John on the Sunset Coast,

As a Gentile, I may be getting it all wrong, but I've read the Torah enough that I don't really think so. Perhaps I'm not being clear.

In saying that "observant Jews think 'their religion is the "right" one and and the other religions aren't.'", I am refering mostly to what Judaism says about God and His nature. I realize that most Jews do not think that Gentiles must follow Jewish traditions.

However, as you know even better than I do, observant Jews most certainly do think that their religion is right. They think, for example, that there is one God, that He is holy, that some actions of ours are pleasing to Him, and that some are abhorrent.

In thinking these things, they are in agreement with Islam and with Christianity. (In other words, Jews and Christians and Moslems all worship the same God.)

However, in holding these beliefs, observant Jews (and Christians and Muslims) are necessarily in disagreement with atheists, deists, and polytheists. They are also necessarily in disagreement with rapists, blasphemers, false witnesses, thieves, etc. They think the Aztecs were mistaken with that whole human sacrifice thing. Unless they are Messianic Jews, they deny that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. I understand that there are certain disagreements with Muslims as well. In other words, like everybody else in the world, excepting only the hypocrites, they hold the position they think is correct and, in so doing, necessarily disagree with the contrary position.

If I am missing something, please correct me.

Kent