Reply to One of the reasons I don't believe in Christianity is because the Jews did not believe in Jesus

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The Canaanites didn't believe the early Israelites' religion. So taking Jewish pov as established fact doesn't work, either. It's like the old myth about there being turtles all the way down. [/quote]

God didnt make a covenant with them. They weren't his people. [b]Thats why it makes no sense that God then chose the Romans to be his people[/b]. [/quote]

You are inverting the Christian understanding with the bolded.   God did not choose the Romans (or anny other people) after Christ.  After Christ’s redemptive act on the cross on behalf of all humans, God is no longer choosing a people within humanity, but rather God is allowing all of humanity to choose to be in relationship with God, through Jesus. Hence, the emphasis on John 3:16, especially in Protestant circles. John 3:16 sums up the Christian understanding/message as succinctly as possible.   There is more depth to it, but that is the very core essence of Christianity and how it builds upon the OT. [/quote]

Except that it doesnt build upon the OT except possibly the commandments. There is little correlation from God's plan in the OT to God's plan in the NT. Even the afterlife is different. As well as the commandments. What was the point of Leviticus or even the Exodus? There is no flow from one to the other from God's perspective.  [/quote]

Yes and no.  A lot of different variables in play, and your views might differ slightly from one Christian denomination to another.  Catholics and the Orthodox absolutely see a flow and symmetry between the OT and NT.  In the sense that Jesus himself says he came to establish a new order and a kingdom not dreamed of before, then I understand how you see it as not flowing.   But Jesus claimed to be the fulfillment of the Mosaic law and Christian theologians believe this established a new covenant with a new set of rules that in some cases built upon the old rules (the two greatest commandments...) while others would be seen a sort of a "New Deal" (healing on the Sabbath, the sermon on the Mount).

If for no other reason than educational purposes, you might consider the Bible in a Year podcast with Fr. Mike Schmitz.  As the name implies, he starts on Jan 1 and goes through the (Catholic) Bible day-by-day until you complete the whole thing in a year.  Daily, about 10-15 minutes are spent on a set of readings from two or three books of the Bible (sort of in chronological order) and then another 10-15 minutes on a theological reflection of the readings.  The podcast was wildly successful and many non-believers enjoyed it just to broaden their understanding of Christian thought.  One of the themes he hammers over and over again on his podcast, and his chosen format really works well for it, is that the OT, in Christian thought, is interpreted as preparation for Christ's arrival on Earth and Christ's time spent in his earthly mission.   That sort of touches on what OP might have heard in the homily at Mass.

Fr. Mike does a great job of pairing OT and NT readings where it makes sense to see how they compliment each other.  [/quote]

Father Mike is not a great thinker and doesnt stray from anything outside the doctrine. He has nothing to offer to a Jewish person or an athiest.[/quote]

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