NextSo you've cast off the christian religion and found yourself in a religious void. You've balanced the "new testament" with the "old testament" and found the "new testament" to be lacking. And you have the "old testament" in front of you and you wonder, what next? Where do I go now? How do I live in a way that the Deity of creation spoken of in those scriptures would find acceptable or be pleased with?
The scriptures before you are no longer "the old testament" but the Hebrew or Jewish Scriptures. If these holy words were written from the Creator to the Jews or for the Israelites, a question that can come to one's mind is whether one must become an Israelite or Jew in order to have any relationship with that Creator. Must I forsake my own nationality or ethnicity and become Jewish in order to be acceptable in His sight? The scriptures focus so much on Israel, it is easy to think that way.
That was my position a number of years ago. Since that time I've studied, I've found a lot of beliefs I could refute biblically, and I, through writing these articles, have been able to structure my thoughts on a good number of issues. But as to my own standing as a foreigner to Israel, and how that would affect how the Lord of all would view me, well that was a hard one. Over the years, I had always known that the Supreme Being was the Deity written of in the Jewish Bible, and had always directed my prayers and my worship to Him. I tried to do my best to serve Him and obey Him as a gentile. But part of me wondered if I was wrong to remain as a gentile. If I stay as one, is there really a way of righteousness for me? Or am I just fooling myself?
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