood before the Lord your God at Horev [Mount Sinai]. .. God spoke to you from the midst of the fire, you were hearing the sound of words, but you were not seeing a form, only a sound. He told you of His covenant, instructing you to keep the Ten Commandments, and He inscribed them on two stone tablets. ’ (Deut.4:9-13) ‘You have been shown in order to know that God, He is the Supreme Being. There is none besides Him. From heaven he let you hear His voice in order to teach you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words amid the fire. ’ (Deut. 4:32-36) Moses called all of Israel and said to them: ‘Hear, O Israel, the decrees and the ordinances that I speak in your ears today—learn them, and be careful to perform them. The Lord your God sealed a covenant with us at Horev [Mount Sinai]. Not with our forefathers did God seal this covenant, but with us—we who are here, all of us alive today. Face to face did God speak with you on the mountain from amid the fire. ’ (Deut. 5:1-4) From these verses, we can glean that ALL of Israel (about 3,000,000 people) heard G-d speak. According to the anti-conspiracy principle, the majority of people tell the truth the majority of the time. It is impossible for such a monumental event to have been faked and accepted as part of the Israelite's history for more than 3,000 years. The great Jewish scholar Maimonides writes: "Israel did not believe in Moses, our teacher, on account of the miracles he performed. For when one's faith is based on miracles, doubt remains in the mind that these miracles may have been done through the occult and witchcraft. What then were the grounds of believing him? The revelation on Sinai which we saw with our own eyes, and heard with our own ears, not having to depend on the testimony of others. [2] B. History-vs. -Legend By definition, a legend is an unverifiable story. An example would be Washington's admission to chopping down the Cherry tree exclaiming, "I cannot tell a lie. " These are unverifiable because we have no to very few eye witnesses. History, on the other hand, is compromised of events we know actually happened. It is reliable because we can determine if the claimed event is true or false in a number of ways. Amongst the keys to verification is the assertion of large numbers of eyewitnesses observed the specific event. An example would be the Nazi holocaust. It is indeed quite absurd to believe that the Jews were gullible to pull off a national conspiracy in the event of the national revelation; but, that is what you must believe that the Jewish people were capable of a monumental and absurd event. IV. Fulfilled Prophecy Another key in determining the validity of the Torah is to test the claims made within the Torah and the prophecies therein. These prophecies are not vague and do not require faith (unlike the Christian claims to fulfilled prophecy). Let's take a look:A. Leviticus 26 [3] “And I will scatter you among the nations. ” – the first exile to Babylon. “And I will bring the land into desolation. ” – the ruination of the Land of Israel. “And I will bring your sanctuaries into desolation. ” – the destruction of the First Temple. “And I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. ” – the cessation of sacrifice in the first Temple. “Then shall the land be paid her Sabbaths. ” – the duration of the first exile – 70 years – was commensurate with the number of Sabbatical years, which were not previously correctly observed. “And you shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. ” – a prophecy fulfilled, as described by Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations (2:20), at the destruction of the first Temple. A question is now begged, How is it possible for Moses to foretell in vivid detail the history of the Jewish people over 800 years after the Jewish nation entered the and of Israel. The only rational understanding is that this is a true prophecy from God. B. Deuteronomy 28 “And you shall be plucked off the land. ” – the second exile. “Your sons and daughters shall be given unto another nation … and you shall serve your enemy … in famine and thirst. ” – before the exile. “The Lord will bring upon you a nation from afar, from the end of the earth. ” – a reference to Rome. “. .. who will swoop down like an eagle. ” – a reference to the Roman legions whose standard bearers carried the sign of an eagle. “And it will lay siege to all your gates, until your high and fortified walls … are toppled. ” – the land is conquered, there is siege, and the walls fall. “The stranger that is in your midst shall mount up above you higher and higher. ” – a reference to Herod. “You shall betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her. ” – a Roman decree. “And G–d shall scatter you among all the peoples from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth. ” – the Jew is exiled to all four corners of the earth. “And among these nations you shall have no repose, and there shall be no rest for the sole of your foot … and you shall fear night and day. ” – the situation of Jews in exile. This is just to hit the surface of what is going on in the text. Clearly, these are not vague and must have been from G-d. V. Summary My partner in this debate must show that my arguments are false by either showing a more logical way of the revelation of Mount Sinai and show how the prophecies can be in depth and in detail without the prophecies being from G-d. Moreover, my partner must show how the Jewish nation could have fell for such a hoax as the revelation at Mount Sinai. Finally, my partner must show why no other religion can boast a national revelation. Thank you. References [1] "The RAMBAM'S 13 principles of the Jewish faith. . http://www.ou.org... [2] Mishna Torah - Foundations of Torah 8:1. Quoted on . http://www.simpletoremember.com... [3] "Proof of the Existence of G-d. " . http://www.chabad.org...