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Michael Kadish
It's rather apparent, to look at me, with my yamulke on my head, at present, my beard, and the occasionally apparent tzitzit that can be seen, that I am a religious Jew. I am what is known as "Modern Orthodox." This means that I keep the customs, but I do not wear the all black garb that the "Ultra-orthodox" do, and, more importantly, I live a combined life of religious Judaism, and at the same time, a somewhat normal, modern, American (as the case happens to be) lifestyle. The level of observance that my family keeps is unusually high where we live, and by my eyes, I am the only "Modern Orthodox" Jew in FAU.
Boca Raton, despite the fact that it cannot really be considered a metropolis, does have a rather large Jewish population. Many people notice that Jews tend to congregate in larger cities. There is reason for this. First of all, it's a lot easier to be a given minority when you can band with others around you for support. There are more technical reasons, the more people you have, the easier it is to get kosher food, the presence of an eiruf, synagogues, etc. Nevertheless, the large numbers of Jews in this vacinity all seem to be less religious.
My family's lived like this for a while, however. I was, in the Jewish community back home, often "the religious one." In Jacksonville, there are supposedly ten thousand Jews. However, an extremely small amount was Jewish. I went to a Jewish day school until middle school, and I was the only one who was orthodox, and always wore my yamulke. I was taunted quite a bit for it. Granted, I was a nerd, and an annoying kid, but I did get nicknames (Kippa Kadish comes to mind) that were at least partially due to my level of religion.
When I left the day school, and entered public school, I did face some hatred. I'm not going to say it was constant, in your face, bigotry, but the presence was there. I didn't wear my yamulke to school. I was afraid to cause more problems, and I repeatedly pointed out the rule in the code of conduct that forbids hats to explain why I didn't wear it to school.
Nevertheless, Jacksonville is, as I often say, the world's largest hicktown. It is also smack in the bible belt. Whereas I didn't wear my yamulke, it was apparent, or rather I made it known, that I was Jewish, and religious. Consequently, I either heard anti-Semitic remarks, or just proselytizing, "Do you really want to go to Hell?"
I learned how to argue. I can debate religion with the best of them, and have been able to turn around every missionary who sought me. I've studied anti-Semitism in detail. I know what they say about Jews, I know how they look for it. I know how to show the flaws in their arguments as well.
I think that's the way it is with the Jewish people in general. My general notice of the difference between Judaism and Christianity is that the essence of Christianity tends to be based on love and emotion ("Jesus loves you," "You must feel it in your heart,") whereas Judaismis a more logically based religion, and the focus is more on the mind. That is not to say, obviously, that Christians do not think\ Jews do not feel compassion. I'm merely focusing on what the emphasis of the religion is. The focus of Jewish laws, like Muslims' for that matter, is on how the laws are carried out. This is what a major segment of the religious texts focus on, whereas Christianity tells you to imitate, and, to live the life of Jesus.
In my life however, I've had to constantly defend the Jewish belief, and to understand the other views in order to "put up a better fight." However, the important thing that I have to point out in these (way to frequent arguments) is not why people should not be Christian, but to focus on why it is not for everybody. That may sound hokey, or a cop-out, but the Jewish approach is not to convince somebody to become Jewish. We do not seek converts. When I debate religion, I debate that Judaism makes perfect sense to me, and my only goal is to show the validity of the belief. The intention is not to focus on supremacy, just validity.
The key is that in a different given person, there is a different understanding of the world around them. This person, consequently, is entitled to have his or her own belief. Their belief is not inherently better or worse than mine, yours, or anybody else's. It's true for that person, at that given time, and that person's beliefs are to be recognized.
The issue of the age of the belief isn't relevant. The Mormons are from the last century, Scientologists are from this century. If a belief developed yesterday helps the person better understand the world around them, then it is as legitimate as any other.
There are limits. If the key to a belief endangers somebody else, than the issue should be worked out, the subject in this paper involves beliefs in the world around them, those of God, science, and practices, not of offending others. The other important clarification, at least in my case, is that I only believe in the person, after I am convinced that the person truly believes in what they are saying. This does not require the use of putting anybody in front of a speeding train, and it allows the individual a few "I can't explain it"s. Most beliefs will fit into these guidelines; even ancient Greek mythology stands up in debate. The only stones that will not fall through this sieve would be a quick, unthought-out belief, created to justify an immediate desire or goal. It has been my observation that these are the most dangerous beliefs.
To put it simply, my Jewish life in a religious Christian environment has taught me to accept other religions' legitimacy. If a person truly believes something, it should be respected. If the belief poses a threat to others, or to themselves, then that should be dealt with, but the belief itself should not be devalued. I think having to defend my religion so many times has led me to near-fully appreciate and respect the beliefs of other cultures, and to respect the freedom of religion, as we are supposed to view it.