Judaism better than Christianity?

[Danielos]

While I think all religions are nonsense, I have a little more respect for Judaism than Christianity. At least the Jews never fell for that "Jesus son of God"-bogus and they reject the ludicruous idea of trinity and the hideous doctrines of original sin and atonement through blood sacrifice. Also, Jews don´t think the body and sexuality is dirty and shameful the way zealots like St Pail preached. Also, the concept of Hell is more a Christian idea than a Jewish one.

If I would have to convert to any of the Abrahamic religions, I would have become a Jew!

[One Above All]

Honestly, it's all the same to me. They're all the same myth, with only minor differences
Like Avatar and Pocahontas

[Danielos]

Honestly, it's all the same to me. They're all the same myth, with only minor differences
Like Avatar and Pocahontas

I don´t think that because both religions are false that they are therefore equally bad. I think the doctrine of Christianity is more sinister and sick, which make me despise it that much more...

[brownrecluse]

  I don't know...Judaism has plenty of crazy nonsense going for it..can someone please post the list of things that are forbidden on the Jewish Sabbath?

[brownrecluse]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activities_prohibited_on_Shabbat

[plethora]

I never understood why nobody beats up on the Jews... so I'll come out and say it ... fuck the jews!

Judaism in based on the Torah, which is just as sick and twisted as the christian bible and the Koran.

The more orthodox jews are really messed up. Women can only wear long dresses, they shave their heads to reduce their sexual attractiveness (though they wear wigs in public), they all dress in black, they punch out kids like crazy ... the first thing they do with their boys is mutiliate their genitals in a painful and sick ceremony...

I spoke to a ex-jew now atheist friend of mine... he says that on the sabbath they didn't use electricity in the house (they were forbidden to flick switches because it's considered an 'effort'), he couldn't play or do anything... they would just sit around, read the torah and talk.

Why they get all this extra-special respect is beyond me. Their religion is no better than any other religion.

[monkeymind]

ParkingPlaces:

Why they get all this extra-special respect is beyond me.

Because they are the money changers?

[Hemingway]

Also, Jews don´t think the body and sexuality is dirty and shameful the way zealots like St Pail preached.

And yet they cut off the skin around the top of your willy cos their iron age book says it is the right thing to do.

Nah.... sorry.... I'll keep mine fully intact if its all the same to you.

[screwtape]

Why they get all this extra-special respect is beyond me.

Great PR and relentless lobbying.  Holocaust guilt did wonders for their image. 

[bosey926]

Their image, in terms of a religious one, is still pretty bad.  When you say 'Jew' or 'Judaism' I personally am thinking of all of the idiots with some 1950's female, curled-up side burns, who are simultaneously smashing their heads against "The West Wall".  Which of course we know is nothing more than brick that was built by slaves a few thousand years ago because their owner told them to, or else they were going to pay the price from a supreme being.

[Noman Peopled]

I never understood why nobody beats up on the Jews... so I'll come out and say it ... fuck the jews!

Yeah.
Cafeteria jews are just as secular as cafeteria christians. Orthodox jews can and do create environments just as restrictive as the more insane christians. I have no statistics on fundy jews by percentage, but by and large the Torah is not exactly enlightened.

Why they get all this extra-special respect is beyond me. Their religion is no better than any other religion.

- Holocaust. Best PR campaign ever. This may sounds sick and twisted, but it's much more disgusting that the Holocaust is invoked so much the same way 9/11 is in the US.
- Orthodox jews aren't in-your-face about it. Well, unless you're in Israel. And even there, they are not exactly evangelical. They are, in short, none of our concern. They keep to themselves.
- Israel. For decades, the US supported Isreal almost without question (fuck me, they've just recently given up on their stance vis-à vis new settlements in the occupied territories - again). Also, for a very long time the CIA was completely dependent on information from the Israeli secret service; they basically knew nothing about the political minutiae of the Middle East except for the information that passed through Israeli hands.
- Plus, Israel is still regarded as basically utopia. It's not only a country, it's been made part of judaism. Add this infamous gotta-respect-their-faith political over-correctness and - boom! - Suddenly even stating that carving a new country out of occupied territory may have been a dumb idea is labeled intolerant.
- Als, yet another Israel point, people sympathize with a state that's under constant terrorist threat, especially since they've been taught by the media that they could plausibly become victims themselves.
- Lobbying. There's another thread on why jews seem to be more successful on average than any other demographic. That said, no shortage of non-Israeli jews are getting fed up with Israel; there are still "interest groups" of course.
- Last but not least, the fact that religion-jew and race-jew aren't verbally distinguishable. This irks me to no end. (The fact that race factors into a person's worth in orthodoxy doesn't helpt.) I guess you can just substitute "judaism". Eh.

[William]

I like a lot of Jewish culture.  I find Jackie Mason especially funny.  I respect the achievements of Jews in many aspects of science, arts, and business.
But as a religion they are even more stupid and outdated than Christianity, and with a repugnant racist/nationalist bias that infects their politics to the detriment of peace in the world.

[Historicity]

I spoke to a ex-jew now atheist friend of mine... he says that on the sabbath they didn't use electricity in the house (they were forbidden to flick switches because it's considered an 'effort'), he couldn't play or do anything... they would just sit around, read the torah and talk.

Many of them read the TV schedule carefully and decide what is the best mix of shows on the balance and would leave the TV on that channel Friday afternoon till Saturday evening.  Kids would have to watch the cartoons of the channel with Daddy's choice of the best football or baseball game in the afternoon.  If your TV was more programmable you could do better.

[Historicity]

BTW, you have to key "G-d" instead of "God".  Since a computer screen refreshes 60 times a second the word is destroyed 60 times a second:

GOD

The blasphemy challenge never got any simpler.

[hickdive]

Jesus saves but Moses invests.



Of course Judaism is better.

[jedweber]

If I were going to pick a major religion that is "better" than Christianity, I'd go with Buddhism.

Judaism is responsible for some of the worst aspects of Christianity, such as the rigid Old Testament moral codes. The Christians who are most true to its Jewish roots tend to be the worst kinds (creationist fundies, homophobes, etc.). Christians who downplay the OT and cherry-pick the "peace and love" parts of Jesus' message tend to be the least offensive, in my opinion...