From: rich.bellacera@amail.amdahl.com
Newsgroups: alt.messianic
Subject: My Heritage
Date: 6 Sep 92 01:24:07 GMT
Return-Path: <amail.amdahl.com!rich.bellacera@juts.ccc.amdahl.com>

From: Bill.Carlson@p0.f18.n104.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Bill Carlson)
       -=> Quoting Rich.bellacera@amail.amdahl.com to All <=-
 Ri> From: rich.bellacera@amail.amdahl.com
 Ri> Message-ID: <m0mQ4g9-0000hzC@juts.ccc.amdahl.com>
 Ri> to once more be enslaved to the bonds of the Law.

BC> The Torah/Law is G-d's Word, and when one follows Y'shua Messiah/
    (Jesus Christ), one is not 'bound' by the Law, but we keep the
    Righteous requirements of Torah in love, though faith, by the
    Power of Ruach HaKodesh, (Holy Spirit).  So..., it is not the
    Torah that is off-base; {for Sha'ul/Paul says the Torah is just and
    pure and good}; rather, it is man's own self-perscriptive-use of
    Torah, - attempting their own-self-righteousness, -(which the Bible
    tells us is as filthy rags), -THAT is what is off-base.  So...,
    then we can conclude with Sha'ul: (paraphrased): Do we then make
    the Torah of no effect, nay - G-d forbid!  Rather we establish the
    Torah! -[in Romans].

Bill, you are quite correct.  I appologize for the misunderstanding.  Perhaps
in my defense from those who would have me become converted to Rabbinical
Judaism I was a tad too quick to speak.  I realize now I wasn't very clear
with my reference to "bonds of the Law."  This phrase (to me) means taking on
all of the rituals and observences and every 'jot & tittle' of the Law as my
"religion."  This is NOT what I wish to do.  The same book of Romans explains
how the Law "worketh death" because it reveals sin and sin is the reason we
die.  I'm not sure even now if my words will be misunderstood (I hope not),
but I believe in being free of the rituals & observances of days and months
and all to be "free to walk in the spirit of the Law."  In otherwords I
believe in obeying the law in reference to things such as "codes of ethics"
and such.  I do not believe I am sinning because I work on Saturday and go to
church on Sunday.  I do not believe it is wrong to eat pork.  I do not believe
in the ritual of circumcision of the flesh, but rather the siritual
circumcision of the heart.  Does this make sense to you of the MJ faith? :(

I am curious about one thing: if I refferred to myself as an MJ would I then
be obliged to start observing days and times and only eating kosher things,
etc.?  If so, I don't see where the appeal is.  It seems to me that gentiles
are under no such obligation. I guess I lack clarity still.

 Ri> O.K., so now what should I do with this new found inheritance?  I
 Ri> realize I do not HAVE to do anything, but this is all so new and
 Ri> exciting.  I had never imagined this part of me.

BC> You could go to a Messianic Congregation; you could continue
    reading on this net <g>; you could read the Bible, next time you
    sit down to, from a Jewish perspective to see if you glean anthing
    new from that angle; you could. ... do as you feel led to do :-)

That makes good sense.  Though I'm still not quite sure how to get info on
where and how to find Messianic Congregations.  One article I read on a.m said
that MJs are found in every denomination. Based on your words above I checked
the yellow-pages and could find no reference to Messianc Jewish fellowships (I
checked under "Churches" and "Synagogues") so I'm still in the dark about
that.

BC> as they apply to daily living.  What would it say about you and
    your family?  -Specificly it would say that you are a Jew living
    as a Gentile apart from Judaic observance.  Of course, since you
    are a Believer, you have a form of Biblical Messianic
    Judaism, though it would be one approached from a Gentile
    perspective.

Is this what Laura meant when she said you'd say I was "acting goyisha"?
Because I percieve from the "gentile" upbringing (especially within the
Christian community), having no real experience with Judaism other than
studying it in Christian and secular literature?

BC> ... 012 Shalom Alechem ---> <--- Alechem Shalom 210

What does that mean? (I know "shalom" means 'peace' and is a form of greeting
or of saying 'goodbye', but what is the significance of the numbers and the
word 'alechem'.  Gee, I thought Christianity was 'mysterious', but with all
the yiddish(?) being spoken here I'm basically 'clueless' in this area.  I
figure, maybe, by reading I'll learn something, however.

Thank you again

-Rich
Newsgroups: alt.messianic