Comment by Yoel B

Yoel I would venture to say that all evangelicals are Christian but not all “Christians” are evangelicals. There is a very specific verse in the NT that identifies who are Christians. The scope is very specific and very narrow. BTW - Christianity is NOT something one is born into or attained by church attendance. The church visible is made up of authentic Christians and those who simply call themselves Christian - which is what I did for years. In all honesty, I had never heard of a Noachide except from Jewish sites. Most of my Christian friends have not heard of Noachides. To say the USA is a Christian nation is wrong. We may have been founded on Judeo-Christian values but we are a nation of many faiths/beliefs of which Christianity is but a part.

Not surprising — a lot of early Jewish Philosophy drew VERY heavily on earlier Islamic philosophical/sufi texts.

When exchanges of ideas take place the end result is usually a better, stronger, more thought out and defendable position.

So knowledge acquisition can be justified if the purpose is proselytizing. Clearly, one can justify quite a bit in the name of religious outreach. But the vast majority of Jews have abandoned proselytizing. So on what other basis can we justify the acquisition of knowledge about other religions? From a sociological perspective, I doubt that anyone seriously would question the value of familiarity with multiple faiths, ethnicities, traditions, etc. But what about a Torah perspective, as understood by R’ Adlerstein and others?

This is not about practicality or diplomacy. This is about whether there is a clear positive moral value to knowing the religious other.

Talking to sincere people sincerely is always helpful and I agree that you don’t have to move towards their beliefs (or they to yours) in order for such talks to be fruitful. We have to ask ourselves what we want from talking. Understanding, respect, an appreciation of what we share and a comprehension of what we disagree about? All of that is achievable.

I think the time to walk away is when they want to convert you or undermine you. People have to recognise that conversation only goes so far As my Rabbi says, you have to know where it’s at - the minute you don’t then conversATion becomes conversion.

Can Rabbi Adlerstein give the perak(im) where this is mentioned?

Even those who can not interact as intensely as others with the non-Jewish world, at the very least, should concentrate on indirectly giving people reason to appreciate Judaism, and be concerned about kiddush Hashem and chillul Hashem.

Practically, it is easier to be aware and concerned of the effect of one’s actions on the outer environment if one views the world at large in a positive way. Because many of our communities emphasize insularity and inner-focus, we need to be careful not to forget the outward goal of giving the world reason to respect Hashem’s nation. As one gadol has recently stated, “Our philosophy asserts that every human being is created in the image of the Lord and the primacy of integrity and honesty in all dealings without exception”.