GeddyBass2112

Best: There's an incredible sense of empowerment among Jewish women (I'm female), and unlike the straitjacket of my old church and indeed the prevailing attitude of the Church in general, there is a sense that being a woman in Judaism is nothing to be ashamed about. Indeed, in the old synagogue I attended before moving away (I moved house a couple of months ago) women took part in the social activities and running of the synagogue possibly more than the men, and even outside, they wielded some serious power.

Worst: people often misunderstand what I believe, or simply don't know. I've also had people actively insult me or give abuse because of my beliefs.

Prime example: i try and follow the laws of tzniut (modesty) fairly strictly and this usally means I end up wearing long skirts/dresses and tops with long sleeves. Needless to say, this can look pretty weird in comparison to what anyone else my age is wearing, but it's also singled me out for criticism, weird looks, active disapproval or even abuse. People seem to think I'm being unnecessarily prudish or old-fashioned, without understanding the spiritual reasons I have for doing what I'm doing.


Mostly my study into what the Jewish notion of the Messiah actually was. Part of my problem was that not ONE person has bothered to explain to me what was actually meant by the term 'Messiah'....not just the 'Jesus Christ is the Messiah' stuff that was being taught to me, but what the Bible ACTUALLY said were the qualifications for the Messiah and whether or not Jesus fufilled them.
I also did a lot of study into the actual historical inconsistencies of the New Testament, including the confusion as to when Jesus was born, where he was born and his lineage, as well as comparing the story of Jesus to the theology of the Old Testament.

In short, I did the research and satisified my own mind enough to throw out the New Testament completely as any sort of revelation/scripture, and by extension, the Qur'an.

As you can imagine, doing this sort of research led me to read a LOT of Jewish material, including a prayer book (siddur), a Tanakh (in Hebrew!), a number of different Jewish articles and I found myself agreeing with most, if not all, of what was being talked about and taught in these articles. Some of the stuff on the Torah and science was a real eye-opener.

So this is pretty much why I am planning to convert. I'm learning Hebrew now, and teaching myself about Jewish theology. I'm in the process of finding a rabbi who is local enough for me to discuss conversion and (hopefully) start conversion classes/attend synagogue.