Postscript: An Exercise in Rewriting

At the beginning of Chapter Two (p. 24-25), you encountered four misrepresentations of Judaism frequently found in Catholic textbooks and sermons. At the end of Chapter Two, it must be possible for you to reformulate those statements in such a way that Christians can cherish who they are without engaging in misrepresentations of Judaism. Try your hand at either directly editing or suggesting alternatives to the following:

1. Jesus and his followers (the church) emphasized the mercy, grace, and love of God. The Jews, meanwhile, adhered to the Law of Moses and accordingly emphasized the justice, judgment, and wrath of God.

2. Jesus was unique in presenting God as a warm, loving Father caring for his children. Judaism, on the other hand, presented God as a distant, inaccessible Lawgiver bent upon punishing sinners.

3. The Pharisees represented the religious legalism rampant in Jesus' day. Jesus was on the mark when he characterized their teachings as oppressive and their conduct as hypocritical.

4. Jews try to earn their salvation by a slavish adherence to the Mosaic Law. Christians, in contrast, are freed from the Law because their salvation comes to them as a gift (a grace) uniquely merited for them by Jesus' death on the cross.

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